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The Amazon Prime Video app no longer lets you rent or buy content, but there’s a workaround
Google’s new in-app purchase rules are going into effect on June 1, leading to some drastic changes for third-party content providers
If you’re an avid Amazon Prime Video watcher, you will soon have to deal with a workaround when you want to rent or buy a show or movie that isn’t part of the Prime Video subscription, at least when you’re using the service on Android. With the most recent app update, Amazon has completely removed the option to make in-app purchases, now only displaying a button that says “How do I watch this?” with instructions on how to purchase the content in question on the Amazon website.
Android 13's per-app language options finally let me live my Deutsch-English life in full
Google’s latest Android release lets multilingual users mix and match as they need
Google is a pioneer when it comes to accommodating multilingual users around the globe. Gboard and Google Assistant support seamlessly switching between languages mid-sentence, allowing you to express yourself as you see fit (granted, Google still has its issues with bilingual voice input last time I checked).
Google teases standalone AR glasses with an unknown release date
Google Glass is seeing the light of the world again?
Google had a whole slew of hardware to announce at Google I/O 2022, including the Pixel 6a, the Pixel Watch, a new Tensor-powered tablet, and a tease of the Pixel 7, but it probably surprised everybody by teasing a new pair of wearable glasses that are all but Google Glass reincarnated, 10 years after it initially saw the light of world at Google I/O 2012. The new glasses will make it possible to add subtitles to the world around you, which Google pitches as a great tool for those hard-of-hearing or those who are separated by language barriers.
Google shows how Matter will work with Home, support is launching later this year
Matter will make your smart home truly interconnected, and Google shows us how it takes its own ecosystem further, too
Hot on the heels of a Google executive explaining how Matter will be the next big thing for smart home gadgets, Google has taken it further today and announced at Google I/O how Matter will work in its Home ecosystem and which of its devices will support which features. While Matter will only launch on Google Home sometime "later this year," Google has already clarified how it will work and how developers can utilize it.
Chrome OS 101 is here with big changes to the launcher and the branding
The new left-aligned launcher is here, along with a black ‘chromeOS’ boot screen
With Chrome and Chrome OS’s new super-fast four-week release schedule, it can get hard keeping track of all the updates that are rolling out to Google’s products. Following hot on the heels of the first three-digit milestone, Chrome OS 101 is now rolling out to the stable channel. If you would think that this minor-sounding release only entails a few minor changes, you might be in for a pleasant surprise, though. With Chrome OS 101, you’re in for a new dark boot screen and the new, long-awaited left-aligned launcher.
Google I/O 2022: Pixel 6a, Pixel Watch, and everything else announced
The company’s annual developer conference delivered some big surprises
Google I/O 2022 is here, with plenty of announcements for developers and consumers alike. While the company usually focuses on its dev community during the two-day event, the main keynote is always chock full of new hardware and software introductions guaranteed to change how you use your devices — current and future — for years to come.
Nothing’s launcher brings Big Chungus energy to even more phones
So long as you're running Android 11, your phone should now support Nothing's beta
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Nothing promised during its March "The Truth" event that it would launch its first phone this summer, but the company also wanted to offer a glance at the software it’s shipping with it ahead of time in the form of a third-party launcher. We got our first preview of that in late April, as the Nothing Launcher hit the Play Store as a beta for only a handful of phones. We were pleasantly surprised at the time —even though we found ourselves chuckling about Nothing’s special Big Chungus “Max Icons”— and now compatibility's in the process of expanding to all Android 11 devices.
Google is gearing up to launch the Android 13 photo picker
The company is readying the underlying APIs that can further restrict apps’ data access
Android 13 comes with a new photo picker tool, but so far, we haven’t seen any app use it (or at least test it) in the wild. That’s because Google doesn’t have the necessary underlying APIs and features in place for this just yet, though this is about to change soon. Google is rolling out a new developer service and the corresponding user experience needed for the photo picker as part of the May Google System update, the company’s over-the-air update to Android components.
Google's e-blockade of Russia now prevents access to some app updates
Russian residents will no longer receive new features and security fixes for applications they bought
The Russian attack on Ukraine has changed global trade in record time, with heavy sanctions having many businesses exit the Russian market. Among them is also Google, which has paused payments in the Play Store for those living in Russia in March, hindering them from purchasing new apps or subscribing to plans. In May, Google is going a step further, now preventing Russian residents from downloading and updating apps they’ve previously bought on the Play Store.
WhatsApp multi-device takes another step towards supporting secondary phones and tablets
Companion mode is coming along bit by bit
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WhatsApp has supported multiple devices for a while now—at least when it comes to desktops. You can use the messenger on your laptop or computer without maintaining an active internet connection on your mobile phone. However, people with Android tablets or secondary smartphones were left out of the party, with the feature exclusively available for WhatsApp on desktop computers. This might soon change, with first evidence cropping up that the messenger is working on supporting companion Android devices.
Unihertz Titan Slim review: Back to the future
This is how we imagined future smartphones back in 2005, and no, it’s not beautiful
Unihertz is known for its quirky, special interest phones that it builds to please a small target audience. Just look at the prohibitively small Jelly 2 or the ruggedized keyboard warrior Titan Pocket. If these kinds of products are up your alley, you might also be interested in the company’s latest contender, the Unihertz Titan Slim. It comes with its fair share of issues and compromises, but if you absolutely need a physical keyboard paired with a somewhat decently sized screen, the ~$250 Slim might just be for you—in fact, it might be pretty much the only option left on the market.
Twitter has far more in the works than just an edit button
An app teardown reveals what the company is working on
Twitter’s development pace felt pretty stagnant for a long time, but in recent months, the company is offensively building new features and trying new things, whether you look at its new paid Twitter Blue subscription, its work on editable tweets, or its attempts at copying Clubhouse’s audio rooms — all long before Elon Musk set out to buy his favorite social network. The latest uncovered bits and pieces in the Android Twitter app make clear that the company isn’t ready to stop anytime soon, with a status feature, multi-media posts, and awards popping up in an app teardown.
This is what the OnePlus Nord 2T will supposedly look like
The new mid-ranger from OnePlus is looking right in line with the rest of the company’s portfolio
The Nord 2T (or T2?) is supposed to come up very soon, if recent leaks are to be believed, and we keep learning more and more about the device before its official release date, and it’s shaping up to be a competitive budget phone that could undercut the competition with some old-school “flagship killer” vibes. And now, we’re finally in for a first look at the new OnePlus Nord handset.
VPN providers are ordered to store user data for 5 or more years in India
A new directive is undermining the anonymity of potentially vulnerable users
The Indian government has published a directive that will force VPN providers and crypto exchange platforms to store user data for at least five years, even when customers have since terminated their relationship with the companies in question. Decision makers at businesses who don’t comply with the new ruling could face up to one year in prison, with it going into effect in late June 2022.
Google Assistant gets better at managing all the cars in your garage when paying for parking
Assistant’s new section will make it easier to get rid of old vehicles that clog up your parking payments
Google Assistant makes life a little easier, automating a whole plethora of everyday tasks—the most recent innovation being the ability to help you change breached passwords. But the Assistant is also good when you’re out and about, allowing you to kickstart the process of paying for your parking. Once you get a new vehicle, though, the process may get more complicated, with you having to select which car you want to pay for. Google Assistant’s latest “Your vehicles” settings entry helps you with that.
Android 13 blocks unwarranted use of accessibility services by further restricting sideloaded apps
It’s a great decision in the name of security, but it makes things less convenient for power users
Android’s accessibility services may be meant to assist users with disabilities, but the set of tools is so powerful that it’s routinely used by other apps to enable compelling features. Unfortunately, accessibility services are often the gateway for malware, too, helping it gain control over a phone or acquire personal data. With Android 13, Google is further cracking down on access to accessibility services, making it much more difficult for sideloaded apps to gain access.
Mozilla is celebrating Firefox 100 with a big milestone release
The company introduces new backgrounds, clutter-free history, and an HTTPS-only mode
Google released stable Chrome 100 just last month, and now, Firefox has finally followed up with its own first three-digit version. While Firefox is about four years older than Chrome, with its initial stable launch under the Firefox name taking place in 2004, Mozilla switched to a rapid release cycle much later than Chrome. As such, Firefox has only reached the big milestone now, but Mozilla has still introduced few neat features to celebrate the launch with.
Google Docs wants to become your next collaborative to-do list
The company is taking step to turn the word processor into a serious project management tool
Google’s online office suite has quickly become the go-to alternative to Microsoft Office, with Google offering the service free of charge to consumers. The company also makes it much easier to collaborate with others, having put an emphasis on simultaneous editing right from the start. Over recent months, Google has further built out that collaborative aspect of its office suite, and now, the latest change to Google Docs aims to turn the word processor into a proper project management tool.
Google is testing a new intelligent shortcut in Chrome
The previously spotted context-based button next to the address bar is rolling out
Google Chrome’s interface is mostly fully matured. The layout and design haven't substantially changed the past few years, and it doesn’t look like they're going to anytime soon—the highly anticipated bottom bar interface, which would have been the biggest change since the launch of the mobile browser, was sunset before it ever became a standard feature. There are always some smaller tweaks Google is working on, though, and the latest in line is a new button in the app bar next to the address field, intelligently adjusting based on your usage of the browser.
What to expect when Twitter finally lets you edit tweets
App sleuth Jane Manchun Wong offers a first look at the under-development feature
Even though it could seem like Musk’s planned acquisition of Twitter is what made the company finally seriously consider the long demanded edit button, the social network previously confirmed that it was working on the feature independent of any purchases. While it has yet to be released to the public, Twitter developers are hard at work adding bits and pieces to the code for testing purposes, and we’ve already seen first images and videos showcasing what the editing process will look like. Now, renowned app sleuth Jane Manchun Wong is following up with further imagery, showcasing edited tweets.