About Rajesh Pandey
Rajesh started following the latest happenings in the world of Android around the release of the Nexus One and Samsung Galaxy S. After flashing custom ROMs and kernels on his beloved Galaxy S, he started writing about Android for a living. He uses the latest Samsung or Pixel flagship as his daily driver. And yes, he carries an iPhone as a secondary device. Rajesh has been writing for Android Police since 2021, covering news, how-tos, and features. Based in India, he has previously written for AndroidBeat, Times of India, iPhoneHacks, MySmartPrice, and other tech blogs. He also writes for AP's sister site, MakeUseOf. When not working, you will find him mindlessly scrolling through Twitter/X, watching a movie, or going on long road trips. You can reach out to him on Twitter or drop a mail at rajesh@androidpolice.com.
What was your first phone and what do you remember about it?
Samsung Galaxy S. That phone was truly ahead of its time, with its AMOLED panel and that Samsung SoC. Not to forget the excellent built-in DAC and how supercurio's Voodoo sound was able to fully utilize it. The plethora of ROMs and mods available for that phone from the community got me into tinkering.
Latest Articles
Samsung is working on a big Galaxy S24 Ultra camera update
The new build should improve whilte balance and telephoto image quality
The Samsung Galaxy S24's first firmware update arrived after weeks of delay, bringing much-needed improvements for the dull display colors and camera processing enhancements. Samsung quickly released the second update for the phone, though it did not contain any significant changes. Despite two firmware updates, there's room for Samsung to improve the image processing of the Galaxy S24 Ultra further. The Korean giant will supposedly release such a major camera-specific update for its 2024 flagship in April.
Latest Threads feature helps close the gap with Twitter
A Trending section has arrived, but only in the US for now
Meta launched Threads in July 2023 to compete with Twitter X. At launch, the platform lacked many basic features, which Meta engineers worked around the clock to add to the social networking service. Following that trend, Meta has announced the addition of a "Trending Now" section in Threads, letting you find popular and hot topics being discussed on the platform.
Samsung's Galaxy S25 could truly spell the end of small phones
The Korean giant’s next compact flagship might pack a bigger 6.36-inch screen
If you want a compact Android phone with flagship specs, you have limited options. Your best choice is the Samsung Galaxy S24, which packs almost the same internals as its Plus and Ultra sibling in a smaller form factor. However, if a new rumor proves true, Samsung's 2025 compact flagship might not be that compact.
Samsung’s first cheap foldable may be even cheaper than we thought
Samsung’s cheaper Galaxy Z Fold 6 variant could cost $800
Samsung is supposedly gearing up to announce its 2024 foldable lineup, the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Flip 6, in July this year. Leaked renders have already revealed the design changes Samsung's book-style foldable might get this year. The rumor mill has also popped up conflicting information about the Korean giant launching a cheaper variant of the Fold 6 in a bid to boost its foldable sales. A new report now sheds light on the possible price of Samsung's entry-level foldable phone.
Google’s Pixel launcher will let you change the default search engine
You are no longer limited to using Google as the search provider in Google’s launcher, at least in the EU
In September 2023, the European Union passed the Digital Markets Act (DMA), giving "gatekeepers" like Apple, Amazon, and Alphabet six months to comply with regulations to maintain competition or pay hefty fines. A few months later, Google outlined how it would comply with the DMA when it goes into effect in March 2024. Now, as a part of the changes to comply with the DMA, Google is rolling out a new "search engine" settings option in Pixel Launcher.
Samsung’s next smartwatch could come in three flavors
Classic, Pro, and a regular variant?
Since jumping ship to Wear OS with the Galaxy Watch 4 in 2021, Samsung has launched its wearable in two flavors: a regular model and a Classic variant with a rotating bezel. In 2022, it added a Pro variant to the Watch 5 lineup instead of releasing a version with a physical rotating bezel. Last year, the company again brought back the Classic model and skipped launching a Pro version. With the Galaxy Watch 7 though, Samsung might expand its watch lineup to include three variants.
Samsung Galaxy A55: Price, specs, news, and features
Samsung's 2024 midrange entry isn't coming to the US
Mid-range phones have become better over the years. You can get phones with incredible cameras and excellent performance for less than $500. There are several contenders for the best budget phone, and the Samsung Galaxy A54 stands out from the rest. Released in March 2023, the A54 sports a premium design, a 120Hz AMOLED display, and all-day battery life. Unsurprisingly, the Korean smartphone giant didn't rest on its laurels, finally debuting the Galaxy A55 in March of 2024 as a device packed with all the yearly upgrades you'd expect.
The Pixel Watch makes app install progress as visible as your phone
Installation and updating progress bars are now available in the watch's app drawer for many
Since the debut of Wear OS 3 in 2021, Google has been making steady improvements to the platform. The company's efforts have helped revive Wear OS and made it a viable alternative to the Apple Watch in the Android ecosystem. In recent months, we have seen Google make several small but important usability improvements to its wearable platform, like pushing developers to use the new Watch Face Format and the debut of a hybrid interface for longer battery life. Google has now been spotted testing another small usability improvement in Wear OS, displaying an app's installation progress in the app drawer.
WhatsApp now blocks you from taking screenshots of profile pictures
The feature appears to be rolling out widely
WhatsApp has taken several steps in recent years to bolster the security of its platform and deliver a safer and more secure chat experience. With view-once media, you can use WhatsApp to share private photos and videos with your friends or family without worrying about them forwarding the content to others. They cannot even take screenshots of the view-once media. To further boost user privacy on its platform, Meta is now rolling out screenshot blocking for profile pictures on WhatsApp.
Samsung isn't bringing its Pixel 8a competitor to the US this year
Galaxy fans will have to pick between the A35 or the S23 FE
The Samsung Galaxy A54 was among our premium picks in the budget Android segment. While there were better offerings in the US, Samsung's mid-ranger stood out with its premium build, a great 120Hz display, and decent cameras. This year's Galaxy A55 further raises the bar with a bigger display, a faster chip, and other key upgrades. If you were planning to get your hands on the Korean giant's newest mid-ranger, prepare for disappointment as the company has confirmed that it will not launch the Galaxy A55 in the US "at this time."
The OnePlus Open’s long-delayed Android 14 update is finally live in the US
OxygenOS 14 for OnePlus Open comes with deep Microsoft Phone Link integration
Despite the OnePlus Open being the company's first entrant in the space, it got a lot of things right. We even believe it is the most complete foldable vision to date. While the Open trumps the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 in all key areas, it falls behind its Galaxy competitor in one key area: software updates. OnePlus is nowhere close to Samsung in quickly rolling out updates for its devices. While the Fold 5 received Android 14 in November 2023, the OnePlus Open's firmware is arriving in the US now — nearly five months after the OS was released.
Samsung considering Apple Watch-like square display for future Galaxy Watch
The company’s plans are yet to be finalized though
When Samsung entered the smartwatch market in 2013, it launched the Galaxy Gear with a 1.6-inch squarish display. But since the original Galaxy Watch's debut, they've stuck to circular displays, mirroring the trend other Android smartwatch makers are following. Now, rumors suggest Samsung might be ready to switch things up again, considering a squarish design for their future Wear OS watch.
Samsung's Galaxy S24 is outselling last year's S23 series by 14% in the US
The Galaxy S24 appears to be a hit with consumers worldwide
Samsung's smartphone sales have been consistently declining over the last few years. In 2023, the fall was big enough for Apple to become the world's largest smartphone maker, surpassing Samsung for the first time in 13 years. On the positive side, while the Korean company's budget phones have seen waning consumer interest, its flagship Galaxy S and Fold lineup sales have been booming. And with the Galaxy S24 this year, Samsung's flagship phone is reportedly registering double-digit growth in many markets.
Samsung’s 2024 mid-rangers are here packing all the right upgrades
The Galaxy A55 packs a bigger display, a faster ISP, and improved camera capabilities
Samsung's mid-range phones might not offer the most bang for the buck, but they still stand out with their premium design, excellent display, and decent cameras. Building on that same formula, Samsung has unveiled its 2024 Galaxy A mid-rangers: the Galaxy A55 and A35. Both phones have leaked extensively in the last few weeks, with the A55 even being listed in some online stores. Besides some key design tweaks, the Korean giant's latest budget Galaxy phones pack the usual yearly upgrades, with one key security upgrade.
The 6 things we hate about the Pixel Launcher
There’s a lot Google needs to fix with its launcher
The Pixel Launcher ships as the default launcher on all Google Pixel phones. For all the functionality it packs, Google's stock launcher offers limited customization options. And that's a shame, especially since it has been over 5 years since Google broke navigation gestures in custom launchers, making it difficult to pick up an alternative. Either So, you use the stock launcher with limited features or a custom launcher with buggy gestures.
Android 15's satellite connectivity could help you text your friends
More details of how satellite connectivity will work on Android have surfaced
Apple debuted Emergency SOS satellite connectivity with the iPhone 14 Pro series in 2023. While Android hardware makers are quick to adopt new hardware features, over 1.5 years later, the best Android phones still don't offer an equivalent option. In recent weeks, there have been signs of Google working on adding satellite connectivity to its Pixel phones. A new report now sheds more light on how this feature will work, including the possibility of satellite SOS connectivity coming to existing Android phones without requiring additional hardware.
Your WhatsApp calls could soon show up in Google Phone’s call log
A deeper WhatsApp-Google Phone app integration might be around the corner
WhatsApp makes it easy to reach out to your loved ones. Besides dropping them a message, you can do a voice or video call to catch up with them. Meta has also steadily improved WhatsApp's calling features to deliver a better experience, including expanded group support and call scheduling. Despite all this, WhatsApp VoIP calls are not given the same treatment as calls made over mobile networks, as they do not appear in the Phone app's call log. Thankfully, this could soon change.
One UI 6.1.1 will bring back the vertical app drawer to your Galaxy phone
With a little help from the Home Up Good Lock module
While Samsung's One UI skin already offers a plethora of customization options, its Good Lock app, combined with modules, takes things to another level altogether. With the Home Up plugin, you can customize the One UI Home to change the folder grid size, Apps Screen grid size, and more. Previously, this module even allowed you to switch to a vertical app drawer on your Galaxy phone, though this functionality broke with the release of One UI 6 in October last year. Thankfully, the Good Lock support team has confirmed it will fix this issue, though it's not arriving anytime soon.
OnePlus Open 2: News, leaks, rumored price, and release window
The OnePlus Open was our favorite foldable of 2023, and the OnePlus Open 2 could only make things better
The OnePlus Open is the company's first foldable, and it impressed us in almost every key aspect, earning its spot among our favorite foldables. Its large displays and square design make using the phone a breeze whether closed or open. Meanwhile, excellent multitasking features in OxygenOS allow you to use the big inner folding screen to its potential and boost your productivity while on the go.
Google One wants you to earn some cash for referring friends and family
Your referred friends will save 75% on their Google One subscription for three months
A Google One subscription provides you with a host of benefits, including additional Drive storage, dark web monitoring, family sharing, free VPN, additional editing tools in Google Photos, priority support, and more. Google recently unveiled an AI plan for Google One, providing access to Gemini Advanced. If you are considering subscribing to Google One for Gemini access or additional storage space, reach out to your friend who is already paying for the service. Google has launched a Google One referral program, where new subscribers can get up to 75% off for the first three months.