Android News and Tips
Google and Samsung have teamed up with repair expert uBreakiFix to repair Galaxy and Pixel phones free of cost for frontline workers. This will cover practically any damage, even the ones that are not covered by the standard warranty. Eligible workers can head over to any of the 500 U.S. locations of uBreakiFix to get
Google is reportedly working on a new physical debit card in partnership with banks and credit unions. This card will require an associated checking account to add or take back money using an app. There’s currently no word on when this service will be launched, but it could take several months. There’s been talk since
In order to make the Play Store experience more transparent, Google has made some changes to the way subscriptions will be detailed. Google Play will also review apps that require a user’s background location with new developers given time until August 2020 to comply. These rules will ensure that the users are aware of the
Google and Apple have teamed up to offer a joint COVID-19 contact tracing API. This API will be available in May and will subsequently make its way to the users through official health apps from governments across the world. Google and Apple have stressed on protecting users’ privacy with this new contact tracing API. Google
The highly anticipated Google I/O 2020 event now stands canceled as the company explained in a series of tweets. This comes as Google previously talked about hosting the event in a limited capacity. Industry rival Apple, on the other hand, is expected to go on with its WWDC 2020 event in June using an “online-only”
The YouTube app for Android and iPhones has been updated with a new “Explore” tab to help with content discovery. The app also lets users find new artists and creators based on their tastes with the new “On The Rise” feature. Although the update is now live, it may take a while to reflect on
Google has announced that Play Store Dark Mode can now be enabled by any device running Android 5.0 or higher. Previously, Dark Mode on the Play Store was only enabled on Android 10 devices. This new Dark Mode for the Play Store doesn’t require a specific update as it is enabled automatically by Google. Google
A new hands-on video has detailed Google’s Pixel 4a, revealing a handful of its hardware features including a 12MP rear camera and a 3,080 mAh battery. The phone should be launching soon, with a Q1 2020 timeframe pitched previously. It’s currently not known if Google will launch an XL variant of the Pixel 4a. There’s
A new report talks about Google’s plans to launch a 2nd-gen Chromecast Ultra with support for features like Android TV as well as 4K HDR. This new Chromecast Ultra will reportedly feature pretty much the same design with some minor changes. Google will apparently offer a full remote with this device, making it the first
Google has brought its Wear OS app to the Galaxy Store app hub which is found exclusively on Samsung smartphones and tablets. Google or Samsung hasn’t mentioned a reason for the app’s arrival on Samsung’s app hub. Speculations are now rife about Samsung launching a Wear OS smartwatch in the near future. Google’s smartwatch platform,
Google has now blocked any mention of terms like “Coronavirus”, “COVID-19”, and “Corona”. This comes as Google also pulled the plug on the annual I/O developer conference scheduled to be held in California in May. Coronavirus has affected over 80,000 people so far and killed nearly 3,000 people, mostly concentrated in China and South Korea.
Microsoft has mentioned in a blog post today that it will stop offering the Cortana voice assistant with the Microsoft Launcher on Android starting in April. This comes after Cortana was sidelined from Android last year. Microsoft has reaffirmed that it will continue to support and develop Cortana with the Windows 10 platform. Microsoft has
Code within the latest Google Stadia app update has revealed features like YouTube Live streaming while also simplifying new user sign-ups. Family Sharing was also revealed by the code, although this has some serious caveats in place. Stadia is Google’s subscription-based streaming service which is currently available to a select few users. Google Stadia built
A new survey conducted by the Google User Experience Research program plans to gauge public interest in advanced smartwatch features like sleep apnea and SP02 tracking. Other potential new features mentioned in the survey include the ability to track the flights of stairs the user has climbed and get alerts when the stress levels are
Huawei has announced that its dedicated app hub, known as AppGallery, now has 400 million users globally. This makes it the third-largest online app store in the world. Huawei was forced to shift all focus onto AppGallery following the U.S. – China trade dispute in 2019. The company is gearing up for the launch of
Developers have discovered a new feature within Android 11 that allows users to double-tap the phone’s back panel to access other features. It is further revealed that users will be able to customize this feature for other tasks like silencing alarms/phone calls or launching the camera app. This feature will reportedly be limited to the
A report has revealed how Google has indexed WhatsApp group invite links that were not meant to be shared, raising concerns about user privacy. It is said that around 470,000 group invitation links were exposed due to the indexing. Facebook had received a complaint about Google indexing chat URLs a few months ago, but the
Verizon is pushing the Android 10 update for the Galaxy S9 on its networks. This update brings features like gesture navigation along with Samsung’s One UI 2.0 upgrade. Verizon has been relatively slow with the Galaxy S9 Android 10 update as some rival carriers have offered the update in January. This is likely to be
Google Stadia will be pre-built on upcoming ASUS ROG phones until 2021, as per ASUS. Google recently made Stadia accessible for users of several 120 Hz display phones, including the ASUS ROG Phone II, the Razer Phone 2, and the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S20 trio. Google’s cloud-based gaming service has been off to a modest
Google’s I/O 2020 general admission ticket prices have remained unchanged from previous years at $1,150. Eligible students can get their I/O tickets for just $375. Google I/O will be held at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View California between May 12-14. As most of us are probably aware at this point, Google I/O 2020 is