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You might have noticed a proliferation of personal loan apps in the Play Store as of late. Sure, a lot of them have innovative ways to dress up a loan, but they still encourage people to borrow money. Google has published new rules in the Google Play developer policies aimed at preventing predatory loan apps from taking root in the store.
Google's messaging strategy is famously terrible, but its approach to music isn't much better. Google is moving slowly but surely to make YouTube Music its only music service, and that means more signs that Play Music is being mothballed. The option to purchase Play Music gift memberships is gone in the latest version of the app, and the webpage version probably isn't long for this world.
Google has finally started the process of migrating Nest accounts to Google, and there's no going back after you merge. So, you ought to give it full consideration before proceeding. Something to consider is that Google will "democratize" your Nest products when you migrate. All family members can add and remove people from the home. They can even remove you.
Google promised earlier this year it would give Nest users the option to migrate to more secure Google accounts, and the time has come to begin that process. The Nest app and website are both offering to migrate your account, but be warned, you cannot go back if you change your mind.
You can choose from innumerable SMS apps on Android, including the one that came bundled with your phone. Microsoft has a new option... well, new to most of the world. It launched SMS Organizer a while back in India. After racking up more than a million downloads, the app has expanded globally.
Pixel Stand wireless charger drops to $60 ($19 off) at Amazon and Best Buy
Pixel Stand wireless charger drops to $60 ($19 off) at Amazon and Best Buy
Google was among the first to support wireless charging, but then it dropped the feature during the era of aluminum smartphones. Wireless charging made a comeback with the Pixel 3, but Google's spendy Pixel Stand is the only way to wirelessly fast charge the Pixels. Don't worry, you can pick up the Pixel Stand for a more reasonable price today.
Google started rolling out the new Android Auto earlier this month, and it's an overall improvement. You should have the updated interface already, but we've heard from a number of Android Auto users who haven't seen the update appear automatically. Luckily, there's a quick fix.
Smartwatches didn't exactly explode out of the gate like smartphones, but sales are growing steadily. A new report from Canalys shows a sizeable 38% increase in year-over-year North American shipments last quarter. Almost everyone is moving more wearables, but Samsung is seeing the largest proportional improvement.
It can be hard to keep up with all the features packed into Google Assistant, especially because a lot of the recent additions are underwhelming and don't get much use. Google's latest Assistant rollout is different. The new assignable reminders sound like a fun and useful feature, and they're coming your way soon. Well, in select markets.
We're in the early days of 5G in the US with carriers like Verizon scrambling to deploy millimeter wave and Sprint focusing on mid-band networks. Carriers are talking up the blazing speed of 5G, but how fast are we talking here? Speedtest has measured 5G performance in Verizon and Sprint markets to get a better idea, and unsurprisingly, Verizon's 5G is much, much faster.
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Controlling smart lights was one of the first useful features of Google Home, but the speakers sure do like to talk about what they're doing. Sometimes the verbal feedback is useful, but not so much when you're just turning off the lights like you do every day. Well, Google has finally recognized this is a problem. Soon, your Assistant speakers won't get so wordy when controlling lights.
Sony's WH-1000XM3 over-ear headphones have been lauded for their audio fidelity and noise cancellation since they launched, but not everyone wants to devote so much space in their bag to headphones. Enter, the WF-1000XM3, a set of true wireless earbuds that promise a high-quality audio experience with active noise cancelation. The WF-1000XM3s are bulkier than most other true wireless earbuds, but you get something for that extra mass. These earbuds offer superb sound and effective noise cancellation almost on par with Sony's full-sized headphones. They're spendy at $230, but this is one of those times you get what you pay for.
Google added Digital Wellbeing features to Android last year, but not all phones got them right away, and the feature set is a bit barebones. ActionDash can do everything from Digital Wellbeing, plus it has a ton of power-user features. This app just got an update today to v4.0 with even more ways to keep you from wasting time.
Messaging app Telegram is rolling out another update, and this one cuts down on the noise. It includes several features that encourage quieter and less frequent messaging. Plus, animated emoji. Who doesn't like that?
Google decided to introduce a new version of gesture navigation in Android Q, which is an excellent idea. The 2-button gesture nav design from Pie was, let's face it, terrible. The new full gesture navigation system in Q has some good ideas, but the back gesture is a mess. Google's latest attempt to fix that in Beta 6 isn't going to be enough.
More than anything else, the S Pen is what makes the Note a Note rather than a bigger Galaxy S. Samsung has made small tweaks to the design over the years, but the Note 9 introduced a big change in the form of Bluetooth. The Note 10 and Note 10+ evolves the S Pen even further with the addition gestures.
Google launches a lot of things, and some of them don't survive. You're probably familiar with the high-profile deaths like Google+, Allo, and Reader, but there are numerous little-known services that never gain a following before Google kicks them to the curb. That's the case for Follow Your World, which shuts down next month.
Google unveiled its long-rumored game streaming service earlier this year, and early adopters will get to dive in come November. We know the basics like how much Stadia will cost and which devices it'll support, but there are still some unknowns. Perhaps Google will address them at the upcoming Stadia Connect—it's happening on August 19th at 10AM PDT.
Sprint is on its way to oblivion now that the T-Mobile merger has received government approval, but the increasingly troubled carrier is still going through the motions. It's even preparing to launch a new 5G device with OnePlus. However, Sprint has opted to keep virtually all the details to itself.
Essential might not have a new phone to sell you, but it does have a free OTA update today. Google has started rolling out the latest Android patches, and Essential has them ready for the Essential Phone, as tradition dictates. Don't expect new features, but security is pretty important, too.