This week’s top stories: Removing Android’s voice unlock, Google’s ‘Night Sight,’ OnePlus 6T leaks, more

Ben Schoon | Oct 27 2018 - 10:44 am PT

In this week’s top stories: Google might be removing voice unlock from Android, Night Sight makes an early debut with impressive results, more OnePlus 6T leaks hit the web, and much more.

One of our biggest stories of this week came from that of the news that Google might be removing voice unlock from Android. The feature, beloved by many, no longer ships with Google’s Pixel 3 phones, and according to our teardown it might be going away for good on all devices.

For several years now, the Google app allowed users to unlock a device with your voice when interacting with Google Assistant. After removing on the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL, “Unlock with Voice Match” appears to be nearing deprecation and replacement on all other Android devices given that it’s not too secure.

Another huge Google story that landed this week was the reveal that Google Play Movies would be following Apple’s example from last year and offering free upgrades to 4K on all eligible purchases, as well as dropping prices overall.

Starting today, Google Play will automatically upgrade both SD and HD movies to 4K for free. Google is also making Ultra HD content more affordable, while also updating its smart TV applications.

We also spent some hands-on time with Google’s new Night Sight camera feature this week. Set to officially arrive on Pixel 3 and other Pixels next month, this feature works some serious magic with nighttime photography. Check out the video below for some examples of what it’s capable of.

Google’s ‘Night Sight’ feature on Pixel 3 is simply impressive, here are some samples [Gallery + Video]

Ahead of its October 29th event next week, some last-minute leaks of the OnePlus 6T hit the web this week. This included one huge leak which confirmed many specifications as well as showing off a few new renders.

In Pixel 3 news, more drama came out this week surrounding memory management issues and the camera as well. Many users report problems with the device which causes background apps to be killed easily. Other reported photos not saving from the camera app. For the latter, at least, Google has promised a fix.

Google representative confirmed that a fix would arrive “in the coming weeks” on all three generations of Pixel devices. The statement notes that this bug is “rare,” but it’s certainly become a lot more common on the Pixel 3, presumably due to part to memory management issues.

We also published our full review of the Google Home Hub earlier this week with our own Stephen Hall praising the usefulness of the device, as well as its excellent form factor.

I think at $149, though, Google Home Hub is simply a great addition to any room — especially if you’re already in the Assistant ecosystem. If you don’t have a Google Home yet and want to get started with the most functional and helpful one yet, there is a lot value for your dollar here with this one — but then again, you can’t really go wrong with the Home or the Home Mini, either.

Thanks to some leaked screenshots, we also got a closer look at Samsung’s take on Google’s Android 9 Pie. A beta build for the Galaxy S9+ reveals a lot of interesting changes and an overall good look from Samsung.

Here’s another look at Samsung’s take on Android 9 Pie from Galaxy S9+ beta

Our own Damien Wilde also took a closer look at the Nokia 7.1 this week, praising the $349 smartphone as a killer option for those on a budget.

Overall I feel that HMD and Nokia have knocked it out of the park with the Nokia 7.1, especially when you consider the price. For those of us that feel we must have the newest, best performing or even with the best camera, then I’d say on the face of things, then this won’t be anywhere near the top of your shopping list.