For the past several Android releases, Google has been working on local discovery technologies that apps can take advantage of to find nearby objects and users. Its latest contribution is the Google Play release of a “WifiNanScan App” for developers to experiment with Wi-Fi Aware.
Wi-Fi Aware — also known as Neighbor Awareness Networking (NAN) — allows Android 8.0+ devices to “discover…
WhatsApp submitted a new update through the TestFlight Beta Program that shows the company is testing voice message playback speed.
According to WABetaInfo, WhatsApp version 2.21.60.11 is not ready yet for the public, but the site can show a preview of the feature, that…
This week’s top stories: Google Home shows Nest Wifi usage, Pixel brand loyalty drops, more
March 21, 2021
In this week’s top stories: Google Home app adds Nest Wifi usage history, Pixel brand loyalty reportedly drops, OnePlus Watch won’t run Wear OS after all, and more.
Coinciding with the announcement of the second-gen Nest Hub, the Google Home app has been updated with…
Brazil’s consumer protection regulator fines Apple $2M for not including charger in iPhone 12 box
March 20, 2021
Procon-SP, the Brazilian consumer protection regulator based in São Paulo state, fined Apple on Friday for not including a charger in the iPhone 12 box.
The fine is around $2 million (R$ 10,5 million) “for misleading advertising, selling a device without the charger and unfair terms.” This is not the first time Procon-SP questioned Apple about its new policy.
Last October, the consumer…
The popular messaging application Telegram has been updated today with a focus on audio communication. The latest version of Telegram for iOS brings a new version of the app’s Voice Chats feature with a handful of improvements.
Telegram first introduced support for voice…
A new study looking into what smartphone features matter most to iPhone and Android users reveals that 5G is on the bottom of the list with longer battery life being the top request. Other findings include that about 1 out of 3 consumers plan to keep their smartphones for…
iPhone 11 vs. iPhone 12: Which should you buy in 2021?
March 20, 2021
While the iPhone 12 is the latest and greatest, Apple is still selling the iPhone 11 as part of its lineup of new iPhones. Furthermore, many existing iPhone 11 users are likely wondering whether the iPhone 12 justifies an upgrade. Read on as we round up all of the details on the iPhone 11 vs. iPhone 12, and which you should buy in 2021.
In this comparison, we focus on the 6.1-inch iPhone 11 versus…
Apple today stopped signing iOS 14.4, which means users who have updated their devices to iOS 14.4.1 can no longer downgrade to iOS 14.4 or previous versions of the operating system. This follows the release of iOS 14.4.1 last week with important security patches for iPhone…
While Google has made some progress in recent years at product consolidation, it now finds itself with two health applications. For past pairings, the “better” service was often straightforward, but that’s not the case today. Fitbit’s brand appeal was likely one of…
This week 9to5Google’s Abner Li, Ben Schoon, and Kyle Bradshaw discuss the first product release from Google fo 2021 and the new developer preview of Android 12.
Alphabet Scoop is available on Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Castro, Pocket Casts, Overcast, and through our dedicated RSS feed.
New episodes of Alphabet Scoop are recorded every Thursday afternoon at 4-5 PM ET…
