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Users have split opinions over Android 12 and the introduction of Material You’s dynamic color theming engine. There are plenty of fans, but the limited color scheme has been among the top criticisms of those that don’t like the new look. Fortunately, users can take control over the color palette with the Repainter app by kdragOn. The first version was a bit tedious to set up, but the newly released 1.2 update simplifies the process for many users, and it adds some new theme styles that really brighten up the look of your phone.
Google Photos redesign makes it easier than ever to browse and share photos
Rolling out in the next few weeks
If you’re a digital hoarder, Google Photos remains one of the most natural places to dump all of the photos and videos you’ve taken or saved. Between the incredibly smart searches, some very good sharing features, and some reasonably powerful organizational tools, it’s a good way to keep your library in the cloud. Of course, there’s no reason it can’t be better, and today Google is sharing details about how it’s going to be.
Chromebooks are finally getting Steam support after 2 years of teasers
Just be prepared for some buggy setups
During last week’s 2022 Google for Games Developer Summit, Chrome OS was lauded for a substantial rise in the number of Android games being played on the platform. Another low-key announcement perhaps unintentionally claimed that Steam for Chrome OS had launched in alpha. While this news turned out to be premature, it is becoming true today. After more than two years since Google revealed its collaboration with Valve, the first publicly available version of Steam for Chrome OS is now launching to eager guinea pigs users so they can try out their favorite games.
We’ve come a long way from the days when budget and mid-range phones were things to be avoided. Samsung’s A-series handsets have proven time and time again that you don’t need to spend upwards of a grand to get a really good phone that will last at least long enough to get through a carrier contract, if not much longer. Today, Samsung announced the Galaxy A53 5G, a generational upgrade to last year’s popular A52 5G.
Play as you Download expands to more phones as Google simplifies mobile game development
There's a big drive to help developers become more profitable
The 2022 Google for Games Developer Summit is kicking off with the traditional series of announcements about the company's upcoming plans and projects. Like some previous events, the central theme is focused on removing limits by bringing Android games to more devices with more form factors, and in less time.
YouTube Music remixes For You Mixes cover art with personalized artists
Good cover art makes all the difference
Several weeks ago, a revised version of the 'Add to playlist' screen began rolling out to some YouTube Music users. Not only was it more attractive, but the look is more consistent with the rest of the app — and also the main YouTube app. Some buggy behavior seems to have slowed the rollout, but things appear to be back on track as many people are reporting that it's hitting their devices.
Stable Android 12L exhibits a status bar glitch that wasn't caught in months of beta testing
Seems to happen on phones with a notch or punch hole camera
No matter how mature software is or whether we call it stable, there are bound to be bugs in anything more advanced than a ‘hello world’ app. If you’re running Android 12L on a phone with a notch or punch hole, there’s a decent chance some of your apps don’t look quite right. A change in the latest version of Android is causing a layout bug in some apps that results in an offset of background colors, action bars, and possibly other elements at the top of the screen.
There’s no doubt that Android 12L was designed with tablets and foldables in mind, but the prospect of running Android on PCs is always looming in the background with any changes that aim to support larger form factors. Google doesn’t appear to be interested in shipping Android on laptops and desktops, but there are several projects run by other developers that aim to do just that. Thanks to Bliss OS founder Jon West, we can see how Google’s re-designed Android 12L interface looks when it’s built to run on a computer.
Joining the Android Beta program used to be pretty straightforward. Users could simply opt in through the Android Beta website and receive each new build until a stable version shipped, then everyone was automatically unenrolled. It was a commitment, but a predictable one. However, things took an unexpected turn when those that had opted into the Android 12L beta were not removed once the final 12L stable build shipped. They began receiving the new Quarterly Platform Release (QPR) betas automatically instead, presumably leaving them to ride out the end of Android 12 with regular beta releases — and any bugs that might come with them. Fortunately, there's a safe way off this train.
Web browsers are famously complicated pieces of software with plenty of very demanding features. In turn, browser developers take performance very seriously, which has led to one of the most competitive (friendly) rivalries in all of tech. Thanks to a number of optimizations to Chrome’s code, and even the way code is compiled, it has set a new record in Apple’s own browser benchmark test and claimed the crown from Safari as the fastest browser on macOS. But this isn’t just a win on Apple’s computers, the improvements can be felt on almost all versions of Chrome.
Rode microphone roundup: The best upgrade to your smartphone videos is audio
Three different mics that work great for vlogging
Smartphones are incredibly common tools for creating videos to share on YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and other video platforms; so it makes sense that we’re constantly comparing their cameras. However, we hardly ever judge microphone quality with the same ferocity, even though poor audio can drive away viewers faster than mediocre video. While it’s basically impossible to replace the camera on your phone, I’m checking out three mics that can be hooked right to a phone to get better audio quality for mobile filmmaking, podcasting, vlogging, or anything else that needs to sound great.
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra stands up to a mountain of punishment in latest JerryRigEverything vid
Nothing comes through unscathed, but the S22 Ultra gets pretty close
Now that the Galaxy Note S22 Ultra is out in the world and everybody is getting a chance to poke and prod at it, YouTube’s longest-running gadget abuser JerryRigEverything is posting his own experiences of literally poking, prodding, scratching, burning, and otherwise trying to destroy the $1300 device.
Google welcomes India to Play Pass with regular subscription and prepaid options
Some old Play Pass, but with a new 1-month prepaid option
Google Play Pass launched in late 2019 and quickly grew to nearly 100 countries over the next two years. Likewise, the selection of apps and games has roughly tripled since the original count of 350, now standing at over 1000 titles. Now Play Pass is growing to one of the largest markets in the world: India.
Google Messages wants to fill that birthday-reminder-shaped hole Facebook left in your life
Too bad you'll never actually fill out the birthdays in your contact list
Remembering your friends’ birthdays may or may not come naturally to you, but thanks to Facebook’s obsessive flood of notifications, many of us stopped trying to keep track long ago. But if you’ve left Facebook (or avoided joining in the first place), you’ll need a consistent and convenient way to know when to taunt your friends about getting older — and Google Messages is here to do just that, with a polite nudge.
Google gives back full control over the accounts you use to play games
More control comes to Google Play Games accounts
It’s always risky to hand over your phone to a kid, or even your friends. Even if it’s just to play a game — assuming you trust them not to go snooping around — they’re still probably messing up your progress if you’re not careful. Google has become aware of this particular plight and added granular controls for picking which Play Games account signs in to each game.
Google shores up security measures in wake of Russia-Ukraine war
Increasing account security, removing disinformation, and highlighting safer practices
As the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues, Google is taking steps to strengthen account security and reduce the reach of hacking and disinformation campaigns. The Google Europe twitter account posted a thread detailing changes it is taking along with advice for high-risk targets and people in the affected vicinity.
Samsung's advanced Expert RAW camera app will support these Galaxy phones
Support for up to 2 generations back on the Ultra models
Samsung has gained favor among smartphone photographers with the addition of the Expert RAW app to its Galaxy S21 Ultra, introducing some advanced features that exceed the capabilities of Pro Mode in the standard Camera app. While the Galaxy S22 announcement confirmed every model in the lineup would receive the app at launch, a Samsung forum moderator revealed Expert RAW would be supported on more devices. Just as the S22 is shipping to customers, Samsung has formalized the list of phones and dates they’ll receive official support for the latest Expert RAW app.
Files by Google adds handy filters to find the best apps to delete
A little feature for finding the big apps
The Files by Google app keeps improving in small but important ways. Just last year it gained a trash folder to prevent accidental deletions, added a favorites folder for faster access, and tighter integration with Google Photos makes it easier to remove pictures that have already been backed up. The new year is kicking things off with a new way to filter for apps that are ripe for removal.
Android 13 DP1 opens up dynamic icon theming to third-party apps
Just be ready for a big mix of themed and un-themed icons
Google has confirmed that Material You is set to grow beyond the bounds of the Pixel family, but that doesn’t mean it’s done evolving and growing in new ways. An experiment in Android 12 Beta 3 expands the reach of the dynamic theming system to home screen icons, but only for Google's own apps. Now with Android 13, third-party apps are free to create their own theming-friendly icons so you can have the two-tone icon packs you’ve always wanted without installing a custom launcher.
Android 13 allows app developers to promote their own Quick Settings tiles
A great tool for discovering new features or a future source of spam?
Google introduced the Quick Settings panel to Android almost a decade ago with the release of 4.2 Jelly Bean, and there have been many evolutions over the years since. Despite opening the API to custom tiles in Android 7.0 Nougat, app developers have had a hard time getting users to add third-party tiles to the Quick Settings panel. With Android 13, Google is looking to streamline the experience so users have a chance to discover new tiles and get more use from their apps.