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 Fi and Google Voice numbers can finally co-exist on a Google account
When being apart is a good thing
The long-awaited separation of Google Fi and Google Voice is finally complete, which means Google account owners can own Fi and Voice phone numbers. This means that Google Fi users will be able to make calls through Google Voice, that Google Voice users will be able to forward calls to their Google Fi number, and vice versa.
Save $250 on Nest Cam IQ Indoor/Outdoor 2-packs and much more
Lots of Nest stuff on sale through July 8
If you weren't around for that last wallop of discounts back in April, you'll be glad to know that Google has put a whole bunch of Nest products on sale. If you need a video doorbell, smart lock, or security camera, you've got through July 8 to save on them.These Nest products should be on sale at third-party retailers for nearly or exactly the same price as found on the Google Store. Comparisons to MSRP are a bit disingenuous, but even with the occasional spot sale here and there, these savings are, in fact, real. Without further ado, we'll be listing a selection of what we think are the choicest deals and where you can take advantage of them.
Spotify is shoving ad links with embedded promo codes into some podcast listings
Also, get ready for more programmatic ads
Spotify has been acquiring and promoting podcasts at an aggressive rate. Now, it looks to quicken the pace on monetization by letting brands in on a new ad campaign integration it is testing for its original shows and a major expansion to its programmatic advertising technology platform.
Flying a drone is my personal cure for the lockdown blues
And it's easier than ever to do it
When we're all glued to the ground in the midst of a pandemic that's almost certain to last for many months to come, we all need to find pathways to escapism. Sure, books, videogames, and exercise are fine and dandy, but for the people who are seeking new perspectives when travel is prohibitively restricted, why not fly a drone? In the past year, things have come a long way to make it easier for people in urban areas to take off safely and easily.
Save more than 20% off Rocksolar's power stations and solar panels on Woot right now
Get all of the wattage
If you need all the power you can get away from a place with any real electrical wiring, Amazon subsidiary Woot is holding a sale on an array of Rocksolar portable power stations and solar panels today until 10 p.m. PDT. You'll be saving at least 40% on up to 400W of capacity and 60W of sunny energy.
Google has expanded the repertoire for its .new domain.
Keen from Google's Area 120 is yet another AI-powered Pinterest wannabe
Hasn't Google heard of Tangi?
If you're looking to get into a hobby or accomplish a goal, you might turn to places like Etsy and Pinterest for some inspiration. Google's experimental Area 120 workshop launched an earnest attempt at becoming such a source mere days ago with Tangi. Now, that team has come together with the company's People and Artificial Intelligence Research group to make something more akin to a Pinterest-Reddit hybrid called Keen.
After some whiplash, Dish set to acquire Boost from T-Mobile
Virgin Mobile and Sprint's own prepaid customers will also move over
One of the laces left untied in the closure of the Sprint and T-Mobile merger was the condition that the combined carrier would sell prepaid entity Boost Mobile to Dish Network. Now, after a blip of a possibility that the satellite company would back out of negotiations, the two have officially locked into the divestiture deal.
Google Assistant will soon remember where you left a video or podcast across your speakers and displays
Actions developers, get ready to move up from DialogFlow
With Google I/O falling victim to a global pandemic this year, a whole round of developments on Google Assistant has gone unannounced. But the company has made up for that opportunity with a presentation at the Voice Global 2020 virtual summit, revealing new tools for developers and new expectations for consumers when they interact with smart displays and speakers going forward.
Fix coming for jittery video playback on Android 11 Beta
Stutters on TikTok, YouTube, other apps
If you're on the Android 11 Beta and watch videos from any major social platform, you might have seen the stream go haywire. Well, you should know that you're not alone — we've seen it with our own eyes across a couple different apps and reports across forums say they've been affected elsewhere, too. And there's some good news at the end of this mess.
Android 11 Developer Preview 3 is once again changing the way notifications behave in the shade. Users are now allowed to swipe away all notifications, including ongoing background or persistent notifications, but those messages from apps with ongoing processes will be moved into a new, minimized shade.
New G Suite logins will trigger Google's phone prompts by default starting July 7
The same day all Google users will start seeing prompts on all their phones
Google is making another push on two-step verification for G Suite users by making its phone prompts the default login authentication method, displacing less secure methods like SMS and voice codes. The new policy takes effect the same day those prompts will start appearing on every device a user is signed into.
T-Mobile reportedly takes hatchet to Sprint, cutting entire sales division and other jobs
Hundreds potentially getting Magenta's pink slips
T-Mobile has reportedly issued layoffs to hundreds of employees within Sprint, the carrier it had completed a merger with in April. The decision comes in line with efforts to consolidate and move the latter's workforce under the former's system and marks another step in the protracted wrap-up of the Sprint brand. But the company is also catching heat for crowding more people onto unemployment during the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression and drifting away from the hiring goals it made to the regulators who had approved the merger.
Xiaomi Mi 10, Mi 10 Pro owners can now flash the Android 11 Beta
Nine is afraid of 10 because 10 ate 11
Last week, Xiaomi promised it would bring the Android 11 beta to its Mi 10 and Mi 10 Pro phones. This week, it's delivering on the goods.
Stadia Premiere Edition now priced down at $100, drops bundled Pro sub and Buddy Pass
Also, it's been 8 months and they're STILL calling it 'premiere?'
Google soft-launched its game streaming service, Stadia, with sales of a Founders Edition hardware kit that contained a Chromecast Ultra, a controller optimized for the experience, and three months of Stadia Pro access for $129. Now, after Stadia's full debut, what's now known as the Premiere Edition is shedding that Pro pass while also dropping its price appropriately.
Gboard redundantly suggests podcasts on Google Podcasts redundantly
Type letters, get titles
Gboard, Google's own keyboard app, is able to suggest a variety of items to autocomplete a sentence or even autofill a form. Its powers have also been seamlessly integrated into other Google functions. Now, if you're looking up a podcast, Gboard on Android will even start nudging you towards shows with every letter you type.
LG Velvet coming to North America and elsewhere in the coming weeks
The company told everyone pretty much everything about this phone well before launch
Read update
As we're used to for the past several years now, LG leaves very few secrets on the table about the phones it's going to launch. Indeed, the new Velvet phone was teased quite early on as the successor to the longstanding G-series. Tomorrow, it goes on pre-sale in South Korea and we're now getting a clearer look at what we can expect out of the phone.
You may soon be able to call 'out of office' on the Google Calendar app
Most of us still have to schedule these things on the web
We all need to put up the "out of office" flag every once in a while for an urgent event or some off-time. Those who've been on a G Suite team for the past couple of years could actually schedule OOO blocks on the web version of Google Calendar. Now, we've just gotten a look at how the feature may translate on mobile if and when it ever rolls out widely.
If you're on Stadia Pro, consider this month's subscription fee paid off. And if you've ever been on Pro and have left, well, all the better.