Those of you who usually swipe your notifications away to the right (like me) may have taken some time to notice that expelling them to the left is no longer an option in Android Q. As is this case on some Chinese phones, swiping left gives you only snooze and alert settings. Thankfully, it looks like this is going to be customizable by the time the final Q release comes around.
Read MoreGoogle to smartphone screens: Get bent
Samsung (and others) have been teasing the concept of foldable phones for a short while, and that flexible dream has been a science fiction-level goal for years. But up until today, it was anyone's guess exactly how that might have worked when it came to software implementations in Android. But fret not, Google has just revealed at the Android Dev Summit that our favorite operating system will have native support for folding form factors.
Read MoreApps on Android P will no longer be able to monitor your network activity
Unbeknownst to most users (myself included until recently), Android apps on current and previous versions of the OS get unrestricted access to your network activity. There's no permission for you to accidentally say okay to, it's just allowed for all. This means that any app can detect when another app is connecting to an external server, and while the content is not visible, even just the source of the connection could be used for a nefarious purpose.
With a renewed focus on privacy and data collection, not least in the wake of the recent Facebook scandals, this type of potential security flaw clearly needs to be addressed.
Read MoreWeekend poll: In light of Android's 10th birthday, which version first got you started?
The original beta for Google's Android operating system was released on November 5th, 2007, making today ten years since the first public version of the software. It's tough to pin a specific date on Android's origins—people usually reference either today or September 23rd, as that's the date in 2008 was when 1.0-r1 was released—but November 5th is generally regarded as one of Android's birthdays.
That means, as of today, Android is ten years old. Looking back at all the earlier releases made us curious, what version of Android first got you started?
Read MoreAOSP site gets updated with Material Design, a better mobile view, and clearer navigation
Google has given its Android Open Source Project (AOSP) website a considerable makeover, making it much easier on the eye and much more user-friendly too. The update brings it in line with Google's own Material Design guidelines, improves the mobile view, and introduces new top-level tabs to improve navigation.
Read MoreAndroid 7.0 Nougat is being uploaded to AOSP right now
The OTAs have been rolling out since yesterday and as of today we can get some Nexus Factory Images fresh out of the oven. It's now time for AOSP to get caught up. Google is in the process of uploading Android 7.0 Nougat and its first official build NRD90M to the Android Open Source Project.
This is obviously a major version release, so there's quite a bit of code to transfer and that always takes quite a while.
Read MoreIt's Time To Let The Phrase "Stock Android" Die (Opinion)
Sundar Pichai made a series of statements at recode's Code Conference yesterday that seem to have the internet aflutter. Pichai claimed that Google would be adding more software features to future Nexus devices, specifically: "You’ll see us hopefully add more features on top of Android on Nexus phones... There’s a lot of software innovation to be had."
Some have taken this to mean that "stock Android" on Nexus phones is no more. That Google will begin to differentiate just like its partners, with proprietary features and software, and that this marks a move away from a "purer" interpretation of Android. This makes sense until you actually think about it, because Nexus phones haven't run "stock" Android in years, and it's time for us to have a conversation about what that word even means, let alone the idea that Google's interpretation of Android is somehow "purer."
For starters, all of the following applications that ship on Nexus phones today are closed-source.
Read MoreYes, Please: Google Allegedly Tracks Stats For Manufacturers' OS Update Speeds, May Publish Them
According to a Bloomberg article published this morning, Google has been actively tracking the time it takes Android device manufacturers to update their handsets to a new version of the Android OS. Better yet? There are supposedly discussions happening inside Google as to whether or not to make the stats public, as a sort of "name and shame" directive to encourage manufacturers and carriers alike to update their handsets more quickly. To which I respond: oh god yes please, do this, Google.
The report also mentions a few other tidbits that are interesting, and we'll get to those, but let's focus on what I will now call The Android Update Wall Of Shame, which should very much be what it is called if Google does, in fact, publish it.
Read MoreThe Best Of AP
InBrief
[I/O 2015] Dave Burke Wears Android Wear Watch With A Picture Of A Milkshake On It During I/O Presentation - Internet Freaks Out
With the Android M developer preview being made available to the public today, some of the secrets of Android's latest OS have been unwrapped and shown to the public. One secret that still remains is which dessert themed name beginning with M the next gen software will be known by.
Well, there is nothing that the internet does a better job of than spreading rumors, and the image on the face of Google's own David Burke's watch started a big one. There, on his shiny new Huawei Watch (Huatch), was the picture of a milkshake for all to see, a dessert that just happens to start with the letter M.
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Synology's LiveCam app can turn old phones into security cameras, but I wish it worked better
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The Anker Nebula Capsule II with Android TV is the new portable projector to beat
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The OnePlus 7 Pro is the best smartphone you can buy right now
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[Bonus Round] Daggerhood, SiNKR 2, Word Forward, Ordia, Fort Sumter: The Secession Crisis, and Godzilla Defense Force
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12 best new Android games released this week including Durango: Wild Lands, Terraforming Mars, and Alt-Frequencies
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16 best new Android games released this week including Magnibox, Hamsterdam, and Merge Empire
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[Bonus Round] Hamsterdam, PLAYMOBIL Mars Mission, Onslot Car, pliq: Epic Clash Arcade Puzzle, Dungeon of Weirdos, and Fishing Paradiso
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18 new and notable Android games from the last week including Grimvalor, Tesla vs Lovecraft, and Golf Blitz
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Recent Apps and Games
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[Update: Filed with bipartisan support] Politicians finally realize loot boxes are thinly veiled gambling, introduce bill to combat
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[Bonus Round] Daggerhood, SiNKR 2, Word Forward, Ordia, Fort Sumter: The Secession Crisis, and Godzilla Defense Force
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Adobe Scan updated to better capture forms, business cards, and more
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Instagram's IGTV still exists, adds support for landscape videos
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Blast from the Past
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1 Year Ago Today
[Update: More details from internal email] Essential reportedly cancels second phone, puts itself up for sale
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2 Years Ago Today
Google Photos archiving is rolling out to everyone right now
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3 Years Ago Today
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4 Years Ago Today
An Exclusive Early Look At The New Google Photos App
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5 Years Ago Today
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6 Years Ago Today
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7 Years Ago Today
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8 Years Ago Today
HTC "Reviewing" Its Bootloader Policy - We'll Believe It When We See It
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9 Years Ago Today
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