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
Montana's statewide TikTok ban awaits governor's signature
The future of the app could hit the courts soon enough
TikTok: a way of life for many people, but a national security threat in the eyes of politicians. Across the United States, governments are already prohibiting employees and contractors from using the social video platform which is owned by Chinese firm ByteDance. Meanwhile, Congress continues to mull a nationwide general ban despite assurances from TikTok's CEO and the potential of legal challenges on constitutional grounds. The state Montana could set the stage for what's to come as its legislature has just passed a bill that would ban the app from being distributed to its citizens.
The latest YouTube Premium privileges include queuing videos on your phone
'Continue watching' now works both ways between the web and mobile apps
The breadth of the YouTube experience spans a number of clients across the web, TVs, OTT systems, smart displays, and mobile. But if you're one of the 80 million customers who subscribe to YouTube Premium, pretty much all of its features require you to be on its site or mobile apps. Even then, some features will be available on one platform and not the others. Today, the Google-owned property is taking steps to achieve benefit parity across your devices.
The Google Home app realizes climate control is more than about thermostats
The Climate tab is making room for a bunch of new appliances
Keeping your smart home environment comfortable is typically a matter of knowing when to blow hot air and when to pipe in cold air. Maybe you've got a humidifier. Or it's a dehumidifier. Perhaps both. Automating when your devices turn on and off is job number one for the Google Home app. It's now bringing more clarity and immediacy to how you control the appliances that control your climate.
Pixel 7a renders show what Google's choice of blue will look like
'Sky' would be a good call
Last month, we brought you intelligence signaling Google's return to the kingdom of blue when it comes to giving its Pixel wares that special tint for at least the early part of 2023 — the Pixel 7a and the Pixel Buds A-series in particular. Now, we'll let some more pictures tell the rest of the story.
Thanks, GM — the Android Police podcast is living in subscription hell
And you are, too
We're already going through it with our cell service, our streaming services, and everything that makes life a little easier through the magic of technology. But man, do we gotta deal with this in our cars? GM customers are raising their hackles — we discuss. Plus, Google kills another thing that wasn't near, but definitely was dear to our hearts. And Nothing gets drunk. It's the Android Police podcast.
Pocket City 2 comes out as love child of SimCity, GTA, and Animal Crossing
It's a lot to take in and worth every penny of the $5 admission fee
After nearly 5 years since its original release, city-building simulator Pocket City has gotten a sequel. One-man studio Codebrew Games has just released Pocket City 2 and it features quite a few improvements that will get you, the mayor of your burgeoning municipality, deeply immersed and invested into the joys of civic governance — so much so that it may be a quick and easy addition to our list of best Android games this year.
The 2023 Motorola Razr might charge even faster than Samsung's Galaxy Z Flip 4
It's got a certification that says so
How soon is "very soon?" We've been asking that question ever since Lenovo CEO Yuanqing Yang said that yet another Motorola Razr sequel would be on the way in such fashion. In its post-feature phone era, the series of foldable Android clamshell devices has failed to make as much of a splash as Samsung's Galaxy Z Flip phones. A 2023 iteration would have plenty of catching up to do these days as Oppo's Find N2 Flip has kicked the bar up a few notches. So, again, when's when? Soon, mayhaps.
Sony's next pair of budget earbuds now have a price tag and US release date
Best Buy spills Sony's beans
Sony electronics aren't exactly budget fare, but when it comes to true wireless earbuds, its WF-C500 delivered on the fundamentals at $100 — sturdy build, comfy fit, and quality sound. That said, at the same price point, you'll find other earbud makers bringing in advanced features like active noise cancellation and multipoint support. The Japanese tech company of Walkman fame might just meet the challenge with the upcoming WF-C700N: we just learned all about the specs and now we're learning when we can expect to buy a pair.
ChromeOS is improving (and proving) itself, the Android Police podcast finds out
Featuring the HP Dragonfly Pro Chromebook
Our team's taking an off week this week, but the Android Police podcast goes on. This episode, we're bringing you a conversation with our producer Jules and John Maletis, VP of Product Management for Chrome at Google. We talk about how the company is working with its OEM partners to produce better Chromebooks like HP's Dragonfly Pro Chromebook and where the platform is after a pandemic-fueled boost in developmental support.
Nothing, not fooling around, announces Beer (5.1%)
Welsh brewing partner will have stock out this summer
It's rare that we have an April 1st announcement people can actually get excited about, but thanks to the eccentric Carl Pei and his team at Nothing, we do have one. And while the product tied to this announcement isn't immediately available — no, we're not talking about the Nothing Phone 2 — we can rest assured that it's all real. In fact, we'll drink to it.
Chrome's upcoming Reading Mode looks nothing like the others
In a pane, next to the page and all those ads
Google has made a point to show up at London's annual Bett conference which gets the educational field in front of new technological solutions. Sure enough, every year for the past decade and change, we've heard about boatloads of new Chromebooks along with some new features across the company's platforms like Google Classroom and Google Workspaces. This year is no different, but what's arguably the biggest feature to come out of this crop of announcements — a new Reading Mode for Chrome — might require more explanation about how it will actually serve its users.
Google Calendar may let guests invite themselves to your events
Instead of sending invitations, why not just share the event?
Among the many calendar apps on Android, Google Calendar is a pretty good one. It's got some quirks that limit its abilities when compared to its web client, but it's an easy reach and does most of the jobs you want done. Now, we're learning that it may scratch one of those hard-to-reach itches we've had for a long time when it comes to sharing individual events with other people.
Samsung Galaxy S23 drop tests produce glass-shattering results
The view from 6 feet up is scary
Who among us doesn't love a good drop test? It's destruction for the sake of "science," albeit a highly inexact one that does not reflect the way our own phones might be damaged when they hit the deck — probably why we don't cover them often around here as much as we do a JerryRigEverything video. But maybe we can learn just a little bit about how Samsung's Galaxy S23 series might hold up against other devices with a standardized drop test and that's what we're getting today in a new video.
The Android Police podcast makes Google Bard say the silliest things
And you know we're all about that BASE this week...
Google Bard dominates the conversation starters in tech circles for another week and the Android Police podcast is no exception as we get some early off-kilter responses that are sure to amuse and bemuse at your dinner parties. Similarly, some former Pebble employees are thinking about some names for a small phone they want to make. And if Meghan Trainor isn't out of your head after nearly a decade, well, get ready to be reintroduced with our Pixel Tablet convo. What a week, y'all. Join us.
Adaptive Charging may be adapting itself to Pixel users without alarms
Shaking up what it means to wake up
This isn't the first story we've had this weekend about Adaptive Charging on Google's Pixel phones, but this is the first major change to this battery-preserving feature we've heard about in a long, long time. It's a feature that's meant to prevent phones from achieving a full charge until shortly before an alarm is set to go off. But those who didn't set an alarm between 3 and 10 AM or one at all haven't been able to take advantage of Adaptive Charging. That may soon change, though.
Arm tells smartphone makers to put up or shut up as it gins up cash for IPO
The SoftBank-owned company plans on turning its licensing business upside down
Arm is in a rush to make money. Its parent company, Japanese tech conglomerate SoftBank, has been bleeding money and couldn't convince regulators to have Nvidia buy the semiconductor design firm off of it. So, what's "Plan B?" Spin the company off in an IPO. In order to do that, Arm needs to be seen making more money than it has been. And so, the company may be considering what market observers are calling a Hail Mary.
The OSOM-made Solana Saga gets its launch party on the calendar
Block off April 13 on your calendar chain
There was a lot for us to get excited for when OSOM burst onto the scene a couple years ago. Coming from the remnants of Andy Rubin's Essential, it looked like it was ready to tackle Android phones in ways the mass market hadn't with its OV1. Things took a left turn, though, when it announced that Web3 startup Solana was providing a ton of operating capital in exchange for a new phone with a new focus. Now, after nearly a year in waiting, we're finally going to hear everything about the Solana Saga, potentially including when customers can buy one.
These student-friendly deals on the OnePlus 10T and accessories get an A+
And pick up a sleek traveler's backpack for just $10
Spring is the season for cleaning, and OnePlus is swinging into that sweeping spirit. If you're thinking about picking up a OnePlus 10T, we've got ways to save you up to $350 on that purchase. More importantly, you can also score a free bumper case for that new phone and OnePlus's Urban Traveler Backpack for just $10 — a savings of $69.
New T-Mobile Dining Rewards program entices you to save your appetite for Tuesdays
Or you can carb-load with Little Caesars for a discount
T-Mobile customers might want to start planning their lunch or dinner dates on Tuesdays. Or, if those plans get ruined, maybe just pick up a pizza instead. The wireless carrier is boosting its T-Mobile Tuesdays perks program with a couple of benefits that subscribers can take advantage of all week long.
Icon packs taken off Play Store for almost two weeks have been reinstated
Google, which said it was enforcing its 'Repetitive Content' rules, is not commenting
Read update
One of the best ways to add zip to your Android device's home screen is with a new icon pack. But it seems the Google Play Store isn't so keen on some of them and we don't exactly know why. Last month, we brought you the story of Grabster Studios which had two of its icon packs taken off for featuring content that was deemed to be highly similar to its other icon pack apps — even though many other designers publish icon packs with the same text and app experience without an issue. While those apps were quickly reinstated, we're now tracking two more icon packs from another designer that are out of commission.