There's a new version of Gmail rolling out today with a number of small changes. You may or may not notice these tweaks to functionality, but you'll probably notice the new graphics Google has added for an empty inbox or spam folder. It's kind of like Inbox.
You can see the new graphics above. In...
Sphero's Star Wars Force Band lets you control BB-8 using motion gestures
The Force Awakens is approaching a year old, but by Star Wars standards, the merchandising is only just beginning. A particularly new offering is the Star Wars Force Band, which lets you control Sphero's tiny BB-8 droid that has been rolling around since the film hit theaters. But instead of doing...
Text-to-speech v3.10 adds options to change voice intonation and boost its volume above other apps [APK Download]
The Text-to-speech app doesn't see many major updates throughout the year, but when it does, there's often something interesting to see when it happens. Version 3.10 began rolling out yesterday and it comes bearing a pair of new settings to intelligently alter volume based on existing audio playback...
Flipboard reaches 500 Million installs on the Play Store
I don't "read" news anymore. If you saw what my Gmail inbox looks like every morning, you'd understand why reading something, anything really, other than the 300 or so emails we get at Android Police every day is a bit of an optimistic dream that I stopped entertaining a long time ago. I do listen...
Dimensions For Google’s Larger Pixel XL Phone Revealed
We’re less than a week away from Google’s October 4 event and now we have yet another leak regarding the company’s upcoming product.
As you all know, Google is expected release their first series of Pixel phones this year, the Pixel and Pixel XL, both manufactured by HTC. While the dimensions for...
The latest versions of Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides allow you to restore deleted files
Like countless other people, I've accidentally deleted files I didn't mean to get rid of; it's frustrating, but you can usually find these files in a "Trash" or "Recycle Bin" folder and restore them. Until today, Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides users on Android who accidentally deleted documents they...
Google Maps gets new hands-free voice commands
Google Maps has long had a microphone button so you could give voice commands, but the “OK Google” hotword would trigger the standard Google overlay. Now Google has announced that the “OK Google” hotword triggers hands-free voice commands in Maps itself.
If you want to give it a shot, make sure you’re...
South Korean Kookmin Bank announces support for Note 7 iris scanner
The adoption of the fingerprint sensor on smartphones is huge among phone makers, but app support hasn’t quite matched that growth. While a few apps have support using your fingerprint for authentication, it’s still an an uncommon trick.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 iris scanner claims to be...
BlackBerry will continue to release devices with physical keyboards, despite not making hardware
BlackBerry announced yesterday that it will no longer be making its own hardware. This is a move to cut costs and focus on software, where BlackBerry may still see success. This news worried fans of the classic BlackBerry keyboard.
Thankfully, CEO John Chen says that the keyboard isn’t going anywhere....
Unity game engine now supports Vulkan rendering on Android
Unity, if you're not familiar with game development, is a popular cross-platform game engine. Although Unity games can most often be found on PC and consoles, Android games utilizing the engine include Crossy Road, Monument Valley, Lara Croft: Relic Run, and more. Today Unity has announced...
PSA: Today's update to the Oculus VR app on Samsung phones is causing heavy battery drain
Those of you with a newer Samsung phone might want to take a peek at the battery usage today. Many users are reporting substantial battery drain after an update to the Oculus VR app. The only fix right now appears to be completely uninstalling the app.
Users are reporting the CPU in their phones...
Android Wear 2.0 Developer Preview 3 released; final version pushed to 2017
Google has announced that the third developer preview of Android Wear 2.0 is now available. The tech giant delved into wearables with the first version of its specific OS, Android Wear. Since then, wearables have faced a rocky road, with consumer interest remaining lower than expected. Regardless,...
LG X power with 4100mAh battery, LG G Pad X II headed to U.S. Cellular
For those of you on U.S. Cellular, your carrier has some new offerings for you.
First up is the LG X power, which originally debuted back in June. Its biggest draw is the 4100mAh battery tucked inside its shell. The X power also features a 5.2-inch 720p HD display, and there’s an 8MP camera...
Android Wear 2.0 Developer Preview 3: Play Store and More
Posted by Hoi Lam, Developer Advocate
Today we’re launching the third developer preview of Android Wear 2.0 with a big new addition: Google Play on Android Wear. The Play Store app makes it easy for users to find and install apps directly on the watch, helping developers like you reach more users.
Play...
Google is rolling out a ton of new navigation voice commands
Driving is serious business—you're in control of a rolling pile of metal and glass weighing thousands of pounds, and one moment of inattention can have very messy consequences. So, for goodness' sake, don't screw around with your phone while driving. Google Maps has voice commands while in navigation...
SwiftKey Beta gets a big update with support for 5 simultaneous languages, new neural network languages, and more
SwiftKey has been making some big changes lately, and running the beta version of the keyboard gets you a sneak peek at what's coming next. In the latest beta update, there are new languages integrated with SwiftKey's improved neural network prediction engine, as well as support for using as many as...
News Pro is a new app from Microsoft Garage that personalizes the news
We all have our own unique ways to read the news. Some like RSS apps. Some like Flipboard, or Yahoo News Digest. Others prefer to read the news direct on the website. There's yet another solution now: a new app from Microsoft Garage, a department of the software giant that seems to have an unlimited...
Top 10 new Android games this week: Looty Dungeon, Frost
Welcome back to Android Gaming Weekly, our weekly recap of new game releases. We still plan to cover upcoming releases and games we’re playing, but this column is dedicated to new games that you can start playing right now. Check out our top picks and let us know in the comments section if...
Versus Evil releases Banner Saga 2, looks as beautiful as the original
The Banner Saga, first released on Android just under two years ago, is a beautiful, beautiful game, with fantastic graphics and a great story. The company behind it, independent games developer Versus Evil, has just released the sequel, Banner Saga 2, onto the Play Store, and my word does it look...
Google Photos v2.1 adds rotation suggestions to quickly fix sideways pictures [APK Download]
It's fairly common for Google's app updates to be a little less feature-packed in the days leading up to major announcements. Whatever the reason, the changelogs – if there were any – probably wouldn't mention anything more than "bug fixes and performance improvements." The latest release of the Photos...
Hopper adds Watch Filters to tailor price drop alerts to the flights that matter to you
I haven't traveled anywhere in the past year, but if I had, I would have surely used Hopper. The app, which was released a little more than a year ago, monitors flight prices and predicts the best time for you to purchase your tickets for the lowest possible price. However, there was one aspect to...
Spotify launches today in Japan on an invite-only basis, debuts song lyrics on mobile
Spotify today announced the official arrival of its music service in the Land of the Rising Sun. Both Spotify's ad-supported free streaming plan and ad-free subscription will be available in Japan, making it the only music service in the country to offer the choice between these...
BlackBerry DTEK60 appears in new leaks
Shortly after BlackBerry’s announcement that it would no longer be making its own hardware, leaks have appeared of the BlackBerry DTEK60, a new smartphone that sits on the high-end of the spectrum. The device is manufactured by TCL, which also makes Alcatel devices. Design-wise, the similarities with...
Google Allo hits 5 million downloads in the Play Store, is #8 in Top Charts
Google Allo, the second of Google's two new messaging apps, has just hit five million downloads in the Google Play Store. All the anticipation for Allo (let's forget about the subsequent letdown for now) has made its download numbers soar. However, the aforementioned letdown is quite apparent...
Fresh Meat: 10 new Android apps worth checking out
New apps need lovin’ too, right? Every day there are thousands of additions to the Google Play store, but many go unnoticed and never receive the attention they deserve. We’ve shown in the past that this community can discover great apps and propel them to new heights. Our weekly Fresh Meat column...
