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The Galaxy S21 is the only Android phone that doesn't suck at Snapchat

One little step towards a better Snapchat

Snapchat on Android has historically proven to be pretty terrible when it comes to camera image quality. For years, the app would just be screenshotting the camera viewfinder and using that directly. It was effective (and arguably necessary based on the sheer amount of Android phones and differences in software between them) but sure didn't look too great. Now with the new S21 series, it seems like Snapchat is finally playing nice, and giving us some of the highest-quality Snaps we've ever seen.

The Galaxy S21 is the only Android phone that doesn't suck at Snapchat was written by the awesome team at Android Police.

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Apps , Apps/Games – Android Police – Android News , Games , Phones , reviews , Tablets 6:25 AM No comments

Kodi 19 now available with improved decoding, UI tweaks, and substantial changes to add-ons

Not everyone is happy with the update

Kodi, formerly XBMC, is one of the most popular media center applications ever. It combines many media sources into one easy-to-navigate interface, with support for several operating systems (including Android). Over two years since the last release, Kodi 19 is now rolling out, but not everyone is happy with the upgrade.

Kodi 19, nicknamed 'Matrix,' mostly focuses on under-the-hood improvements. AV1 software decoding and better HDR10 support (including Dolby Vision HDR on Android) have been added, there are more options for organizing content based on available metadata, and music playback in the default skin has been updated (complete with a Matrix-like visualizer).

Kodi 19 now available with improved decoding, UI tweaks, and substantial changes to add-ons was written by the awesome team at Android Police.

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Apps , Apps/Games – Android Police – Android News , Games , Phones , reviews , Tablets 4:25 AM No comments

Netflix is so confident in its recommendations that it can now download them automatically

Netflix introduced its Smart Downloads feature three years ago, which automatically downloads the next episodes of a show you're watching while on Wi-Fi, for easier viewing away from reliable internet connections (or on capped mobile data plans). Now the company is expanding the feature to automatically download anything Netflix thinks you might want to watch.

"Today we’re launching Downloads For You," Netflix said in a blog post, "a new feature that automatically downloads recommended shows or movies to your mobile device based on your tastes."

Netflix is so confident in its recommendations that it can now download them automatically was written by the awesome team at Android Police.

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Apps , Apps/Games – Android Police – Android News , Games , Phones , reviews , Tablets 3:25 AM No comments

Telegram Beta gets widgets and QR codes for joining groups

Joining groups is about to get easier than ever

Telegram only recently gained huge momentum thanks to people switching from WhatsApp due to the upcoming new terms of service, but the company isn't resting on its laurels. TestingCatalog took an extensive look at the latest Telegram Beta, version 7.5, and found quite a few forthcoming changes: The update introduces widgets, QR codes for joining groups, and options for reporting content.

On the group chat front, it's now possible to invite users via a QR code, which could make it easier to get members on board when you meet people face-by-face.

Telegram Beta gets widgets and QR codes for joining groups was written by the awesome team at Android Police.

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Apps , Apps/Games – Android Police – Android News , Games , Phones , reviews , Tablets 11:25 PM No comments

18 temporarily free and 58 on-sale apps and games for Monday

Don't miss out on the sales for Slayaway Camp, Neverwinter Nights, and Braveland

Welcome to Monday, everyone. We're kicking off the week with a solid list, and so I have a few standouts to share. First up is Slayaway Camp, a fantastic horror puzzler that should not be missed. Next, I have Neverwinter Nights, which is often on sale, though if you've yet to play this CRPG, you're missing out. Last but not least is Braveland, an enjoyable strategy game that leans towards casual play.

18 temporarily free and 58 on-sale apps and games for Monday was written by the awesome team at Android Police.

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Apps , Apps/Games – Android Police – Android News , Games , Phones , reviews , Tablets 11:25 PM No comments

Google to expand Street View user contributions with 'Photo Path'

The new feature was spotted in an APK teardown

Google Street View is a handy tool that can help you get accustomed to a place even before visiting it. Most of what you see is shot using dedicated cars with multi-cam setups. It was only recently that the public was allowed to contribute to the imagery. Seemingly wanting to increase public contributions for even better coverage, Google is preparing yet another feature called "Photo Path."

Evidence pointing to this new functionality was spotted by the folks at XDA Developers in an APK teardown of version 2.0.0.357726500.

Google to expand Street View user contributions with 'Photo Path' was written by the awesome team at Android Police.

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Apps , Apps/Games – Android Police – Android News , Games , Phones , reviews , Tablets 9:25 PM No comments

Spotify is testing a redesigned (and much-improved) library UI

You can view and search all library content at once with this simplified approach

The Spotify app hasn't seen a major design overhaul for a few years now, but it does get incremental updates on a regular basis. The latest section of the app to get a new lick of paint is the library, which was last upgraded in 2019 to accommodate podcasts.

With this latest update, Spotify is making the library much more intuitive. You now start on an all-encompassing library page that displays playlists, artists, and albums in one feed, based on how recently you played each entry (by default).

Spotify is testing a redesigned (and much-improved) library UI was written by the awesome team at Android Police.

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Apps , Apps/Games – Android Police – Android News , Games , Phones , reviews , Tablets 9:25 PM No comments

Chrome may be getting a Google Reader-like feature

A "Follow" button has been spotted in the latest Chrome Canary build

Chrome is the most popular mobile browser around the world and millions use it on a daily basis to browse the web and stay up-to-date with the latest information. It already integrates Google's discover feed on the New tab page, which shows articles on topics that you've expressed interest in. In what seems to be a better way to recommend stories and aid content discovery, Google is testing a new "Follow" button in its Chrome Canary build.

Chrome may be getting a Google Reader-like feature was written by the awesome team at Android Police.

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