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Google Chrome is working on biometric authentication for payment autofill
No more digging through your wallet to find that CVC number for authentication
A few months ago, we spotted Chrome working on Windows Hello integration for payment autofill authentication, sparing you from digging out your physical card to enter your CVC over and over. We've now found out that Windows isn't the only place where Google wants to make access to payment cards easier and more tightly integrated. The company is also working on system-wide authentication for Android (and possibly Chrome OS, Linux, and macOS). Sadly, the feature isn't fully live on any iteration of Chrome for Android yet.
YouTube Music shows latest library additions for some
Bringing YouTube Music more in line with Play Music
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- Updated to reflect the name change from "Last played" to "Recent activity," as pointed out by P3dRo in the comments (Thanks!).
YouTube Music is slated to replace Google Play Music later this year. There are still some discrepancies and missing features, and Google is hard at work bringing over as much functionality to its new music streaming service as it deems feasible and necessary. As such, YouTube Music now tests displaying albums and playlists that you've saved to your library in the Last Played overview.
DuckDuckGo coming back online in India following country-wide block
The ban might have been accidental fallout from the Chinese app block
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Following the Indian ban of almost 60 Chinese apps including TikTok and Weibo, many people living in the country now report not being able to access the privacy-centric search engine DuckDuckGo. The company confirms as much, saying that the problem isn't on its end. It's currently talking to local internet service providers to resolve the issue. It looks like these have blocked the service via their DNS servers, as the search engine is still accessible through most third-party DNS resolvers.
Here at Android Police, we live and breathe in our desktop browsers. Almost everything we do from writing, researching, and communicating happens within the confines of our computer screens (or on our phones, naturally). Over the years, we found quite a few ways to make our lives easier with extensions, both for our jobs and our personal lives. For this collection, we want to share all of the extensions with you that help us manage our lives and our workday.
Gmail's spam filter has been repaired
The problem also affected promotional mails, erroneously popping up in primary inboxes
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Spam filters are a thing we rely on every single day to protect us from an overwhelming amount of unwanted messages, but we rarely think about the technology behind them when everything works. When the algorithms do break, all hell breaks loose, as we suddenly realize how many emails get filtered regularly. That's an experience some Gmail users have been going through over the last few days, as Google's spam filters appear to have been on strike for them. Google confirmed the bug is now fixed.
Chrome for Android is finally going 64-bit, giving it a speed boost in benchmarks
Look at him, all grown up
The first Android version to support 64-bit architecture was Android 5.0 Lollipop, introduced back in November 2014. Since then, more and more 64-bit processors shipped, and today, virtually all Android devices are capable of running 64-bit software (excluding one or two or more oddballs). However, Google Chrome has never made the jump and is only available in a 32-bit flavor, potentially leading to some unnecessary security and performance degradations. That's finally changing: Starting with Chrome 85, phones running Android 10 and higher will automatically receive a 64-bit version.
Ever since the coronavirus pandemic struck, Zoom has been taking over the world of video conferencing. Many other companies have realized that and have started offering or improving their own video calling services — see Google Meet, Duo, Microsoft Teams, and others. Indian telecommunications company Reliance Jio also wants a slice of the cake and has launched its own approach to video conferencing, JioMeet.
Mozilla simplifies its Firefox lineup on Android
Only three releases remain for its main browser: Firefox, Firefox Beta, and Firefox Nightly
If you thought the Google Chrome lineup was complicated with its stable, beta, dev, and Canary channels, you haven't looked into Firefox for Android. For a while, we had stable Firefox, Firefox Beta, Firefox Nightly, Firefox Preview, and Firefox Preview Nightly (not to mention the separate Firefox Focus) — truly a mess if you're just looking for the latest version of the completely rewritten new Firefox. That's finally changing, as Mozilla is starting to simplify its lineup, leaving only three versions: Firefox, Firefox Beta, and Firefox Nightly.
Chrome OS will get Steam as part of new Linux virtualization environment
Support will likely first come to 10th-gen Intel CPUs
Back in January, we exclusively reported that Google wants to add Steam to Chrome OS and introduce more powerful Chromebooks, possibly running on AMD silicon. Now further details have emerged. 9to5Google found a new Linux emulator in the Google's Chromium Gerrit codenamed "Borealis" that includes a pre-installed copy of Steam. It might even replace the current Linux implementation in the long term.
Samsung Galaxy S20 series updates with July patch now rolling out in Europe
With camera zoom and video stablization improvements among other smaller fixes
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Samsung used to be known for updating its devices notoriously late, but gradually, it has become one of the most active manufacturers when it comes to software and security patches, often even outpacing Google itself. As such, SamMobile reports that the company has already started rolling out the Android July security patch to its S20 series, beginning in Korea. The new release brings zoom and video stabilization improvements to the camera and sunsets Samsung's Android Auto competitor.
Gboard beta is getting Smart Compose for chat apps
Looking forward to eerily on-point suggestions like in Gmail and Docs
Last year, Google rolled out Smart Compose and autocorrect to Gmail and the G Suite version of Google Docs. The feature automatically suggests words based on your writing patterns and common phrases, and it's eerily good at it. It looks like Google wants to expand Smart Compose to more apps, as 9to5Google has discovered a test that brings the feature to Gboard. As far as we can see, it works in multiple messengers like Google Messages, WhatsApp, and Telegram, but it may also be available for other apps.
Chrome 86 removes the last remaining website forced dark mode flag
The feature won't see the light of day after all
Google has been working on a forced dark mode for Chrome on Android, giving each and every website a black-and-gray makeover, regardless of whether it has a native dark theme or not. Over the last year, the company has poured tons of resources into making this a great experience, but it looks like the developers aren't happy with how the feature is coming together. All options to enable forced dark theme have been removed from the latest Canary build of Chrome for Android, version 86.
You can use Google Search to find 3D models of animals, planets, astronauts, and even cell models and view them as though they were inside your own home. Now Google has announced a new entry to the ever-growing party — dinosaurs. Ten models are brought to you via a collaboration between the search engine and Ludia's Jurassic World mobile game, so you can have that T-Rex stomping through your living room, if that's an experience you're dying to get.
Google Pay Send mysteriously returns to Contacts, but is still unavailable in Assistant, Gmail, and Messages
You’ll have to use the Pay app to send money to your peers
It looks like Google is silently removing the option to send peer-to-peer transactions via Google Pay Send from its apps in the US. This follows the complete shutdown of the P2P service in the UK. For two of our tipsters, the option to send and receive money from friends via the Messages app has been missing for a few days, and now a Google support page has surfaced that confirms that the functionality is being stripped from the Assistant, Gmail, and Contacts, but it has returned to the latter mysteriously. Either way, you'll likely only be able to use the Pay app to move money to friends in the future.
Spotify has been working on proper lyrics support for ages. It likely takes this long to implement the seemingly simple feature in part due to licensing issues surrounding songtexts, which already led to a lawsuit against Google. Spotify seems to have finally found a suitable solution, as TechCrunch reports that the company is planning to roll out lyrics synced with music to 26 markets today. The US, Canada, and the UK aren't among these, though.
Android's Enterprise program to switch out security update requirements for mandatory transparency
Trading security for transparency?
For two years, Google has been trying to make it easy for businesses to run and deploy reliable Android devices through its Android Enterprise Recommended (AER) program. It's essentially a collection of certified hardware with certain minimum guarantees: They must be eligible for zero-touch enrollment, carrier-unlocked, and should receive security updates no later than 90 days of release for a minimum of three years. As XDA Developers reports, the latter requirement might soon be significantly relaxed in favor of more nebulous transparency requirements.
Google is working on a bottom tab switcher strip for Chrome on Android
Resurrecting the idea of Chrome Duet
After years and years of experiments, Google recently killed Chrome Duet, its take on a bottom bar for its mobile browser. But the company doesn't seem to be entirely opposed to adding elements to more reachable spots, as a new test has emerged in Chrome for Android. A flag lets you add a tab strip to the bottom of the interface, similar to the experience when you use tab groups.
How to transfer your uploaded songs on Google Play Music to YouTube Music
Get familiar with the new streaming service before Play Music dies later this year
Google announced a migration tool for taking your library from Google Play Music library of uploaded songs and getting them onto its new YouTube Music service back in May. Now, it's rapidly becoming more widely available across the globe. It's not immediately intuitive what the tool will and won't preserve, though, and the benefits and drawbacks of taking your cloud music library over to Google's new music streaming platform. In this guide, we'll show you the ins and outs of the tool and everything you need to know about using it.
6 Android productivity apps designed to help you work from home
Keeping your routine and sanity while you’re stuck in your apartment
When it comes to working from home, as so many of are learning, distractions are everywhere. Be it your kids, partner, or simply the opportunity to walk out the front door at a moment's notice, it can be hard to maintain a sense of productivity without proper discipline. Some of us simply may not find the right balance of work time, break time, and off hours to keep ourselves sane, and at that point, work can start to feel like your entire life. When the office never actually closes, you never leave. We have a few apps we think can help you manage your time better, be more productive, and also help you set reasonable boundaries when working from home.
Fitbit Charge 4 review, one month later: All the fitness tracking you could ask for, plus some smartwatch goodies
Some smaller omissions taint the otherwise great product, though
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For many people, Fitbit is synonymous with fitness trackers, but the company has faced new challenges from smartwatches in recent years. The Fitbit Charge 4 signifies a change, even if it doesn't look too different from its predecessor. The tracker packs everything you could want from a fitness tracker, and you get basic smartwatch capabilities like notification management, Spotify controls, NFC payments, alarms, and more. However, its $150 price tag may make it a tough sell when a smartwatch like Fitbit's own Versa 2 often goes on sale for the same price.