Items tagged with android 12
Android 12 has been available in developer preview and public beta form for months, but Samsung is just now getting around to bringing its customers into the fold. Tonight, Samsung announced that users with a Galaxy S21 device (Galaxy S21, Galaxy S21+, Galaxy S21 Ultra) are eligible to join the One UI 4 beta program, which is, of course, based on Android 12. In addition to all the new functionality along with performance and security updates coming with Android 12, Samsung also touts these One UI 4-specific improvements that beta testers will be able to leverage: A wealth of theme options let you adjust the look and functionality of your device, giving you tools to configure your home screen,...
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Just a few days ago, Google released its Android 12 Beta 5 build with Pixel 5a support, and as we commented at the time, a final build is now only weeks away. How many weeks, exactly? Google has not given any official indication, but if a leaked document is anything to go by, Android 12's AOSP (Android Open Source Project) source code will land on the public's lab on Monday, October 4. That is precisely three weeks from the time of this writing. While nothing is chiseled in stone, Google typically makes its Android source code publicly available to developers slightly ahead of its Pixel launches. They also coincide with when new Android builds launch to existing Pixel phones. The timing is according...
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For the billions of Android users out there, the arrival of a significant operating system update is an exciting moment. Earlier this year, Google launched the first developer preview for Android 12 and has steadily tweaked and massaged the operating system to make it fit for public consumption. The latest step in the “platform stability” phase comes with Android 12 Beta 5, the final beta release for the operating system. The next step will be to release the final Android 12 build, which will be available to eligible current hardware and will ship with all-new smartphones (and tablets). "All app-facing surfaces are final, including SDK and NDK APIs, app-facing system behaviors, and...
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Google is currently beta testing a nifty new facial expression feature in Android, that will allow uses to perform certain actions by doing things like smiling, raising their eyebrows, opening their mouth, and so forth. The feature is being added to Google's Android Accessibility Suite, which is a collection of apps that make Android easier to manage for people with disabilities. This particular feature has been dubbed "Camera Switch" and, assuming all goes to plan, it will release to the public with version 12 of the Android Accessibility Suite. The beta test coincides with the fourth beta drop for Android 12, the next major version of Google's popular mobile operating system for handsets and...
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Google introduced Adaptive Charging in Android 11 for Pixel smartphones with the December Pixel Feature Drop, but it had several limitations and restrictions. For starters, Adaptive Charging was introduced to help preserve your battery health by preventing the phone from quickly reaching and staying at 100 percent charge. To enable Adaptive Charging, your phone must be placed on a charger after 9 pm, and an alarm must be set between the hours of 5 am and 10 am. In theory, Android 11 uses artificial intelligence to slowly charge your battery so that it would reach 100 percent just before your alarm goes off in the morning. However, in practice, many Pixel owners found that their battery was charging...
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We guess it's better late than never, but OnePlus 6 and OnePlus 6T owners are finally gaining access to Android 11. The OnePlus 6 initially launched in early 2018 with Android 8.1 installed, while the OnePlus 6T debuted later that year with Android 9. OnePlus only released the third beta of its Android 11-based OxygenOS 11 earlier this week, but the final public software update is now available. Since Android 11 first launched in September 2020 and Android 12 is just weeks away, OnePlus sure did take its sweet time to update these older devices. OxygenOS 11, of course, brings updated visuals throughout the user interface and plenty of optimizations compared to OxygenOS 10. However, OnePlus warns...
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Google is trucking along with the development of its Android 12 operating system, and today it released the Beta 4 update. According to the Android 12 release schedule posted below, this month's release is the first that puts the mobile operating system in the "platform stability" phase. In other words, Google is no longer focused on adding new features to Android 12 and is instead working to make sure that outstanding bugs are squashed as we move on to release candidate/final public builds. However, we should back up the statement slightly by mentioning that Google did one add one minor update to user Ad IDs in Google Play services. "Android 12 includes behavior changes to help improve performance,...
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By now, we think we have a pretty good idea of what the Google Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro will look like at launch. Several rumors have coalesced around a unique design with a multi-colored back, large camera bump, and premium materials. Now, gadget leaker Jon Prosser alleges to have a bigger scoop on the specifications for the two smartphones. According to the report, the Pixel 6 will feature a 6.4-inch AMOLED display, with an 8MP selfie camera nestled within a hole-punch cutout. Out back, expect to see a 50MP wide-angle primary sensor and a 12MP ultra-wide sensor. In addition, Google is reportedly using its first custom SoC, condemned Whitechapel, for the smartphone paired with 8GB of RAM and...
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Google launched the first Android 12 beta last month at Google I/O, and now the company is following up with Beta 2. All the new features that we first discussed in our original article are at play here in Android 12 Beta 2, but Google continues to refine the OS experience and UI to the benefit of users. One of the most significant changes comes with connectivity via removing the Wi-Fi button in Quick Settings, the Status Bar, and within Settings. Instead, the Wi-Fi button has been replaced with a new button called Internet. Tapping it brings you to a screen that allows you to change your Wi-Fi network or toggle on/off your cellular connection. If you have a dual-SIM-capable device, this is also...
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Google is moving along swiftly with the development of Android 12, and today at Google I/O announced that the first public beta is now available for download. Android 12 brings many new features to the table, including a new UI design philosophy called Material You. With Material You, Google provides Android 12 with a more personalized way of customizing their apps and UI in real-time based on "the user's unique Material palette" all in real-time. Custom color palettes can be created based solely on your chosen wallpaper. And OS will then extract colors from your wallpaper to use throughout the UI for things like buttons and app text. This color extraction can be further tweaked and fine-tuned...
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In early April, Woot.com ran a sale on the Google Pixel 3 that saw its price fall to a low $169.99. That was a significant price cut for a device that initially launched at $799 in October 2018. The Pixel 3 was superseded by the Pixel 4 and Pixel 5 but remains a competent performer for budget smartphone shoppers. Woot now has another deal on the Pixel 3, and this time its price has been reduced to $159.99. The smartphone has a locked bootloader and was originally made for Verizon's network. However, given that it is carrier unlocked, it is compatible with "most major U.S. carriers," including AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile. Given that the Pixel 3 is nearly three years old, it doesn't exactly...
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There was no Google I/O developer conference last year, as Google cancelled the event amid the Coronavirus pandemic. However, that will not be the case this year. Google announced that its developer event is returning as an online event, and will be free for anyone and everyone to attend (provided they have an internet connection, of course). "Connect with developers from around the world at this year's virtual Google I/O for thoughtful discussions, hands-on learning with Google experts, and a first look at our latest developer products," Google says. The multi-day developer event kicks off May 18, with a pre-show scheduled for 9:40 am PT (12:40 pm ET). After that, there will be a Google keynote...
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If you're a fan of LG's smartphones, it was probably heartbreaking news to learn last week that the company announced plans to exit the business. LG cited an "incredibly competitive mobile phone sector" for its decision, which was compounded by the fact that the division has been a money loser for six straight years. The company would later confirm that it will provide up to three major Android OS updates. It then added the caveat, "future updates will depend on Google's distribution schedule as well as other factors such as device performance and compatibility." Well, LG has now updated its Korean-language support website with a rundown of which specific devices will receive Android updates...
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We're still months away from the [inevitable] launch of Google's Pixel 6 family of smartphones, but leaks are already starting to make their way to the internet. Late last week, Google introduced the first Android 12 Developer Preview, and code sleuths have already been poring over the operating system to see if they can find any hidden features that could be included in future Pixel devices. Mishaal Rahman of XDA-Developers seems to have uncovered one feature that could be making a reappearance on Pixel devices along with a new one. The first is facial recognition, which was last used in the Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL. However, when the Pixel 5 series rolled around, Google went back to a traditional...
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Google is presumably on the cusp of releasing Android 12 in developer preview form, and as you might expect, leaked information is starting to come in at a more rapid pace. Last week, for example, we wrote about supposed screenshots highlighting enhanced privacy features and new widgets in Android 12. But that is only the tip of the iceberg. Game Mode Headed To Android 12 There could be a whole lot more to Android 12, according to a recent rash of leaks. The folks at XDA Developers have been able to source a bunch of details about what to expect when Android 12 arrives, including some kind of new game mode. According to the site, Google is working on something called "GameManager service" in...
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It is getting to be about that time when Google pushes out a preview of its next version of Android. While we wait, however, some supposed screenshots of Android 12 have emerged, plucked from what is purported to be an "early draft" from Google summarizing what changes are headed to the next major release. As such, this could be our first look at Android 12. Potentially, anyway—the leaked document and the screenshots contained within it have not been confirmed to be real. The timing is interesting, though, because whether these are accurate reflections of Android 12 or not, the first developer preview is likely just around the bend at this point, based on Google's past time frames (the...
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Google has announced that it is making changes in the next major release of Android that is probably music to Epic Games’ ears. As you recall, over the summer, Epic got into a heated battle with Apple and Google over the cut that each developer took out its revenue stream from the App Store and the Play Store respectively citing anticompetitive behavior. After Fortnite was kicked out of both app stores for using its own payment scheme (which is forbidden), Epic returned fire with lawsuits against Apple and Google. While Apple users are out of luck installing Fortnite on their devices going forward, Android users actually have alternative methods of installing the game without Google...
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