Cody Toombs
Senior Reviewer
Contributing since February, 2013
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1509articles
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1389News
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12Features
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1Lists
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7Guides
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35Reviews
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65Deals
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About Cody Toombs
Cody has been writing with Android Police for ten years. While best known for the hundreds of APK Teardowns and breaking news on many of Google’s new products and services, he also covers deeper technical topics about the inner workings of Android, app development, and security. Cody is a software engineer and consultant with two decades of experience developing mobile and enterprise applications. In addition to writing, Cody is a regular podcaster and has made appearances on CNN, All About Android, and Tech News Today. Cody is also an active photographer and videographer, occasional gamer, and an all-around decent human.
What tech products or categories are you most passionate about?
Cameras and smartphones for photography. New technologies are bringing a lot of interesting things capabilities to the worlds of photography and video.
What was your first phone and what do you remember about it?
My true first phone was some old Motorola candybar phone from before the days of smartphones. I started on smartphones with the Cingular 2125 (a rebrand of the HTC Faraday, I think?)
Latest Articles
Contacts v2.6 redesigns labels and continues building toward a new Cleanup Wizard [APK Teardown]
Welcome to a brand new update to Google Contacts. It's actually not all that different, but there are a couple of tweaks to contact pages, particularly to labels. They look a bit better and take less space. A teardown also turns up more progress for an upcoming Cleanup wizard feature. We're still looking for more changes, and as always, you can join in by grabbing the latest update from the download link at the bottom.
ARCore v1.1 suggests upcoming support for Galaxy S9 / S9+, Huawei P20 / P20 Pro, Nexus 6P, and several more [APK Teardown]
Google's ARCore technology is building steam since its initial test launch on Pixel and Galaxy S8 phones. This came with a promise to support more phones, which was followed a few weeks later with a half-dozen more phones added during MWC. To keep the momentum going, Google also featured nearly 90 new apps and games that made use of ARCore in some way. Now with the latest update, we can likely guess at the next phones on the list.
Gmail v8.3 prepares to add per account setting for Conversation View, gets closer to launching 'snooze' [APK Teardown]
It's time for another update to the Gmail app. Like so many apps lately, there's nothing in the way of visible changes upon updating, possibly because we're starting in on that lead-up to I/O. However, a teardown does show that users may soon get to turn Conversation View on or off for each of their Gmail accounts. There's also more progress on Snooze, which may hint at a launch coming very soon.
Google app v7.24 beta prepares floating sports scores, Doodles in the search box, Project Valyrian, home automation, and much more [APK Teardown]
A beta update to the Google app has been making the rounds. As usual, there's not much new to see after installing this release, but many changes are awaiting Google to flip a switch before going live. Also following the usual pattern, there's a teardown of the APK that provides plenty of hints about what's to come. Version 7.24 reveals plans for a floating bubble with current sports scores that remains visible on top of other apps, an effect for the Google search box, a mysterious new project called Valyrian, assorted follow-ups for the Pixel Buds, home automation, and more.
Update Notes for YouTube, YouTube Music, Gmail, Wear OS, Google Assistant, and Creator Studio (Mar 24, 2018)
Every week, I examine somewhere in the neighborhood of a hundred app updates while looking for changes. The most interesting things turn into APK Teardowns or Download posts. Many of the remaining updates are unremarkable, amounting to a few bug fixes, routine updates to libraries, or even just pixel-level adjustments to layouts and images. However, there are usually a few updates that land somewhere in between. I don't want to spam readers with dozens of short posts, but I hate to ignore things that people might want to know about, so I'm going to wrap up the leftovers for a little weekend reading and call it Update Notes.
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Android Auto has been making a lot of news lately with preparations for wireless projection support and recently enabling users to unlock a phone while it's connected to the car. The latest version began rolling out earlier today, and it's coming with a few smaller changes already live, plus a few clues about settings that may become available to us in the future.
Project Fi v2.5 prepares to filter spammy callers, add notifications for data usage spikes, enable easier override of Bill Protection, and more [APK Teardown]
An interesting new version of the Project Fi app began rolling out yesterday. There's a big change to the version number, but otherwise, nothing special to see in the app. However, a teardown of the resources reveals some important changes are scheduled to arrive. The biggest addition will be spam filtering, which should remove all of the disturbances caused by annoying telemarketers and scammers. Also in line are notifications when your data usage suddenly skyrockets, and an in-app feature to turn off Bill Protection once your data is throttled.
Maps v9.74 beta expands upcoming food review feature to also encompass activities and other products [APK Teardown]
A new version of Google Maps came rolling out super-late last night. While there are a few changes to note, this one looks like it may be one of the quietest of updates for the Maps app in a long time. There are a couple of basic cosmetic adjustments to discuss, plus a short teardown. As always, we're still looking for more changes, so let us know if there are any other interesting features that deserve attention.
Google Phone v18 switches to system settings for sound and vibration controls [APK Download]
Android Messages set an example last year by doing away with its own built-in notification settings and instead redirecting users to the new Notification Channels feature in Android 8.0 Oreo. This single change gave users more options to fine-tune notifications than the app previously offered, and it was all in a fairly standard system interface. The Google Phone app is now making a similar change, but this time it's relinquishing its old settings screen for sound and vibrations and replacing it with the Sound settings offered by the system.
[Update: Odd-even is live] Google Maps v9.73 beta prepares to allow reviews to be saved as drafts, odd-even road rules for Jakarta, and more (APK Teardown)
A new version of Google Maps began rolling out late last night. The immediately visible changes are semi-cosmetic, including some slightly more informative details, but there aren't any obviously huge additions to see here. As we turn to a teardown, there are signs that reviewers will soon be able to start writing, then save their work as a draft. Also, if you're going to be driving in Jakarta, Indonesia, Google Maps is going to make it easier to deal with odd-even driving restrictions.
[Update: Google confirms] Android Auto now allows phones to be unlocked while connected
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The Android Auto team has been known to put safety above all else. Most people agree that's the best strategy, but there have been some scenarios where users have pointed out that certain decisions may be over-reaching, or they might not account for common scenarios. One of the biggest points of contention since the launch of Android Auto has been a feature that effectively locks users out of their phones while connected to Android Auto. In the last couple of days, users are now being presented with the ability to swipe up and unlock their phones to use them normally.
Google Duo v30 hints at user-created contact groups, continues work on adding Google accounts and screen sharing [APK Teardown]
Just one day after the Duo team completed the rollout of video messages to all users, a new version of the app is hitting the scene. In a side-by-side comparison, it looks like the interface of the app hasn't gone through any changes with this new release, but we're still looking for additional changes. However, a teardown of the APK has turned up some topics to discuss, including an upcoming feature that will allow users to create contact groups. There are also minor follow-ups for adding Google accounts and screen sharing.
Google Camera v5.2 adds dirty lens warnings, buries grid options, hints at Portrait mode app shortcut and circus mode [APK Teardown]
A new version of the Google Camera app is beginning to roll out, and there are quite a few interesting adjustments in this update. The Settings screen looks much better with a full set of icons, and there are several new additions to be found within it. Grid overlays have been moved into the Settings screen, and double-taps can now be configured with a different action. A long-awaited feature, Dirty lens warnings, can now be enabled. A teardown also suggests there will be a new app shortcut to launch Portrait mode, and hints at something called Circus mode.
Google Photos v3.16 hints at new movie editor, improvements to search, and more [APK Teardown]
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An update to Google Photos landed earlier today. So far, we haven't come across any visible changes, but there are a few topics for a teardown. Hints can be found suggesting Google may be building a new movie editor. Improvements to the search interface could be forthcoming, as are helpful suggestions about features that may not be obvious to all users. As always, a link to the latest updates is available at the bottom.
Android Messages v3.0 drops KitKat support, prepares notification improvements, more on purchases and enhanced chat features [APK Teardown]
Android Messages just hit version 3.0. While hitting a new major version number might be an occasion for big things in some apps, this one appears to be a simple incremental step up from version 2.9. While there aren't any immediately obvious changes on the surface of this update, there are some things happening under the hood. It looks like support for KitKat has been dropped with this update, leaving behind about 12% of previously supported Android devices. There are also clues about changes to notifications about pictures and videos, enhanced chat features, and making purchases.
Play Movies & TV v4.2 switches to bottom nav bar, adds Certified Fresh ratings, and hints at all-new Guide screen [APK Teardown]
The latest version of Google Play Movies & TV is making the rounds, and this one has quite a bit to discuss. There are several surface-level changes, including a new bottom nav bar, improved support for Rotten Tomatoes, and even some rearrangements to the screens in the app. Digging a bit deeper, we can also see there's a new Guide screen in development, some degree of support for external content providers, and even a rating system for content.
Google Pay v1.54 continues ride toward transit tickets, merging P2P money transfers [APK Teardown]
The first update to the Google Pay app since the rebranding has been making its way out into the world. The new version doesn't appear to bring any visible changes beyond a few pixel-level adjustments, but it includes a couple of neat topics for a teardown. We'll briefly discuss the imminent merger of Google Pay Send, then dive into the subject of supporting transit tickets, where they might be supported first, and some of the other quirky details to look forward to.
Google app v7.23 beta prepares alpha and beta testing program, several Pixel Bud improvements, and more notification channels [APK Teardown]
Google just announced some major enhancements to Assistant, which predictably meant there would also be an update to the Google app coming shortly. While there aren't any outward signs of changes after updating, there are a few interesting additions to be seen in a teardown of this update. There are several improvements coming to the Pixel Buds, users may soon get to sign up to be beta testers for new features, and there are even a few new notification channels planned.
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- As a follow-up, now that the official announcement has been made, Google has posted some of the important details for the new platform. To begin with, the Preview page is up with an assortment of guides detailing some of the new features relevant to developers. It's also critical to point out that the current version of the Android P SDK reflects an unfinished API, so you should expect to see breaking changes in the future.
If you've been curious about the next version of Android, there's a hint that something special may be coming soon. Check the Android SDK Manager on this morning and you'll spot packages for a new API level: Android P. There are packages for the SDK itself, plus Android TV, Google APIs, and Google Play variants of emulator images for x86.
Google+ v10.1 switches to a mostly white color palette and prepares to offer notifications for daily highlights [APK Teardown]
A new version of Google+ is rolling out, but unlike many recent releases, this one has at least one immediately visible change after updating. The UI is taking on a whiter look for some of its key UI elements. A teardown also reveals that a Highlights section is coming back and will optionally make an appearance in notifications.