About Jules Wang
Jules joined the Android Police team in 2019. He currently contributes art for our stories and edits our podcast. Before that, he managed weekend news and wrote AP's newsletter.
Jules also contributes to our sister sites XDA-Developers and Pocket-lint. He also was editor at our now-sister site, Pocketnow.
Latest Articles
Google Assistant can now help bored drivers easily get to their favorite podcast episode
'Play the Android Police podcast about Andor'
Driving can be a loathable activity. It requires globs of active attention, carries numerous risks, and, yet, you probably will need to get out on the roads today. Hands-free interaction with Android Auto and some of its best apps can help dull the monotony without posing too much of a distraction in the process. But for podcast listeners looking to pass the time with a favorite episode, they've still had to navigate menu after menu of selections. That is, until now.
Google Fi is giving its most valued subscribers free YouTube Premium for a year
'Most valued' meaning 'highest paying'
Subscribers to Google Fi, which has one of the best data plans for your money, have access to some of the company's best synergies — buy a new Pixel device with Pixel Pass and you get free, sustaining memberships to YouTube Premium, YouTube Music Premium, Google One, Google Play Pass, plus Preferred Care coverage for that new phone you have. Now, though, Fi customers don't even need to buy a Pixel 7 or 7 Pro to get some free YouTube Premium.
Oppo is first to announce a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 phone, with a whole lot of collaborative swagger
Ray-tracing drivers, mobile ML test devices, and marketing, oh my!
Qualcomm is hosting its annual press junket in Hawaii to announce its new flagship-tier mobile SoC — this time it's the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 — and, as always with these sorts of events, there's at least one invited tagalong proudly proclaiming they'll be the first to launch a phone with that chip. This year, Oppo is playing VIP at the Snapdragon Summit and the company is doing more than just yelling "first" before leaving the room.
This HP Black Friday deal gets you the most Chromebook for under $200
Of all the HP Chromebook x360s out there, this one is worth your consideration
There's a great Chromebook for everyone, no matter what people can afford or want to pay. Unfortunately, that amount of choice can be both a blessing to have and a curse to sift through, even and especially if you have a budget of just $200. Lucky you, we're in the month of Black Friday (also known as November) and we did some legwork to bring you a pretty awesome deal on this HP Chromebook x360.
Google's Health Connect app beta is now ready for data-obsessed fitness buffs to try
Letting you play data traffic cop
Google and Samsung have been working hard to make Wear OS 3 software worthy enough for people to use on the best smartwatches an Android user can get. As part of the improvement initiative, one of the main attractions was an all-in-one management hub that let users decide what to do with all the fitness and health data they've generated. That hub, better known as Health Connect, is now available for wearers to download and use in beta.
OnePlus could shake up the Android tablet market in 2023
Some much-needed new competition in this space
The renaissance of the Android operating system on tablets has been a hard-earned one, especially considering the fact Google's been technically competing against itself all this time with ChromeOS. Even still, there have been rumblings from time to time about a reciprocating new wave — maybe a new cream of the crop? — with OnePlus being a contributor. Now, as we look to 2023, we're reminded again that this is still a possibility.
Stadia gets too much credit on the Android Police podcast
We spoke too kind of it too soon
The team played around with some titles like "The One Thing That Worked On Stadia" while recording this episode and it turned out by the end of the session that this was not even true. Good job, Google: that's gonna show us. In the meantime, we've got old Google business, new Google business, and also our dip on the new MediaTek chip. Welcome to the Android Police podcast.
Google One's VPN isn't just for your phone or tablet anymore
The company sure seems intent on making its VPN a priority
Google seems to be pushing on all cylinders to make a VPN worth using. Once just for its Google Fi subscribers, cloud storage holders with Google One have also been able to flip a switch and conduct their online business more securely. Yet, it was only a VPN worth using if you were on your phone or tablet. The company has been promising the service would make its way to Windows and Mac at some point for months. The good news is that point is finally here and now.
Samsung's Galaxy A53 gets its dose of Android 13
Nine devices with One UI 5 in nine days of November
When Samsung rains OS updates, it pours. November is stacked up to be a busy month for the company and it's already been a busy week with multiple devices getting Android 13 through a stable One UI 5 update. Up next? One of our top budget phone picks right now, the Galaxy A53.
Peacock's bringing your local NBC station to Premium Plus subscribers
There are better ways to watch linear TV than this
Streaming didn't kill the TV and movie stars, but all those awesome and affordable services have certainly made a mess of our media diets. If you read Android Police, you're probably more of the on-demand type when it comes to watching news and entertainment, but you still spend time on live (or just linear) programming once in a while. Comcast is hoping to leverage those occasional urgings by offering a livestream of your local NBC affiliate as an additional perk for subscribing to Peacock Premium Plus.
Beloved iOS video editor LumaFusion comes to Android and ChromeOS in early access
Beta testers get a discount
It's been nine full months since LumaTouch announced its well-regarded iOS video editor LumaFusion would be coming to Android via Samsung's Galaxy Store and more than a year since it first promised to bring it to ChromeOS — delivering an app worth using on the platform. While the company has blown past deadlines, it is now showing up, finally, by opening up early access to the app on both new platforms.
Samsung blesses Galaxy S20 and Note 20 devices with stable Android 13
This makes eight phones on One UI 5 in one day
We're on a schedule now. Well, at least Samsung is with Android 13: dozens of Galaxy phones across the globe are due to receive One UI 5 in the coming months. News came earlier this morning that Galaxy S21 series devices were getting the bump, but we're now getting word that the S20 and Note 20 phones are in the bag.
Airbnb embraces novel concept of not giving customers sticker shock
Trying out the crazy idea of being upfront about cleaning and service fees
Whether you're out for a vacation or just need a crash pad for the night, you've got more choices than ever when it comes to on-the-spot accommodations. If you're going beyond the hotel, Airbnb is arguably the most prominent platform on the market — we think it's one of the best apps for Android-toting travelers — with property-owning hosts listing rooms, apartments, or even entire houses. The biggest issue for would-be guests, though, is the whiplash they get trying to figure out what they're really paying for your stay. Fortunately, the company's CEO says there should be a remedy on the horizon.
There's a good chance Android 14 will support a new file format
Old-school NTFS meeting new-school Android
The format wars are nearly over — no, it's probably not the one you're thinking about. For as long as they could, Android phone owners have been plugging in external drives to move files about for one reason or another. But if your disk was formatted in anything other than FAT32, they were most likely out of luck. Nowadays, Google is helping Android make a determined comeback to tablets and other large form factors that might get hooked up to external drives with those difficult formats. Part of that comeback means getting over the NTFS hump.
UK government now scanning all internet-connected devices to assess vulnerabilities
Anyone can apply for exemptions
Parliament may be a circus, but the United Kingdom government isn't all made up of incompetent hands — except for the ones who thought it'd be a good idea to store COVID-19 case data on Excel spreadsheets (it's true, look it up). That should lend a sense of reassurance or dread, depending on what the given objectives are. Take the National Cyber Security Centre for your consideration: it has just launched a program that systematically scans every internet-connected device based in the nation as an intelligence-gathering method to survey current hacking threats and security preparedness.
Google is doing its darndest to keep YouTube Music alive and kicking. That effort mostly comes through in a lot of little nips and tucks around the edges whether it's in the guts or the front end. Now, it may be time to tally up another one for the front end.
Steam really does Matter on the Android Police podcast
Our titles are put together with the most crooked shoehorn we could find
This week, we're settling down in our smart homes with the announcement of a bunch of gear supporting Matter, the new protocol that's supposed to unify the disparate Amazon, Apple, and Google ecosystems. Plus, a heaping side helping of Steam talk from the ChromeOS tests to our favorite games. It's the Android Police podcast.
Ads headed for Disney+ next month along with price hikes
December 8 will also see higher Hulu prices for some
Stop us if you've heard this before: your streaming subscriptions are getting more expensive. Oh, wait, we already wrote a story today about Sling TV jacking up its prices. Well, don't look now, but in another move you could call funny or depressing — maybe even a little of both — Disney-owned streaming services Disney+, ESPN+, and Hulu are set to raise their tolls on your viewership, especially when it comes to bundles and how much ad time you're willing to put up with.
This is how Android 13 works on a 2016 Pixel phone
Generic system images and Project Treble make it possible
We called the original Pixel phone "a very good phone by Google." Today, the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro stand as some of the best Android devices around and they run the latest version of the platform. That's never going to officially happen for the Pixel and Pixel XL for a variety of reasons, but owners have been able to take a crack at installing a sanctioned build of Android 13 by sideloading Google's generic system image onto their devices. It takes a lot of finagling, but it can be done thanks to the drive partitioning made possible by Project Treble, and it has just been done.
Google reportedly spends $100 million on avatars to take on TikTok
Does YouTube Shorts need a Bitmoji-like?
Google may be ailing in ad revenue right now and pushing harder on hardware, but it's also seemingly not against spending nine digits to buy an AI-powered imaging company focused on making avatars. That's reportedly what's just happened, according to a source familiar with the matter.