Google Podcasts officially launched in June with an Android app and integration with Assistant and Google Home. Over the past few months, features like Chromecast support and easier sharing were finally added. The latest properly renders links in episode show notes, along with improved text formating.
Samsung has really upped their update game in recent months, with the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 Android Pie update actually rolling out to some European users right on the proposed schedule.
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The Android share sheet is slow and clunky, with Google promising a “much faster” redesign in a future version of the OS. In the meantime, Google Maps and News have adopted a faster sharing menu design that is now being tested by Google Photos.
There have been four iterations of the Android Pie beta program for the Galaxy Note 9. With the Galaxy S9 also getting plenty of time with the brand new One UI, the probability of the Galaxy Note 8 and Galaxy S8 getting a beta program of their own has grown significantly thanks to some test build information.
While beneficial for your health, food logging is a particularly time-consuming task that requires finding the meal and then entering the precise amount eaten. Lifesum aims to make this process easier by letting users do it by voice through Google Assistant.
Certain hackers in recent weeks have exploited tech vulnerabilities to promote internet sensation PewDiePie. The latest attempt involves Casting a video promoting the YouTube creator onto Chromecast devices, including smart TVs, by taking advantage of a vulnerability on some routers.
Area 120 is an incubator within Google that allows employees to develop experimental products. Grasshopper was announced last year as a mobile app for Android and iOS that teaches coding through short puzzles. Google today provided a usage update on this learning tool in time for the new year.
The latest Oxygen OS OTAs are rolling out for the OnePlus 5, OnePlus 5T and OnePlus 6. Oxygen OS 9.0.3 for the OnePlus 6 includes a host of performance improvements including camera fixes and a new Bluetooth equalizer.
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Earlier this month, the revamped Google Fit added widgets on Android and breathing exercises for Wear OS. Ahead of the new year, Google is introducing 30-day challenges aimed at increasing Heart Points, similar to badges on other fitness platforms.
Earlier this month, the Play Store added a built-in feature to make donations to charitable organizations right from Android. At the same time, Google Assistant quietly added an even simpler way to contribute to good causes with just your voice on all your smart devices.
LG has had a tough time over the past couple of years, even despite releasing a few quality handsets and some very impressive hardware — at least on paper. That said, the LG G7 ThinQ might have flown under the radar for most out there, but is set to get its taste of Android Pie tomorrow.
Updates for the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 Android Pie beta are coming thick and fast. We’ve already seen the device get a few updates already, but now for users in India, Germany and South Korea, a fourth update is steadily rolling out with the rest of the world getting the update very soon.
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The Chromecast celebrated its fifth anniversary this year and was Google’s first big hardware success. It is a very affordable and easy to use streaming device, though an upcoming update next month will remove the ability to set the dongle up from Chrome for Mac, Windows, and Linux.
Featured Snippets in Google Search provide users with direct answers and are leveraged during voice queries on Assistant and Home speakers. On the web, Google sometimes shows videos queued to the relevant timestamp and is now directly highlighting answers on AMP articles when users click-through to the full answer.
The year is rapidly coming to a close and Google’s various services over the past few weeks have released recaps. Google News is now offering users a “Year in News” collection, while Google Photos is suggesting “Best of 2018” photo books.
Earlier this month, our APK Insight of Messages 3.9 revealed Google’s work on “Spam Protection” for Android’s default SMS/RCS client. The feature is now beginning to roll out for some users.
Over the weekend, the Play Store offered some users discounts on apps, games, and IAPs. The latest Google Play deal ends on Wednesday and brings back the ever popular $.99 movie rental.
Christmas time is here and one of the most treasured aspects is about to kickoff when St. Nick leaves the North Pole to deliver presents around the world. Since 2004, the Google Santa Tracker has followed that journey and this year is no different. Google has added more features over time, like fun educational games and even the ability to Call Santa.
Last month, Google offered some Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL owners free Play Store credit. Google Play is now running a similar app discount that’s only available to certain users based on previous purchasing history. However, there is a rather high threshold for this deal in some cases.
Back in September, the Google Material Theme debuted in Google Calendar for Android. Those changes are now available on the web counterpart in the form of updated elements and various other small tweaks throughout.
For the privacy conscious, Firefox Focus is a fantastic mobile web browser for ensuring your data is safe. Today, an update to the Android version of Firefox Focus has delivered integration with Google’s Safe Browsing service.
The OnePlus 6T shipped with Android Pie but even so, that hasn’t stopped OnePlus from announcing the Open Beta program launching for the device. Oxygen OS Open Beta 1 is now officially available and can be downloaded right now.
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It really wasn’t all too long ago that OnePlus 5 and OnePlus 5T users finally got a taste of Android Pie via the beta program. Both devices though should be getting a new update that adds the December security patch alongside a few bug fixes and stability improvements.
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For the past several versions, we’ve spotted Google Voice working on the ability to call emergency services. This feature is now official, but only for “work and school” G Suite accounts and not regular users.