Google surprised everyone by releasing the latest version of its Android operating system before the newest lineup of its hardware devices, and Android 13 is now available before the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro. In the past, I’ve toyed with the idea of changing the system language on the phone in order to better […]
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Android 13 is out of Beta and available for Pixel phones
Android 13 entered its public Beta phase in April and has had its fair share of patches and bug fixes since then. The latest one was Beta 4.1 last month, which addressed some final fixes related to system crashing and connectivity issues. Today, Google has taken to its blog and social media to announce that […]
Continue ReadingYour Pixel 6 and Pixel 6a phones are getting Google’s Game Dashboard on Android 13
If you’re unfamiliar with Google’s “Game Dashboard”, it’s basically an extension of the Google Play Games tools now that they’ve been injected directly into the Android 13 operating system. In addition to having the option to record or livestream your gameplay directly to YouTube, you can also set up performance boosting and battery extending profiles […]
Continue Reading1Password 8 for Android is out with new look and improvements
Although Chrome’s built-in password manager has come a long way, adding on-device encryption on Android, iOS, and Chrome, plus providing a home screen shortcut on Android devices, the fact remains that some users need a password manager that can store more than just website credentials and credit card numbers. For those that need a bit […]
Continue ReadingPopular dystopian document thriller ‘Papers, Please’ crosses border checkpoint to Android
Have you ever heard of a “Dystopian Document Thriller”? No? That’s because an indie game called ‘Papers, Please’ invented it. In the same way that Death Stranding made walking exhilarating (depending on who you ask), developer Lucas Pope turned checking border crossing papers as an immigration inspector at a border checkpoint for the fictional communist […]
Continue ReadingDigital Wellbeing to add wallpaper dimming at bedtime
The Digital Wellbeing app on Android 13 is about to get a redesign for Bedtime mode and add an option to dim your wallpaper. These changes were spotted by Esper’s Mishaal Rahman, who posted his findings on Twitter and some screenshots of the feature in action. According to Mishaal, the new options are rolling out […]
Continue ReadingGoogle Pixel 6a now eligible for Android 13 Beta 4.1
Following the device’s launch date on July 28th, the Google Pixel 6a received its first security update. This patch brought the system from the April 5th update, which is what the phone ships with, to the June update. However, an option to enroll 6a devices in the Android Beta Program was unavailable at launch, leaving […]
Continue ReadingPixel Camera gets Material You and Speech Enhancement update
The Google Camera app is getting a brand new update that introduces some Material You touches and, on the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro, enables “Speech enhancement” for the rear camera. As noted by 9to5Google, the update, version 8.6, is rolling out but is not yet widely available via the Play Store. The Material You […]
Continue ReadingAndroid 13 Beta 4.1 patch addresses some final bug fixes
A new patch is available for Google Pixel phone users running Android 13 Beta 4. This 4.1 patch (TPB4.220624.008) is a minor update that includes some connectivity bug fixes, such as Bluetooth, WiFi, and GPS data. It follows Beta 4.0, which was released a couple of weeks ago as the final beta before the final […]
Continue ReadingHow to connect a Chromebook to WiFi using Nearby Share
Google introduced Nearby Share to Chromebooks back with ChromeOS 91, which has since become an indispensable feature for those who also use an Android phone and like to share files back and forth between these two devices. But that’s not the extent of what Nearby Share can do. During the last Google I/O Developer Conference, Google […]
Continue ReadingGoogle promotes Pixel “Guidebooks” ahead of Pixel 6a release
Google posted today on the Pixel Phone Help Community about a little-known resource that, if I am being honest, I didn’t know about until now. We are talking about Guidebooks, an online guide designed to help users get the most out of certain Google products and services. Right now, you can find Guidebooks on Android, […]
Continue ReadingOld Google Pay app rebrand to Google Wallet rolling out now
Google Wallet is rolling out today as an update to the old Google Pay app as promised at I/O 2022 in May. During the conference, Google touted the new Wallet app as one that could take the place of your physical wallet by storing your credit cards, debit cards, boarding passes, loyalty cards, vaccination records, […]
Continue ReadingEmoji 15 is coming soon and Google will support it first
The new emojis for 2022-2023 have been revealed and are up for approval this September. The new draft set of Emoji 15.0 features a shaking face, a pink heart, maracas, a hair pick, and what is being called the “High Five,” which is technically called a Rightwards or Leftwards Pushing Hand, respectively. The set pictured […]
Continue ReadingAndroid 13 final Beta 4 rolling out to Pixel Phones
The fourth and final beta for Android 13 is rolling out today, and it includes a release candidate build for Pixel devices and the Android Emulator. As the last beta before the official release, which is only a few weeks away, there aren’t any obvious user-facing changes but rather some final system behaviors and the […]
Continue ReadingGoogle Play Games for PC expands its availability again, sticks to Eastern markets for now
Once it finally launched, Google Play Games for Windows PCs came to three countries (Honk Kong, Korea, and Taiwan), but not to the United States. Obviously, mobile gaming is much more viable and accepted in Eastern markets, as are microtransactions, but the thought of having loads of mobile games on a larger screen with gamepad […]
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