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Your old Android phone is getting better about keeping you safe from barely-used apps
'Those permissions granted to you? Yeah, we're gonna need them back...'
Google is alerting app developers to some big coding changes ahead of the planned expansion of Android's permission auto-reset policy. This means more users will have permissions they've granted to apps automatically revoked starting in December. Here's what you need to know as a consumer.
This Android phone is on its fifth year of OS updates
The Fairphone 2 was just given a new lease on life with Android... 9
Fairphone is one of the only phone manufacturers out there with a mission for sustainability and ethics. Its Android phones are among the most repairable on the market, and the firm is doing its best to support the hardware as long as possible. As such, it has just released a new Android update to its five-year-old Fairphone 2 — Android 9 Pie.
TeamWin updates TWRP to 3.5.1, Android 11 support coming soon
They're calling it a 'mini release' with a few notable feature improvements
The evergreen TeamWin Recovery Project received a sizable update to 3.5 back in December. Late last night they posted 3.5.1, which they're calling a "mini release," waiting for full support for Android 11. Most of the changes are housekeeping and small support additions, now split into two branches for Android 9 and 10.
Asus says the 2018 ROG Phone will stay on 2018's Android Pie
$900+ apparently doesn't buy you more than one OS update
Asus has a mixed history with software support, but more often than not, the company slips behind on keeping its phones updated. The original ROG Phone was released in late 2018 with Android 8.1, a few months before Android 9 Pie became available, and finally received Pie a year later. Now it seems the gaming flagship will stay on the outdated OS.
In an effort to forget 2020, Sony brings Android 9 Pie to select TVs
The company plans to upgrade many models released between 2016 and 2019
Android TV is being rebranded as Google TV, but who knows how long that will take. In the meantime, Sony has been working on updating older devices. The company's Android TVs from 2015 got updated to Oreo a few months ago, and now it looks like Android 9 Pie is coming to many devices from 2016 and later.
Xiaomi Mi Box 3 is now receiving Android 9 Pie, just in time for Android 11
The second major Android version released to this 4K box
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One of the very first Xiaomi devices to officially land in the US was the Mi Box (known as the Mi Box 3 elsewhere) back in fall 2016. While the original model has already been replaced by the Mi Box S in the States, Xiaomi hasn’t stopped pushing newer updates to its nearly four-year-old box. Now the company's rolling out Android 9 Pie to those enrolled in the beta program.
Amazon's Fire tablets rarely receive major OS updates, mostly because they are sold as simple media consumption devices, and Netflix or TikTok doesn't need Android 10 to function. However, the company has now surpassed everyone's low expectations by delivering Android 9 Pie to two of its older tablets.Amazon has now released Fire OS 7 for two of its older tablets, the Fire HD 8 2018 (8th Gen) and Fire 7 2019 (9th Gen). That's the same operating system that ships on the company's newest Fire HD 8 and 10, which uses Android 9 Pie as a base instead of Android 7.1 Nougat. That means you get Picture-in-Picture support for video, notification channels, more specific app permissions, improved battery life, and more.Most importantly, this doesn't appear to be a simple visual upgrade, like the Fire OS 6 update for the company's 2017 tablets was. Amazon didn't respond to our request for information on the updates, but we've installed the update on a Fire HD 8, and it is definitely based on Android 9 Pie.
Twitter finally gets around to patching Android app security hole... 22 months later
An attempt to show it cares about security
Twitter has patched its app from a vulnerability within Android that could let a malicious app siphon users' private date — including their direct messages — while bypassing system permissions. Every Twitter for Android user was notified about the security hole which affects users on versions 8 Oreo and 9 Pie.
The Fairphone 2, which launched with Android 5 Lollipop, is now getting a 9 Pie beta
An impressive lifespan for an Android phone
Fairphone is one of a few smartphone manufacturers that manage to build sustainable and repairable handsets. You don't need to head to a repair shop or peel through adhesive to replace individual components, let alone hunt down individual parts — everything is available on the company's website. But repairable hardware is only one part of the equation when it comes to long-lasting devices. As such, the manufacturer has announced that it has just released an Android 9 Pie Beta for the Fairphone 2.
The Fire HD 8 is one of Amazon's most popular hardware products, but it has been overdue for a hardware refresh. Now the company has finally released a new version of the Fire HD 8, and there are even some features you don't normally see in a tablet — like Qi wireless charging.This time around, Amazon is releasing two devices in the Fire HD 8 lineup. There's an entry-level Fire HD 8, with 2GB RAM and 32GB of storage, and a Plus model with slightly better specifications and the addition of Qi wireless charging.
Sony just released a phone running Android 9 Pie
The Xperia L4 may be dirt cheap but the dated software is inexcusable in April 2020
Sony's mobile division has made some curious decisions in recent years despite still making some decent hardware. Cinematic 21:9 displays are the Japanese OEM's current design differentiator, but it's last few models have failed to capture consumer imagination or claim much market share. The last thing you'd advise the company to do in this moment is launch a phone worthy of ridicule — but alas, that's what it has done.
Xiaomi's Mi Box S Android TV set-top box receives a bountiful bug-fixing update
Including a fix for Chromecast functionality broken by the last update
If you own an Android TV set-top box that wasn't made by NVIDIA, there are decent odds that you're using a Mi Box from Xiaomi. This affordable alternative manages to play 4K HDR content at up to 60 FPS for far less than the $150 asking price of NVIDIA's cheapest option. While updates for the Mi Box S haven't exactly been numerous, the device recently received an update to a stable build of Android 9 Pie, and now a major bugfix update is on its way.
Motorola’s budget e6s packs two rear cameras and sticks to Android Pie
Showing off two flamboyant color gradient options
Amid falling sales and increasing competition from its peers, Motorola has undoubtedly seen better days, even after its Lenovo acquired it. Despite that, the company has continued its efforts in the budget to mid-range line with developing markets in focus, while it's also expected to re-enter flagship territory after being virtually absent for a while. Within days of bringing the Moto G8 to some key markets, Motorola today introduced the entry-level e6s (stylized as e6s) with a dual rear camera setup.
Android Pie Go-based Nokia C2 launches with removable battery
At least it can now connect to LTE networks
After MWC was called off, the Finnish smartphone maker HMD announced a separate event where a bunch of new mid-tier devices is expected to see the light of day. While there's no flagship model in sight until at least a few months from now, Nokia just introduced a new budget smartphone ahead of Wednesday's event — the Nokia C2.
Until recently, the words "Samsung" and "timely updates" were never uttered in the same sentence, unless you were emphasizing the contradiction between them. The Korean behemoth had a reliable, albeit very leisurely update schedule, pushing Android users who valued prompt access to security patches and new features away. With Android 10, things changed drastically, and Samsung has been impressing us more and more, with both major OTA rollouts and monthly security patches. Whether it's due to a different strategy, new team or leadership, Android's Project Treble, or some magical potion, Samsung is quickly becoming the OEM to beat for Android updates and we can't help but applaud its recent efforts.
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In case you forgot, Nvidia isn't the only game in town when it comes to Android TV. Xiaomi offers a much more affordable option in its Mi Box S — and that device just became a more appealing alternative thanks to an official Android 9 Pie beta program.
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Asus doesn't have the best track record for updating its phones, but it was really making an effort earlier this year with it rolled out an Android 9 beta for the Zenfone 4. Unfortunately, Asus' resolve has faded, and there won't be a final Pie update. It says the Zenfone 4 will continue to get Oreo maintenance updates. You know... if you still believe Asus.
HTC U11 finally gets Pie, only half a year later than the mid-range U11 Life (Update: Finally rolling out on Sprint)
A slice of pie
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Earlier this month, HTC tweeted that its U11, U11+, and U12+ phones would be getting updated to Android 9 Pie this spring, beginning with the U11 before the end of May. The manufacturer is making good on its word, as Pie has starting hitting U11 devices — months after it landed on the cheaper U11 Life.
The 2019 smartphone lineup from Nokia increasingly focused on the mid-range and the budget segment, with the clear absence of a worthy flagship model. Maintaining that pattern, the resurrected Finnish brand today announced the Nokia C1 — one of the cheapest Android phones in its current portfolio. The new handset and its preloaded OS target the entry-level market portion in developing nations of Africa, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific, where Nokia will soon roll it out.
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When Android 10's beta rolled out, one issue confused and annoyed me: Opening supported links in their corresponding apps was transformed into a terrible workflow that made little sense to me. But I got used to it and didn't complain about it, until Artem started using his Pixel 4 and noticed the same problem. As he usually does, he vented about it on Twitter, inciting similar complaints from dozens of users and a comment from Googler Glen Murphy who confirmed that the issue was being looked into.