Android

• Google's Play Store offers remote app installation and now potentially remote app removal, making it easier to manage apps across connected devices running on Android.
• Using the Play Store on smartphones, tablets, or desktops is usually quicker and more convenient than using it on devices like smart TVs or wearables, which may have limitations.
• Remote app removal would be particularly useful for app management on those devices, and could eventually help remove unwanted apps from all your devices with a single click.

• Firefox 120 will introduce at least 200 new Android extensions running on a "fully open" extension ecosystem for the mobile browser.
• Mozilla encourages developers to migrate to this ecosystem and resolve internet browsing problems with extensions.
• The extension ecosystem aims to address recurring annoyances such as ads and cookie consent forms, enhancing the user experience on Firefox mobile.

• Google is finally addressing the inability to access storage on its devices ranging from the Pixel 6 to the latest Pixel 8 series after installing Android 14.
• Users are faced with the option of factory resetting their device and losing all of their data, and if declined, they encounter a "Pixel is starting" loop.
• Google hasn't given a concrete timeframe for when the system update should roll out. However, it has rolled out a Play Systems update to try and keep a cap on things.

• YouTube is beginning to test two new generative AI features for a small number of users, beginning with its new "Ask" feature.
• Users can either select pre-made prompts or write their own as they ask the AI questions about relevant content or about a video.
• A new "Topics" button will appear for those in the test, grouping like-minded comments together to be easily digestible for quicker reading.

Earlier this week, Samsung announced its Android 14 update and confirmed a list of devices that would be updated. Surprisingly, the Galaxy S20 and Note 20 series were included on that list, but they’ve since been removed, confirming they likely won’t get Android 14 after all.

• Google Chrome 120 will not support Android Nougat, leaving users with Android 7.0 and 7.1 without Chrome support.
• Chrome has been the most-used mobile browser since its release on Android in 2012, even on iOS devices where it competes with Safari.
• While newer operating systems will receive updates in Chrome 120, older systems like Nougat are being left behind, reflecting the ever-changing tech world.

• Pixel's Car crash detection is now available in five additional countries, including India, Austria, Belgium, Portugal, and Switzerland.
• However, the regional expansion applies only to the Google Pixel 4a and later models as well as the Pixel Fold.
• The car safety feature was introduced to Pixel smartphones back in 2019 as a US-only functionality.

• Meta is rolling out an ad-free subscription option beginning in November for Facebook and Instagram users in the European Union, European Economic Area and Switzerland.
• Users will be able to subscribe for €9.99/month on the web or €12.99/month on iOS or Android devices.
• The company is offering the ad-free plan to comply with “evolving European regulations.”

• Android users can take advantage of the openness of their smartphone by sideloading apps outside the Google Play Store, but this can be risky due to potential malware.
• Google has introduced an enhanced version of Google Play Protect to provide better protection against malicious apps, including real-time scanning at the code-level.
• The new version of Google Play Protect will be rolled out in India first before expanding to the rest of the world, offering stronger protection for Android users globally.

• WhatsApp is rolling out a new feature that allows users to send self-destructing voice messages, providing more privacy for sensitive conversations.
• The feature, currently available to beta testers, prevents recipients from forwarding, saving, recording, or exporting the voice note.
• While not officially available to all users yet, WhatsApp's track record suggests that this feature will eventually be widely implemented.

AndroidX libraries are moving to a default minimum supported Android API level 19 (previously 14) starting with releases in October, 2023. According to Play Store check-in data, nearly all Android users have devices on API 19 or newer, so it’s no longer necessary to support legacy versions. This change will help AndroidX libraries maximize the potential number of users for app developers and aligns with Google Play Services and Android NDK.

If you are currently supporting a lower minSdkVersion, we recommend increasing that value to 19 and cleaning up any code to support prior versions or if you are unable to do so for business reasons you should stay on the previous versions of AndroidX.

I got a push notification about how my Pixel just got more useful...yeah ok let's check this out. Turns out no, it's nothing new to me as Android 14 has been out for about a week now.

EXCEPT for a new "Immersive View" mode in Google Maps. It's just that I can't help but feel something here is wrong...missing even.

If you didn't see it, well I'm pretty sure the bridge doesn't have a huge structural gap in it.

How long before Google kills this feature?

archive.org archive link

• Google starts showing prompts to create and use passkeys to streamline the way you sign in to your personal account.
• You'll also see a new option to "skip password when possible" in your account settings page.
• Users will still be able to sign in with a password and can opt out of passkeys for the time being.

• It doesn't like Google will give us a budget-friendly Pixel device any time soon.
• Google's VP of mobile business Nanda Ramachandran told Der Standard that that it would involve making too comprises.
• But with the Pixel 8a on its way, we'll see how the upcoming addition to the Pixel A series will balance price and performance.