All articles tagged with #android
Google is rolling out Motion Assist on Android 17, which places motion-correlated dots around the display that move with the vehicle to reduce motion sickness. Similar to Apple's Motion Cues, users can adjust dot opacity and shapes, and auto-enable when a moving vehicle is detected; rollout appears phased, starting with some Pixel devices.
A leaked image shows the Xperia 10 VIII maintaining the Xperia 10 VII’s flat back, horizontal camera bar, and side‑mounted fingerprint sensor, with Geekbench suggesting Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 and 8GB RAM; Sony’s August 25 reveal is near, but concrete upgrades beyond design remain unclear.
A Google Play Store listing for 'Android Pulse' reveals a Google-made background tool intended to monitor and report anomalous resource usage by apps and the OS. It’s reportedly three days old with over 10 million downloads, though APKMirror shows the component existed since March. You likely can’t uninstall it, and its purpose seems to be aiding stability rather than offering a user-facing feature.
GrapheneOS announced it will start official support for Motorola devices next year, beginning with flagship phones and later adding Razr foldables; the project aims to bring its privacy‑focused, de-Googled Android to Motorola hardware, with hardware security requirements (memory tagging, secure element) influencing timelines. The team expects next‑gen Snapdragon 8 Elite chips to meet its standards, targeting Motorola’s 2027 devices for initial support, while cheaper models would need stronger security features and longer software commitments.
Google’s Android Pulse app is now showing up as a Play Store update; the background service watches for unusual resource usage—like battery drain, memory, or CPU spikes—to help Android detect problematic apps or processes and keep the system more reliable without user intervention.
Pixel users can unlock six handy features by enabling settings: Smooth display for 120Hz (Settings > Display & touch), Now Playing for local song recognition (Settings > Sound and vibration), Automatic Call Screening (Phone app > Spam and Call Screen), Private Space (Settings > Security & privacy), Adaptive vibration (Settings > Sound & vibration > Vibration & haptics), and Face Detection for smarter auto-rotate (Settings > Display & touch).
Kaspersky attributes a MoYu group operation to a supply-chain-style attack that infected DoFun Android-based car head units with a rogue update app, dropping JarService to load a second-stage payload that communicates with a C2 server and accepts multiple commands. The malware turns the head unit into a proxy botnet node for ad fraud via a reverse-proxy module dubbed zhima, while still not interfering with vehicle control. DoFun said the issue was resolved after being alerted, and the researchers noted this as the first documented malware infection chain targeting car head units.
A hands-on comparison by Dan Bracaglia has the Pixel Watch 5 and Galaxy Watch 9 strapped to opposite wrists during a ~35-minute walk with a manual 4,000-step count as the control. The Pixel Watch 5 came closest to the actual steps (around 4,010–4,017), and also matched distance and climb more accurately than the Galaxy Watch 9, though its pace data was slower than Strava’s. Samsung’s heart-rate readings appeared notably low. Overall, the Pixel Watch 5 wins the round on key fitness-tracking metrics, marking a new Android champ in this head‑to‑head.
RAMageddon is lifting RAM and storage costs, but six budget/midrange Android phones still offer microSD expansion: Samsung Galaxy A55 5G, Moto G Power (2025), Moto G Stylus (2026), TCL NXTPAPER 70 Pro, Samsung Galaxy A17 5G, and Sony Xperia 10 VII. They provide microSD storage (up to 1TB on the A55 5G; up to 2TB on the TCL NXTPAPER 70 Pro and Xperia 10 VII), solid battery life and varied performance at prices roughly from $200 to $550, giving storage-conscious buyers expandable storage without flagship prices.
Google has started delivering ads through the Pixel’s My Pixel app, but you can mute them by using Android’s notification controls: long-press the My Pixel icon, go to App info > Notifications > My Pixel, and switch off the New products and offers category (you can keep other categories on). Disabling the app is possible but may remove some features, so the article guides keeping useful updates while silencing ads.
GrapheneOS says its first Motorola devices will be high-end flagships arriving in 2027 and will cost more than Pixel phones; cheaper Motorola models will follow later as Qualcomm's lower-end chipsets currently lack the same level of security and long-term software support. GrapheneOS plans to host its own AOSP repositories and align updates with major Android releases, expanding beyond Pixel phones.
Google’s Pixel 11 Pro XL is pricey at $1,300 with only 12GB RAM, prompting Android Authority to propose five solid Android alternatives: Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra (flagship with Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 and a 200MP camera), Motorola Razr Ultra (2026) (premium foldable with 16GB RAM and a large inner display), Google Pixel 10a (affordable at $499 with strong software support and battery life), Nothing Phone 3 (distinctive design, 65W charging, solid cameras and updates), and Google Pixel 10 Pro XL (powerful Pixel option with Tensor G5 and 16GB RAM at a lower price). The piece notes each option’s trade-offs while highlighting the Galaxy S26 Ultra as the top general alternative for most buyers.
Google's Pixel 11 gains a refreshed Screen Saver with a new Charge option that shows battery status and charging type, plus expanded Everyday Clock styles (six digital and three analog) and broader layout/theme controls. Users can enable multiple screen savers and switch between them via swipe or long-press; ensure the device has the out-of-the-box firmware update and the Dreams app update on Google Play.
Google's Pixel Weather update adds a white-background icon for older Pixel models, introduces a last-forecast timestamp under the city name, and renames AI Weather reports to Weather Brief in version 1.1.202, with the UI aligning to Google's Material 3 design language.
Reddit users report that Rich Communication Services (RCS) stops working on newly switched Android devices using Google Messages, with error code 3100 indicating a server connection issue; Google advises updating the app, turning RCS off and on, clearing Carrier Services data, rebooting, and sending diagnostics if needed. Some users claim a VPN workaround (connect to a VPN, turn RCS off/on, then disconnect) helped, but downgrading Google Messages is not advised. The issue appears during device transfers and may relate to cache/data from the switch or incomplete number porting, with cross‑platform RCS requiring carrier support and up-to-date software.