Android

Smartphone fast charging should have completely altered the way in which we charge our Android devices, but it’s not clear just if that is the case.

Microsoft announced its first foldable in October of 2019, but did not ship the phone until almost a year later. The end result was not too groundbreaking, but Redmond is trying again with the Surface Duo 2. 

Last year, Android 11 introduced a clever privacy feature that removes permissions granted to “unused apps” that haven’t been opened in some time. Google is now bringing this auto-reset to older phones and tablets via Play services over the coming months. 

High refresh rate screens are not a new trend, but after a couple of years of inexplicably avoiding the feature on its iPhone lineup, Apple has finally adopted the feature in the iPhone 13 Pro series. However, they’ve been preceded by dozens of phones in the Android camp, so let’s take a look at every Android device that had a 120Hz refresh rate before Apple’s iPhone.

South Korea’s regulatory authority, The Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC), has handed down a ruling and fine regarding Google’s actions with Android, saying that Google’s contract preventing heavier Android skins are an abuse of the company’s dominant market position.

With the fifth and final beta now available to Pixel owners, Android 12 will be released in the “next few weeks” according to Google. Now, though, we might have some clearer insight into the exact Android 12 release date.

“Device Personalization Services” is the method through which Google delivers and updates features like Now Playing (on Pixel), Live Caption, and smart actions in notifications to Android devices. This app, updated via the Play Store, is now being renamed to “Android System Intelligence,” at least on Google Pixel phones.

With Android 12, Google announced the “Private Compute Core” to allow for “new technologies that are private by design.” The company shared more details today about Android’s Private Compute Services.

Breaking from the recent yearly release cadence, the next version of Android to release might be a mid-cycle bump — an “Android 12.1,” if you will — rather than Android 13.

While people like desktop Tab Groups, the reception is much chillier in Chrome for Android. Google is fortunately listening to feedback and is “experimenting with changes to this feature’s behavior.”

Chrome 93 is rolling out as a quieter release than usual on desktop and mobile today. However, a small tweak in Chrome for Android sees Google switch the dark theme to a darker shade of gray.

Microsoft just announced that Windows 11 is launching on October 5 after a couple of months in beta, but the significant platform update will come without one of its notable features. At launch, Windows 11 users won’t be able to download Android apps from the Microsoft Store.

The Google Pixel 5 and 5a will soon no longer be the latest model in the Pixel family, and that means it’s time to check your trade in values. Whether you’re looking to sell your Pixel 5/5a to upgrade to the upcoming Pixel 6, you’ve come to the right place. First, let’s find out how much it’s worth and how to get the most value for your trade-in.

Back in July, “Backup by Google One” started rolling out as an expansion to the existing Android backup service. This more granular and expansive approach to storage is now more widely available.

The rise of remote work and video conferencing has boosted webcam sales over the past year. It has also led some to connect their DSLRs and other dedicated cameras to their PCs, while people are doing the same with their smartphones. Reincubate Camo is one of the more popular PC webcam solutions for iPhone, and it’s now available on Android in beta.