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Android 6.0 Marshmallow

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Android Marshmallow is the 6.0 release of Google’s mobile operating system.

Features |

Granular App Permissions

Following yesterday’s rumors of more granular app permissions, we received confirmation of exactly that. The new app permissions will make it faster for developers to get new users up and running in their apps by only requesting permissions as the app needs them. For users, permissions are now being simplified into several easy to understand categories like Location, Camera, Microphone, and more. Users will also be able to go into the Settings menu of their phone at any time and revoke all or specific permissions as they please.

Chrome Custom Tabs

Google is bringing the features and capabilities that users have come to love from the Chrome browser to in-app webviews. Available in the Chrome Dev Channel today and rolling out to users in Q3 this year, Chrome Custom Tabs gives users looking at a webpage through an in-app webview sign-in and caching of web services, saved passwords, autofill, and multi-process security (i.e. two-factor authentication). Developers will be able to customize the webview to their liking with buttons as well as options in an overflow menu, and also pre-fetch any links before the user clicks on them so they’ll load quickly. The company shared how Chrome Custom Tabs will work with a Pinterest integration showing off a “Pin It” button in the menu bar at the top of the webview as well as a “See related Pins” button in the overflow menu.

App Links

Following up on yesterday’s rollout of App Indexing of iOS apps in Google’s native Search and Chrome applications, Google is revamping its intents system to provide a more powerful cross-app linking capability. App developers can now add an “autoVerify” attribute to their application manifest to indicate to Android that the links they claim they support should be verified by the platform at the time of the app’s installation. Android will then make a request to the servers associated with the links and look for a file containing the name and signature of the application, and if it successfully verifies that the app owns the links it claims to, when a user with the application installed clicks on a link owned by the app, it’ll push the user to the app without opening an intents menu.

Android Pay

Following that Android Pay logo we saw this morning, Google detailed its Android Pay mobile payment service coming to Android M.

Android Pay includes the ability to pay for goods in retail stores using Android phones and NFC while users can also make payments within apps for buying digital goods. Users will be able to plug in existing debit and credit cards from supported banks, and Android Pay has carrier support to ensure Android Pay is setup on new devices sold through vendors.

Android Pay will be available through Google’s own app, and banking apps will be able to integrate the service in their own apps. Google says over 700,000 stores across the United States will be Android Pay ready in addition to many Google Play apps as well.

Fingerprint Support

Android M will include standardized fingerprint recognition support as well to leverage the fingerprint sensors that have been shipping on Android phones for years. Android Pay will use this sensor as a payment approval method as part of the mobile payment process.

Google says that at launch any app developer will be able to make use of the new fingerprint APIs in Android M to add support for fingerprint authentication to their own apps. One example the company provided of how fingerprint support might work in a third-party app was the Target app. Users will be able to, when they install the app, associate their login credentials and payment information with their fingerprint so that when they go to complete a purchase all they’ll have to do to confirm the order is place their fingerprint on the sensor.

Power & Charging

Through a new feature called “Doze,” Google is making Android smarter about managing power. Doze will use “significant motion detection” to learn when a device is being left unattended for an extended period of time, and exponentially back off background activity to go into a deeper state of sleep for longer battery life. While the device is dozing it will still be possible to trigger alarms or respond to incoming chat requests from high-priority messages.

Google says they took two Nexus 9’s, putting Lollipop on one and M on the other with all the same apps installed and processes running, and found that devices on M tend to last up to 2x longer on standby.

In terms of power and charging, the company also announced that they’ve been working closely with device manufacturers to bring new devices to the market which take advantage of USB Type-C for charging. Since Type-C USB cables are bidirectional, meaning you can send data or power in either direction, Android M will provide more control over what you can do with the cable plugged into your device. Instead of just charging your phone through the cable, for example, you could choose to instead send power from your phone to the charger it’s connected to.

Google “Now on Tap”

Last but most definitely not least, Google Now is getting a bit smarter at figuring out what you want more information on based on your context within the phone experience.

Coming soon to over 100 third-party apps, Google Now will proactively surface specific actions from within apps on your phone as it thinks you’ll need them. Examples they provided in the keynote include surfacing the ability to request an Uber from Now once you land at the airport or surfacing your favorite Pandora station when Now knows you’re at a public transit station.

But the company is going even further than that, and will allow you to take advantage of Google Now from wherever you are on your phone and without having to be super specific with your request. So if your friend texts you a restaurant suggestion for dinner, by tapping and holding the home button Now will figure out what you’re wanting to get more info about, in this case a certain restaurant you were texted about, and deliver a card to you from the bottom of the screen with more information on the place. The company also demonstrated this from within Spotify, with a user listening to a song from Skrillex able to ask Now “what’s the real name of this artist” and have it pull up that information without the user even needing to indicate which artist they’re even referring to, because they asked from within the app with the artist already playing. This new feature of Google Now is called “Now on Tap” and will be rolled out with Android M.

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Pixel C spotted in benchmarks, speedy Android 6.0.1 and 3GB of RAM in tow

This week, a rumor going around stated that the Pixel C would be available for sale starting on December 8th. Beyond a brief Twitter mention and the knowledge that the product would be launching in time for the holiday season, we have not heard much about Google’s productivity-focused tablet. However, the launch rumor is gaining credence as the device has been spotted on a GFXBench and Geekbench benchmark.


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Has the Google Camera app been abandoned for non-Nexus devices?

At least as of its latest 3.1.021 version, it appears that Google Camera only works with Nexus devices. This is according to a new requirement listed on the app’s Play Store description and testing we’ve done with a non-Nexus Marshmallow device. Previously, as of version 2.5.052, the app was compatible with most phones running a relatively current version of Android. Does the addition of this requirement mean that Google is done updating the app for non-Nexus devices?


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Here are some of the new Android emoji, and how they compare to iOS 9.1 [Gallery]

A couple of days ago we told you that Hiroshi Lockheimer, SVP of Android at Google, announced on Twitter that new emoji recently approved from Unicode 7.0 and 8.0 are soon coming to Nexus devices (specifically, it looks like they should be rolling out starting sometime next week). If you’ve been wondering what these new emoji are going to look like, you’ve come to the right place…

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Android Marshmallow update for unlocked HTC One M8 rolling out today

If you’re an HTC One M8 owner, you’ll be glad to know that the Android Marshmallow update is rolling out from today to unlocked devices. Mo Versi, the company’s VP of Product Management confirmed the rollout on his personal Twitter handle yesterday afternoon.

[tweet https://twitter.com/moversi/status/672105656489349120 align=’center’]

Sadly, if you’re using a carrier-locked version, or if you’re in a market outside the Americas, you’ll have to wait a little longer. Those devices almost always take more time to be updated as carrier approval and testing needs to be done before pushing the software out to users:

[tweet https://twitter.com/urbanstrata/status/672114884520226816 align=’center’]

It’s impressive that HTC has managed to start rolling out Marshmallow updates so soon after the software became officially available. Even the virtually stock Motorola handsets are yet to receive the official update, although they are currently subject to software soak testing for some users.

HTC, of course, was the first Android OEM to release a non-Nexus smartphone running Android 6.0 Marshmallow out of the box. The One A9 was announced a few weeks ago and makes full use of Google’s latest mobile operating system, including the baked-in fingerprint sensor support and Android Pay, Doze mode and more. No other manufacturer has managed to do that yet.

Since the One A9 was announced we’ve seen several new handsets including the likes of Samsung’s new A-series, Huawei’s Mate 8 and the Oppo R7s among many others, all of which have (or will) hit the market running a version of Android Lollipop. HTC, clearly then, is ahead of the curve with software updates and that’s something to be applauded.

 

HTC rolling out Android 6.0 Marshmallow to the unlocked HTC One (M8) ‘within 24 hours’

Let’s just say that HTC doesn’t have the best track record when it comes to software updates, but here’s a glimmer of hope: According to HTC’s Mo Versi (the same guy that announces pretty much all of HTC’s smartphone software updates), the unlocked HTC One (M8) should be getting Android 6.0 Marshmallow very soon.

Specifically, Mo says “testing has been complete,” for the new software and that “the update for Marshmallow will be sent out within 24 hours.”

You might be surprised that the M9 didn’t get the update first, and we’re in the same boat (and so is pretty much everyone else on Twitter). Mo did clarify, however, that the update should be coming to the M9 soon. “Will advise once testing is complete,” he says in reply to one user.

https://twitter.com/urbanstrata/status/672114884520226816

Motorola is now soak testing Android 6.0 Marshmallow for the 2015 Moto X Pure Edition

Motorola’s David Schuster recently came out on Google+ to mention that the company is now soak testing Android 6.0 Marshmallow for the Moto X Pure Edition:

I’m pleased to announce that today we are starting the soak test period of Android 6.0 Marshmallow upgrade for the 2015 Moto X Pure Edition (3rd Gen) in the US. We will monitor the soak for next week and with good results, proceed to full launch.

The soak test period, which means that certain devices will be receiving the update early to test its reliability, will last about a week. Assuming nothing goes wrong, a full launch will follow.

Motorola is known as being one of the fastest third-party manufacturers to update their devices to the latest version of Android, and it seems they’re maintaining that reputation this year.

The latest Android distribution numbers (from last month) show Android 6.0 Marshmallow on just 0.3% of devices, and that data is expected to be updated at some point today without much improvement.

Cyanogen’s CM13 nightlies bring Android Marshmallow to LG G4, Moto X (2014), OnePlus One, more

The CyanogenMod team announced in a blog post this morning that it has started pushing its Android Marshmallow-based CM13 nightlies to a handful of older Android phones. It does note, however, that if you’re currently using YOG4P orYOG7D builds of CM12.1 and are happy with its stability, you may want to give the CM13 nightly a miss. A nightly — for those who are unaware — is essentially a beta custom ROM build that CyanogenMod pushes out to its users.


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Android Wear API 23 now available to developers, brings Marshmallow to smartwatches

Google has released API 23 SDK for Android Wear, which means developers can now start optimizing their smartwatch apps for Android Marshmallow. Once apps are updated, it means they’ll be able to take advantage of a number of new Android features, and they’ll be better at automatically detecting if they’re being displayed on a round or square watch face…


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A first look & walkthrough of TouchWiz changes coming with Android 6.0 Marshmallow

With the latest version of Android, version 6.0 Marshmallow, reportedly scheduled to start arriving for Samsung devices at the end of the year and into next, today we get a look at changes to Samsung’s TouchWiz overlay coming in the update via XDA-Developers.

Among the changes are tweaks to the user interface (most noticeably in the notifications panel) with a new color palette that the report notes is now “ predominantly white, with the same green accents” as the previous design, as pictured above on a Note 5.

There are touches of Material design throughout, new animations, and cleaned-up menus, while some of the stock TouchWiz apps also get a fresh coat of paint. Here’s a quick look at few:
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ASUS says its ZenFone 2, PadFone S are getting Android 6.0 Marshmallow

ASUS has come out on its ZenTalk forum today to detail which of its phones will be getting the upgrade to Android 6.0 Marshmallow. Among others, the list of course includes the ZenFone 2 (which we gave a decent review earlier this year), as well as the ZenFone 2 Special Edition and the recently-announced ZenFone 2 Laser…

Here’s the full list of models as per the forum posting:

We are planning to support the Android M upgrade for below model:

  • PadFone S (PF500KL)
  • ZenFone 2 (ZE550ML/ZE551ML)
  • ZenFone 2 Deluxe / Special Edition (ZE551ML)
  • ZenFone 2 Laser (ZE500KG/ZE500KL/ZE550KL/ZE600KL/ZE601KL)
  • ZenFone Selfie (ZD551KL)

Almost half a year ago, we reviewed the ASUS ZenFone 2 and basically said that it’s definitely a decent phone (which, frankly, was a first from ASUS in my book). We also gave the ZenFone 2E a review, in which I said that it’s pretty much exactly what you’d expect from a ZenFone 2 turned Go Phone. I’ve had my hands on the ZenFone 2 Laser for the last few days, so keep your eye out for that review sometime soon.

OnePlus 2 and OnePlus One will get Android 6.0 Marshmallow update in Q1 2016

We’re all eager to discover when our smartphones of choice will finally receive the Android 6.0 Marshmallow update – and for OnePlus smartphone owners, it’ll mean waiting until the beginning of next year.

OnePlus announced on its forums this morning that it will be rolling out Marshmallow-based builds of Cyanogen OS for the OnePlus One and Oxygen OS for the OnePlus 2 at some point in Q1 2016.

With the OnePlus 2, the manufacturer will be switching its proprietary fingerprint sensor firmware out in favor of the standard Marshmallow ones when it rolls the Android 6.0-based software in early 2016.

The OnePlus 2 will also be updated in Q1, and the update will include the new standard Marshmallow API for the fingerprint sensor. We’ve heard requests for us creating an API for the current fingerprint implementation in OxygenOS, but have decided against this since we’re switching over to the standard Android M implementation soon.

Although the company has built a version of Oxygen OS for the OnePlus One, the company is rightly focussing on rolling out the officially-supported Cyanogen OS update first. As for the latest phone, the OnePlus X, there are plans to push Marshmallow ‘as soon as possible’, we don’t have any specific timeframe from the manufacturer.

PSA: Xposed Framework for Marshmallow now available

The Xposed framework is one of best ways to customize your device to exactly the way you want it. From UI tweaks to hardware modifications, Xposed makes it possible for users to tinker with their devices without needing to flash a whole new ROM.

It takes time for its developer to make sure everything works when a new version of Android comes out, so many wait for Xposed to work before flashing their device to a new ROM. Fortunately, Xposed for Marshmallow did not take as long to bring over as its predecessor and is now available.

It is important to note that many modules will need their developers to update them in order to work on the latest version. Not all Xposed APIs were fully tested and while your phone may boot up without any errors, some customizations might not be fully working and can result in crashes.

The full list of current limitations are:

– I have only tested this with SuperSU installed, due to which dm-verity and some SELinux rules are disabled. Especially dm-verity would definitely conflict with the modifications of the system partition.
– Access to preferences files might be blocked by SELinux, and Xposed is currently not able to work around that. (*) Some modules might be affected by this, nevertheless I strongly recommend to keep SELinux enabled and enforcing to keep your device as safe as possible.
I could not test all Xposed APIs. The system is booting without any error messages from Xposed, but some functions that the framework makes available might still need to be adjusted for Marshmallow.
– Obviously, modules themselves might need to be updated as well due to changes in AOSP. Please be patient and give module developers the time to make the required changes. If you absolutely “cannot live” without module X, don’t update to Marshmallow yet.
– Some issues might arise from JIT (disabled by default, even in AOSP) and the “optimizing” compiler (which rewrites apps’ code to be more efficient, due to which some calls might simply be skipped). Both of these are new in Marshmallow and might have various consequences in combination with Xposed, from hooks that silently don’t work to crashes. However, as it’s running stable for me, I decided not to disable them and will instead look into them in more detail if concrete issues are reported.

Head on over to the XDA thread to read the instructions and to download Xposed for your Marshmallow device.

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Motorola begins rolling out Android 6.0 Marshmallow to Moto X Style & 2014 Moto X

Motorola announced today that it’s beginning to roll out Android 6.0 Marshmallow starting with two devices in select markets. First to get the update is the 2015 Moto X Style (3rd gen) in India and Brazil and the 2014 Moto X (2nd gen) in Brazil.

I am happy to announce that we are starting initial deployment of the Android 6.0 Marshmallow upgrade for the following devices and channels:  2015 Moto X Style (3rd Gen) in both Brazil and India retail,  2014 Moto X (2nd Gen) in Brazil retail…  It is not yet available for pull, you will receive a notification on your phone when you are able to update your phone

In addition to the two devices mentioned above, Motorola says it will begin to rollout the update for the 2015 Moto X Pure Edition (3rd Gen) in coming weeks. It also confirmed that a “full deployment will proceed in stages over the next few weeks.”

Motorola offered a breakdown of some highlights in the update:

– A new Memory Manager that lets you check memory usage of all your installed apps
– Volume controls have been greatly improved
– Do not disturb button has been added to the quick settings panel for easy access.
– System UI Tuner will appear in the settings menu at the very bottom once enabled. It provides a few simple UI tweaks.
– Google Now on Tap allows contextual information to be delivered based on content on your screen with a long press of the home key.
– Doze is a battery management feature that detects when your device is not in use and it  will automatically go into a deep sleep state which saves your battery.
– App Standby reduces battery drain by putting seldom-used apps into a reduced activity state.
– Expandable Storage support allows for microSD cards to be used either in a portable storage or an internal storage mode. Portable storage allows your pictures, videos, audio and other media files to be stored. Internal storage allows both media storage along with apps and games but can not be used by other devices.
– RAM manager in settings which allows a consumer to view memory used by the system or an individual app over different time frames
– Automatic App backup not only backs up your apps but their associated data so when restored they will be the same as they were before
– Text selection has been improved

The company has full release notes for the update on its website here.

Check out our Moto X Style/Pure and Moto X Play/DROID Maxx comparison video.

Hacked Android Marshmallow build now available for Nexus S, here’s how to install it

Several old Nexus devices just don’t support Android 6.0 Marshmallow (and many never will), and that has left some owners of older phones feeling left out. But now, owners of the 2010 (yep, 5 years old) Nexus S might be glad to hear that one developer has managed to put together a build of Marshmallow for the phone. It’s definitely at your own risk, but you can now install this hacky unofficial build of Marshmallow with a little know-how, and here’s how to do it…
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HTC’s new One A9 now officially available to buy in stores and online

HTC has announced that its latest device, the One A9, is now officially available to buy in stores and online. The phone comes in Opal Silver, Carbon Gray, Deep Garnet and Topaz Gold and can be purchased direct from HTCAT&T or Sprint, and is also available as an unlocked international version on Amazon.

The smartphone has caused a little controversy since being announced just a few weeks ago. Many think it looks too much like an iPhone and HTC did itself no favors with the 1984-inspired advertisement. Still, the phone sounds promising enough, even if it is more expensive than we’d like.

The $400 (for a limited time) handset has a full HD 5-inch AMOLED display which HTC claims is bright, even in sunlight. It’s equipped with a fast fingerprint scanner, and is coated in 2.5D edge-to-edge Gorilla Glass. Inside, there’s an octa-core Snapdragon 617 processor with 3GB and 32GB internal storage. Because it runs Marshmallow 6.0, you can use the expandable storage for more than just storing media. You can extend storage up to 2TB via MicroSD and us it to store app data too. Other key specs include a 13MP camera with sapphire cover lens, 1080p video and autofocus on the back and a front facing UltraPixel camera.

If you’re dead set on getting HTC’s latest phone, you have a few purchasing options. You can buy it from AT&T for $99 on a two-year plan, or $17.34 on the Next 30 plan. On Sprint, the phone is $0 up front and $20 per month on a two-year lease. On Amazon, there are several unlocked international models available. The 16GB phones cost $488.90, while the 32GB ones are $529. HTC’s site still lists the phone as available on pre-order for $399, but that price will be upped to $499 shortly.

With the new Nexus line & Android 6.0, Google wants you to talk to your phone more than ever

Google’s long stated vision, if not obsession, is turning your smartphone into the Star Trek computer. A key part of the computer on the Enterprise is that the primary means of interaction is through voice. The entire process mimics more asking a person a question rather than the ‘typing out what you want to know into a search box’ process that has made the Google so well known.

To meet this goal, the company has been continually doing massive research and investments into speech recognition and machine understanding. The latter is Google’s Knowledge Graph, announced in 2012, that understands concepts and their relationships between things.

These massive investments in speech recognition and Knowledge Graph ultimately culminated with Google Now. If ever there was a thing that paralleled the Star Trek computer in real life, it would be Now and its ability to provide verbal responses to verbally-asked questions. Now, Google is pushing the tech even further with Marshmallow and the new Nexus devices…
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BlackBerry PRIV to get Marshmallow update in the new year

BlackBerry‘s long-awaited entry in to the Android market is finally here, albeit with an already-outdated version of Google’s operating system. BlackBerry PRIV goes on sale today and runs Android 5.1.1 Lollipop out of the box. Having already committed to Google’s monthly security fixes, BlackBerry has also confirmed that Marshmallow will be pushed to the new devices in 2016.

Speaking to Android Central, BlackBerry’s Global Director of Device Portfolio Planning, Gareth Hurn said that plans were to push Android 6.0 Marshmallow to the PRIV “sometime in the new year“. While those quoted words don’t give us a specific time-frame to aim for, AC’s Richard Devine was left with the impression that it would be sooner rather than later. More importantly, he was left with the clear thought that BlackBerry is serious about this foray in to the world of Android phones.

With the phone finally available for sale, it’ll be really interesting to see how the general consumer market accepts it. Will previous BlackBerry-loyalists jump onboard again now that the hardware is matched by relevant software? Or will it be the same physical QWERTY-addicted current users who use it as an excuse to jump to Android?

In the US, you can order the BlackBerry PRIV from ShopBlackBerry.com or from AT&T. In the UK, you can order on contract from Carphone Warehouse, or order direct from BlackBerry.

Android 6.0 Marshmallow now rolling out to HTC One M8 Google Play Edition

Following the revelation that Android 6.0 Marshmallow is currently running on just 0.3 percent of devices, the update appears to have started rolling out to at least one more device this evening. According to a handful of postings on the XDA Developer forums, the Google Play Edition HTC One M8 has started receiving Android 6.0.


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One month on, Android 6.0 Marshmallow is running on just 0.3% of Android devices

It’s been about a month now since Android Marshmallow started rolling out to a variety of Android devices (mostly just the Nexus line), and according to this month’s distribution numbers, only 0.3% of Android phones are running the latest version. That’s just plain depressing.

And what’s worse is that the other numbers across the board haven’t really improved all the much since last month, either. Last month, 23.5% of Android users were running last year’s OS, Lollipop, and now 25.6% have managed to go to a build of either 5.0 or 5.1. An amazing 37.8% of Android users are still on KitKat…
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Review: Google’s Nexus 6P is a solid smartphone worthy of your money [Video]

This year Google decided to change things up a bit and release not one, but two new Nexus devices, with different builds, and different price points to satisfy a wider range of people. So there’s the LG-made Nexus 5X that starts at $379, which I recently reviewed, and then we have the Huawei-made Nexus 6P that starts at $499. These two options aren’t very far apart in terms of pricing, but the difference between them is pretty significant in a few areas…


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Android 6.0 Marshmallow tip: Launch any app or URL from Quick Settings [Video]

Last week a cool new app was launched which lets any user running Android 6.0 Marshmallow launch apps from their quick settings drop-down menu. I decided to take a look and shoot a quick video showing how to use it, and how — despite it taking a little time to set up — it can save a lot of time in your daily workflow. Check it out below…


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Pushbullet gets Android 6.0 Marshmallow optimization, more in latest update

Pushbullet, the popular multi-device notification and link-sharing tool has been updated today to take full advantage of Android 6.0 Marshmallow’s built-in improvements. The company announced that the new update uses Android 6.0‘s runtime permissions and Direct Share features to give you more fine-tuned control over which parts of your system it has access to, and give the option to share items more easily and quickly with compatible devices…


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Huawei’s Honor handsets getting Android 6.0 Marshmallow update in February 2016

Huawei’s Honor brand is part of the company’s strategy to release affordable products with great specs in a brand that’s a little more global-friendly. In other words, English speakers won’t struggle to pronounce ‘Honor’ like they will ‘Huawei’. Its latest phone, the Honor 7 impressed me a lot for its price point, and it will be one of several phones to be updated to Android 6.0 Marshmallow next year…


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Custom Quick Settings uses UI Tuner to add custom tiles to your quick settings pull-down

An exciting new feature came with Android 6.0 Marshmallow in the form of UI Tuner, a hidden section of the Settings app that was practically useless unless you knew what you’re doing… until now. With a new app called Custom Quick Settings, you can quickly and easily create new custom tiles in the Quick Settings pull-down with just a few taps…
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