In this week’s top stories: Google gives an early preview of the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 has some of its battery specs leak, new wallpapers arrive for Pixel phones, and more.
The biggest news this week is of course the “All new, All Google” Pixel 6 series, formally teased this week. In addition to showing off the core design of the phones, which closely match…
Marvel pushing Shang-Chi on Android TV w/ one of the first ads for content you can’t watch
August 7, 2021
Google has raised some controversy over the past year or two with the wide rollout of “Cinematic Highlights” for recommended content on the homescreen of Android TV and Google TV. These ads are generally for content from various streaming services including Disney+, HBO…
Google apparently called sideloading Fortnite on Android ‘abysmal’ in talks w/ Epic Games
August 7, 2021
Google is currently in the midst of defending itself against a US lawsuit that takes issue with the Play Store requirement to use Google’s in-app billing which takes a cut of revenue. Recently unsealed court documents have surfaced interesting details regarding Google and…
Apple is making it easier to recover iCloud data in the event of forgotten passwords or device passcodes with iOS 15. There are two options. Let’s look at how iCloud Data Recovery Service works with iCloud Recovery Contacts and the iCloud Recovery Key.
The new option to regain access to iCloud data in the event you’re locked out comes with two ways to set it up on iPhone, iPad, and Mac. You…
Spotify users may have to wait longer to get full AirPlay 2 support on Apple devices. The company confirmed this week that plans to add AirPlay 2 to Spotify’s iOS app have been delayed indefinitely.
The news was confirmed on the Spotify Community by a representative of…
Belarus Olympian used Google Translate to ask Japanese police for help before coerced flight
August 7, 2021
Last Saturday, Belarusian officials attempted to force sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya to leave Tokyo. The athlete revealed yesterday that she used Google Translate to reach out to Japanese authorities and avoid the flight from the Olympics.
Tsimanouskaya has since been…
Every good operating system needs a web browser, especially as more and more apps move to the web. To that end, Google is preparing to bring the full Google Chrome browser experience to Fuchsia OS.
For years now, the Fuchsia project has had a lot of overlap with Chromium, sharing both code and hardware with Chrome OS. In 2018, we even showed a simplified web browser running on Fuchsia, which…
Google signing free users out of Hangouts for iOS, Android as part of ‘switch to Chat’ prompt
August 7, 2021
In late 2021, classic Hangouts will stop working for enterprise Workspace customers and only Google Chat will be available. Google is now beginning that process of deprecating the Hangouts app and website for free personal accounts with a warning and sign out.
As we were…
Google app removing ‘More’ tab & placing settings, reminders in avatar menu [Update: Rolling out]
August 7, 2021
While Discover and Assistant Snapshot have gone through a handful of visual revamps in recent years, the rest of the Google app has remained the same. Google is now testing a settings redesign on Android that removes the “More” tab.
Update 8/6: After first being…
With Meet getting Google’s full attention over the past year, Duo has not seen a meaningful update in quite some time. Google Duo is soon receiving a homescreen redesign that adds a “New Call” button that hopes to simplify the app.
Update 8/6: As of today, the Google Duo redesign that removes the live preview for a more conventional homescreen is widely rolled out. That front-facing camera…
