Yesterday, Google teased the upcoming launch of a new “Nearby traffic” widget for Google Maps and highlighted five of their favorite Android widget features. The new widget, which Google says will be launched “in the coming weeks,” will show real-time traffic from your current location. Additionally, you will be able to zoom in and out […]
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Android 13 Beta 3 and 3.1 released just two days apart
On Wednesday, Google announced the release of Android 13 Beta 3 for Pixel phones, marking the Platform Stability milestone for Android 13 in general. Simply said, the release had already reached a point where Developers needed to start all the final compatibility testing for their apps and prepare to release their compatible versions soon. This […]
Continue ReadingAndroid gains previously Pixel-exclusive Gboard text stickers, more Emoji Kitchen combinations
Gboard is indisputably a top favorite keyboard app among Android users. Its ease of use and outstanding features make it a go-to when needing to compose a message, whether by typing the old-fashioned way or sliding your finger across the letters – a.k.a. Glide Typing. Gboard also includes many smart features, some recently released, such […]
Continue ReadingAndroid 13 Beta 2.1 patch rolling out now with bug fixes for Pixel phones
Android 13 began its public beta exactly a month ago, giving Android enthusiasts an early look at the new features the new iteration of the OS has to offer. These features include new notification permissions, a brand new photo picker, more support for themed app icons, improved localization, and more language support. Beta 2 followed […]
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 ReadingMay Google Pixel security patch rolls out with improvements and bug fixes in Android 12
The Google Pixel monthly software update for May 2022 is rolling out now with a few improvements and bug fixes in tow. The security patch (SP2A.220505.002) will arrive via OTA (over-the-air) to all supported Pixels running Android 12, though it will be a staged rollout that will continue over the next week. The supported Pixel […]
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 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 […]
Continue ReadingHow Google is solving its Emoji problem
Have you ever received a text from a friend that included a string of unidentifiable black boxes where emojis should be? These black boxes are called “Tofu” and are the subject of a recent “Ask a Techspert” article on Google’s “The Keyword” blog that explains the reason why this happens and lays out the steps […]
Continue ReadingHow to use the Files by Google app to reclaim space on your Android phone
Most of us can agree that 2020 was not a great year. The world was ravaged, and our lives were forever changed by a global pandemic; Australia saw one of its most devastating wildfire seasons, and Android users lost the system Files app with the release of Android 11. While the first two were serious […]
Continue ReadingGboard rolling out new magic wand “Emojify” feature
Gboard is one of Google’s feature-packed applications that is great no matter which platform you use it on. It is top-rated on both the Android Play Store and the Apple App Store alike and has been instrumental in bringing features like glide and voice typing to the mainstream. It has also gained quite a few […]
Continue ReadingGoogle Home app redesigns Home view to match Android home controls, improved privacy settings
If you use any of Google’s family of smart home devices, you likely have the Google Home app installed on your mobile device. After all, it is required to set up all those Nest Mini speakers you’ve accumulated throughout the years. However, I can’t say that this is an app I regularly use as I’d […]
Continue ReadingGmail on Android getting new notification icons to differentiate between Chat and Spaces
A change is rolling out for Gmail on Android that will update the notification icons for “Chat” and “Spaces” that were previously indistinguishable from each other. This icon tweak was spotted by 9to5Google, who was able to replicate this on an Android device running Gmail version 2022.02.20.x. Formerly the notification icon for Google “Chat” and […]
Continue ReadingAndroid to gain App Archiving functionality to free up space
Google announced yesterday via the Android Developers Blog that it is working on new functionality that will allow users to “reclaim ~60% of app storage temporarily by removing parts of the app rather than uninstalling it completely“. Not officially named yet, this new feature is being dubbed “app archiving” and expands on the existing App […]
Continue ReadingDirty Pipe vulnerability: Is your Chromebook affected?
A Linux vulnerability referred to as “Dirty Pipe” (CVE-2022-0847), has recently been publicly disclosed affecting kernels higher than 5.8, which can grant any attacker root privileges to your device. This exploit, first reported by known security researcher Max Kellerman, has been coined the biggest security threat to Linux in years and can affect any Linux-powered […]
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