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The new Google Photos share menu is a much-needed improvement
The eternal horizontal scrolling is finally gone
Google has been rolling out a new share menu to Photos over the past few weeks, and it seems to have reached most people by now. For those of you who share media through Photos often, this change is a godsend.
Google wouldn't be Google if it didn't break stuff from time to time. If you've been wondering why your Updates tab in the Play Store app is blank, rest assured knowing that you're not alone; it's an issue affecting pretty much everyone.
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- A fixed version of the Messages 4.7.052 beta (with seemingly the same build number as before) is rolling out now, and we have tested and can confirm that it doesn't crash at start like the previous version being distributed. If you want to get in on the action a bit early, don't see the update available, or you missed your window for the beta signups, you can also download it over at APK Mirror.
Earlier this week, Google opened a public beta program for its Messages app. I guess we shouldn't be too surprised since this is Google we're talking about here, but the very first Messages beta (v4.7) is instantly crashing on start for most.
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- From the outset this looked to be a temporary situation, and we're happy to say that a resolution is already arriving. Google was quick to latch on to reports of this bug, and as of now the issue with Beta 3 and Pay should be resolved.
Beta releases tend to have bugs, and this latest one from Android Q Beta 3 might be a bit unfortunate for those of you who use contactless payments. Many on Beta 3 are reporting that Google Pay is broken, presumably because of a SafetyNet issue similar to the one from Android P DP4 last year.
As any Android enthusiast will know, Google loves testing new UIs and features on random users. Sometimes the changes are welcome, but other times... not so much. This latest addition to Google Photos falls into the latter category, because a dedicated Printing tab is something that nobody asked for.
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- Google has circled back with us for some clarification. While only the Pixel Stand will charge the Pixel 3 wirelessly at full speed right now, a certification process is underway through the company's Made for Google program to allow third-party chargers to operate in the same manner, at full 10W speeds.
We already knew that Google's Assistant UI would only work on the Pixel Stand. This decision by Google, while annoying, is understandable. Less understandable is the recent discovery that the Pixel 3 and 3 XL will only wirelessly charge at 10W on the Pixel Stand, with all third-party wireless chargers limited to the much slower 5W.
In an interesting twist, BeyondPod, a podcast manager that has been around since seemingly the beginning of Android, has been removed from Android Auto. This isn't entirely surprising - prior to this April, it hadn't had a public update in two years, and people had been complaining about the huge amount of bugs.
As we all know by now, Google's implementation of gesture navigation is pretty lackluster. Given that it still takes up the same amount of space as the regular nav bar, it doesn't have any real benefits and just makes things confusing. You'll probably be disappointed to hear that the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL will ship with gesture navigation, and there won't be an option to use the standard three-button layout that's been part of Android for years.
Android 9 Pie was officially released earlier today, but there was one thing missing from the announcement: the statue. You see, Google creates a statue to put on display at its Mountain View campus for each new Android dessert version. Lately, the statues had been getting pretty stale, though the Oreo one showed some improvement. The statue for Android 9 Pie, however, marks the return to boring bugdroids.
As we all know, the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL use the same camera hardware. But while the Pixel 2 XL hasn't had any major camera issues (at least recently), the Pixel 2 has been having problems with its infinity focus point essentially since launch, leading to blurry panoramas. It's been eight months since the issue was first reported, but because Google still hasn't fixed it, an owner decided to take things into his own hands.
Yes, you read that right: YouTube TV has gone down amidst a major sports game yet again. This last happened during Game 2 of the NBA's Eastern Conference Finals, and it seems like Google's streaming service just isn't built to handle all of the World Cup fans either.
The whale known as the Nexus 6 hasn't been in the news for some time, but a pretty annoying bug has been plaguing owners for almost two months now. "Ok Google" voice detection basically isn't working, showing the Voice Match setup page whenever the launch phrase is said.
For a system that is meant to be used while you're in a car, Android Auto has a few too many bugs. One of the most recent ones that has arisen is Android Auto's intermittent failure to even start when you get in the car and plug your phone in. Google has addressed this issue and says that the fix will be rolling out with the next security patch.
I'd wager that most owners of Pixel phones use the fingerprint sensors on the back to unlock their phones, but there are circumstances in which using the backup PIN, pattern, or password is necessary. Many Pixel owners, myself included, have noticed that it's become rather difficult to swipe the lockscreen up on Android 8.1 Oreo. Google is aware of the problem and is looking into it.
Not a dull moment passes by in the land of Google product issues. Not long after Google Assistant functionality was added to the Nexus Player, Google's digital media player has begun to put its remote to sleep. Many people are complaining about the problem on Google's Issue Tracker, and the culprit has been revealed to be a Play Services update. It's similar to an issue NVIDIA fixed with SHIELD Experience 6.1 on the SHIELD Android TV.
The love story between Google and bugs is one that will seemingly never end. Case in point: the company has just solved a problem first reported 13 months ago on its Google Product Forums concerning the incorrect temperature scale being shown on Android Auto head units.
The Google Home Mini may not be a very powerful speaker, but it's still a speaker that people use to listen to music with. However, some people are having their Home Minis crash and reboot when certain songs are played at too high a volume. We've got a couple of songs that you can try playing to see if your Home Mini is affected.
The Pixel Visual Core is Google's first in-house chip, and it was supposed to have been enabled in Android 8.1 Developer Preview 1. However, developers looking to try it out were unable to do so, eventually realizing that Google had neglected to enable it for the public preview. Now, the company has updated its documents to say that Visual Core will be able to be tried out in 8.1 Developer Preview 2.
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For the circumstances in which Android Auto is used, you'd think that Google would pay extra attention in getting everything just right. But with issues in just the past few months regarding Maps, the Ok Google command, and Play Music, it's clear that that's not the case. Our latest Android Auto issues come from owners of Google's brand-new Pixel 2 XL.
Like many flagship phones, the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL aren't cheap. But while companies like Samsung and Apple try to make you feel a little better about your $700-1000 purchase by including a pair of earphones in the box, Google doesn't. However, some seemingly preproduction packaging that one guy got inside his Verizon Pixel 2's box indicates that Google had at least been seriously considering it.