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Amazon’s best (and perfectly-sized) smart display is $50 off right now
One of Amazon’s best smart displays is available with a massive 33% discount
There are hardly any smart displays better than Amazon's Echo Show 8 (2023) on the market right now with Alexa support. The company's latest smart display builds on its predecessor, packing all the right upgrades, like support for spatial audio and all the smart home standards you can think of. At $150, the Echo Show is more expensive than its predecessor. But if you take advantage of Amazon's latest deal, you can get the smart display for just $99, saving 33% on its MSRP.
Samsung brings back a vital battery tracking option in One UI 6
You can once again track your Galaxy phone’s battery usage ‘since last charge’
With the release of Android 14-based One UI 6 last year, Samsung tweaked its battery usage page to remove the 'Since last charge' option. This made it difficult to gauge a Galaxy phone's battery life since the stats showed the battery consumption for the last 24 hours instead of when the phone was last removed from the charger. Following months of complaints from Galaxy owners about this missing option, Samsung has rolled out an update to its Device Care app to fix this issue.
Samsung Galaxy S23 and Fold 5's One UI 6.1 AI update goes live
One UI 6.1 is rolling out for Samsung’s 2023 flagship phones
Samsung has been teasing the release of One UI 6.1 for its 2023 flagships for a while now. The skin launched with the Galaxy S24 series in late January, marking the debut of Galaxy AI, packing useful features like real-time phone call translation, generative photo editing, and more. Earlier this week, Samsung confirmed the Galaxy S23, Fold 5, Flip 5, and the Tab S9 series will get One UI 6.1 starting March 28th. Right on schedule, the firmware has gone live for the Galaxy S23 and Fold 5 in Europe, the US, and other parts of the world.
5 Android phones that perfectly fill the gap left by the Galaxy A55
These mid-range Android phones are just as good
In a surprising move, Samsung has decided not to launch the Galaxy A55, its most powerful mid-ranger of the year, in the US, at least for now. While the Korean giant's mid-range phones were never known for their performance or value for money, they were still the default choice for many because of their wide availability and good software support. With the Galaxy A55 not coming to the US, here are five Android phones that perfectly fill the gap left by it and are worthy of your money.
Samsung Bixby: What it is and how to use it
Samsung's digital voice assistant is impressive, with deep system settings and third-party app integration
Bixby is Samsung's version of Google Assistant and Apple Siri voice assistants. It's available on most Samsung devices, including TVs, refrigerators, phones, and tablets. Don't confuse it with Galaxy AI, Samsung's generative AI technology found in the latest Samsung devices, such as the Galaxy S24 Ultra.
Google's Circle to Search is coming to more phones
Google's quick search feature also gets translation support
Alongside the Samsung Galaxy S24 series launch in mid-January, Google announced Circle to Search, a new system-wide gesture enabling quick content search of what's on your phone's screen. You can trigger the new way to search by long-pressing on the home button or the navigation gesture bar and then scribble or circle on a subject to get more information about it. To increase the feature's usefulness, Google is adding translate support to Circle to Search. It is also expanding the gesture's availability to its entire currently supported Pixel lineup of devices.
5 things Google got wrong with the Pixel 8 Pro
The Pixel 8 Pro is impressive, but these key areas need to be improved
I have loved the Nexus and Pixel experience for years and have probably used almost every major flagship Google phone launched in the last decade. But with every Pixel, my experience has only worsened after a few months of use. Sadly, it's the same story with the Pixel 8.
Don't expect the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Flip 6 to charge as fast as the S24
Another year of Samsung’s foldable shipping with support for the same old 25W wired charging
Samsung makes some of the best Android foldables that are worth your money. While they might not always pack the cutting-edge hardware you will find in offerings from Chinese companies, they stand out with their user experience. One significant drawback of Samsung's Galaxy Z Flip and Fold lineup is its slow charging speeds. For years, the top-up speed of the company's foldables has remained unchanged at 25W. It appears this won't change this year as well, with Samsung's next-gen foldables limited to the same 25W speed.
WhatsApp wants to be your shared calendar for groups
Meta is also working on adding a new default media quality option to WhatsApp
In October 2023, WhatsApp was spotted working on a new Event scheduling feature for group chats. This feature would allow users in a group to plan and organize events easily by adding the location, time, and date instead of having to coordinate over messages. More details about the feature have now popped up online, detailing how it would work.
Samsung's latest Galaxy S24 update brings a much-needed camera boost
The firmware also bumps the security patch to April 2024
Samsung has rolled out several firmware updates for the Galaxy S24 since its launch in late January to fix the bugs reported by early adopters and bump the security patch to the newest release available. They did little to resolve the image processing issues that let the phone's versatile camera hardware down. A leak suggested Samsung was working on a big camera update for its 2024 flagship, which would arrive in April. Before that, another minor update would land in March with minor camera performance optimizations. This firmware has now gone live in Europe.
Samsung Galaxy S23's AI-packed update could arrive this week
Galaxy AI and One UI 6.1 are coming soon
The Galaxy S24 series launched in late January, running Android 14-based One UI 6.1. Galaxy AI, a suite of AI-powered features, is a big highlight of Samsung's latest One UI skin. Following the Galaxy S24's release, the company confirmed that many Galaxy AI features will also come to its 2023 flagship and premium phones, including the Galaxy S23 series, in late March 2024. With less than a week left for the month to finish, a more precise date for the update's rollout has popped up online.
Spotify loses focus and wants to be a learning platform now
The music streaming service has started offering video-based courses in the UK
Spotify is among the world's largest and most popular music streaming platforms. Over the years, the service has expanded to include audiobooks and podcasts, with music videos getting a limited release on the platform earlier this month. In a new experiment, Spotify is now adding video-based courses to its library in the UK.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 might get an Exynos upgrade
The Flip 6 might go the S24 way and split the world into Exynos and Snapdragon
Samsung typically uses its in-house Exynos chip on its flagship and mid-range Galaxy S phones. For its Flip and Fold range of foldables, the company has stuck with Qualcomm's latest and greatest Snapdragon SoC. A new rumor indicates a tweak in Samsung's strategy for the Flip 6 this year, with the phone switching to an Exynos chip in some markets.
How to use your Wear OS smartwatch with Google Maps
You can keep your phone in your pocket when using Google Maps on your smartwatch
Along with access to notifications, calls, and health tracking, your Android smartwatch can be a handy add-on for navigating busy city streets through Google Maps. Cyclists and runners can leave their phones at home and follow turn-by-turn directions from their wrists. Whether you have a Samsung Galaxy Watch 6, Google Pixel Watch 2, or another Android wearable, use the steps below to set up Google Maps on Wear OS.
Google Pixel Buds Pro get a big 30% discount
Google’s flagship earbuds are down to an irresistible $139
Google took its time to crack the wireless earbuds formula but finally hit it out of the park with the Pixel Buds Pro. The company's flagship earphones pack all the features you can ask for: decent sound quality and ANC, great battery life, Fast Pair, and more.
Android 15 could let you share Bluetooth audio with your friends
The feature could take advantage of Auracast for easy audio sharing
The best Samsung phones support Dual Audio, allowing you to connect and stream music to multiple Bluetooth devices simultaneously. This handy feature makes it easy for you and your friends to listen to the same music on your respective earphones. Google now appears to be working on introducing a similar Audio sharing feature with Android 15.
It only took Samsung 8 years to add this handy Android feature
Samsung appears to have added support for seamless updates on the Galaxy A55
Google introduced seamless updates with the debut of the first Pixel phone in 2016. This feature allows the phone to install a software update in the background, with only a restart required to apply the changes, ensuring little downtime. Despite the feature being around for years, Samsung — the world's largest Android smartphone vendor — has yet to adapt it. In a surprising move, the Korean giant has finally added support for seamless updates, starting with the Galaxy A55.
Android 15 could fix a major annoyance with Pixel’s webcam mode
A new High Quality mode brings a significant boost to video quality
With the release of the first Android 14 Pixel Feature Drop in December 2023, Google added the ability to use your Pixel phone as a webcam with your PC. On paper, the feature sounds similar to Apple's Continuity Camera, which lets you use your iPhone for video calls made through your Mac. In our hands-on experience with Google's Continuity Camera clone though, we found Google's implementation left a lot to desire, especially with the sub-par video quality. Thankfully, it appears the company will resolve the issue in Android 15.
Android and iOS are mature mobile operating systems offering similar features and customization options. But there are differences, where one mobile OS could cover your needs better. We all know Apple's ecosystem is polished but restrictive. It excels within its walls, but those walls can feel confining. In contrast, Android offers an open and adaptable experience, catering to your specific needs without limitations set by the operating system or device maker. So, if you are a long-time iPhone user on the hunt for greener pastures, here are five reasons why you should switch from iOS to Android posthaste.
The Epic Games Store is coming to Android by the end of the year
It will have the same revenue-sharing split as its Mac and Windows counterpart
The European Union's DMA (Digital Markets Act) has forced Apple and Google to make significant platform changes. Due to the regulation, both companies must open their mobile OS to third-party app stores and provide alternative billing options to app developers. Many of these changes were made possible by Epic taking a stand against Apple's bullying and suing it. Epic had also made it clear multiple times during the course of the lawsuit that it wants to launch its app store on iOS. As it turns out, the Epic Games Store is also coming to Android.