Google Would Love to Bring RCS to Your Phone, but US Carriers are Bad

Google Would Love to Bring RCS to Your Phone, but US Carriers are Bad

By Jill T Frey
Android / Android Messages / Apps / ATT / Featured / Google / News / RCS / Sprint / T-Mobile / Verizon


If you assumed that your US carrier is the reason you haven’t been given access to RCS, which should be the future of SMS, you are probably right. Google’s Hiroshi Lockheimer said as much in a Tweet this weekend, while sharing news that they have fully rolled out the new messaging technology to the UK and France. So yeah, US carriers suck as much when it comes to this messaging thing as you guessed.

To back up for a second, let’s recap what Lockheimer is referencing. Just over a month ago, The Verge reported that Google was going to bypass carriers in the UK and France and push out RCS (or “Chat” messaging) on their own, through their Android Messages app. Google never acknowledged any of the report publicly, didn’t write up one of their typical blog posts on what is a pretty major move, and hasn’t … Read the rest

Few Options Remain in an Android World That Used to be Littered With Choice

Few Options Remain in an Android World That Used to be Littered With Choice

By Jill T Frey
Android / Featured / Google / HTC / LG / News / OnePlus / Opinion / Samsung


Be Together. Not the Same.

There was a commercial Google put out a few years ago that really touched me. The main reason I enjoyed it was because it showcased funny animal pairings you wouldn’t usually see, such as a dog playing with an elephant and a sheep running alongside a rhino. Adorable, right? What Google was saying is, “Hey, we may all use different devices, but we still run the same Android OS.”

It’s great marketing, but as the years have gone on, the Android landscape has changed dramatically in the US and that same Be together. Not the same. message doesn’t quite resonate the same way it used to.

Since 2015, when that commercial hit the airwaves, we’ve essentially lost a few players in the Android game when it comes to the US market. Companies such as HTC and Sony have scaled back their smartphone plays. Motorola … Read the rest

I’m Ready for Android Foldables too, Google

I’m Ready for Android Foldables too, Google

By Jill T Frey
Android / Android Q / Foldables / Galaxy Fold / Google / Huawei / Mate X / Motorola / News / Samsung


The official Android Twitter account has sent just two Tweets over the past four days and both have to do with foldable smartphones. One references Android Q featuring foldables support, while the other talks more about a future where foldables give you the opportunity to pick the phone that’s just right for you. I don’t know if Google and the Android team are pushing hype because Samsung or Motorola or someone else are about to finally deliver a foldable phone, but I’m ready for it. Let’s do foldables, Google!

Specifically, let’s do this.

Let’s do the foldable flip phone that we believe Motorola is making. Not just because Samsung’s Galaxy Fold is a bad design with numerous issues that led to a failed launch customers will struggle to move on from, especially when it’ll require them to fork over $2,000, but because a pocket-sized device that can become … Read the rest

AT&T to Showcase GeForce NOW Over 5G on an Android Phone This Weekend

AT&T to Showcase GeForce NOW Over 5G on an Android Phone This Weekend

By Jill T Frey
5G / Android / ATT / GeForce NOW / News / NVIDIA


Right now, NVIDIA’s GeForce NOW is playable on a handful of devices (Mac and Windows computers, SHIELD TV), none of which are Android phones. However, announced earlier this week, AT&T will be highlighting the streaming gaming service running over a 5G network on an Android device.

And the 5G fun doesn’t stop there. Visitors to the Thomas & Mack Center from July 13-14 can experience 5G firsthand. They’ll be able to play the latest PC games in near real-time on a 5G smartphone with a tech demo of GeForce NOW cloud gaming service for Android or experience downloading an entire movie in seconds.

Why is this a big deal? Well, it means GeForce NOW is likely getting launched for Android, of course!

When and if this does happen, Android phone owners would be able to access AAA gaming titles on the go via a very, very good data connection (or … Read the rest

Google Pauses Android Q Beta 5 Update Because of Installation Issues

Google Pauses Android Q Beta 5 Update (Updated: Resumed!)

By Jill T Frey
Android / Android Beta / Android Q / Google / News / Pixel / Pixel 2 / Pixel 2 XL / Pixel 3 / Pixel 3 XL / Pixel 3a / Pixel 3a XL / Pixel XL


  • UPDATE JULY 11: Google says that a “very small percentage of devices” were being rolled back to Beta 4 after multiple reboots. They don’t seem worried and have gone ahead and resumed the Q Beta 5 update rollout.

Google just paused the Android Q Beta 5 over-the-air (OTA) update because some users ran into issues installing it.

From the Android Beta reddit, the following message was posted:

We’re aware of an issue with Android Q Beta 5 related to installing updates. We’ve temporarily paused Beta 5 OTA updates to all Pixel devices as we investigate the issue. We apologize for any inconvenience, and will provide this post once the issue is resolved.

Note: this post was edited to reflect that Beta 5 updates have now been paused on all devices.

A similar situation unfolded with the Android Q Beta 4, causing Google to pause that rollout as well. … Read the rest

Google Pauses Android Q Beta 5 Update Because of Installation Issues

Google Pauses Android Q Beta 5 Update Because of Installation Issues

By Jill T Frey
Android / Android Beta / Android Q / Google / News / Pixel / Pixel 2 / Pixel 2 XL / Pixel 3 / Pixel 3 XL / Pixel 3a / Pixel 3a XL / Pixel XL


Google just paused the Android Q Beta 5 over-the-air (OTA) update because some users ran into issues installing it.

From the Android Beta reddit, the following message was posted:

We’re aware of an issue with Android Q Beta 5 related to installing updates. We’ve temporarily paused Beta 5 OTA updates to all Pixel devices as we investigate the issue. We apologize for any inconvenience, and will provide this post once the issue is resolved.

Note: this post was edited to reflect that Beta 5 updates have now been paused on all devices.

A similar situation unfolded with the Android Q Beta 4, causing Google to pause that rollout as well. It took 5 days before they were able to fix installation issues and push out a new update.

// reddit

Cheers Santos!

Source link … Read the rest

Android Q Beta 6 Will Switch Users Out of Gestures if They Use 3rd Party Launchers

Android Q Beta 6 Will Switch Users Out of Gestures if They Use 3rd Party Launchers

By Jill T Frey
Android / Android Beta / Android Q / Google / News / Nova Launcher


We’re only another beta away from Android Q being stable and I’m not sure that Google has fully decided what its gesture navigation should look like. Google is still adding or tweaking the way it works, like how they just added a new bottom corner swipe that gets you into Google Assistant in the latest Android Q Beta 5 that just dropped.

But that’s not their only gestural problem. 3rd party launchers, after having issues for 4 straight Q betas, still will not work properly with Android Q’s new gestures. In a blog post discussing additional changes to gestures in Q Beta 5, Google says that they are “continuing to work on issues” related to 3rd party launchers and that they plan to force 3rd party launcher users off of gestures in Q Beta 6 rather than offer a fix.

So not only will the new gestures act as a … Read the rest

Dr. Mario World Now Available on Android a Day Early!

Dr. Mario World Now Available on Android a Day Early!

By Jill T Frey
Android / Android Games / Apps / Dr Mario World / games / News / Nintendo


Dr. Mario World wasn’t supposed to arrive on Android until July 10, but I’ve got good news for you – it’s available now! We’re a day early in the US, folks, so let’s all get to doctoring.

The game, like old Dr. Mario games, is a puzzle game where you spin and match-up capsules by color to eliminate viruses. This is an adventure version, though, so you’ll progress by jumping around a map and stages. There are plenty of famous Nintendo characters within, like Dr. Peach and Bowser, different worlds to clean up, and a versus mode for battling friends.

The game is free to play and has Google Play Games integration, just be aware that there are in-app purchases. Nintendo also says that you need a persistent internet connection in order to play it.

Google Play Link

Source link … Read the rest

SwiftKey Beta Now Has Puppets for Your 3D Emoji Needs

SwiftKey Beta Now Has Puppets for Your 3D Emoji Needs

By Jill T Frey
Android / Apps / News / Puppets / Swiftkey


Puppets, adorable 3D emoji that are similar to Apple’s Animoji, are now available to users of SwiftKey Beta.

Just like Animoji, you can choose from five cute animals to mimic your face’s own movements, which can then be sent to friends. You can currently choose between a dinosaur, panda, cat, owl, and dog.

Your recordings are saved as video which can be shared, which isn’t quite as fluid as Apple’s Animoji experience. Damn you and your smooth experience, Apple.

What’s New

  • Create your own 3D animated character with Puppets.
  • Choose between five cute animals: Dinosaur, Panda, Cat, Owl and Dog. Each will mimic your facial expressions and head movements, then allow you to share short videos with friends & family.
  • Look for the Panda icon in your Toolbar to get started.

At first I thought this may be an April Fool’s joke, but I checked the calendar and … Read the rest

Your Phone Notification Mirroring Arrives for Windows and Android

Your Phone Notification Mirroring Arrives for Windows and Android

By Jill T Frey
Android / Apps / microsoft / News / Windows


The Your Phone app from Microsoft now does full Android phone notification mirroring, the company announced yesterday. With a Windows machine and the app installed on it and your phone, your worlds have never been more connected. Well, unless you used one of the number of already-available apps that have done this for years, but hey, let’s not take away from today’s news.

The Your Phone app allows for photos, texts, and (now) notifications to be available on your computer. It’s been around for a while doing the photos and texting part, but this notification stuff takes it to a new level of fun.

To get started, you’ll need to install Your Phone everywhere and we have links below to help you do that. Once done, you will login with your matching Windows credentials within the Your Phone app on your Android phone. After completing that task and then … Read the rest