At last week’s I/O developer conference, Google announced a handful of new “Better Together” features that tighten the bonds between our Android phones and our Chromebooks. Some of these features are tied directly to the ChromeOS Phone Hub. We have been tracking these features for months and today, we finally get our first look at […]
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Google resurrects the Pixel Android tablet
Long ago, before ChromeOS tablets were a thing and Samsung wasn’t quite yet poised to own the market, Google produced what was arguably the best Android tablet of the decade. Sadly, I’d wager that the majority of consumers have never even heard of the Pixel C. With its premium build, sleek aesthetics, and a really […]
Continue ReadingGoogle responds to Match Group’s lawsuit over Android’s in-app payments
News broke yesterday of a lawsuit that the Match Group (parent company of dating apps such as Tinder, Match, and OkCupid) filed against Google over what it called “anti-competitive” behavior by imposing its own billing system via the Play Store. Google has since then responded to the allegations via a post on The Keyword, providing […]
Continue ReadingAndroid 12 QPR3 Beta 3 available now for Pixel phones
The third and final Beta build of Android 12 QPR3 (Quarterly Platform Release) was released yesterday and is rolling out to eligible Pixel devices via an OTA (over-the-air) update. Beta 3 (S3B1.220420.005) includes May’s Pixel security patch and additional bug fixes. For those not aware, the Android 12 QPR Beta program was launched in March as a […]
Continue ReadingGoogle is one step closer to killing the password with new FIDO ‘passwordless sign-in’ on Android
Google has been working to kill off the traditional password as a means of account access for some time, but until now, it hadn’t revealed how it planned to do so beyond enforcing 2SV (two-step verification) on millions of more accounts and encouraging users to perform the occasional security checkup. Today passwords are essential to […]
Continue ReadingNearby “Self Share” now working in ChromeOS Beta, works with Android’s latest Google Play services
Nearby Share has become an indispensable feature of the Google ecosystem and Google’s answer to Apple’s “Airdrop” when it comes to sharing files between Android and ChromeOS devices. I use it on a regular basis, and it makes my workflow so much more efficient. However, there is one small hurdle that Google decided needn’t be there: […]
Continue ReadingAndroid’s Google Translate widgets get Material You makeover
Last week, Google announced via Twitter the debut of a new Translate widget on Android that adopts the “Material You” aesthetic. Unfortunately, when this was announced, the feature had not rolled out widely yet, so we could only discern what it would look like based on Google’s tweet and some of the pictures shared by […]
Continue ReadingChrome for Android’s toolbar will soon change based on what you need and when you need it
A brand new developer flag has appeared in Chrome for Android, and as discovered by 9to5Google, it seeks to make your browser’s toolbar adapt to your needs in real-time. As you can see below, a “toolbar shortcut” will appear between the Omnibox and the tab counter once the feature rolls out (Currently rolling out, just […]
Continue ReadingNetflix could be supplementing its plummeting revenue by increasing its focus on gaming
We reported in the recent past about the handful of mobile games that Netflix had released for gamers to enjoy, the primary titles of which were based on Stranger Things, while others included various minigames like golf, basketball, match-three puzzlers, and so on. Now, it seems like the company is looking to raise the number […]
Continue ReadingGoogle Play apps now show way more detailed information on how they will use your data
The Google Play Store has had information on how app developers will utilize your personal data to drive and improve the experience for quite some time now. With the introduction of this though, it was never very detailed. Luckily, that’s all changing now as this feature is being further developed into what’s called the “Data […]
Continue ReadingDiablo Immortal could be the Diablo-style title Chromebook gamers crave, playable this June
I’ve been tracking with Blizzard’s upcoming Diablo Immortal for some time now. First, we saw gameplay for the mobile title at ChinaJoy 2020, and then the company got itself into hot water for sexual harassment and other unethical practices. Most weren’t really interested in Diablo Immortal to begin with since Blizzard revealed it at a […]
Continue ReadingI want this upcoming Kingdom Hearts game on my Chromebook, but I want it done right
Kingdom hearts, its story, and its characters have had a major impact on my life and creativity since I was young, and I look for any and all opportunities to play new entries in the series on any device I can. With that being said, Kingdom Hearts Missing Link is coming to Android in the […]
Continue ReadingGoogle backtracks on Photos Library tab redesign, changes planned
A month ago, Google announced a ton of new – and useful – features coming to Google Photos “over the coming weeks.” These features were the same ones that were spotted back in February, which consisted of a new layout for better organization, discovery, sharing, and importing of photos. However, none of these features saw the light of […]
Continue Reading[Update: Rollout confirmed] Google’s “Switch to Android” app quietly shows up in iOS app store, but not publicly launched yet
Update, April 21st, 11:50AM EST: Google spokesperson Ivy Hunt confirmed to The Verge that the rollout should be complete in a few weeks. The holdup is an upcoming update to Pixel devices that allows them to work with the app. Once the devices are all ready, then the app will be available in the markets where Pixel […]
Continue ReadingNearby Share’s “Self Share” mode gets closer, Spotted on Android
Nearby Share, which debuted on Android in mid-2020 and then on ChromeOS a few months later, has become an indispensable feature of the Google ecosystem. Those of us who use Android and ChromeOS have been known to use this feature almost daily to transfer files and photos back and forth between our devices in an […]
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