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Android's notification system has always been a strong selling point for the platform, and Google has added a multitude of great notification features in recent years. However, not all developers take advantage of them. Nevolution (from the developer of Greenify) seeks to make app notifications on Android more configurable and powerful independent of the original developers. There's even a plug-in framework so users can add more features over time.
Google made a lot of changes to the Android UI in Lollipop, many of them successful. Chrome merged tabs was not one of those features. After first making the old style tab management the default again several weeks back, the latest Chrome Dev build removes the merged tabs option entirely.
Google's developer advocate, Wayne Piekarski has announced that an Android Wear update is rolling out, and not just any Android Wear update. This is the fabled Marshmallow update for the Sony Smartwatch 3. The first wave of watches are getting the OTA now, and all of them should be updated inside of a week.
We already know that Huawei is announcing the much-anticipated P9 in London tomorrow, but what about the US? The P9 is likely not destined for North America yet again, but the Wall Street Journal says Huawei is going to get serious about the American market soon.
Pocket created a bundled deal for productivity services last year, calling it the Productivity Pack. The deal is back now with a new list of bundled services. The price is a few bucks higher, but there's a lot more in this year's pack. It's $69.99 and includes six full-year premium subscriptions.
Google added reminder support to Google calendar late last year, but the feature felt oddly incomplete without full support for reminders on the web. That's a thing now, so you can create and manage reminders in Google Calendar on the web. It's not showing up for me just yet, but everyone should see reminders on the web soon.
Starz has long had multiple streaming plans and apps in the Play Store, but the service is refocusing with a single main app for digital and cable subscribers. The Starz Play app is the new hub for Starz content, but now it's just called "Starz." The other apps are still in the Play Store, but for how long is anyone's guess.
Google is rolling out a new version of Android Auto in its usual staged fashion, and it's a major update. The new v1.6 build addresses one of the major issues with Android Auto going all the way back to the original release. You can finally browse your full Play Music library from the Android Auto interface. Well, that's what Google says anyway. It doesn't seem to work yet.
Google is kicking off the week by revamping the look of its "Play" family of app icons. That includes the Play Store, Play Music, and anything else that starts with "Play." The look is much more consistent, but I imagine the redesign will be rather divisive. I mean, isn't everything?
LG took a lot of heat (deservedly) for its decision to remove the app drawer from its stock launcher on the G5. It eventually showed off a different version of the home screen in its recent UX 5.0 video. That one had an optional app drawer, and now that version (named Home 4.0) is available for download.
The internet has really gotten serious about April Fools—it's hard to even remember what this day was like before some of the world's largest companies started playing tricks on you via your browser. April Fools is sometimes amusing, but also frequently annoying because you can't trust anything you see, and those joke pages will live on long after the day is done like joke landmines for you to come across when you're least expecting it. Such is life on the internet. To help you keep track of the gags this year, we're going to keep a running list of everything right here.
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LG has said repeatedly that the LG G5 has a metal alloy body with cleverly hidden antennas. The company didn't really go into detail about how that was achieved, except to say the process is called micro-dizing. It seems that micro-dizing may have something to do with plastic because a teardown video from YouTuber JerryRigEverything reveals what appears to be a plastic coating on top of the metal frame.
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Microsoft's Build conference is about all the things happening in the company's wide range of products and services, but that includes Android apps these days. At Build yesterday, Microsoft announced there's a big change coming to one of its apps soon-ish. Microsoft plans to add notification mirroring support to Windows 10, and it's going to be powered on the Android side by Cortana.
If David's review of the G5 hasn't put you off ordering it, AT&T is now ready to take your money. The LG G5 is live on AT&T right on time for the April 1st release. This version of the phone is a little more spendy than the others, but it comes with a few special offers.
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- The previous deal is sold out, but a new one popped up at the same price from another seller (232tech).
In the event your Galaxy S7 pre-order has been delayed, you can just cancel that sucker. As with the S7 Edge, the regular Galaxy S7 has appeared on eBay in its unlocked form. For $599.99, you can get the SM-G930F with support for most GSM/LTE networks. That's about $100 cheaper than the full price GS7 on US carriers.
BlackBerry is all about Android these days with the PRIV leading the charge. The company hasn't forgotten about BBM, though. The app has gotten a few significant updates since it came out, and today there's another major one with better notification control, proper support for Marshmallow permissions, and more. Plus, all privacy and control features are no longer behind the paywall.
Google probably has tons of projects in testing that we'll never hear about until they come out (assuming they do). One of these unannounced projects is an app called Spaces. It's part of a non-public beta in the Play Store, but we've gotten a look at the app. You can think of it as a group messaging app, but more focused.
All good things must come to an end, and that goes double for things that aren't very good. Google is sending out emails to everyone who has a Google Wallet card explaining that support for the card is ending on June 30th. We first reported on this a few days ago when strings in a new version of the Wallet app made it clear Google was preparing to discontinue the card.
All your favorite Marvel heroes are ready and waiting in the new Avengers Alliance 2 game, so I hope you didn't spend a lot of money playing the first one. That game is old news, and it doesn't look as pretty as the new one. This game was out in geo-limited beta a few weeks ago, but now it's available to everyone.
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- The previous seller's price is now $50 more, but a different seller (techno.trading.house) has started offering the S7 Edge for the same price of $699.99, currently available in all 3 colors (black, silver, gold).
It's Galaxy S7 day, meaning your local carrier store is probably packed with people trying to get one of Samsung's latest devices before the first batch sells out. You don't have to brave the crowds, though. The unlocked Galaxy S7 Edge (SM-G935F) is on eBay already for $700. That's about $200 less than the full retail price of the unlocked device and $100 cheaper than the carrier-locked versions.