About Scott Scrivens
Senior UK Editor — My interest in Android began with the beautiful Nexus 4 and the less-ugly-than-before Jelly Bean. Right now, I'm probably watching Black Books, playing football (soccer), or listening to Answer Code Request.
Latest Articles
UK government to ban installation of Huawei 5G equipment from September 2021
As part of plan to remove all Huawei 5G tech by 2027
After recent rumors about further sanctions, the UK government has outlined its plans to remove Huawei completely from its 5G network by the end of 2027. The purchase of new equipment made by the Chinese company will also be banned from December 31, 2020. Existing 2G, 3G, and 5G network equipment made by Huawei will remain until it is no longer needed, however, as it's deemed too difficult and costly to replace any sooner.
The cheap and cheerful Moto e7 promises 36 hours of battery life
It also features a 48MP main camera and 'water-repellent design'
We don't expect an awful lot from a phone costing less than £100, but Motorola assures us that its latest budget handset will last around 36 hours on a single charge and take photos that aren't terrible with its 48MP main camera. It also boasts what Motorola is calling a water-repellent design — it can apparently withstand "moderate exposure to water such as accidental spills, splashes, or light rain — which is more than can be said for most cheap phones.
The Poco M3 is official with a humongous battery and 48MP camera for next to nothing
Xiaomi is also setting Poco Global free as an independent brand
The Poco M3 was unveiled at a livestreamed event today, and at the same time, Poco Global is breaking out as its own brand independent of Xiaomi. This comes after 6 million Poco phones have been sold in more than 35 global markets, making it a very successful sub-brand. Its latest budget handset boasts an enormous 6,000 mAh battery, a large 6.53-inch display, and a triple camera system headed up by a 48MP main sensor.
Tip: You can mute Twitter Fleets to hide them from your feed
There's no global setting yet, so you'll have to do it for each account
Twitter recently jumped on the Instagram Stories bandwagon with its own Fleets, fleeting tweets that sit in a horizontal-scrolling section at the top of your feed. Not everyone is all that enamored with the social media app's latest feature, but there is a way to get rid of Fleets if you're willing to put the work in.
The Realme 7 5G is one of the cheapest 5G phones you can buy
Announced alongside the similarly affordable Realme Watch S and Buds Pro
At a livestreamed event this morning, budget brand Realme unveiled its latest smartphone in the form of the Realme 7 5G. While it looks almost indistinguishable from the Realme 7 Pro that launched last month, the 7 5G is far from the same phone on the inside. The most obvious difference is that this handset packs a 5G chipset, making it one of the cheapest phones on the market with next-gen networking capabilities.
RHA's new TrueControl ANC earbuds come with active noise cancellation and wireless charging
Tons of features but they cost a pretty penny
RHA's first attempt at true wireless earbuds left a little to be desired, but the upgraded TrueConnect 2 that came out this summer offered enhanced sound and better battery life. The British audio brand is now back with a completely redesigned model that features active noise cancellation and wireless charging, as well as a brand-new Connect app.
Oppo Find X3 series coming 2021 with new display tech for advanced color reproduction
Full-path Color Management system will support DCI-P3 wide gamut and 10-bit color depth
Oppo hosted its annual Inno Day event this week, and while the main attraction may have been its futuristic rollable phone concept, we also got some news about its next flagship series. The follow-up to this year's impressive Find X2 lineup is confirmed for launch next year and Oppo has teased a new color management system that's more advanced than anything we've seen to date.
Google Camera 8.1 includes a much-needed Storage Saver option
Make more space for photos and video by reducing quality
Making the most of your phone's storage can be a tricky balancing act, and it's going to get even tougher with Google Photos doing away with free unlimited cloud storage next year. Thankfully, the Google camera app has recently added a new feature to help you save some extra space on your Pixel.
YouTube Music adds 'Quick picks' carousel for easy access to song radios
Jump straight into a playlist that suits your mood
The latest addition to the YouTube music main screen is a carousel called 'Quick picks.' On first glance, it shows a bunch of songs you've likely listened to previously, but playing them actually starts a radio playlist full of similar sounds, so it's a great way to quickly start listening to a certain style of music without having to think too much.
Google Maps adds more features to help us safely navigate the pandemic
COVID layer enhancements, live crowdedness info, takeout tracking, and the long-awaited Assistant Driving Mode
Google has spent plenty of time this year updating its products to be more useful during the pandemic, and some of it's freshly announced Maps features serve that same purpose. Improvements to the COVID layer and live information about how busy buses and trains are will help to keep us safe when out and about, and the much-anticipated Driving Mode is finally arriving in preview.
New Gmail settings give you more control over your data
You can opt out of product personalization using your Gmail data and turn off smart features for enhanced privacy
In recent years, Google has come under increased scrutiny regarding how it uses your personal data, and this has led to the introduction of new privacy features across various products and the ability to auto-delete location history and web activity. The company's latest effort to put users in control of their own data comes in the form of new settings in Gmail.
Netflix rips off TikTok with new 'Fast Laughs' video feed
An endless stream of funnies to help you hide away from reality
They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and there sure is plenty of it to go around in the tech sphere. Having borrowed heavily from Instagram's Stories for its Previews section, Netflix is now turning its attention to TikTok for a new type of preview stream it's calling 'Fast Laughs.'
Google says Nest Audio and Chromecast home theater integration is coming
Feature initially leaked via Google Store now confirmed to be on the way
When unused marketing copy for the Nest Audio speaker was spotted in Google Search last week, it suggested a feature that hadn't previously been touted. Like Amazon's Echo speakers with Fire TV and Apple's HomePod with Apple TV (soon), Nest Audios were said to be capable of pairing up with the new Chromecast with Google TV to create a home theater sound system. Google now appears to have confirmed that this is coming.
Has the US administration forgotten about the TikTok ban? Nope
The Commerce Department broke its silence on the last possible day
Read update
The 90-day deadline imposed upon TikTok owner ByteDance to sell its US assets was up on Thursday, November 12, but the company said it's received no feedback from the US administration committee overseeing the proposed deal in the past two months. ByteDance has therefore applied for a 30-day extension and filed a US Court of Appeals petition seeking clarity on the matter. And finally, the Commerce Department has answered, saying that it wouldn't enforce its order yet.
Google's new Aussie AR animals include adorable 3D koalas, kangaroos, and quokkas
From the outback to your back yard 🐨 🇦🇺 🦘
AR animals came to the Google app at just the right moment earlier this year, when many of us were stuck inside due to the pandemic and in need of cheering up. Since the feature first launched in April, Google has steadily added to the available creatures with various mammals, insects, fish, birds, and even several species of dinosaur. The latest critters all have one thing in common: they hail from down under.
Google adds status updates to emergency sharing in Personal Safety app
Share info about calls and low battery updates as well as your location
The changelog for the last version of Google's Personal Safety app — available exclusively for Pixel phones — mentioned that emergency sharing "now includes information about your phone call status and battery levels" but we didn't find these features in the app itself. As a new version of the app rolls out, these new status updates are becoming available, even to those still on older versions.
OnePlus expands Nord lineup with N10 5G and N100 (Updated)
Update: UK pre-order and availability dates confirmed
Read update
As expected, OnePlus has just announced the latest products in its affordable Nord smartphone range. The recently leaked Nord N10 5G comes in at slightly cheaper than the original Nord (£329 vs £379 in the UK), while the N100 costs substantially less at £179. They'll be available in Europe next month, but there's no concrete information on when they'll be arriving in the US.
Apple is reportedly stepping up efforts to build a Google Search replacement
Antitrust scrutiny could be forcing Apple's hand
Earlier this year, it came out that Google paid around $1.5 billion in 2019 to be the default search engine on various devices in the UK alone, most of which naturally goes to Apple. Factor in other countries, and it's likely to be a multi-billion dollar deal between the two tech behemoths (the DoJ estimates it at around $8-12 billion). It's a convenient arrangement that goes back more than a decade. Apple gets to serve the best search results to iPhone and iPad users, who in turn get served with Google's ads — everyone wins. Except for consumers, according to US antitrust authorities, and it's this increasing scrutiny that is pushing Apple to develop a competitive search engine of its own.
UK regulator to ban carriers from selling locked phones
From December 2021, all phones bought on contract in the UK will work with any network
When a mobile network sells you a phone with a costly contract, it makes sure that switching providers won't be easy. Handsets have traditionally been locked to the carrier who sold it, and you have to jump through hoops to get it unlocked. From December next year, this practice will no longer be permitted in the UK as regulator Ofcom is banning the sale of locked phones by network operators.
New Messages for Web features are rolling out to Google Fi users
Make calls, send texts, and listen to voicemails on the web, even if your phone is switched off
With Hangouts on its way out, Google Fi users might have been wondering how they would access their messages on the web. We learned from a teardown back in May that Messages for Web would be getting Google Fi-specific features, and it looks like this new experience is now rolling out.