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LineageOS drops support for Nexus 6P, Pixel C, and 14 other Oreo devices
Saying goodbye to LineageOS 15.1
LineageOS is the most popular custom ROM around, boasting support for dozens of popular phones. While most new development in the past year has focused on bringing Android 9 Pie to new devices, Lineage has continued to offer an Oreo ROM for older phones, but that option is sadly going away.
The holiday season is in full swing, and this year, we have something special for you. Forget the yule log fireplace videos, the marathons of 1983's A Christmas Story on TV, and the holiday music radio stations on Spotify. Today, we have the perfect festive livestream for you to keep running in the background — a Nexus 5X repeatedly bootlooping.
It's the first Monday in a new month, so there's one thing you can typically expect from today: Google will release its monthly security patches for Pixels. There are a couple of surprises this month, though. The Nexus 5X and 6P are still getting updates, and December images for Google's 2016 Pixels are again curiously absent. The list of functional patches included this month is large, and it also includes "improved memory performance in certain circumstances," for the Pixel 3, 3XL, 2, and 2 XL.
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- Google saw fit to deliver the December update to the 5X and 6P, but every security patch they receive from here on out is a bonus. Keep in mind, they could end at any time.
Google's Nexus 5X and 6P, released in 2015, were the last phones in the series before the company launched the new Pixel line. In the same year, Google established its three-year update policy, which set the last update for the pair of Nexuses (Nexi?) sometime in 2018. Last year, an impromptu two-month extension was revealed, placing their final sunset in November of 2018. And, well, here we are. This month's security updates could be the last either phone sees.
You may not have heard, but Android turned 10 this week. Over the course of the past decade, Google has loaded its phones up with tons of quality wallpapers — and here, we've tried to create a comprehensive repository of them.
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Another month, another set of security updates. At the same time that Google is rolling out DP4 for Android P, the monthly security patches for existing Pixel and Nexus devices are also landing, with both full OTA images and factory images being posted. Interested in what's changed? The security bulletins for both July and Google's hardware are also live.
Each month Google releases security updates and fixes for both Android in general, and its most recent first-party hardware. This month is no exception. OTAs and factory images for Nexus and Pixel devices are now live, as is this month's security bulletin, functional patches for which seem to include a fix for the Pixel 2 XL's proximity sensor issues.
Every month Google's ritual of regular security updates keeps our Pixel and Nexus devices safe from both real and imaginary electronic boogeymen. These updates usually land sometime in the first week of the month, and like clockwork, here they are. Google has just posted both the May 2018 OTA files and system images for its Pixels and remaining supported Nexus devices, as well as the latest general Android and first-party security bulletins.
Android Auto's Wireless mode was rumored for months before we got official confirmation of it. JVC and Kenwood introduced a total of 7 Auto head units with Wi-Fi connectivity as an option at this year's CES, but until now even if you just got one of these new units, you couldn't use the mode as your phone wasn't ready for that. Now Google has flipped the switch: wireless mode for Android Auto is enabled on Nexus and Pixel devices.
Google's monthly tradition continues—owners of Pixel and (some) Nexus devices can grab the latest software builds. The updates will roll out automatically in the coming days, but you don't have to wait. The OTA files and system images have both shown up, and there are bulletins documenting the surprisingly extensive list of changes.
What makes the camera on Google's Pixel phones so good has more to do with the software than the hardware. Google's image processing is far ahead of its rivals, which is why it can boast a competitive Portrait Mode with only a single camera. Thanks to the Camera NX mod, it's possible to get similar results on many other phones, including non-Google ones.
Another month is just starting, and that means it's time for the latest round of Pixel and Nexus patches to roll out. Google has posted both the system images and the OTA files, so you can get the latest version on your device without waiting for the update. You might actually want to go out of your way this time as there are some functional updates for Pixel devices.
The Nexus 5X and 6P were released in October 2015, and ended up being the last devices under the Nexus brand. The following year, Google released the original Pixel, marking an end to the company's lineup of affordable devices. Google has now confirmed to Ars Technica that Android P will drop support for the 5X and 6P, along with the infamous Pixel C tablet.
It's time again for another update to Android, and it's rolling out to Google devices starting now. If you just can't wait for the OTA to reach you, there are some files you can download to skip the wait. It looks like most devices just have a single build this month, which will make things much easier.
According to a settlement website set up by the law firm Girard Gibbs, members of a lawsuit against LG for G4, V10, V20, Nexus 5X, and G5 bootloop problems have received a settlement offer. The suit went to arbitration last summer.
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- According to a redditor who chatted with a support rep, Project Fi is no longer offering the Moto X4 Android One as a replacement. I called in again to confirm this, and I was told that the Moto X4 replacement offer was only temporary while the Nexus 5X refurbs were out of stock. Now that these refurbished 5Xes are available again, that option has gone away.
By now, you're all probably familiar with the Nexus 5X and its tendency to bootloop. This has caused some major headaches, especially to those Nexus 5X owners on Project Fi who purchased Device Protection (formerly known as Nexus Protect). However, Project Fi support is now offering the Moto X4 Android One as replacements for faulty 5Xes, which makes a lot more sense than a paltry $53 check.
A few days ago, some users started receiving update notifications on their Pixel 2 and were wondering what was happening since, according to the official documentation, they were seemingly on the latest build number. Now Google's official pages have been updated to include these new factory images and OTA files for specific devices on certain carrier versions.
Google is getting an early start in 2018 by rolling out the monthly patches for Nexus and Pixel devices. The OTA files and full system images are available a few days earlier than usual, and devices should begin seeing updates in the not too distant future. It looks like several devices have two different builds available this month, so you'll have to grab the right one if you just can't wait.
Portrait mode became one of the most popular features for cameras in 2017. Apple's iPhone lineup, the Galaxy Note8, the OnePlus 5T, and even the Essential Phone have it in their camera apps. However, owners of older phones were left out of the fun. Luckily, serial Google Camera modder Charles Chow has created a modded Google Camera APK with portrait mode on board for the first-generation Pixel and Pixel XL, the Nexus 6P, and the Nexus 5X.
Last August, I published a list of the most and least popular smartphones and tablets used on Android Police. That post was surprisingly popular - and I've had repeated requests for a follow-up. Now that well over a year has passed, I think the time is right for a new installment, and one spanning a far greater time period than the month-long data set I used to compile the last version.