Latest Articles
After being tested in beta on Android, WhatsApp is rolling out 2-factor verification worldwide on both Android and iOS now, via a server-side update. Because WhatsApp is phone number-based, the way this works is different from other two-step processes for securing accounts.
The OnePlus 3T was unveiled a few months back, and seems to have been received well by most. Presumably to keep itself in the news, OnePlus says the pre-announced 128GB version in gunmetal grey is available for pre-order now at its site.
Google I/O is but months away, so it's right about time to start organizing the trip. There's one problem: tickets. As with previous years, getting tickets is a random affair, with Google making no preference about who attends, developer or not. As such, the application period entry is from February 22 10AM PST until February 27 at 5PM PST.
Twitch has proven to be a pretty popular platform among gamers for streaming live footage and gameplay. However, something often berated about is the lack of a way to find great streams. Today the company is attempting to fix that, with the beta release of Communities to its platform.
You may not have noticed - we didn't - but it seems that, a couple days ago, Google removed casting from the Google Photos Android app on a temporary basis. This was due to "stability reasons," according to Photos community manager Ben; however, as of v2.8.1, the feature seems to have returned, with multiple Android Police team members seeing this on their personal devices.
Remembering what we want to buy when going shopping is a problem that plagues many members of the human race, so naturally, we use apps to fill that gap. Of the most popular of said apps is Out of Milk, an Android-only application which has just been acquired by Retale, which will nearly double the latter's userbase in the process.
Zen Studios is well-known for its pinball games of popular franchises, such as Portal, Marvel, The Walking Dead, and Star Wars. The company is back with another one entry to the series now, themed by game developer Bethesda titles.
Love is in the air, love is all around me... sorry, that's Love Actually. Either way, it's Valentine's Day soon, and Niantic is getting into the spirit of things, with Pokémon GO having its first in-game event of 2017.
I have a weird relationship with news apps, constantly switching between different things and never really feeling comfortable with anything. Flipboard was one of the first apps I tried for this purpose, and while I haven't used it in ages, I still like it. Today Flipboard is launching a major redesign, v4.0, focused on smart personalization and magazines.
Signal, the encrypted messenger app which has seen growing popularity over the last couple of months, has begun testing experimental voice and video calls in its beta programme, in preparation for adding the feature to the stable app. This follows the lead of Facebook-owned WhatsApp and Messenger, as well as Google Duo, in a trend of companies focusing on video calling recently.
Like clockwork, the February distribution numbers are out, and while it's not a milestone like last month when Froyo finally died, there are still some important things to take note of.
Back in December, we reported on an issue afflicting certain Google Pixel handsets, whereby the speaker would make a 'popping' sound, otherwise described as a harsh clipping, when watching videos or listening to music with the sound at a specific volume. However, not all devices were affected, and it was unclear what exactly was causing the problem.
Alexa Voice Service (AVS) has been available in the United States for sometime now, but today Amazon is expanding the availability to UK and German developers, while also announcing a new version of Logitech's ZeroMount smartphone car holder.This means both language and region-specific services are now available to developers in England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Germany. AVS enables the integration of Alexa into any device with a microphone and speaker, leading to a proliferation of announcements and products with Alexa at CES last month. This availability follows the release of the Amazon Echo in the UK and Germany in September. Anecdotally, these appear to have been popular; a few people I know, both techy and non-techy, now have Amazon Echos in their homes.The other piece of news here is the re-release of the ZeroMount smartphone dock, from Logitech. This now has Alexa built-in, so you can ask it stuff while driving. Neat, I guess, if you like that kind of thing. As far as I can see, this is the same version as before, only now with Alexa added to it. This is available in both the UK and the US, with a German release coming soon.You can try Alexa's new British/UK English and German capabilities out at Echosim.io. Otherwise, developers: you know what to do. Get building apps that answer what Tube train I should get, or something. It's up to you.Source: Amazon Developer blog
Sometimes companies get it wrong - it's a fact of life, that we all make mistakes. While this is true, some are totally inexcusable, such as this example from Optimum support agents when dealing with a question from a customer (and Android Police reader). The regional US company provides internet, phone, and TV service to New York, Cleveland, and Boston.
We've not had a Humble Mobile Bundle since November, so it looks like it's time for another one. In this bundle are RPGs, including a Star Wars title and two Shadowrun games.
The great thing about 360 cameras is they can capture a moment in time from literally all angles, seeing as they're 360°. If you like the sound of that, take a look at this: Samsung's dust and water resistant Gear 360 is currently down to $225.99 on Amazon, which equates to $125 off the launch price of $350.This is probably because 360 cameras are seen as a bit niche by most of the population. It is true that not everyone needs one; the simple fact of the matter is that not everybody has to take a photo in 360°. However, everyone should want one, and that's the point here - they're such a cool item to have in your technology inventory. As the price previously lowered to $273, then $260, it is looking like Samsung is dropping the cost until it can find a low enough price point where people will buy one, instead of saying "ooh, that looks cool," and then moving on. The Gear 360 produces 30 megapixel images from two 180° cameras, which take two images simultaneously and stitch them both together. Video, meanwhile, is almost 4K - 3840x1920, to be exact.The deal is available on Amazon, so if you're interested, hit up the source link. If you're planning on buying one, though, make sure you take a look from all angles.Source: Amazon
Because Google vastly underestimated the number of people who would want a Pixel smartphone, many had, or have had, delayed shipments - some up to 2 months - and other issues with actually getting their hands on the device they had purchased. Telus even sent out an email saying Google had stopped production, although this was later proved false. To make up for this, Verizon, the exclusive carrier for the Pixel, has started sending out Daydream View headsets to "a subset" of its customers.
Lenovo's Yoga Book was received well by the internet, with many praising its unique and innovative design, but criticizing the software. The Chinese company is back again with a new Android tablet that builds on the Book's success, the A12, with a larger screen and a modified version of Android on board.
We don't really know how popular Google Home is, although it's got a lot of things missing, such as sending text messages and identifying songs. However, presumably so people start buying them, Google has reduced the price of the different bases by half, to $10 for the cheaper fabric ones and $20 for the metal variants.
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon games for PlayStation, XBox and PC are hugely, hugely popular. The new title in the series, Ghost Recon Wildlands, is due to be released on March 7. To tie in with this, a companion app, Ghost Recon Wildlands HQ, has been released by Ubisoft on Android.