About Scott Scrivens
Senior UK Editor — My interest in Android began with the beautiful Nexus 4 and the less-ugly-than-before Jelly Bean. Right now, I'm probably watching Black Books, playing football (soccer), or listening to Answer Code Request.
Latest Articles
TikTok is now available for Android TV in the UK, Germany, and France (APK Download)
Works on Chromecast with Google TV
The internet is generally a great place to waste time, but TikTok is the current king in this respect. I've resisted installing it on my phone since I get enough secondhand short video smoke from my girlfriend, but this new development is a worrying one. TikTok for Android TV is now available on the Play Store, which could put an end to any semblance of productivity we were pretending to still be capable of.
Carl Pei's new company is called Nothing, which is about as much as we know about it
Much ado about Nothing
Since leaving OnePlus, founder Carl Pei has spent his time raising $7m for a secretive project, and today we finally learned the name of his new company: Nothing. It's a typically pretentious name for a brand we still know very little about. Previous rumors have pointed to audio products but the latest official word only refers to upcoming releases as "smart devices."
Twitter's Birdwatch pilot will allow users to flag content as misinformation
Community-driven approach aims to provide useful context from a diverse set of contributors
If the last few years of online life have taught us anything, it's that misinformation has become one of the defining issues of our time. This was abundantly clear during the 2020 US election, and we all saw Twitter's attempts to combat the problem by adding notes to Tweets warning of false claims and untruths. Doing that kind of moderation on a large scale is much more difficult, so Twitter plans to trial a community-driven approach that leverages the hive mind of its millions of uses.
Honor View40 announced as brand's first phone since Huawei split
Powerful Kirin chips make way for MediaTek's Dimensity 1000+
In a bid to save its sub-brand from the supply chain woes that have imperiled its phone business in the wake of the US trade ban, Huawei sold Honor to a Chinese government-backed consortium in November of last year. Honor is now launching its first phone as an independent company in the form of the View40 along with a new brand strategy encapsulated by the slogan "Go Beyond."
First details emerge of Android's upcoming app hibernation feature
It's unclear whether it will be ready in time for Android 12
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- According to the latest relevant AOSP code change, as tweeted by Mishaal Rahman, Android's upcoming app hibernation feature will work differently depending on whether it's enabled for a single user or for all users. If just a single user on a multi-user device, app cache for that specific user will be cleared.
It feels like Android 11 has only been out for five minutes, but news about the next major release is about to come thick and fast. If last year's schedule is anything to go by, we could be getting the first Android 12 developer preview as early as next month. We've heard a couple of small tidbits about it so far — Android Runtime is set to become a Project Mainline module and it'll be easier to use alternative app stores — but this latest news sounds especially intriguing.
The Galaxy Buds Pro are Samsung's challenge to AirPods Pro
Sadly not bean shaped, but maybe the ANC will work better this time
Samsung's recent forays into the true wireless earbud market have been surprisingly decent, with the Galaxy Buds and Buds+ among our favorites and even the leguminous Buds Live sounded pretty good despite their strange open fit. The latest iteration marks a return to more traditional earbuds, with a brand-new design and active noise cancelation on board.
Samsung announces the Galaxy S21 series with (slightly) more humble prices
Starting at a more palatable $800
After all the usual leaks and rumors leading up to today's livestreamed Unpacked event, Samsung finally officially took the wraps off its Galaxy S21 lineup. There were few surprises left for TM Koh and co to reveal as the three phones were introduced alongside the Korean company's latest attempt at true wireless earbuds, the Galaxy Buds Pro.
Telegram adds 25 million new users in just 72 hours as rival apps falter
With Parler offline and WhatsApp changing its privacy policy, Telegram is cleaning up
It's only just getting started, but 2021 feels like it will be a crucial year for social apps. The world's most popular app, WhatsApp, just announced changes to its privacy policy that will increase Facebook's powers to use your data. Meanwhile, one of the world's most controversial apps, Parler, was unceremoniously dumped from the internet this week. Unsurprisingly, this is great news for rival chat app Telegram.
Chromecast with Google TV has an annoying Bluetooth audio issue, but there's a simple fix
Get rid of stuttering performance while using YouTube or YouTube Music
The Chromecast with Google TV is a brilliant product, as noted in Ryan's review, but it's not without its flaws. Since getting one a week ago, I've found Google's new Android TV skin to be a delight, so much so that my far more powerful Nvidia Shield has been relegated to the bench. The experience isn't perfect, however, and I've had to close misbehaving apps on several occasions. The most notable issue I've faced relates to Bluetooth audio, but thankfully there's an easy fix.
OnePlus 8T concept phone boasts stunning color-changing design with mmWave-sensing tech
Created by new creative studio OnePlus Gaudí
The first OnePlus concept phone — inventively dubbed the Concept One — was unveiled at CES at the start of this year, featuring an electrochromic color-changing glass panel that could hide and show the rear cameras when needed. Building on that theme, the company has announced a OnePlus 8T concept phone with an abstract pattern on the rear that can shift between dark blue and light silver.
ZTE Axon 20 5G with world's first under-display camera now on sale
Middling specs, but it's all about that notch-free screen
The world's first commercially available smartphone with an under-display camera is now on sale. The ZTE Axon 20 5G, announced back in September, costs €449/£419/$449 and comes in black. Aside from the fancy camera/display tech, the phone's specs put it in the upper mid-range segment — it's powered by a Snapdragon 765G chip and offers 30W fast charging.
Google Home is slooooowly rolling out better integration for Nest Thermostats
Software features that launched with the latest Nest Thermostat might finally be coming to older models
When Google released the new affordable Nest Thermostat in October, it also made some changes to how things are set up and controlled. Instead of using the outdated Nest app, it's all done through the Google Home app now. This is a positive move in many ways, but some of the functionality hasn't yet been migrated over for older models. Finally, it looks like Google is bringing the full new experience to more people, but it sure is a slow rollout.
The Nokia 5.4 is another iterative mid-ranger with an impressively low price tag
For £160 (~$215) you get a large hole-punched screen and a 48MP camera
The Nokia 5.3 was announced in March and quickly became an affordable favorite with reviewers thanks to its low £150 price tag. Few other phones in that bracket can offer the same level of performance along with a passable camera. HMD Global has now seen fit to launch an iterative update in the form of the Nokia 5.4, and it looks set to be another popular lower-mid-range option.
Google services are back online after a huge worldwide outage
Pretty much all of Google's major apps have been on the blink today
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In a major blow for the many millions of us who rely on its services, Google is currently experiencing an outage affecting various products in different locations around the world. Gmail and YouTube are among the apps currently not available to users, and we've been able to confirm ourselves that the outage is ongoing in the UK, Germany, and India.
Google web search is getting a handy UI revamp
New sidebar is only available for certain searches and differs significantly by region
Barely a day goes by without Google running some new UI test or another in one of its core products, and today's example is a nifty new sidebar that's appearing in Google Search on desktop. The first example of this was pointed out to us as far back as September, but only now is it starting to roll out more widely.
Chrome to get improved payment and password management across devices
Seamless autofill will be available whether you sync Chrome or not
Saving payment information and passwords to Chrome can be super handy, but it currently works only if you choose to sync your settings on each device. Over the coming months, Google will make changes to the payment and password manager so that you can use it seamlessly even when Chrome sync is switched off.
Carl Pei's new company will be audio-related, with several new products launching in 2021
Hiring begins after $7m initial investment from the likes of iPod inventor Tony Fadell
After co-founding the OnePlus back in 2013, Carl Pei left the company in September to take some time off ahead of starting a new venture. That new project is already underway, and Pei has announced that he's been able to secure $7m in seed funding from friends and family ahead of a full unveiling early next year.
Screenshots on Pixel phones are much faster with the latest update
Sometimes the smallest things can make a big difference
With yesterday's December update, Google also introduced its latest Pixel Feature Drop including Hold for Me, Extreme Battery Saver, and a few other new bits and pieces. In addition to the new features Google advertises, other little enhancements are often snuck in without much fanfare, and screenshots seem to have been given that treatment this time around.
Holiday-themed Nest Hello Doorbell ringtones are back, with brand-new Kwanzaa chimes added
Greet delivery people with some festive cheer
Google has made a charming habit of enabling special Nest Hello ringtones for holiday seasons, and that's continuing this year. We got some spooky Halloween sounds not long ago, and now it's time to greet visitors with some festive-themed chimes. In addition to the options that were available this time last year, Google has added a brand-new Kwanzaa category.
The best Cyber Monday 2020 deals — UK Edition
Great discounts on phones, wearables, smart home gadgets, and much more
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If you're looking for US deals instead, we've got you covered here.