The December update that Google pushed out this week to all of its still-supported Pixel phones is a big one. It’s a quarterly release that aims to address a massive list of items, bringing with it bug fixes and improvements to almost every area of the a Pixel phone. If you own a Pixel 4a up through the Pixel 7, your update is pretty meaningful.

Since most of you should have it by now, we’re curious how things have been going? In the list of 77 bug fixes and improvements, did Google touch on any lingering issues you’ve had since the last major update, that being Android 13? Is your Pixel 7 or Pixel 7 Pro running better than ever? How’s your Pixel 6 fingerprint reader (lol)? Pixel 5 legends, is your phone still as amazing as ever? What’s up Pixel 4a, homies?

As someone who has been beta testing this Android 13 QPR1 and only received a 6MB update this week to get me on stable, instead of the 400MB+ update the rest of the world got, I can’t tell you much of what I think. This version of Android is all I’ve known since September for the most part.

Well, I guess I can tell you that other than the tap-to-wake still being bugged (was supposed to be fixed) and network drops being frequent, the rest is mostly good. Actually, since receiving my 6MB update to stable QPR1, I haven’t had a network drop or noticed as much of an issue with tap-to-wake. Weird.

For those who still haven’t seen the update, have you checked today? We have instructions here on how to check for updates and manually flash an OTA file that won’t factory reset your phone. Beta folks, your update should have already arrived too.

Let us know.

Read the original post: After December’s Big Update, How’s Your Pixel Phone?

The Black Friday month of November deals has come and gone, but there’s still time to get ridiculous prices on some of the best tech around before Xmas. If you need a last minute, you-win-the-holidays type of gift from Samsung, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 is on a “Deal of the Day” special that is good on multiple levels.

The basics here are that Samsung Discover is back as a final sales event to end the holiday shopping season. To kick off this new Discover, Samsung is running several daily deals that are gone within 24 hours. The first is for the Galaxy Fold 4 (our review).

Here is the situation on today’s Galaxy Fold 4 deal, assuming you are interested:

• The deal adds double storage (to 512GB) for free
• $150 credit included to buy accessories
• Up to instant $900 off for trade-ins, plus you can add a 2nd trade-in for up to an extra $720 off
• Up to $750 off if you have a cracked device
• Fold 4 for $899 if you only trade-in a Fold 3

As is always the case with Samsung’s best deals, you get the biggest discount if you trade-in particular devices. The Fold 3 fetches $900 off instantly, while the Galaxy S22 Ultra will get you $850 off. An older phone like the Note 10+ is worth $500.

This deal gets really good if you happen to have another phone laying around that Samsung has on their list of eligible trades. Because you’ll get good money up front for a Fold 3 or S21 or whatever, but you could grab another couple of hundred off for an S10 or S20 or something like that. Also, Samsung will give you up to $750 off for the first cracked device and $575 for a second, depending on the phone.

So to recap on this Fold 4 deal that expires in the next several hours, you get up to $900 off instantly for a trade-in, but can add to that discount with a second device. You also get double the storage to 512GB for free and another $150 in credits to spend on accessories. Pretty solid.

This Galaxy Fold 4 Deal Link | Shop All Samsung Discover

Read the original post: Samsung’s Galaxy Fold 4 Deal Doubles Storage, Drops $900 Off, Gives You $150 Credit

At launch, owners of the Pixel 7 Pro could place their phone close to a subject and automatically enable a Macro Mode of sorts, allowing you to take super close up shots. The thing is, it’s not really a macro mode, simply because you can’t manually enter it with the click of a button. Thanks to an updated Google Camera app on the device, that has kinda changed.

Inside of Camera app version 8.7.250, the Macro setting has been moved into the dropdown menu when looking at your viewfinder. This is similar to the Astrophotography mode when you’re inside of the dedicated Night Sight mode. In addition to this move, the Auto Macro toggle has been removed from the Composition section of the Settings menu.

This change should allow for greater control of when you want to enable Macro Mode on the 7 Pro, which to us, is a good thing.

The app update also made another change, one that is reported to possibly be a mistake. In the update, the double-tap gesture option for the camera was removed, the one that allowed you to either double tap to zoom in or out, or switch between the front and rear cameras. Whoops, I guess?

Be on the lookout for this change on your Pixel 7 Pro.

// 9to5Google

Read the original post: Google Camera Update Turns Macro Into a True ‘Mode’ on Pixel 7 Pro

Phones aren’t the only Samsung devices getting updates at the moment. Samsung’s best watches (the ones that run Wear OS) are all seeing updates this week as well in cellular form.

The Galaxy Watch 5 Pro, Galaxy Watch 5, Galaxy Watch 4 Classic, and Galaxy Watch 4 are receiving fresh updates through Verizon, which usually means the WiFi-only versions have already seen a similar update or will shortly.

I wouldn’t categorized any of these updates as major, but the changelogs are at least suggesting that users are getting both performance improvements and enhancements. That could mean anything from snappier performance to slightly tweaked UI and feature changes. Unfortunately, we don’t get specifics.

If you own a Galaxy Watch 5 or Galaxy Watch 4, be on the lookout for the following:

• Galaxy Watch 5 Pro: R925USQU1AVK6
• Galaxy Watch 5: R905USQU1AVK6 (40mm) / R915USQU1AVK6 (44mm)
• Galaxy Watch 4 Classic: R885USQU1GVK6 (42mm) / R895USQU1GVK6 (46mm)
• Galaxy Watch 4: R865USQU1GVK6 (40mm) / R875USQU1GVK6 (44mm)

To check for the update, open the Galaxy Wearable app on your phone, tap into “Watch settings,” and then “Watch software update.”

Read the original post: Galaxy Watch 5 and Galaxy Watch 4 Each Grab New Updates

Earlier this year when Disney announced that it was planning to introduce a Disney+ version with ads, they weren’t open about how that might impact overall pricing, particularly the options at the time that gave you ad-free access for just $7.99 per month. Months later, they revealed new pricing that did indeed include increases for the ad-free tier. Fast forward from that to today and those new prices are live, as well as the version with ads.

Starting today, you can join Disney+ for as little as $7.99 per month, but that price gets you “Basic (With Ads)” access. Yes, the ad-filled version is now the price that used to get you no ads and a “Premium (No Ads)” subscription. If you don’t want ads, you will now pay $10.99 per month for Disney+ alone. Cool, guys.

Disney is still doing the bundle thing with Hulu and ESPN+ (the “Disney Bundle”), in case you like either of those services and want to save a bit of money by subscribing to all three together. For a bundle with Disney+, ESPN+, and Hulu with ads, you’ll pay $9.99. If you don’t want ads, you’ll pay $19.99. Legacy subscribes to that bundle could still pay as little as $14.99 per month.

The new pricing is live if you head over to Disney+ today, so if you had not previously subscribed, prepare for the new options and the old options with higher prices.

Streaming, what a fun idea it once was.

Sign-up for Disney+

Read the original post: Disney+ Launches Version With Ads, Raises Ad-Free Price

We’re creeping on up to 2023 and the Pixel Foldable hype is at an all time high, thanks in part to the steady stream of information the internet has been providing. Back in mid-November, we got our first potential look at what we might expect from Google’s Pixel Foldable in terms of design. This week, we’re getting an updated look, with Onleaks doing their thing and providing what’s essentially a 360-degree look at the rumored device.

These new renders back up what we believed to already be the case: This Pixel Foldable is quite a bit wider than the Galaxy Z Fold devices. This device appears to really fold out into more of a landscape tablet shape, while Samsung’s Z Fold unfolds into more of a square. Pixel Foldable’s interior display is reported to measure in at 7.96-inches, while the cover display is 5.79-inches. Unfolded, the dimensions come in around 158.7 x 139.7 x 5.7mm, according to this report.

For notables, the device is said to be powered by Google’s Tensor G2 chipset, potentially offer stylus support, feature 3 rear cameras, 12GB RAM, various storage options, stereo speakers, and the device is said to come in either black or white color choices.

Pricing and availability was mentioned here, too, but given we might still be a ways from launch, feel free to take this info with a delicious pinch of charcoal-colored lava sea salt. According to this report, the device will launch in Q2 with a price of $1,799. If you want more storage, the price goes up. Ouchies.

What do you think? It is hot? Is it your next?

// Howtoisolve

Read the original post: New Renders Detail Pixel Foldable From All Angles

The Pixel Watch is getting a December update alongside the Pixel line of phones and that likely means you’ve checked for it. Since these things tend to rollout slowly, you may have come away disappointed after doing so and seeing a “Your watch is up to date” message. Thankfully, an old trick from our Fossil days happens to work on the Pixel Watch when an update is available.

The year was 2019 and Fossil’s Wear OS watches were the best we could get. When new software would would start to arrive on them, we’d get excited, but as is always the case with Android updates, getting the newest software version sometimes took longer than we liked and that led folks into finding shortcuts or tricks to get them quicker. A trick was indeed discovered.

The trick involved heading into the system updates page on a watch and tapping the screen over and over for 30-60 seconds. For whatever reason, that constant tapping action forced the watch to reach out into the world of update servers and pull an update if it was available. And yes, it is working on the Pixel Watch.

Here’s how you can force the new December update onto your Pixel Watch:

• Swipe down the quick settings menu from the top of your watch and tap on the Settings icon
• Scroll all of the way to the bottom to “System”
• Tap on “System updates”
• If no update is available, start tapping towards the top of the screen on the watch icon
• Keep tapping. Keep tapping. Keeeeeep tapping.
• If an update is available, it should show up and start downloading
• Boom.

A big note: You don’t have to be on a charger or with any specific battery percentage in order to trigger this action – the action of forcing the update to be pulled or made available. However, you will need to have a high-enough battery percentage to download and install the update, so make sure you are at 60%+ or so or have your charger handy. This morning, when I explored this trick, I had 30% battery and it made me put it on a charger and charge up before it would install.

Go grab your update.

Read the original post: Old Wear OS Trick Will Update Your Pixel Watch

Thanks to a recent change in Android 13 for Pixel phones, when a user toggles Airplane mode, you can now have it so that your WiFi connection will stay put. Before this recent change, Airplane mode would disable your cell connection and WiFi connection, but now, you can choose what happens.

To get this up and running, simply toggle Airplane mode on your Pixel device, and then turn on WiFi. Once connected, toggle Airplane mode off and now the phone will remember your setting. It’s that easy.

This is just like Android 11’s change for Bluetooth. Before Android 11, Airplane mode would disable everything, but now, it too can be toggled on and kept on following a switch into Airplane mode.

Supes handy.

// 9to5Google | Google Support

Read the original post: Pixel Owners Can Keep WiFi Going Even After Toggling Airplane Mode

Thanks to an update for Google Chrome on desktop that we can confirm is now live, users can easily search through their existing tabs, Chrome history, and bookmarks right from the address bar.

Google has built in three new shortcuts: @tabs, @bookmarks, and @history. If you type in one of those shortcuts into the address bar, then follow it up with a word that matches an open tab, page in your history, or a bookmark, you’ll be taken right to it. Below you can see the @tabs feature in action.

Having tested all three myself, I can confirm that it’s pretty handy. Personally, the tabs one won’t ever get used, but I’m not a psycho who has 20+ tabs open simultaneously. That’s repugnant. However, I will get some use out of this new @history shortcut. That’s very slick.

Again, these new shortcuts are now live in Google Chrome, so long as you’re running the latest version of the browser on desktop.

// Google

Read the original post: There’s Three New Handy Shortcuts for Google Chrome

As we near the new year, we’re getting early peeks at what we can look forward to in 2023, with the latest being the OnePlus 11 from OnePlus. What does OnePlus have in store for us? Are they going to make a return to their aggressive nature of past years, looking to recapture that spark they had way back when? If you can determine the answer to that question with a single reported render of the device, then today’s your day. Spoiler alert, that’s what I’m about to do.

In this render, we can see OnePlus is continuing its deal with Hasselblad, sticking on a massive camera module on this phone’s backside. We’re seeing 3 cameras in total, reported to be a 50-megapixel lens, 48MP lens, and 32MP lens. Other specs that were posted alongside this image include the new Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset from Qualcomm, 6.7-inch QHD+ AMOLED display, an option for up to 16GB RAM, plus a whopping 5,000mAh battery with support for charging speeds of up to 100W.

Looking over OPPO’s latest devices, I’m not seeing a twin sibling device in its lineup quite yet, but I assume we’ll see one soon enough that matches this phone identically. That’s been one of the turn-offs for OnePlus it seems of late, with OPPO and OnePlus simply sharing hardware and software featuring different branding for the various markets. I’ll be honest, it makes a phone feel a lot less special. It’s like OnePlus’ defiant spirit was crushed long ago and now they simply slap their and Hasselblad’s name on OPPO hardware and call it good. I’m not trying to be rude, but that’s my opinion, sorry.

2022 was not OnePlus’ year here in the US. The company’s release schedule for the OnePlus 10 and OnePlus 10 Pro was probably one of the worst ever, with the company releasing its Pro model first, but only in China. Later down the road it came to the US (review here), but by then, the market had been swallowed by actual Samsung purchases and Google Pixel 7 hype. There’s simply no more room for OnePlus mistakes in the US market. It needs a fresh and exciting (and unique) approach to this market, but if I was to make a guess based on a single image of a reported device, I’d say this one ain’t it. I hope I’m wrong, though. I’m sick and tired of this being a 2 Android OEM show.

What’s your take on this render? Hot or not?

// Gadget Gang

Read the original post: Here’s the OnePlus 11

Nothing spent a good portion of 2022 talking about its first phone, the Nothing Phone (1). It hyped the device using the OnePlus marketing playbook of trolling out bits of news and features leading up to launch to keep the world interested. We were actually pretty excited about it at one point. But then as we closed in on the actual launch, Nothing was like, “Oh yeah, it’s not coming to the US, hah…hah.”

They sold a story (again, at the last minute) of needing to focus on their home markets (UK and Europe) and that entering the US meant dealing with a frustrating US carrier system. They are indeed a small brand who is just getting started, so it makes sense on some level that investing in the certification and carrier process here might be a tough bill to swallow before first establishing yourself elsewhere.

Fast forward to this week and the Phone (1) still isn’t here. Nothing’s Carl Pei did talk with CNBC, though, and he explained in more detail why they skipped out on the US and suggested they might still launch a phone here one day, “potentially.”

According to Pei, they didn’t bring Phone (1) here because “you need a lot of additional technical support, to support all the carriers and their unique customizations that they need to make on top of Android” and that they just “weren’t ready.” Now, after selling 500,000 units of Phone (1) in other countries, the US could be the next target, as Nothing sees an opportunity to “obtain significant growth” here.

The statement from Pei on if they’ll come to the US is a masterclass is saying nothing. He said, “Now we are in discussions with some carriers in the U.S. to potentially launch a future product there.” So at the end of 2022, after launching a phone that everyone thought was coming here, yet didn’t, they are now having talks with carriers to potentially sell a futurephone here. That’s a whole lot of maybes without actually saying it.

The Nothing founder has said that the US is in their plans, but we have no idea which phone they could bring here or when. In a Tweet sent minutes before CNBC published their story, Pei seemed to be trying to get out in front of it some by shooting down any thought of him referring to a Nothing Phone (2) in the near future.

So for now, Nothing is focused on Phone (1) and (finally) updating it to Android 13. Maybe that means it’ll ship in the US in 2023 or maybe when he said they are “potentially” launching a phone here, he meant further down the road with Phone (2).

If anything, at least they didn’t go crypto. Shit, nevermind.

Read the original post: Nothing Might Launch a Phone in the US, Potentially…Maybe

After testing Android 13 Beta builds for several months, our testing period completed yesterday with the release of the December Android update for Pixel phones. But now that we have finished with this beta program, we have a couple of items to consider going forward – do we stay in the Android Beta Program and continue testing new stuff or leave and remain in stable?

The December Android update is a Quarterly Platform Release (QPR), also known as QPR1. A QPR build is a larger-than-usual build of Android, as it fixes more bugs than a typical monthly patch and often arrives alongside a Pixel Feature Drop. The updates are big enough and impact enough stuff that Google opens up beta builds for them to get folks like you and I testing them until they go stable. We started testing QPR1 in September and it is now here for everyone.

Now that we are done with QPR1, it’s time to start looking toward Android 13 QPR2. And because QPR2 will also be a sizable release, Google is going to let us beta test it as well. Better put – the Android 13 Beta is still alive and QPR2 is right around the corner. In fact, Google announced this week that Android 13 QPR2 beta is coming next week.

Alright, here’s what you need to decide:

1. Leave Android 13 Beta now that you are on stable: If you were in the Android 13 QPR1 beta program and want to get out of it before QPR2 shows up (because you’d like to live with stable Android for a while), now is your chance. Opting-in or out of the Android Beta Program typically forces you to factory reset your phone because you are changing major builds of Android, but since the QPR1 program is ending, you have a slim opportunity to get out without having to reset. All you have to do is first update to this month’s December build before QPR2 shows up. In other words, you have about a week to opt-out of the Android Beta Program. You can do so here.
2. Stay in Android 13 Beta to test QPR2: Still want to live life on the edge with Android 13 Beta builds? If you are in the Android 13 Beta already, you don’t have to do anything. You’ll get the update to stable QPR1 and then also the update next week to QPR2.
3. Join the Android 13 Beta for QPR2: Missed out on QPR1 testing and want to join the Android Beta Program for QPR2? Sweet! Join here.

And that’s it. Now that the Android 13 QPR1 beta program is done, you get to decide if you want to opt-out and flow with stable Android 13 again for a while or you can stay in (or join) and keep testing new stuff. New stuff is right around the corner. Also, if you want out for now, you can always join back up later.

Who’s ready for another beta? Me!

Read the original post: Next Android 13 Beta Arrives Next Week, So Opt-Out Now if You Want

The Pixel Watch is getting an update alongside Google’s Pixel phone line for December and there are several fixes or improvements to note. This new update starts rolling out today if you’d like to have yourself a Pixel update party.

According to a Google Pixel Watch Help community post, the December Pixel Watch update provides fixes and improvements to hands-free profile calling, adds the ability to enable/disable battery saver with a single tap, fixes an issue with watch face complications not showing correctly, and makes sure Fitbit exercise layouts properly show on the display without being cut off.

The Pixel Watch is still running Wear OS 3.5 and will receive one of the following builds:

• Google Pixel Watch: RWD9.220429.070
• Google Pixel Watch (JP/TW): RWD9.220429.070.J1

If you own a Pixel Watch, you will get this update. Again, the rollout begins today and you can try to pull it. To check, you’ll do so from the watch by swiping down the settings panel, tapping the Settings icon, and then diving into System>System updates. By tapping the “System updates” button, your watch should ping servers and look for an update.

Let us know if/when you get it.

Read the original post: Pixel Watch’s December Update Adds Several Fixes, Improvements

As I was saying earlier, we love December because we get the monthly Android update and a Pixel Feature Drop, but maybe most importantly, this release marks the moment we get a big quarterly release from Google that typically addresses dozens of bugs and improvements on Pixel phones. For December 2022, this Quarterly Platform Release (QPR) is no different and Google is indeed taking care of or improving over 70 items on the Pixel 4a up through the Pixel 7 Pro.

We’ve captured the entire list that Google shared on its Pixel Phone Help community below, because re-writing it all for you sounds hellish and we don’t want to misinterpret something Google has said.

What you’ll find are sections for Apps, Audio, Battery & Charging, Biometrics, Bluetooth, Camera, Display & Graphics, Framework, Sensors, System, Telephony, Touch, User Interface, and Wi-Fi. Those are listed alphabetically too, to help you get into each without having to look hard. The list also details which devices are impacted through reference footnotes.

As for what sticks out to me, I’d point to improvements to background performance of Google apps, USB support, audio codecs, charging/battery usage/thermal performance, camera stability, system stability, network connection stability and performance (!), 3G to 4G switching, connectivity after toggling airplane mode, RCS messaging, SIM connectivity, touch responsiveness, and WiFi network connections.

In fixes, the list is almost too big for me to relay, but I’m here for any and all fixes for network connections (and there are some), “tap to wake” and “lift to wake” issues, screen flickering in always-on display, Bluetooth issues related to all sorts of devices (like car head units), fingerprint issues, adaptive and wireless charging bugs, and more.

Time to dive in and let us know if Google took care of any complaints you had. I bet they did.

December Pixel Quarterly Platform (QPR1) Release Bug List

• Fix for issue causing text input to certain fields in the Phone app to display in a darker color
• Fix for issue occasionally causing playback errors when seeking through video content in certain apps
• Fix for issue occasionally preventing text messages from restoring from cloud backups during device setup
• General improvements for background performance in certain Google apps

• General improvements for USB audio support for various cables or accessories *[1]
• General improvements to support various audio codecs with certain devices or accessories *[4]

• Battery usage in Settings displays information since last full charge (up to 7 days)
• Fix for issue occasionally causing device to power off while Battery Share is active *[4]
• Fix for issue occasionally causing higher battery usage during media playback with certain apps *[2]
• Fix for issue occasionally preventing Adaptive charging from working in certain conditions *[2]
• Fix for issue occasionally preventing wireless charging from working with certain accessories *[2]
• General improvements for charging, battery usage or thermal performance in certain conditions *[1]

• Fix for issue occasionally causing audio to skip when played over certain Bluetooth devices or accessories *[2]
• Fix for issue occasionally delaying when the fingerprint icon is displayed on the lock screen *[1]
• Fix for issue occasionally preventing fingerprint sensor from detecting touch while always-on display is active *[3]
• Fix for issue where fingerprint enrollment may occasionally display visual glitches in certain conditions *[1]
• Improvements for face unlock lock screen helper text shown in certain conditions *[2]

• Fix for issue causing music playback to continue without audible sound after ending a call while using certain Bluetooth accessories *[2]
• Fix for issue occasionally causing audio to skip when played over certain Bluetooth devices or accessories *[2]
• Fix for issue occasionally preventing audio switching between connected Bluetooth devices in certain conditions
• Fix for issue occasionally preventing Bluetooth Low Energy devices from displaying a device name during pairing
• Fix for issue occasionally preventing connection to car head units using older Bluetooth versions
• Fix for issue occasionally preventing discovery of certain Bluetooth devices or accessories
• Fix for issue occasionally preventing previously paired Bluetooth devices from reconnecting
• General improvements for Bluetooth stability and performance in certain conditions

• Fix for issue occasionally causing Camera app to crash while zoomed in or switching modes *[2]
• Fix for issue occasionally causing viewfinder preview to display a blank screen *[2]
• Fix for issue where video that is recorded while switching between camera modes occasionally shows gaps in playback *[2]
• General improvements for camera stability and performance in certain conditions

• Fix for issue occasionally causing screen to flicker when waking from always-on display
• Fix for issue occasionally causing visual artifacts or glitches while using certain apps or games *[3]

• Fix for issue occasionally causing notifications to display in a different color theme from the system
• Fix for issue occasionally causing the wrong character to display after a new line in certain apps or UI elements
• Fix for issue occasionally causing Work Profile app notifications to appear even if Work Profile is paused
• Fix for issue occasionally preventing certain apps to rotate to landscape orientation
• Fix for issue occasionally preventing keyboard from being dismissed while using certain apps

• Fix for issue occasionally preventing “tap to wake” or “lift to wake” from working in certain conditions *[1]
• Fix for issue occasionally preventing Adaptive brightness from activating in certain conditions
• Fix for issue occasionally preventing Quick Tap from triggering app or system shortcuts in certain conditions
• Fix to improve Adaptive brightness transitions during phone calls in certain conditions *[1]
• General improvements for proximity sensor performance under certain lighting conditions *[1]

• General improvements for system stability and performance in certain conditions
• General improvements to optimize device thermal performance in certain conditions or use cases *[1]

• Fix for issue causing reduced network or call stability under certain conditions *[2]
• Fix for issue occasionally preventing network SIM cards from activating in certain conditions *[3]
• General improvements for network connection stability and performance in certain conditions
• General improvements for network connectivity after toggling airplane mode off
• General improvements for switching between 3G to 4G on certain carrier networks
• General improvements for VPN connection stability and performance on mobile networks under certain conditions
• General improvements for Wi-Fi calling stability and performance for certain carriers or networks
• Improve dual SIM network connectivity in certain conditions *[3]
• Improve RCS messaging stability under certain conditions *[2]

• General improvements for touch response and performance in certain conditions *[1]

• Change for home screen search bar behavior to open the Google app when tapping the G logo
• Fix for issue occasionally causing “Pause work apps” button display over app drawer or in the wrong position
• Fix for issue occasionally causing certain Settings toggles to appear disabled, or set to the wrong state
• Fix for issue occasionally causing device color theme to change unexpectedly
• Fix for issue occasionally causing home screen app icons to appear duplicated after adjusting grid size
• Fix for issue occasionally causing home screen widgets or icons to appear small or scaled down in certain conditions
• Fix for issue occasionally causing media player controls to appear invisible or hidden in notification shade
• Fix for issue occasionally causing notification overflow dot to overlay app icons on lock screen
• Fix for issue occasionally causing notifications to disappear or appear invisible in notification shade
• Fix for issue occasionally causing screenshot captures to fail in certain conditions
• Fix for issue occasionally causing suggested apps in Search to overlap or display over results
• Fix for issue occasionally causing text to appear incorrectly cutoff or truncated at different font sizes
• Fix for issue occasionally causing UI to reset after adjusting display resolution
• Fix for issue occasionally causing wallpaper to appear black or empty in certain conditions
• Fix for issue occasionally enabling touch interaction during the lock screen transition after screen is turned off
• Fix for issue occasionally preventing media player album art from updating when content changes
• Fix for issue occasionally preventing media player controls from displaying on lock screen
• Fix for issue occasionally preventing screen to appear blank or frozen after launching certain apps
• Fix for issue where incoming notifications would occasionally display over others listed in the notification shade
• Fix to improve responsiveness of At A Glance home and lock screen widget for certain conditions or use cases
• Fix to improve spacing for certain UI modals in device setup and Settings
• General improvements for performance in certain UI transitions and animations

• Fix for issue occasionally preventing hotspot from turning on in certain conditions *[1]
• General improvements for Wi-Fi network connection stability & performance in certain conditions *[1]

—————————————————————

Device ApplicabilityFixes are available for all supported Pixel devices unless otherwise indicated below.

• *[1] Included on Pixel 6, Pixel 6 Pro, Pixel 6a, Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Pro=
• *[2] Included on Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Pro
• *[3] Included on Pixel 6, Pixel 6 Pro, Pixel 6a
• *[4] Included on Pixel 6, Pixel 6 Pro, Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Pro

Read the original post: Google Adds 77 Bugs Fixes and Improvements in December’s Big Quarterly Pixel Update

Not only is it a day of updates for Google Pixel phones, being the first Monday of the month, it’s also a Pixel Feature Drop day and the release of a major quarterly build. That’s right, if you own a Pixel phone (like the Pixel 4 up through the new Pixel 7), this December Android update is bigger than a normal monthly security patch.

We’ve got a full write-up on all that is new in the December Pixel Feature Drop, but the highlights include Spatial Audio support, speaker labels in Recorder, free VPN for Pixel 7, and the new security hub. There are a couple of Pixel Watch goodies too. You can read all about the new features at this post.

As for this being a huge quarterly update, don’t forget that this is the Android 13 QPR1 build that has been in beta for several months. If you joined the QPR1 beta program, you have been testing this for a while. Being a QPR (Quarterly Platform Release), the list of bugs being squashed could be enormous. We should have that for you shortly.

As of this moment, Google has posted December factory image and OTA 13.0 files for all of the active Pixel phones, including the Pixel 4a, Pixel 4a 5G, Pixel 5, Pixel 5a, Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro, Pixel 6a, Pixel 7, and Pixel 7 Pro. Everything here should be on-time, with no delays. If we don’t see an update arrive for a few days, we’ll be sure to let you know. The rollout is scheduled to start “today.”

Here are the new builds for your device:

• Pixel 4a:              TQ1A.221205.011
• Pixel 4a (5G):    TQ1A.221205.011
• Pixel 5:                TQ1A.221205.011
• Pixel 5a (5G):    TQ1A.221205.011
• Pixel 6:                TQ1A.221205.011
• Pixel 6 Pro:        TQ1A.221205.011
• Pixel 6a:             TQ1A.221205.011
• Pixel 7:                TQ1A.221205.011
• Pixel 7 Pro:        TQ1A.221205.011

• Pixel 4a:             TQ1A.221205.011.B1

• Pixel 6a:             TQ1A.221205.012
• Pixel 7:                TQ1A.221205.012
• Pixel 7 Pro:        TQ1A.221205.012

Google should begin pushing these updates shortly over-the-air (Settings>System>System update), but if you don’t want to wait for Google and prefer to update manually, you will find each factory image or OTA file at the links below. For instructions on how to flash a factory image, here you go. For instructions on how to flash an OTA .zip file, here you go.

Links:

• Factory Images
• OTA Files
• Pixel/Nexus Security Bulletin
• Pixel Security Update Changes

Read the original post: December 2022 Android Security Update Available for Google Pixel Phones

December has become one of our favorites months in recent years because it means Google Pixel phones receive a huge quarterly update that coincides with a Pixel Feature Drop. So not only do they all get major bug fixer updates, new and exclusive features arrive to take us into the new year.

For December’s Pixel Feature Drop, Google is giving its new Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro phones several new features, but there are other goodies for the rest of the still-supported Pixel line-up to enjoy. Oh yeah, the Pixel Watch is also (technically) getting its first Feature Drop too.

Here’ all that is new in the December 2022 Pixel Feature Drop:

PIXEL PHONES

• VPN by Google One for Pixel 7: One of the exclusive features announced at the Pixel 7 launch was a free VPN service through Google One. That didn’t come live with the phones and was instead scheduled for December, which we are now in. This should be live and you can find it by opening the Google One app (Google Play Link) and then jumping into the “VPN” section. Turning it on is as simple as flipping a toggle there. You’ll also now find a quick settings button to turn it off or on too.
• Clear Calling for Pixel 7: This is another one of those Pixel 7 event features that was scheduled to arrive later and it is now here. Clear Calling is a feature on Pixel 7 devices that reduces background noise and enhances the voice of the person on the other side of the call. It first arrived in an Android 13 beta build in October. You’ll find the toggle for it in Settings>Sound & Vibration.
• Recorder speaker labels for Pixel 7, Pixel 6: Again, here is another launch feature for the Pixel 7. These Recorder app speaker labels can detect when multiple speakers are talking, label them, and add line breaks between each. Pretty cool.
• Spatial Audio for Pixel 7, Pixel 6, 6a: With the launch of the Pixel Buds Pro, we’ve been waiting for Spatial Audio to arrive, because they support it. While I’d love to tell you that it is now here, Google is announcing today that it will show up in January. So you have another month to go before you’ll get head-tracking, super immersive surround sound on your Pixel.
• New Security hub: Pixel phones are getting a new privacy and security hub that’s unified, so that you can review all of your privacy settings and risk levels in one place. It’ll show you action cards and try to notify you if something looks off and needs your attention.
• New Pixel wallpapers: If you take a look in the “Curated Culture” section of the wallpapers area on your Pixel phone,  you’ll find new papers to celebrate International Day of People with Disabilities.
• Snore, sleep, and more on Pixel 6: The Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro can now tell you about sleep issues, like snoring, coughing, and how much you are on your phone at bedtime.
• Universal search on more devices: The universal search of your phone for things like contacts, apps, screenshots, settings, and more are now available on the way back to the Pixel 4a line.
• Live Translate in new languages: The Live Translate on Pixel phones can now translate in Arabic, Persian, Swedish, Vietnamese, and Danish.

PIXEL WATCH

• Fitbit Sleep Profile: This was announced in November, but Google is trying to use it as a Feature Drop item. As a part of Fitbit Premium, you will now get a Sleep Profile animal assigned to you. You can read more about it here.
• New Tiles for Weather and Contacts: As a part of the December Android Feature Drop, Google announced that new Tiles for Contacts and sunrise/sunset were here, as well as a better Keep experience. This is a Wear OS thing, but I guess it counts.
• Fall Detection (still coming): Not sure why Google has announced this again, but for this December Drop, they are reminding us that Fall Detection will come to the Pixel Watch at some point in 2023.

And that’s pretty much it!

A lot of what we just talked about is app-related, so you’ll see these new features as the related apps see updates over the next few days or weeks. But keep in mind that this is also the day that the huge December quarterly Android update arrives on Pixel phones and should address all sorts of bugs. Many of you have been testing it in beta since September – it is now in stable for all.

Read the original post: It’s December Pixel Feature Drop Day: Here is Everything New

To finish out the year, Verizon says it has hit a big milestone in terms of 5G Ultra Wideband coverage. The US carrier now covers 175 million people with its fastest 5G a full month ahead of schedule.

Verizon didn’t offer a breakdown of the type of 5G in that number in their announcement, so that means it is likely a mix of 5G mmW and mid-band 5G (C-Band). The C-Band network is what’s driving the increase in the number of people covered by their 5G Ultra Wideband, since mid-band 5G covers bigger spaces and still offers improvements in areas like speed. While 5G mmW is indeed incredibly fast and Verizon is still planning to build it out, its availability can be so limited that it won’t help cover as many people as quickly as C-Band.

The news is sort of a final important note to end 2022, as the next leap is for Verizon’s 5G Ultra Wideband to go nationwide, which they believe will happen in Q1 of 2023. Also note that Verizon’s C-Band rollout is a full 13 months ahead of schedule.

In addition to the rollout of their best 5G, Verizon is increasing C-Band spectrum from 60MHz to 100MHz in “many markets,” with plans to jump that to 200MHz once all of their licensed spectrum is available. As I mentioned a moment ago, they are also continuing to push out 5G mmW in places with dense populations, like airports, stadiums and arenas, and major metro areas.

What does all of this mean for you? All you really need to care about is Verizon C-Band or mid-band 5G and its continued rollout. This is the good 5G that is both fast and covers big areas. Once you are covered by it, you’ll notice faster speeds in more places. Instead of seeing a “5G” logo and noticing a connection that seems slower than your old 4G LTE experience, you’ll see “5G UW” and it’ll bring the goods.

For comparison, T-Mobile was planning to cover 260 million people by the end of this year and is another step ahead by launching stand-alone 5G on a nationwide scale. Still lots of catching up to do for Verizon, but they are starting to.

Read the original post: Verizon’s Fastest 5G Now Covers 175 Million People

Apple has made it clear that they have no plans to bring iMessage over to Android. They know it keeps their users on the platform and are apparently fine with the green bubble bullying of Android users that is a result of the broken messaging experience iPhone users complain about when talking to someone without a phone like theirs.

Because there may never be an official iMessage app or service on Android, the messaging industry has taken several stabs at creating an unofficial iMessage client. Most are weird implementations, including one that wanted you to buy an old iPhone and then set it up as a make-shift server to relay the iMessage experience to your Android phone. Yes, it was as bad as that sounds.

The next attempt is from a company called Sunbird and they believe they have the real experience you’ve been wanting.

Sunbird has created an all-in-one messaging client that “is the first and only fully featured iMessage for Android app.” Let me try and explain what exactly that means.

According to Sunbird, that means that setup of iMessage on your Android phone only requires an Android phone and about 60 seconds of time. There isn’t a need for a personal server or Apple device or desktop software. Again, this is unlike those weird faux-server ideas we’ve seen in the past.

It also means that you get fully encrypted messages, internet messaging, full-quality media, group chats, reactions and tap backs, live-typing indicators, and read receipts. Maybe most importantly, it means that your messages (from your Android phone) will show up as blue bubbles on an iPhone.

Sunbird does more than just iMessage, though. It will act as your text message app too, plus it can connect to WhatsApp (with group messaging) and Facebook Messenger. The plan is to add Telegram, RCS, Signal, Line, Slack, Discord, and Instagram down the road. Again, this is an all-in-one messaging service.

Sound too good to be true and you need to know what the catch is? At this point, Sunbird isn’t revealing a catch. They are saying all of the right things to get people to sign-up for a beta list to test the app.

For example, they claim that Sunbird “does not store user data,” so that would be referring to login credentials and the messages you send. Other services like this use relay services or need to store your credentials to work properly, but Sunbird keeps saying they don’t do any of that. In fact, during a briefing with them, they kept pointing out over and over again that they tried to build this in a way that stored no data at all.

This is not open source, as they have worked up some type of solution that they want to keep locked up. They believe they have solved any issue from the past that made iMessage on Android not feasible.

What about cost? This has got be a subscription model, right? Apparently not yet. Sunbird told us that the service would be free and that if they want to monetize later they could, but that for now they just want people using it. That’s a bit of a red flag for me. There is nothing snakier than creating a service you know people might love, telling them it’s free, and then flipping on the credit card machine once they are well committed.

And that’s all I’ve got for now. This sounds like the best iMessage for Android idea to date, but I haven’t tested it and have no idea when I’ll be able to. At this time, Sunbird is asking for the world to sign-up to test Sunbird in a closed beta. They’ll trickle out invites before opening it up at some point (or until they sell the technology, because how else are they going to make money?).

If this interests you, you can sign-up at the Sunbird site.

Read the original post: Sunbird Promises iMessage on Android and Blue Bubbles

We may be heading into a weekend, but there’s big news arriving for the Android TV platform. Android 13 is now available! Well, it’s available for some devices, mostly Google’s own developer devices as it’ll take time for the consumer-facing devices to get up on this new goodness.

For those who own the Google ADT-3 device (or are into emulators), Google has released Android 13. This is the official Android 13 build for Android TV and can be tested on the device in two ways if you are a developer. You can use the Google TV interface or the standard Android TV interface.

Android 13 for Android TV will potentially have cool new features for you and I to utilize at some point, but for now we’re still talking about developer-related improvements. Google is giving developers controls over audio attribute support for active audio devices, the ability to change default resolution and refresh rate, different keyboard layouts, and more. You’ll want to read Google’s entire write-up on it if you are a dev.

To get started with Android 13 on Android TV, you can grab the latest release here.

Read the original post: Android TV’s Android 13 is Ready

The messages you send between more than a single other person should be private, right? I’m talking about encryption, and the idea is that no one should be able to read your messages other than the people you are sending them to. With Google Messages, the messages you sent have been encrypted for a while over RCS, but only in one-on-one conversations. That’s changing today.

Google Messages Encrypted Group Chats Arrive

Google announced back in May that they were working on end-to-end encryption for group messages and it is now ready. Group messaging encryption is rolling out to “some” in the Google Messages beta over the coming weeks.

Since this is only rolling out to some and works only over RCS, everyone in your chats will have to use RCS in order for it to work. It will take time for everyone in your texting circle to get onboard, which I’m pointing out since Google’s rollouts often take a lot of time. This is another one of those situations.

Want to be a part of the Google Messages beta? You can join by enrolling in both the Google Messages beta program (here) and the Carrier Services beta (here). Once enrolled, you should receive updates to each that’ll get you on beta builds and to receive new features, like the encrypted RCS group chats we just talked about. If you’d like to unenroll from those programs, you simply click the same links above and then “leave.”

Bonus feature: Emoji Reactions in RCS

As a bit of a bonus feature in addition to encrypted group chats, Google is rolling out emoji reactions for RCS messages. Google says that you can use any emoji to do so. Availability of this is listed as coming “soon,” but I’d bet that being in the beta program will let you use it first.

Is RCS your go-to way of communicating at this point or are you stuck with a mixture of iPhone friends, RCS users, and those (like me) who have moved out of texting and onto more modern messaging platforms?

// Google

Read the original post: Google Messages Gets Encrypted Group Messaging