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LineageOS retires Android 10-based 17.1 builds as preparations for Android 12 pick up steam
Time to move on
LineageOS is unarguably among the most popular custom ROMs for Android, supporting various devices and offering a plethora of features. Despite the release of Android 12 in October last year, the team has been focusing on LineageOS 17.1 and 18.1 builds, based on Android 10 and Android 11, respectively. That's changing now, as LineageOS will be retiring Android 10-based builds of its ROM due to space restrictions on its servers. This is because it will start testing its build for Android 12-based LineageOS 19 — it is not shipping anytime soon, though.
The Fairphone 2 celebrates 6 years of support with an Android 10 beta
Didn't get up to an upgrade every year, but we'll take it
Imagine what it would be like if Android OEMs could or would update software for as long as Apple does with its products? There's no need to for owners of the Fairphone 2 as they are set to test and receive Android 10.
Your old Android phone is getting better about keeping you safe from barely-used apps
'Those permissions granted to you? Yeah, we're gonna need them back...'
Google is alerting app developers to some big coding changes ahead of the planned expansion of Android's permission auto-reset policy. This means more users will have permissions they've granted to apps automatically revoked starting in December. Here's what you need to know as a consumer.
With Android 12 around the corner, the year-old Microsoft Surface Duo is still on Android 10
Does Microsoft even care?
Just over a year ago, Microsoft launched the Surface Duo, its first Android phone. In some ways, the Duo was one of the most ambitious Android phones in the world with its unique dual-screen design. On the other hand, it was lacking some key features you'd expect from a $1,400 phone, like NFC, the latest ARM SoC, and a big battery. It also launched with Android 10 in the immediate aftermath of Android 11's release. Surely, that would just be a temporary issue, right? Well, here we are a year later, and the phone is still on Android 10.
It's time for Google to fix Android's share menu
Useless direct share targets and custom in-app share sheets are the bane of my existence
The share sheet is both the best and the worst thing to happen to Android. Theoretically, it's a powerful built-in feature that allows you to share content from one app to another and that should make it easy to send photos, files, videos, and links to your most precious contacts with just two or three taps. The reality is far from this ideal, though. Suggested contacts in the top "direct share" row rarely consist of people you regularly talk to, and far too many apps (including Google apps!) have started implementing their own custom share sheets that prevent any muscle memory from building up.
TeamWin updates TWRP to 3.5.1, Android 11 support coming soon
They're calling it a 'mini release' with a few notable feature improvements
The evergreen TeamWin Recovery Project received a sizable update to 3.5 back in December. Late last night they posted 3.5.1, which they're calling a "mini release," waiting for full support for Android 11. Most of the changes are housekeeping and small support additions, now split into two branches for Android 9 and 10.
The OnePlus Nord is getting an update, but it's not Android 11
Nothing but small bugfixes for the Android 10 build
OnePlus is currently working on bringing Android 11 to the Nord, but it's only available in beta right now. And it looks like it will remain that way for a little longer, as the company has just pushed another Oxygen OS 10 build to the midrange phone.
Realme X7 Pro 5G Review: A promising midranger with some flagship bling
And you'll never forget to leap, apparently.
Realme is the fastest-growing smartphone company in the world right now, and it doesn’t seem to have any intentions of losing pace in 2021. The Realme X7 Pro 5G is the latest smartphone to roll off the company’s production line, and at INR 29,999 (~$413), it's an exciting proposition for anyone looking to get a premium smartphone experience without breaking the bank.
Realme X7 5G and X7 Pro 5G offer dual-SIM support and super-fast charging
They ship with 65W chargers in the box
While 5G hasn't arrived in India yet, smartphone companies have already started selling 5G phones. The newest kids on the block are the Realme X7 5G and the X7 Pro 5G, which aim to compete with mid-rangers like the Xiaomi Mi 10i and the OnePlus Nord.
OnePlus is currently hard at work bringing Android 11 to the 7 and the 7T series, and that's where it'll focus its development efforts going forward. The company has announced that it's releasing one final OxygenOS 10 update before owners can expect the Android 11 firmware.
Motorola thinks it's 2019, rolls out Android 10 update for Moto One Macro
Meanwhile, the Moto G Stylus 2020 gets Android 11
You'd think that Motorola, with its comparatively light Android skin, would be quicker at delivering software updates, right? Well, you couldn't be more wrong. If its flagship phone, the Edge+, ranks poorly on our update tracker, it's best not to expect too much from its budget devices. However, the company has managed to fall short of even the lowest expectation by only just releasing Android 10 for the Moto One Macro in 2021.
Sony has managed to keep the schedule it promised at the end of November, and an update delivering Android 11 to the Xperia 10 II has started rolling out. The "super mid-range" phone was announced in February 2020 and released in certain markets beginning in May, running Android 10.
OnePlus brings the new OxygenOS 11 launcher to some older phones
OnePlus phones on Android 10 can get it at the Play Store
OnePlus is a little behind when it comes to bringing the Android 11-based OxygenOS 11 to its older phones, but the company is rolling out an update that will plug that gap a bit in the meantime. The latest 5.x version of the OnePlus Launcher is now compatible with most of the company's older phones, and the two that don't have it yet will later this week, we're told.
Asus says the 2018 ROG Phone will stay on 2018's Android Pie
$900+ apparently doesn't buy you more than one OS update
Asus has a mixed history with software support, but more often than not, the company slips behind on keeping its phones updated. The original ROG Phone was released in late 2018 with Android 8.1, a few months before Android 9 Pie became available, and finally received Pie a year later. Now it seems the gaming flagship will stay on the outdated OS.
Lenovo's modest new Tab P11 Android tablet starts at $230 and is ready for extreme accessorizing
Avoiding the iPad? Maybe try this on for size
For some of you, an Android tablet might be all you need — maybe just with a few mode changes like a dock, a folio, maybe even a pen. Lenovo has catered to this very peculiar subset for a long time and it's doing so again for 2021 with its latest Tab P11.
A 'customizable' phone is coming to India, courtesy of Lava
Select the RAM, storage, and camera setup of your choice
Smartphones, for a lot of us, are the most important tools that we use on a day-to-day basis, and it's definitely great to be able to buy one that perfectly suits our needs. This is precisely why smartphone companies offer several variants of each smartphone — to make sure everyone has something to choose from. Taking this one step further is Indian smartphone brand Lava, whose new smartphone can be customized according to your needs.
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Although Motorola has been slow to roll out Android 10 to most of its devices globally, the company is at least keeping developers happy with steady kernel source releases. Over the past few weeks, Motorola has released updated source code packages for most of its phones, accelerating the creation of custom ROMs and recovery partitions.
One of the two latest entries to the OnePlus' new budget lineup, the Nord N100, has just received its first Oxygen OS update to version 10.5.1. It looks like it just consists of a few last-minute fixes for some issues that may have popped up in a late testing phase ahead of the launch, as there isn't a new security patch or even Android 11.
Android 10 pushes Android Auto to over a billion Play Store installs
That's 900 million new downloads in just ten months
Android Auto's download count over on the Play Store is positively exploding. In a mere four months, the app has gone from 500 million installs to over a billion. Only six months before that, it was at 100 million. That's an incredible order of magnitude of growth in less than a year.
T-Mobile Galaxy Tab A 8.0 receives Android 10, just in time for Android 11
Android 10 continues to spread across Samsung's tablet lineup
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Android 11 is on the horizon, but there are still plenty of phones and tablets that need an upgrade to Android 10. Samsung has been ramping up its rollout on tablets, as most versions of the Tab S5e and Tab S6 now have Android 10, and the company's cheaper tablets are next in line for the update.