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Google doesn't always knock it out of the park with new products and services, and you don't need to look any further than Google Glass to know that. Glass was a forward-looking idea that might have easily been incorporated into the company's family of devices, but it just didn't seem to land with consumers and dropped off the radar almost as soon as it was introduced — only to pop back up a few years ago for enterprise users. Google may not be done with AR hardware just yet, though, as it confirms the acquisition of microLED firm Raxium.
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Back in 2019, the Pixel 4 debuted with a pretty elaborate face unlock system. For whatever reason, Google ended up rethink its approach to biometrics, and the 4a and 5 functioned with fingerprint sensors alone. The Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro came out in late 2021 and still, there was no sign that face unlock was returning. Following the discovery of some evidence suggesting there still might be ongoing work towards updating these phones with full face unlock support, a new report offers an insider look at the plan.
Spotify rebrands Greenroom as Live, so you can ignore it under a new name
Some of its features will be integrated into the main Spotify app
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Social audio app Clubhouse was so successful at first that it made some big guns nervous, and a bunch of established apps scrambled to rip it off introduce similar functionality: Twitter got its Spaces and we saw Live Audio Rooms come to Facebook. Since that early 2021 peak in popularity, however, social audio has lost some of its shine — and now we learn Spotify's own Clubhouse challenger, Greenroom, is going away.
Android Auto 7.5 hits the Play Store, but its upcoming dashboard UI is still missing
Hit the road, Jack
Your phone acts as your navigational companion on the road, whether you're just using Google Maps with a retractable mount or a built-in dashboard display with Android Auto. Despite killing off its dedicated phone option last year, Auto has continued to grow with new features and plenty of great apps to improve your driving experience. Google has a new software version ready to go, but it seems frustratingly short on features so far.
Users have been able to create Google Assistant Routines in the past using the "When I say to my Assistant" trigger found under Starters. One downside to this was that in the name of using natural speech, labels could get unwieldy. As of Saturday, it looks like Google has made some changes to ease the process and make it more practical, allowing users to give Routines whatever names they like.
Google Pixel At a Glance bug keeps removing weather from home screen widget
Users are concerned they won't know if they need a sweater or not
Home screen widgets are so ubiquitous for smartphone users we probably take for granted just how often we reflexively use them. Whether it's checking the news, stocks, or weather, it's the kind of convenient feature you may not think much about until it's gone. Recently some Pixel users have had to do just that, as not everyone is seeing their trusty home screen At a Glance weather forecast.
WhatsApp is beta testing estimated time of arrival notices for file-sharing
This feature could be hugely helpful for sending large media files
It seems clear that WhatsApp is experimenting with expanding available features. Recently, users learned they'd be able to hide media shared in self-destructing chats from their phone's photo gallery, and not long ago, a small segment of users received the ability to share files as large as 2 GB (Gmail only allows 25 MB). Now, an upcoming new feature has been spotted that might dovetail really well with sharing larger files.
YouTube is testing stricter comment moderation to crack down on spam
Creators want greater control over what's going on
YouTube comments have been a smoldering trash fire almost since the site's creation. It's a problem that you either grow numb to and learn to ignore, or if you've uploaded a video of your own, maybe you just sidestep it all together by turning off the comments — a step that unfortunately also diminishes viewer engagement. Trolling is one thing, of course, but the real problem is spam, and creators have been calling it out. It looks like YouTube is ready to help them take control of the issue.
Octo Android malware wants to get its tentacles on your banking information
This new trojan could let hackers use your device to commit fraud
A fascinating thing about the life cycle of malware is how malicious code packages evolve over time. It's a case of threat actors grabbing something that works and then improving or extending it. One example is a breed of banking malware that first popped up in 2016 called Exobot — it went after users in several countries until 2018 when it morphed into ExobotCompact, a remote access trojan (RAT) with several additional subtypes. And recently, cybersecurity researchers discovered Octo, a new RAT that essentially evolved from Exobot but has even more deceptive features — like the one that lets the trojan hide its activities even as it turns your phone into a vehicle for committing fraud.
Waze location-sharing to WhatsApp is broken on Android devices
This key feature works fine, but the apps aren't talking to each other
Waze can sometimes send drivers down oddball routes (farm roads, normally quiet suburban side streets) in the name of skirting traffic jams. However, generally speaking, it's a widely-used and well-loved app. Part of the application's secret sauce has always been its reliance on user-provided information. Apparently, some users are encountering an issue with one key piece of information, but only if they are also using WhatsApp in conjunction with Waze.
YouTube Music's latest interface tweak makes the Explore tab pointless
Just get rid of the tab already
YouTube Music is no stranger to change. Google is regularly tweaking the app to make it more competitive with rivals like Spotify and Apple Music. While some of these changes are small and may go unnoticed, others could have a major impact on how people use the app. It is currently streamlining user exploration — though it may have made the Explore tab redundant in the process.
Google releases a long-awaited fix for Chrome OS camera issues
Check for an update now if you're affected
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Updating your device is supposed to make it better — right? It's pretty frustrating when operating system updates introduce new problems rather than fixing the ones that already exist, like we might have just seen when Google Assistant started speaking the wrong language with Android Auto. Now it's time for Chromebook users to share in the misery, as it looks like a Chrome OS update may have rendered some Chromebook cameras useless for the moment.
Chinese hackers are using VLC media player to launch malware attacks
The likely state-sponsored hacks began in 2021
VLC is a super-popular media player for good reason: It's free, open source, and available on just about every platform imaginable. Plus, it can handle basically any audio or video file you throw at it. VLC is also light on resources, meaning it won't slow down your Windows computer — unless, perhaps, it's hiding malicious software. A new report indicates that's entirely possible, due to the efforts of a notorious Chinese hacking gang.
Google Meet will start reminding you when you forget to leave calls
Because God knows how we all love to hang around in empty video calls
Being the only person left in a Google Meet room is like being the last person in the office on a Friday afternoon. Eerily quiet, empty digital space. All you can hear is the sound of your own keyboard clacking away — a truly haunting experience. It might feel like you're being watched, though no one's there. It's creepy. Thankfully, a new update to Google Workspace should help users avoid such unsettling situations.
Google crackdown kicks a bunch of data-stealing malware off the Play Store
Don't make creepy apps, y'all
Malicious software, AKA malware, is a huge problem for anyone who ends up saddled with it. It's not just the bad guys who are hiding software that can harm us, though. Some seemingly legitimate companies are doing things like collecting personal information without the user's knowledge or consent. It's far from the first case of malware slipping into the Play Store, but it looks like Google, at least, is doing something about this privacy violation after learning about a number of problematic Android apps in the Play Store.
Streaming cable services like Sling TV, Hulu, and YouTube TV are slowly turning into something that looks a lot like regular commercial television, constantly adding more channels alongside some occasional price increases. Of course, there are still some key differences from traditional cable TV providers — no complicated contracts, and they are relatively affordable and have more flexible packages of channels. YouTube TV has once again added to its lineup of networks, and the choices include some cable stalwarts.
Amazon Music lets users stream millions of songs and albums, download tracks for offline playback, and create playlists — all that good stuff we expect. It's also integrated with the Echo ecosystem, and compared to competitor Spotify, it has some distinct advantages: a wider variety of subscription plan options, HD support, and it's more affordable. Unfortunately, the latter there is now changing, as Amazon Music Unlimited starts warning users about a $1 bump in its monthly subscription price.
Lapsus$ may still be hacking even after alleged members were arrested in the UK
Someone is still posting links to stolen data on the group's Telegram channel
Just because police in the United Kingdom have arrested some alleged members of the hacker group Lapsus$ doesn't mean that the group is finished terrorizing big tech. It looks like some bad actors are active and causing trouble, using various methods to steal information and disrupt businesses. Arrests and charges are a positive step, but Lapsus$ is still hacking away.
Google issues new warning to publishers who dismiss Russia-Ukraine war
The search giant has cracked down on irresponsible content creators before
Russia's invasion of Ukraine has dialed up Google's vigilance when it comes to monetizing controversial content. The company has received criticism in the past for allowing the monetization of hateful or violent content through its ad network. However, Google has been taking steps to address this issue. For example, at the end of March, the search giant made it clear that it would enforce already-existing rules it has about not running ads alongside victim-blaming content regarding Ukraine — and it just doubled down on the warning.
In all the reviews we've published of Razer products, it has never once occurred to any Android Police editor to perform the ultimate penetration test and see how well they stand up to bullets. Not for lack of creativity, it just seems counterproductive to shoot your hardware. But earlier this week, a Redditor posted photos indicating that the Razer Kraken headphones were a real lifesaver for when someone got gun-happy in the neighborhood.