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Announcing Fast Pair - effortless Bluetooth pairing for Android

Posted by Ritesh Nayak M and Ronald Ho, Product Managers

Today we're announcing Fast Pair, a hassle-free process to pair your Bluetooth devices on all supported Android devices running Google Play services 11.7+ with compatibility back to Marshmallow (Android 6.0). Fast Pair makes discovery & pairing of Bluetooth devices easy and is currently rolling out to Android 6.0+ devices. You can try this out with Google Pixel Buds or Libratone's Q Adapt On-Ear, and soon on Plantronics Voyager 8200 series wireless headsets.

Ease of use, speed and security are the design principles driving the Fast Pair specification. Fast Pair uses BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) for advertising and discovery and uses classic Bluetooth for pairing. Here's what a Fast Pair flow looks like:

  1. Turn on a Fast Pair-enabled device and put it in pairing mode.
    • Android scans for BLE broadcasts in close proximity of the user's phone and discovers a Fast Pair packet (provided Bluetooth and Location is turned on).
    • This packet is sent to our servers to get back the device's product image, product name and companion app (if there is one).
  2. The user receives a high priority notification asking them to "Tap to pair" to the device. The notification contains the product name and image.
  3. When the user taps on the notification, we use classic Bluetooth to establish a connection.
  4. A success notification is shown which contains a link to download the companion app (if there is one).

Imagine doing all of this without ever fumbling with Bluetooth settings. Users get a seamless and secure pairing experience and confidence that they're connecting to the right product. Manufacturers get their brand, device name and companion app in front of the users.

Thanks to a couple of our partners who have been instrumental in prototyping and testing this spec, and whose feedback has been invaluable to the Fast Pair effort. If you are a Bluetooth accessory manufacturer and want to adopt Fast Pair for your device, please reach out to us.

Plantronics is an audio pioneer and a global leader in the communications industry. From Unified Communications and customer service ecosystems, to data analytics and Bluetooth headsets, Plantronics delivers high-quality communications solutions that customers count on today, while relentlessly innovating on behalf of their future. For more information visit plantronics.com

Libratone is on a mission to liberate sound and to expand peoples' experiences with music in the era of streaming. Founded in 2009 in Denmark, Libratone is one of the first audio companies to consider the aesthetics of speakers – to move them out of the corner of the room and into the center and onward, for the consumer on the move. For more information visit libratone.com


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Nokia 2 now official with 8MP camera and 4100mAh battery

Nokia and HMD Global are back with another entry in their Android lineup, this time with a handset that is focused almost entirely on the battery.

The Nokia 2, announced today at a launch event in India, is an entry-level smartphone which features a 5-inch 720p HD display, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 212 processor, 1GB of RAM, and 8GB of built-in storage. It has a microSD card slot that supports cards up to 128GB if you need more storage. There is an 8-megapixel camera on the back and a 5-megapixel camera on the other side.

The handset is running Android Nougat out of the box, but HMD says that it will be getting updated to Android 8.0 Oreo at some point in the future. The Nokia 2 also features a 3.5mm headphone jack, but the primary selling point here is the 4100mAh battery.

According to HMD, the Nokia 2′s entire design is meant to draw as little power from the battery as it can. As a result, that 4100mAh battery should get its own two days of battery life on a single charge.

The Nokia 2 will be available in Pewter/Black, Pewter/White, and Copper/Black and it will have a global price tag of €99. HMD says it will be available sometime in mid-November, but no exact date was provided.

What do you think of the Nokia 2?


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First µTorrent beta release adds torrent streaming

The µTorrent client on Android has hundreds of millions of downloads, but that's not surprising. People love downloading Linux ISOs, right? Starting today, there's a beta program for the µTorrent app, and it'll let you stream your "Linux ISOs" immediately instead of downloading them.

Here's the changelog for the first µTorrent beta.

Torrent Streaming!
Now you don’t have to wait for torrents to download. You can start enjoying your torrents right away via streaming.
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First µTorrent beta release adds torrent streaming was written by the awesome team at Android Police.


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[Update: It's official] Deleting messages on WhatsApp for all recipients starts rolling out

  • WhatsApp has officially announced that deleting a message for everyone is now rolling out to users globally on Android, iPhone, Windows Phone, and desktop. You'll need to be on

Message recalls have been rumored on WhatsApp for months now and every couple of weeks, we got a glimpse of the functionality in a beta version but it was always a false alert and never properly worked.

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[Update: It's official] Deleting messages on WhatsApp for all recipients starts rolling out was written by the awesome team at Android Police.


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Humble Bundle's Halloween selection includes 8 gruesome games

It's Halloween everyone, and that means spooky treats galore. As well as gorging on candy, it's also a time to indulge in scary films and TV shows (I know I'm going to continue binge watching Stranger Things). But what about games? Thankfully, Humble Bundle has got us covered with a Halloween-themed selection of discounted Android games. This is sure to be its most terrifying bundle yet.

You probably know the deal with the Humble Mobile Bundle by now, but just in case...

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Humble Bundle's Halloween selection includes 8 gruesome games was written by the awesome team at Android Police.


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YouTube's Android app now lets you schedule livestreams

Livestreams are all the rage these days, with some people even making a handsome career out of the business. Nowadays, they're available on virtually every social media platform, and that includes YouTube. Now, YouTube's Android app has added scheduling functionality for livestreams, just in case you don't want to lose track of time.

The feature is pretty self-explanatory; there's a new 'Schedule for later' toggle that shows up. If you tap it, you'll be shown a date and time to schedule your livestream for.

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YouTube's Android app now lets you schedule livestreams was written by the awesome team at Android Police.


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New, cleaner overflow menu design in Google app is rolling out more widely

Oh Google, you and your server-side tests. You cause so many people to have different interfaces on their Google apps and create mass confusion, yet we still love you. This latest server-side test involving the overflow menu popup in the Google app appears to be rolling out to many more people now, and it's overall a nice change.

left: Old. right: New.

While tapping the three-dot menu on a story in the Google feed previously opened a popup with options inside, it's now a window of sorts that slides up from the bottom.

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New, cleaner overflow menu design in Google app is rolling out more widely was written by the awesome team at Android Police.


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Amazon offering Echo Dot discount for a limited time

If you’re interested in trying Amazon’s Alexa assistant on the cheap, Amazon’s got a deal for you.

The Amazon Echo Dot is being discounted today, October 30. This deal applies to new Echo Dot units, and it’s one of the better deals we’ve seen on the mini smart speaker.


Amazon’s Echo Dot is the smaller version of the Echo. It offers all of the same features as the standard Echo, though, including hands-free voice controls, calling and messaging to other Echo devices and Alexa app users, and the ability to control smart home devices. You can also do things like order an Uber or a pizza, check the weather, and more.

Again, this deal on the Echo Dot is only good on October 30, so if you’re on the fence about this deal, you may want to act soon.


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Google Calculator v7.4 switches to blue accent color, improves history screen and main display [APK Download]

Green is gone, blue is new. That's the mantra for today's update to Google's Calculator app. But it's not just a palette swap on the agenda, there are actually several other little changes scattered around the UI. There are changes to the history screen, RAD/DEG toggle, and there are even a couple things taken out.

What's New

Unofficial Changelog: (the stuff we found)

  • Blue icon and control drawer

Blue color scheme

Unless you haven't used Google's Calculator app in a few years, you'll probably notice the first change right away.

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Google Calculator v7.4 switches to blue accent color, improves history screen and main display [APK Download] was written by the awesome team at Android Police.


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17 new and notable Android apps from the last week (10/24/17 - 10/30/17)

roundup_icon_largeWelcome to the roundup of the best new Android applications that went live in the Play Store or were spotted by us in the previous week or so.

Please wait for this page to load in full in order to see the widgets, which include ratings and pricing info.

Looking for the previous roundup editions? Find them here.

Featured App

Bitcoin Price IQ - Crypto Price Alerts & News

Today's roundup is presented by Bitcoin Price IQ - Crypto Price Alerts & News from Handy Apps.

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17 new and notable Android apps from the last week (10/24/17 - 10/30/17) was written by the awesome team at Android Police.


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Essential Phone update adds fingerprint gesture, improves touch scrolling and more

Essential Phone owners have a new software update to look forward to which should be rolling out wide beginning today.

As pointed out by users over on Reddi and subsequently confirmed by the official Essential Twitter account, a software update (build NMJ20D) is now rolling out to the Essential Phone. The primary focus is improving certain elements while also making the device a bit more secure.

The update includes a patch for the KRACK WPA2 vulnerability, which is part of the October 2017 Android security patches. In addition, this newest software update also includes a new fingerprint gesture which will let owners quickly slide their finger down over the fingerprint reader to drop down the notification shade.

The update also includes improved touch scrolling, so navigating the device should be more fluid.

The NMJ20D update measures in at 74MB and it should be available today.

How are you liking your Essential Phone so far?


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Google Maps v9.65 beta may be preparing for a new rating system, new services for Reserve with Google, and more [APK Teardown]

A new version of Google Maps has been rolling out over the weekend, but there's not much to see in terms of big changes. There are a couple of minor additions to be found, including a more obvious link to the offline settings screen and a switch in commute settings to allow for better results with the use of location history. A teardown also reveals a possible change to the rating system, new services for Reserve with Google, and an option to set your preferred mass transit station.

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Google Maps v9.65 beta may be preparing for a new rating system, new services for Reserve with Google, and more [APK Teardown] was written by the awesome team at Android Police.


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Android Pay adds 11 new banks, offers more detail on support for Synchrony

Android Pay has grown substantially since the original launch to cover all the major banks in the US. However, there are a lot of small banks and credit unions. It's hard to even believe there are so many, but here we are with yet another list of new financial institutions. There's a twist this time, though. Google has also provided additional details on which Synchrony private label cards are supported by Android Pay.

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Android Pay adds 11 new banks, offers more detail on support for Synchrony was written by the awesome team at Android Police.


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SoftBank might stop the merger between T-Mobile and Sprint

That planned merger between Sprint and T-Mobile, which was reportedly in its “final stages” back at the beginning of October, may be on the chopping block.

According to a report from Nikkei, SoftBank — parent company of Sprint — wants to off the merger between T-Mobile and Sprint. The reason comes down to specific details regarding the new ownership of whatever company came out of the merger.

Up to this point, it sounds like SoftBank was willing to give up control as a result of the merger. T-Mobile’s own parent company, Deutsche Telekom, has demanded that it take a lion’s share of the merged companies, because it is the third largest wireless carrier in the United States and Sprint is fourth. Apparently on Friday of last week, SoftBank’s board members decided they weren’t okay with the idea of giving up control after all.

The report indicates that SoftBank will end the merger process as soon as tomorrow, October 31.

With negotiations apparently called off and the merger no longer being considered, this may be one of the longest-running rumors that may actually go dark.


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YouTube TV apps rolling out to Android TV, Xbox One, and Apple TV

YouTube TV has been on a steady rollout ever since its debut earlier this year, and now Google is making it easier to watch the service on more devices.

New YouTube TV apps will make it easier to watch the streaming TV service. Google is launching a new TV-centric app which will see the light of day first in Android TV set-top boxes like the NVIDIA SHIELD TV and in televisions with Android TV built into them. In addition to that, the Xbox One family of devices (Xbox One, Xbox One S, and beginning in November, the Xbox One X) from Microsoft is getting a YouTube TV app.

Google will continue to expand availability in the coming weeks, with the YouTube TV app rolling out to smart TVs in general, including options from Samsung and LG. The Apple TV will be getting an app as well.

Here’s what the new YouTube TV app will introduce:

  • Control your live TV experience with your TV’s remote control or game controller.
  • For a more cinematic look, we made the background dark on your TVs.
  • A new Live guide made for your big screen so you can get a sneak-peek at what’s airing soon.
  • Never miss the action with our background playback experience built for your big screen.
  • Easily pick up where you left off on another device when you get home.

Have you signed up for YouTube TV? If so, how are you liking the experience?


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ASUS bringing ZenFone 4 family to North America

Known for its computers, ASUS is a company that has ventured into smarpthones with moderate success. It has struggled to gain traction in the States, but its high-end devices and low prices are starting to attract attention. The company is keeping the momentum going with the release of the ZenFone 4 family in North America. Let’s run through the specs of each device.

  • ZenFone 4 Pro: 5.5-inch 1080p AMOLED display, Snapdragon 835 processor, 6GB RAM, 64GB storage plus microSD card slot, 12-megapixel rear camera with f/1.7 aperture, Dual Pixel autofocus, and secondary 16-megapixel “telephoto” camera, 8-megapixel front-facing camera, 3600mAh battery, fingerprint sensor, and dual speakers. Available in Pure Black for $599.
  • ZenFone 4: 5.5-inch 1080p display, Snapdragon 630 processor, 4GB RAM, 64GB storage plus microSD card slot, 12-megapixel rear camera with Dual Pixel autofocus and secondary 8-megapixel wide-angle camera, 8-megapixel front-facing camera, 3300mAh battery, fingerprint sensor, and dual speakers. Available in Midnight Black and Moonlight White for $399.
  • ZenFone 4 Max (5.5-inch): 5.5-inch 720p display, Snapdragon 430 processor, 3GB RAM, 32GB storage plus microSD card slot, 13-megapixel rear camera plus secondary wide-angle camera, 8-megapixel front-facing camera, and a 5000mAh battery with fast charging and the ability to charge other devices. Available in Deepsea Black for $199.
  • ZenFone 4 Max (5.2-inch): 5.2-inch 720p display, Snapdragon 425 processor, 2GB RAM, 16GB storage plus microSD card slot, 13-megapixel rear camera plus secondary wide-angle camera, 8-megapixel front-facing camera, and a 4100mAh battery with fast charging and the ability to charge other devices. Available in Deepsea Black for $169.

The ZenFone 4 family stretches from budget options to high-end flagship devices, with an option for any price range. All of the above phones will be available from ASUS, Amazon, B&H, Best Buy, and Newegg, though at the time of writing, the devices are not yet available for purchase. It shouldn’t be long before they appear, so if you’re interested, keep an eye out for purchase options.

For more information, check out the official press release at the source link below.


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OnePlus 5T appears in leaked image

OnePlus is a company that exemplifies the belief that where there’s a will, there’s a way. The underdog smartphone manufacturer built itself into a significant player in just a few years, garnering a loyal fan base with premium devices and strong post-purchase support. Part of the company’s strategy is to stick to a small selection of devices. The next device to join the line is the OnePlus 5T, an unreleased device that has appeared in a leaked image.

The image doesn’t offer a lot of information on the OnePlus 5T, but it does provide us with a clear view of the 5T’s signature features, at least on the top half. Rounded corners, svelte bezels, and an expansive display culminate in an attractive design that exudes quality. Rumors have pointed to a 6-inch screen size that should provide an extraordinary media experience, while remaining usable with a design that cuts down on excess bezel space.

A launch is expected to arrive on November 16. Stay tuned for further updates and rumors regarding the OnePlus 5T.


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ZTE’s foldable Axon M can be ordered from AT&T beginning November 1

Earlier this month, ZTE and AT&T announced the Axon M, a foldable smartphone with two touchscreens.

Now AT&T has announced that the handset will go up for order on Wednesday, November 1. It will cost $24.17 per month for 30 months, which equals out to $725 full price. If you’d rather to wait check out the Axon M in AT&T’s retail stores, you will be able to do that on November 17.

The standout feature for the Axon M is its foldable design which boasts a pair of 5.2-inch displays, each of which features a resolution of 1920×1080. You can flip open the handset and combine the two screens, or put it up like a tent and watch different content on each screen at the same time.

The ZTE Axon M has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processor under the hood, 4GB of RAM, and 64GB of built-in storage. There’s a microSD card reader for expandable storage if needed. There’s a single 20-megapixel camera, too, and the battery measures in at 3180mAh. ZTE is including Android 7.1.2 Nougat out of the box, but the company is planning on rolling out Android 8.0 Oreo at some point in the future.

So, who’s going to order the ZTE Axon M?


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GNSS Analysis Tools from Google

Posted by Frank van Diggelen, Software Engineer

Last year in Android Nougat, we introduced APIs for retrieving Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) Raw measurements from Android devices. This past week, we publicly released GNSS Analysis Tools to process and analyze these measurements.

Android powers over 2 billion devices, and Android phones are made by many different manufacturers. The primary intent of these tools is to enable device manufacturers to see in detail how well the GNSS receivers are working in each particular device design, and thus improve the design and GNSS performance in their devices. However, with the tools publicly available, there is also significant value to the research and app developer community.

How to use the tool

The GNSS Analysis Tool is a desktop application that takes in raw the GNSS Measurements logged from your Android device as input.

This desktop application provides interactive plots, organized into three columns showing the behavior of the RF, Clock, and Measurements. This data allows you to see the behavior of the GNSS receiver in great detail, including receiver clock offset and drift to the order of 1 nanosecond and 1 ppb and measurement errors on a satellite-by-satellite basis. This allows you to do sophisticated analysis at a level that, until now, was almost inaccessible to anyone but the chip manufacturers themselves.

The tools support multi-constellation (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BeiDou and QZSS) and multi-frequency. The image below shows the satellite locations for L1, L5, E1 and E5 signals tracked by a dual frequency chip.

The tools provide an interactive control screen from which you can manipulate the plots, shown below. From this control screen, you can change the background color, enable the Menu Bars for printing or saving, and select specific satellites for the plots.

Receiver test report

The tools also provide automatic test reports of receivers. Click "Make Report" to automatically create the test report. The report evaluates the API implementation, Received Signal, Clock behavior, and Measurement accuracy. In each case it will report PASS or FAIL based on the performance against known good benchmarks. This test report is primarily meant for the device manufacturers to use as they iterate on the design and implementation of a new device. A sample report is shown below.

Our goal with providing these Analysis Tools is to empower device manufacturers, researchers, and developers with data and knowledge to make Android even better for our customers. You can visit the GNSS Measurement site to learn more and download this application.


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Samsung Internet v6.2 now available with night mode, tracking blocker, and more

Some of Samsung's apps feel like an afterthought; something it develops simply because there should be a Samsung version of one app or another on Samsung phones. The browser isn't like that. It gets regular updates, and people seem to actually like the app. Even folks with non-Samsung phones use it. Samsung Internet is getting an update today that brings some new features and expands support to more phones than ever.

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Samsung Internet v6.2 now available with night mode, tracking blocker, and more was written by the awesome team at Android Police.


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Top 5 most popular Android apps from last week: Chomp SMS, PUSH

Every week we cover new Android apps with Fresh Meat on Wednesday, followed by Android Gaming on Thursday and Top 10 App Updates on Friday. When Monday rolls around, we look back to see which apps were the most appealing to our audience. Read on for the five most popular Android apps from last week. These apps are ones that are most likely new and haven’t appeared in the top five list more than three times.

1. DVD Netflix

DVD Netflix

App info: Complete your Netflix experience with DVD Netflix, the best way to watch new releases, premium TV shows, and movies from every decade.

(Playboard) | (Play Store)

 

2. Sheltered

Sheltered

App info: Sheltered is a post-apocalyptic disaster management game that gives a whole new meaning to the term “nuclear family”. Given a head-start over the billions lost in a nuclear holocaust, you must gather as many supplies as possible en route to the concrete underground shelter that will soon become your family home for the foreseeable dire future.

(Playboard) | (Play Store)

 

3. Chomp SMS

chomp SMS

App info: Lots of cool features like passcode app lock, privacy options, scheduled SMS sender (reminders, birthday wishes), stop a text while sending, pin favs to top, backup, blacklisting / SMS blocker, signatures, text snippets, quick reply popup (even on lock screen), multi-select picture gallery, dual sim, better MMS and GROUP messaging and much more.

(Playboard) | (Play Store)

 

4. PUSH

PUSH

App info: PUSH is filled with a lot of different puzzles to solve. Like our previous games, its intended to be a relaxing experience, thus there are no points, stars, tutorials, move counters. Your goal is to push all the buttons. 

(Playboard) | (Play Store)

 

5. Saiy® Assistant

Saiy Assistant

App info: Welcome to Saiy® your offline voice controlled Virtual Assistant with a difference. Saiy is the new version of utter! rebuilt from the ground up and it’s now Open Source too! In this first release, there might be a few little bugs, so please report them and don’t hate me :( I’ll sort them as quickly as possible!

(Playboard) | (Play Store)

 

Note:  To ensure that all apps receive a fair chance to make the list, we will retire any app that has made the list for three consecutive weeks.


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Action Launcher v30 update includes 'At a Glance' widget and colored search box icons

Action Launcher is one of Android's most popular replacement launchers, and this has a lot to do with how quick Chris Lacy has recently been to update his app with the latest features of Google's Pixel Launcher. It's much more than just a port, however, and also has original features that its loyal users swear by, such as covers and shutters.

The last two updates have added AdaptivePack icon integration and a customizable bottom search box, à la new Pixel Launcher.

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Action Launcher v30 update includes 'At a Glance' widget and colored search box icons was written by the awesome team at Android Police.


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Google Photos v3.8 has a fancy new Lens animation [APK Download]

Google Lens is taking its sweet time getting ready for its full-fledged debut. The juiced-up version of Google Goggles is already available to those who use the first- and second-generation Pixel smartphones, but it's cooped up in the Photos app and has yet to appear in Assistant, as promised back in May at I/O. One of the reasons for this delay appears to be aesthetic, as Google Photos v3.8 shows off a new animation while Lens is analyzing a photo.

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Google Photos v3.8 has a fancy new Lens animation [APK Download] was written by the awesome team at Android Police.


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Sony uploads Xperia Assist app to the Play Store

It's pretty common practice for manufacturers to upload their custom system apps to the Play Store. This way, the individual apps can be updated outside of a system upgrade. Sony has done this for many of its applications, and the 'Xperia Assist' app is the latest one to be uploaded.

If you're not familiar with it, Xperia Assist is an app designed to guide users through various options and features on select Sony phones.

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Sony uploads Xperia Assist app to the Play Store was written by the awesome team at Android Police.


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SwitKey Beta's new Photo Themes lets you use your own images to create custom keyboards

One of SwiftKey's many virtues is its abundance of themes, which are all free to users. By my count – I hand-counted them twice for you, dear reader – the Microsoft-owned keyboard has 125 themes available to download. That number officially jumps to infinity with the latest SwiftKey Beta thanks to a new feature called Photo Themes, which allows you to use any image you want to create a custom keyboard theme.

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SwitKey Beta's new Photo Themes lets you use your own images to create custom keyboards was written by the awesome team at Android Police.


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XDA's One-Handed Mode app makes it easier to use your giant smartphone

While large displays can be beautiful, using them in everyday scenarios can be anything but. This is particularly the case if you're holding yourself steady on a bus or train with one hand while browsing your smartphone with the other on a daily basis. To address this potential hazard, Samsung, LG, Huawei, Motorola, and other manufacturers offer a one-handed mode on some of their phones, and now a new XDA app called (wait for it) "One-Handed Mode" is bringing the helpful feature to any smartphone running Android 4.3 or higher.

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XDA's One-Handed Mode app makes it easier to use your giant smartphone was written by the awesome team at Android Police.


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eBay adds AI-powered image search to its mobile apps

Google has just started to roll out Google Lens, the company's new AI-powered image search. Simply take a picture of something, and Google's incredibly advanced algorithms will try to figure out what it is and give you search results for it. eBay has now added a similar (but less advanced) function to its mobile apps.

Simply press the camera button at the top of the app, and select the new 'Image Search' option.

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eBay adds AI-powered image search to its mobile apps was written by the awesome team at Android Police.


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30 of the best Android Games to get you in the mood for Halloween

Halloween is a special time of year when the temperature outside is just right, the trees are displaying their full fall foliage, and pumpkin flavored everything can be found on your store shelves. In order to incorporate the holiday into Android gaming I have decided to hunt down some of the better horror-filled games released this year to give you all a fun holiday themed post that should get you in the mood for an enjoyable Halloween this Tuesday.

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30 of the best Android Games to get you in the mood for Halloween was written by the awesome team at Android Police.


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Facebook releases Halloween effects and mini-game for Facebook and Messenger apps

More than carving pumpkins or gobbling down candy or dressing up in costumes, Halloween is a great excuse to set free your inner dad and go all out on bad puns and cheesy jokes. Facebook is obviously no stranger to a well-placed corny joke, so it's announcing a bunch of "spook-tacular" new effects for the Facebook and Messenger apps that'll help users get into the Halloween spirit.

In the camera on both apps, you'll be able to add effects when taking a photo, including Halloween-themed masks, stickers, and frames directly from the camera.

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Facebook releases Halloween effects and mini-game for Facebook and Messenger apps was written by the awesome team at Android Police.


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Google extends Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL warranty to two years

The problems that have plagued the Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL have been quite concerning to those who have purchased the devices. With how much Google has messed up in a short time, and the problems older Nexus devices experienced over time, could the phone we a bad long term purchase?

The current Pixel 2 problems, like the screen problems and NFC clicking, are being fixed with software updates. But to ease people’s minds, the company has extended the warranty for both Pixel 2 models to two years.

For those of you who purchased Preferred Care, it will not be extended. You can get a refund within 30 days of purchasing it if you choose, but it still has benefits despite the regular warranty being longer now.

Hopefully this will put people’s minds at ease about buying a Pixel 2. With future updates fixing some issues, it may very well become the phone we expected. Have you changed your mind about buying a new Pixel? Leave a comment!


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Top 10 Android app updates this week: Chomp SMS, Pocket

Welcome back to our weekly Top 10 Android App Updates column, where we take a look at the most frequently upgraded apps for the week. We’ve found that one of the best ways to discover useful apps is to find the ones that are actually being updated by the developers rather than selecting the apps with the most installs. As in the past, we’re going to filter out minor updates for the super-popular apps that have over 10 million installs, but we’ll make exceptions for apps that have had significant updates. We hope you enjoy this weekly feature and that you discover some apps that end up being useful.

Pocket - Version 6.6.3.2

 

Pocket

What’s new in this version:

  • A ton of new improvements to Listen! Pocket can now continuously read articles out loud to you in a playlist format.
(Playboard) | (Play Store)

 

Chomp SMS – Version 7.17.0

 

chomp SMS

What’s new in this version:

  • Added support for animated GIFs. Including when selected from the Google Keyboard (Gboard).
  • Added support for 2700+ (all) of the very latest (Unicode 10) Android (Blob and Oreo), iOS, Emoji One and Twitter emojis.
  • Added support for in-app notification ringtones. See Settings > Notifications > In App Ringtone.
  • Improved icon badging support for Sony phones.
  • Bug fixes.
(Playboard) | (Play Store)

 

YouTube Music - Version 2.04.5

 

YouTube Music

What’s new in this version:

  •  New: Updated YouTube Music Logo and Icon.
(Playboard) | (Play Store)

 

Samsung SoundAssistant - Version 2.0.03

 

SoundAssistant

What’s new in this version:

  • Add application and adjust its volume individually.
  • Mute mode is available in scenario’s options.
  • Scenario notification can be dismissed.
  • Keep last position of floating button.
  • Touch the app volume icon in the floating dialog to play/pause and long click to enter the app.
(Playboard) | (Play Store)

 

Amazon Shopping – Version 14.1.0

 

Amazon Shopping

What’s new in this version:

  • Introducing a new way to shop for teens. With their own logins, teens can shop, stream, and game their way using the Amazon shopping app. Parents can review order details and approve with a quick text reply. Go to amazon.com/teeninfo to learn more.
  • Say hello to Alexa on Android! Tap the mic icon and ask Alexa to buy/reorder products, play music, tell jokes, read Kindle books, control smart home devices on the go and more.
(Playboard) | (Play Store)

 

Hangouts Meet - Version 8.5.1772

 

Hangouts Meet

What’s new in this version:

  • Send messages to others while in the meeting
  • Bug fixes and performance improvements
(Playboard) | (Play Store)

 

Instagram – Version 2.0.0.29

 

Instagram

What’s new in this version:

  • Superzoom: An easy way to record a funny video with dramatic sound effects. Open the camera to find “Superzoom” next to “Boomerang” under the record button. Tap record to automatically zoom in with suspenseful music.
  • Go live with a friend: Add a friend to your live video. While broadcasting, tap the new icon in the bottom right corner and tap “add” to invite anyone who’s currently watching.
(Playboard) | (Play Store)

 

WhatsApp Messenger – Version 2.17.395

 

WhatsApp

What’s new in this version:

  • Live location: now you can share your location in real-time with family and friends. Open any chat, tap the attach icon > location, and tap “Share live location” to get started.
  • Add color filters to your photos. Just capture or select a photo, and swipe up to pick a filter.
(Playboard) | (Play Store)

 

Audiobooks from Audible – Version 2.18.0

 

 

Audiobooks from Audible

What’s new in this version:

  • Access multi-part titles and more subscriptions through an improved view in the library.
(Playboard) | (Play Store)

 

Amazon Kindle – Version 8.0.0.68

 

Amazon Kindle

What’s new in this version:

  • Introducing the all-new Kindle app with a brand new look built around the books you love. Choose between the new light theme or existing dark theme.
  • Quickly navigate with one-tap access to the things you use most, including your most recent book.
  • Find your next book with recommendations just for you based on your reading habits in Home.
(Playboard) | (Play Store)

 


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