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903 'update' stories May 2011 - June 2015

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Facebook launches ‘Lite’ Android app for slow networks, new Messenger location sharing feature

Jordan Kahn Jun 4 2015 - 1:28 pm PT

A couple Facebook announcements today for Android users: Those in the developing world get a new “Lite” version of Facebook that brings a scaled-back but much faster experience when using the app on slower networks. In addition, all Facebook Messenger users on Android are getting new and improved features for sharing their location.

Facebook notes that the new Lite app is “is less than 1MB so it is fast to install and quick to load. It includes Facebook’s core experiences like News Feed, status updates, photos, notifications and more.”

And here’s the company’s description of the new location sharing features rolling out to Messenger users today:

Today, we’re excited to start rolling it out in place of our previous location sharing feature. Now you can choose to explicitly send a map of your location or another particular place as a separate message… With this update, you have full control over when and how you share your location information. You only send a location when you tap on the location pin and then choose to send it as a separate message. You can also share a location—like a meeting spot—even if you’re not there.

Here’s a look at the new location sharing features on Android:

The new Facebook Lite app is already available on Google Play for users in Asia while users in parts of Latin America, Africa, and Europe will get access over the coming weeks.

Taking a look at all the little Android M features that really make it great [Gallery]

Stephen Hall Jun 4 2015 - 11:22 am PT

Android M is now available in developer preview, but only for those that own a modern Nexus device. Specifically, owners of the Nexus 5, 6, 9, and Player can grab the latest developer build of Android M, and the dozens of new visual and functional features that the operating system brings.

But while Google spent a while at I/O going over the big-picture changes it hopes to bring with M (granular app permissions, fingerprint support, better battery life, and more), there are a lot of smaller changes coming to the OS as well that reimagine how some of the most basic user-facing functions of the OS work. In many cases, these changes are more than welcome.

Google said at I/O last week that they’re putting a “big focus on quality end-to-end” with Android M, so let’s find out what that means in terms of the general user experience…
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Motorola says performance ‘not quite there’ for Moto 360 Android Wear 5.1.1 update

Stephen Hall Jun 4 2015 - 9:33 am PT

While many Android Wear devices—including my own LG G Watch R—have already gotten the latest Android Wear update, the Moto 360 is lagging behind. Motorola has come out to say that it’s “working with Google to ensure the software works great on Moto 360,” and that “Performance is not quite there yet.”

@davidcstevens_ Performance is not quite there yet. We’re working with Google to ensure the software works great on #Moto360. Thanks.

— motorolaus (@MotorolaUS) June 3, 2015

And while this still leaves things kind of open-ended, we should be seeing the update hit sometime over the next couple of weeks. Google said in April that the update would begin rolling out after a “few weeks” and we’re going on two months since that initial announcement. It looks like Motorola has just hit a little bit of a snag along the way.

We’ll keep you updated as the update rolls out (hopefully soon), and be sure to check out our roundup of OTA download links if you need to manually update your G Watch, G Watch R, or Asus ZenWatch.

Chrome OS beta channel updated to version 44, brings support for wireless headphones, more

Stephen Hall Jun 2 2015 - 12:28 pm PT

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LG G Watch R hack enables WiFi for devices running Android Wear 5.1.1

Stephen Hall Jun 2 2015 - 9:03 am PT

It’s widely speculated that LG is working to bring WiFi support to the LG G Watch R in some future release of Android Wear, but in the most recent official release, 5.1.1, the smartwatch is notably left out. Being left out of a feature isn’t an unsolvable problem for the XDA Developers community, though, as it appears one developer has put together a hack for enabling WiFi on the round smartwatch from LG…
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Dexcom introduces official ‘Follow’ glucose monitoring diabetes app for Android

Stephen Hall Jun 2 2015 - 6:51 am PT

Dexcom, the company behind one of the leading continuous glucose monitor solutions for diabetes patients, has announced today that their “Follow” mobile app—which has long been available on iOS—is now available for Android devices. There have been many unofficial solutions available in the past, but now Dexcom’s system is officially supported on Google’s mobile OS…
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Imgur releases its first ever native Android app with card-based interface, more

Chance Miller Jun 2 2015 - 6:00 am PT

In addition to updating its iOS app, Imgur this morning has also unveiled an entirely new version of its Android app. Imgur says that this is its first ever fully native app for Android users and was built completely from scratch. The app features a redesigned card-based gallery that offers large and easily viewable images. Users can navigate throughout the interface by swiping left or right to view more content.

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Chrome OS update brings credit card info autofill, physical keyboard autocorrect, more

Chance Miller Jun 1 2015 - 8:01 pm PT

Google this evening has started rolling out an update to the stable channel of Chrome OS that bumps it to version 43.0.2357.81. The update brings a handful of new features that are certain to please Chrome OS users. First off, Chrome OS can now autofill credit card information from Google Wallet to browser fields that ask for such information. Other browsers, such as Safari on OS X, offer features similar to this.

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1Password demos Android M fingerprint login integration

Chance Miller May 28 2015 - 8:35 pm PT

https://vine.co/v/ebTvvF7577K

Earlier today, Google unveiled its highly anticipated Android M update. One of the highlight features of Android M is the support for standardized fingerprint recognition, which Google says developers will be able to take advantage of via new APIs in the operating system.
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Google details changes in Play Services 7.5 including Smart Lock for Passwords, App Invites, more

Chance Miller May 28 2015 - 4:53 pm PT

Originally revealed at Google I/O 2015 earlier today, Google Play Services 7.5 adds a handful of new capabilities for developers to take advantage of. In an effort to further break down what’s new in Play Services 7.5, Google has published a blog post detailing all of the new features. First off, Play Services 7.5 adds Smart Lock for Passwords. This feature builds on the Chrome Password Manager and adds a new API and UI for Android users that saves credentials for later use on other Android devices and browsers.

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Android Wear gains support for the Google Maps API

Chance Miller May 28 2015 - 2:41 pm PT

Hidden among the other news announced at Google I/O today, Google has also added the ability for developers to use the Google Maps API directly on Android Wear. The feature, which comes as part of Play Services 7.5, aims to offer users a wearable-designed Google Maps experience and was detailed in a blog post.

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Google Play Store gaining new features for discovering family-friendly apps, videos, & books

Zac Hall May 28 2015 - 12:29 pm PT

Google gave some stage time today at the I/O conference to a few family-focused changes coming to the Google Play Store. Families can now find age appropriate digital content from apps to game to books to movies and TV shows by tapping a new “Family” button.

This will take you to a section for each media type that allows you to browse for content by age and interest. When you browse the Play Store after tapping the Family button, you’re presented with more than just a curated section of content as other elements of the digital store change as well.
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Google Cardboard VR viewer updated for bigger phones, now supports iOS

Zac Hall May 28 2015 - 11:55 am PT

Google revealed today at the I/O conference that its Cardboard viewer for creating virtual reality experiences easily from Android apps will now support the iPhone for the first time.

The added support for the iPhone comes as Google has added support for iOS to its Cardboard SDK for developers. This means that iPhone apps can now include virtual reality experiences when paired with the Cardboard viewer.

In addition to adding support for iOS, Google is releasing an updated version of its Cardboard view that supports larger phones with up to 6-inch displays. The new version also features an improved input button and can be assembled in just three steps rather than twelve.

Google Cardboard for iPhone is available on the App Store. Cardboard Viewer is available to buy from $19.99 through Google, although the company also offers instructions for building your own viewer.

Google’s ‘Inbox’ email app now open to all, updated w/ new features

Jordan Kahn May 28 2015 - 11:06 am PT

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCo3zZ0P4vU]

After first launching its new Inbox app as an alternative email experience to its main Gmail service last year, Google today announced that Inbox is now open to all sans the original invite system while it also introduces a number of new features for the service.

As for features, Google highlighted a new “Trip Bundles” feature that keeps emails related to travel in one place, and improved controls for things like Undo Send, Signatures, and Swipe to Delete:
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Google introduces Photos app with unlimited photo and video syncing on Android, iOS, and the web

Zac Hall May 28 2015 - 10:56 am PT

Google has taken the wraps off its new Google Photos product at its I/O conference today. Google says Photos is a private single home for your personal photo and video collection that you can access from any device. Photos boasts the ability to automatically organize your photos for you as well as built-in sharing capabilities.
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Minecraft Pocket Edition for Android updated w/ skins, fishing, and much more

Jordan Kahn May 26 2015 - 12:32 pm PT

Mojang today announced a huge update to its popular Minecraft Pocket Edition app for Android devices. The big focus of the update is access to new free and paid skins for characters (as pictured above):

Skins are the way you change the appearance of your Minecraft character. Instead of looking like Alex or Steve, you can roll with a different vibe, like a butcher, dog, or plumber. Skins are purely cosmetic – they don’t affect the way the game plays or give you any special abilities.

Paid skins are available to purchase in bundles, but users can also upload or create their own as well as find free skins within the game. You’ll get around 20 skins for $0.99/€0.79/£0.79 if you opt for the paid bundles.

The update also includes other improvements and new features including the ability to fish and a long list of new animals. The full list of what’s new is below:

Multiple language support
Boats with space for two! Take your pet for a pleasant ride.
The ability to throw stuff from boats, including snowballs and eggs
Fishing! Now you can fish for fishies!
Squids!
Spider jockeys!
Cave Spiders!
Bats!
Adorable baby zombies!
Weird chicken jockeys!
Edible clownfish. Yum!
A fancy new World Edit screen so you can rename worlds, change game modes and do other things
Creative players can no longer be set on fire. Controversial
We’ve stopped cheeky chickens from walking on water
Animals can no longer breed without touching each other ooh err
Drinking milk now removes mob effects
Ridiculous amounts of bug fixes
More cool things that you should discover for yourself

You can grab the updated Minecraft Pocket Edition on Google Play soon.

Chromecast iOS app updated w/ interface tweaks, backdrop enhancements, more

Chance Miller May 22 2015 - 6:20 pm PT

The companion app to Google’s $35 Chromecast dongle received an update today with a handful of improvements and changes. Bumping the app to version 1.11.4116, the update brings several interface tweaks. First off, the devices view of the app has been redesigned with a card-like interface. The devices screen also now lists what backdrop is currently being displayed along with casting status.

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Android 5.1.1 w/ support for WiFi calling to begin rolling out to T-Mobile Nexus 6 this weekend

Chance Miller May 22 2015 - 4:42 pm PT

Following the leak of a Sprint document claiming that its Nexus 6 model would receive Android 5.1.1 on May 26th, T-Mobile announced today that it will begin to rollout the update to its variant this weekend. T-Mobile employee Des Smith made the announcement via Twitter and confirmed that Android 5.1.1 on the Nexus 6 will include support for WiFi calling.

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Internal Sprint document suggests Android 5.1.1 for Nexus 6 coming May 26

Stephen Hall May 22 2015 - 2:36 pm PT

A newly-leaked internal Sprint document (via Android Police) suggests that Android 5.1.1 for the Nexus 6 is right around the corner. Specifically, build LMY47Z for Google’s 5.92-inch flagship will be released on May 26th, 2015, according to the leak. Features of the update—as has been the case with the other 5.1.1 releases—include “general updates” and “security enhancements.”

The Nexus 6 is the final Nexus device yet to receive the latest version of Android, while even the cellular Nexus 7 models have gotten the latest version (notable because the cellular tablets typically take the longest to be updated). This date would put the release of 5.1.1 for the Nexus 6 right before Google I/O kicks off on the 28th (which will likely bring the introduction of Android “M”).

We’re keeping an eye on our phones and the factory image download page as always.

Google Hangouts Chrome app updated w/ redesigned interface, OS X support

Chance Miller May 21 2015 - 5:41 pm PT

Google today updated its Hangouts Chrome app with an entirely new interface. Perhaps more notably than that, the app has support for Mac OS X users in addition to the trio of Windows, Linux, and Chrome OS. The UI has been refreshed to be more similar to the Android version of the app, a trend that has been increasingly common for Google services over the past few months.

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Shazam has finally made its way to Android Wear

Stephen Hall May 21 2015 - 10:49 am PT

Following the launch of Shazam for Apple Watch just last month, the long-time well-known music recognition app has finally made its way to Android Wear. With the app, you can recognize songs without ever taking your phone out of your pocket, see the list of songs you’ve tagged in My Shazam in the Android app, and watch the lyrics for the song that’s playing right on your Android Wear device.

High five, Shazam is now on Android Wear!

Keep your phone in your pocket – see what’s playing with 2 taps

Songs are added to My Shazam, and to your My Shazam Tracks playlist for connected Rdio or Spotify users

Watch lyrics unfold in real time, right on your wrist

You can grab the app right now by downloading the latest version of the Shazam app for Android, and the Android Wear counterpart on your watch should appear soon after. We’ve tried it out and it doesn’t look like the update has rolled out quite yet, but it will likely pop up very soon.

Android Lollipop for Sprint’s HTC One E8 rolling out now

Stephen Hall May 21 2015 - 8:36 am PT

Almost daily, Android Lollipop makes its way to yet another slew of handsets across a variety of carriers. Yesterday, HTC’s Mo Versi (the guy who is basically the bringer of all the update joy to HTC device owners) came out to say that Sprint’s HTC One E8 has been approved for Lollipop and that the update would begin rolling out “tomorrow.” Well, tomorrow is today.

HTC One (E8) Sprint owners! Lollipop update has arrived! TA received and OTA to start tomorrow. Thanks, Mo

— Mo Versi (@moversi) May 21, 2015

If you’re an owner of the Sprint HTC One E8, be sure to keep an eye on your phone for the software to roll out over-the-air. If you’re the owner of another important device that has yet to receive Android Lollipop, keep your eyes on this space. Even though we’re going into Google I/O 2015 next week with some devices still not updated, it’s only a matter of time before your handset gets Lollipop, too.

It won’t be long before we’re doing Android “M” rollout posts.

Google launches 60fps live streaming video on YouTube

Stephen Hall May 21 2015 - 7:49 am PT

YouTube has had support for 60fps video for quite a while now, but now the Mountain View company says it is introducing 60fps video for live streaming in browsers that support HTML 5…
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Video On Demand content comes to mobile Twitch app in latest update

Stephen Hall May 20 2015 - 12:53 pm PT

Twitch announced today that its mobile application now supports video on demand content, a feature that has been requested by fans of the service for quite some time. While the app was previously streaming-only, users can now access “highlights and past broadcasts” from all Twitch Partners and what Twitch says is a growing list of broadcasters whose videos are HTTP live streaming (HLS)-enabled.

While the official change log for this version only mentions this one major new feature, looking at reviews for the Android version reveals a few more details. The latest version of Twitch reportedly also sports a new colored status bar, and a new emote panel as well. At least one user reported that “some of the emotes are very small and hard to see” in the new emote panel.

Twitch says that they encountered a security concern that required them to re-list the app on the Play Store, rather than simply providing a new version. So for those that already have the app, you’ll need to head over to the new app listing and download version 4.0. Twitch recognizes that this might be an annoyance to some and says they’re going to do their best to “make it a one-time deal.”