Qualcomm is all set to launch its new flagship processor the Snapdragon 898 and according to the rumors the new SoC 898 will be a major improvement over the Snapdragon 888. The Snapdragon 898 will give a much better performance than any of its previous processors.
The biggest highlight of the Snapdragon 898 will be its core that will be clocked at 3.09GHz, which can create a huge difference in the performance of a phone the only major problem that can be faced by this new processor is some unnecessary heating issues just like the Snapdragon 888. Because of the heating issue with the Snapdragon 888, there were a lot of criticisms that Qualcomm had to go through.
Now, talking more about the cores of the Snapdragon 898. The Snapdragon 898 will have four efficiency cores, then three performance cores, and one ARM X2 core that will be clocked at 3.09GHz. The Geekbench score for the Snapdragon 898 was 1250 for single-core and 4000 for multi-core.
The Snapdragon 898 will be a major improvement and considering the known specs it will definitely stand on top regardless of its competitor. The released date of the Snapdragon 898 is still not revealed yet but we can aspect it to be launched soon in the near future.
Mediatek has finally made a new announcement about its brand new upcoming flagship processor, the name of the processor is not out yet but the officials have declared that they will be launching a new 4nm 5G Soc by the end of this year.
The current Mediatek flagship processor is the Dimesity 1200 which is built on a 6nm chip and the other flagship processor which is built on a 5nm chip is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888. Mediatek can become the first to launch a 4nm chip in the smartphone market.
So, now the main question is whether the new Mediatek 4nm chip can beat the upcoming Snapdragon 898 SoC or not? Considering the performance of their previous flagship processor the Dimensity 1200 and the Snapdragon 888, the snapdragon was a clear winner in every aspect but the Mediatek Dimensity 1200 was not far behind, and now with a 4nm chipset, MediaTek has promised a much better performance compared to any other chipset.
So, when will we be able to see the new Mediatek chipset running on a phone, according to the announcement we can see new phones coming with this 4nm chip in early 2022 until then we have to wait for any official benchmark score.
Android 12 beta 3.1 finally arrives today with a lot of bug fixes. Most important bugs like boot loop, System UI crash, and memory issue that was killing processes are fixed in the update. Apart from the last update, it doesn't have any improvements or UI enhancements but instead, it fixes the required bugs which are there in the last update.
Almost after 2 weeks of the release Android 12 beta is getting several complaints as more and more users are engaging in the preview. The last update is enriched with features and improvements and also comes with lots of bugs of which users are complaining about from day 1 of the preview.
The full release note is:
Fixed an issue that caused some devices to get stuck in a boot loop after restarting the device. (Issue #193789343)
Fixed an issue that sometimes caused the System UI to crash.
Fixed an issue that sometimes caused the Android low memory killer daemon (lmkd) to excessively kill processes.
The new update is available Pixel 3, Pixel 3a, Pixel 4, Pixel 4a, and Pixel 5 right away. To install Android 12 beta on other phones you can check out this article. Android 12 Beta 3.1 (SPB3.210618.016) rolling out as an OTA for Pixel devices and it is a very small update in terms of size as for Pixel 4a it just requires 797kB and 2.93MB for Pixel 5.
If you're already on the beta program, the update can be easily installed by heading over to Settings -> System -> System Update, or else if you're not enrolled in the beta program you have to manually flash the factory image. The link for the Factory Image and OTA are mentioned below.
With the all new iOS 14 and Google's Special Widget for iPhone, it's all Clear Google cares more about widgets on iPhone than Android. Good News is, you now can get the same Widget on your Android Smartphone with KWGT.
Credits to Joseph for making this Incredible Fully-Functional Widget for Android, All you need to do is Install the Pro Version of KWGT, Download the Kustom Widget, and Download a few Google Applications mentioned below for the Google Lens, Google Assistant, and Incognito Mode Buttons to work.
[Steps] How to Get iOS Like Google Widget on your Android Smartphone
So Google just made this Cool new Widget Available for iPhones running iOS 14. Apple iOS 14 finally comes with an Option where you can place Widgets inbetween your Applications and that's Something Android has been doing for years, but you know, when Apple do it, it's Cool.
This new Search Widget looks really nice and is available in different sizes for iOS 14. It Got a Search Bar, Lens, Voice Search and Incognito Option right there. Sadly it's not available for Google's own Android, Google likely want it to be iOS Exclusive.
This is not the first time we're seeing something like that from Google's side, Google got a sweet spot for iOS. Motion Stills, Photovine and there are many Cool Google Applications first came to iOS and then made their way to Android.
As an Android user, this makes me feel like Google loves iOS more than Android. Not Cool Google.
OnePlus is now rolling out another Software update to the OnePlus 7 and OnePlus 7 Pro users in the form of OxygenOS Open Beta 8 which is based on Android 10.0 Q.
With OxygenOS Open Beta 8 adds One Handed Mode, Fixes a couple of Camera issues and updates the Android security patch level on the two smartphones to December 2019.
System
Optimized the mistouches when the phone was in pocket
Fixed the display issue on the uninstalling page
Updated Android security patch to 2019.12
Improved system stability and fixed general bugs
Camera
Fixed the crash issue while opening the App
Fixed the black screen issue
You'll need to do is flash the Open Beta firmware on your OnePlus 7 and OnePlus 7 Pro. Once you migrate to the Beta path, you will continue to receive Open Beta OTAs. You will NO LONGER receive the regular Official Stable OTAs.
The Motorola One Power is now receiving its Official Android 10 update. We've seen the update coming through Motorola One Power in India (RETIN). It weighs around 1.2GB and features December 1, 2019 Security patch.
Android 10 update includes new Gesture Navigation, System-wide Dark Theme, and better notifications control with suggested actions and silent groups. You also have more control over privacy and security.
The stable build is rolling out as QPT30.61-18 for the Motorola One Power. Motorola’s instructions explain that for a successful installation, the battery in your phone should be at least 50% charged and your device should be connected to a Wi-Fi network or LTE.
If you haven't got the notification of this new software update yet, Just go to Settings - About Phone - Software updates, and It will automatically start downloading the latest update. The update will take around 10-15 minutes to get Installed on your device.
Spotted back in March 2019, xHelper is an unremovable Malware which has already infected 45,000 Android Smartphones. Reports are xHelper is making on average 131 victims per day and 2,400 victims per month.
According to Malwarebytes, xHelper gets installed via Unknown Third Party Applications which are not downloaded via Play Store. Worst part is you just cannot Uninstall this Malware, even performing factory reset of the entire device won't do anything good.
The Lineage team has already started work on LineageOS 16 (Android 9.0 Pie) although we’re yet to see a working ROM out in the wild for users to try out.
The team posted on Github the Initial manifest files for LineageOS 16 based on Android Pie, although that doesn't mean a LineageOS 16 release date is available.
With Android 9.0 Pie, you'll get new Swipe Gesture navigation, Rotation suggestion, Adaptive Battery and Adaptive Brightness, Smart replies, App actions, Text selection, Redesigned Quick Setting tiles and Notification Panel, Redesigned Volume Options, Brand new Settings, Privacy, Digital Wellbeings (Dashboard) and Winddown Mode, and more...
That said, we'll keep you updated with every news of the LineageOS 16. Stay tuned to our Facebook, Twitter, and Telegram to get the first News.
Google recently launched the Next Iteration of its Android Operating System Android 9.0 Pie. The Tech Giant also pushed Android Pie source code to AOSP, helping the developers develop custom ROMs for their devices based on Pie.
Most of the developers already got working Android 9.0 Pie (AOSP or Lineage OS 16) build on their devices. AOSP based ROMs don’t come with Google services pre-installed, so you'll need to download and install Android Pie based Gapps on your device otherwise, you won’t get Google Play Services on Oreo based ROMs.
For now only Micro Gapps package is available for ARM64 bit processor. Before downloading you'll need to find your device's CPU type. You can install CPU Z that gives you a readout about your device's hardware.
Wait is Over, Android 9.0 Pie is now Official... Sweet
"The latest release of Android is here! And it comes with a heaping helping of artificial intelligence baked in to make your phone smarter, simpler and more tailored to you. Today we’re officially introducing Android 9 Pie."
This release has version PPR1.180610.009, PPR1.180610.011 for Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL, PPR1.180610.009, PPR1.180610.010 for Pixel and Pixel XL.
You can also grab the new Android Pie images here and OTA files here.
According to Verizon's Software support page, Stable Android 9.0 P is ready for Google Pixel Smartphones with Software build PPR1.180610.009 and latest August 2018 Security Patch.
Verizon has also mentioned the changes and features you'll be getting along Android 9.0 P including new and simpler UX with gesture navigation, slices, and app actions.
"Verizon Wireless is pleased to announce a new software update for your Google Pixel. Android 9.0 P improves your mobile experience with several new features and enhancements. This update also includes the latest Android security updates and bug fixes."
Slices
Slices are dynamic interactive templates that provide a rich UI experience when using Search and Assistant. For quick access to desired actions and apps, click on the Search bar and begin typing in the app name. App Actions
App Actions help you get to your next task more quickly--playing your favorite Spotify playlist, for example--by predicting what you want to do next. App Actions are arranged throughout Android in places like the Launcher, Smart Text Selection, Play Store, Google Search and Google Assistant. With Android P, we're going beyond simply predicting the next app to predicting the next action you want to take. We call this feature App Actions.
Simple (UI/UX)
We're introducing a new system navigation. The design recognizes a trend towards smaller screen bezels—the borders between a screen and a phone's frame--and places an emphasis on gestures instead of hard to press buttons at the edge of the screen.
Swipe up a single clean home button to see an updated Overview, where you can resume recently used apps in a more glanceable view
Smart Text Selection works in Overview, so you can tap on some text and get an action to launch relevant apps
You can quickly tap one of 5 predicted apps, or continue to swipe up to get to All Apps
Android 9.0 P Final Build is due for August and today Google released guidelines on supporting phones with display cutouts on Android P.
Google says that there are currently 16 cutout devices from 11 OEMs, including several Android P beta devices, with more on the way. Basically, Google wants Developers and OEMs to provide great experience across devices with one or maximum two display cutouts.
Great news is, you'll be able to render your application content in the cutout area to provide a more immersive, edge-to-edge experience for users, especially for content like videos, photos, maps, and games.
Google just released the Android 9.0 P Developer Preview 5. According to Google's release schedule, this is the final beta build for Pixel Smartphones.
Android P Developer Preview 5 should be the most stable version available right now. This release is version PPP5.180610.010 for all four phones.
The Android P Developer Preview 5 is available to the Google Pixel, Pixel XL, Pixel 2, and Pixel 2 XL. If you want to get a taste, you have a bunch of options. You can either flash Preview 5 Images or OTAs, or just sign-up for the Android Beta and wait for the OTA update.
Here's a link to sign-up for the Android Beta program.You can also grab the new Android P DP5 images here and OTA files here.
Google just released the Android 9.0 P Developer Preview 4. According to Google's release schedule, this is the candidate builds which includes the final APIs and near-final system images for development and testing.
Android P Developer Preview 4 should be the most stable version available right now. This release is version PPP4.180612.004 for all four phones.
The Android P Developer Preview 4 is available to the Google Pixel, Pixel XL, Pixel 2, and Pixel 2 XL. If you want to get a taste, you have a bunch of options. You can either flash Preview 4 Images or OTAs, or just sign-up for the Android Beta and wait for the OTA update.
Here's a link to sign-up for the Android Beta program.You can also grab the new Android P DP4 images here and OTA files here.
Google just released new Android P Build (Developer Preview 2) with exciting new features, and also announced a huge expansion of the Android Beta program. The company is now allowing non-Google devices to be a part of the beta program.
You'll be able to install the latest Android P DP2 on OnePlus, Xiaomi, Nokia, Essential, Sony, Vivo, and Oppo Smartphones. Specifically, the phones are:
Sony Xperia XZ2
Vivo X21UD
Vivo X21
Essential Phone
Nokia 7 Plus
Oppo R15 Pro
Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S
OnePlus 6
In case you want to Install it on above mentioned devices, you can do it via downloading files and flashing them manually via adb. You can follow the link below and grab the instructions from OEMs to get Android P.
Note that the OnePlus 6 will get the Android P beta firmware on May 16, the same day the phone is launched.
Recently Google unveiled the next iteration of Android OS i.e. Android P (Developer Preview 1) with exciting new features, brand new Settings, Quick Setting Tiles, Notification Panel, and Launcher Design.
Google has also added few security enhancements including a feature with ability to lock your phone down and prevent it from being unlocked with your fingerprint/smart lock/biometrics. Well, the good news is you can still get that Lockdown feature without having the Pixel or Pixel XL.
Lineage Community has added a similar feature to the latest LinageOS 15.1 build which is based on Android 8.1 Oreo. It is now available for LineageOS users with the most recent weeklies update.
As of now, the Official LineageOS 15.1 is only available for a few Smartphones.
The Lockdown feature prevent your Smartphone from being unlocked with your fingerprint/smart lock/biometrics and you can only unlock it using the password, PIN or pattern.
Just yesterday, Google announced the first developer preview of the Android 9.0 P with exciting new features and a few user interface changes. The Android P Developer Preview 1 is only available for Pixel, Pixel XL, Pixel 2, and Pixel 2 XL and can be flashed via Firmware Images or OTA files.
We tried Android P DP1 on the Pixel XL and below are some videos and screenshots showing off the new UI and Changes in the Android P.
Android P Overview
Android P Animations in Slow Motion
Android P Screenshots
Android P New Features [Developers]
Android P introduces great new features and capabilities for users and developers. This document highlights what's new for developers.
Indoor Positioning with Wi-Fi RT - Android P adds platform support for the IEEE 802.11mc Wi-Fi protocol—also known as Wi-Fi Round-Trip-Time (RTT)—to let you take advantage of indoor positioning in your apps.
Display cutout support - Android P offers support for the latest edge-to-edge screens with display cutout for camera and speaker. The new DisplayCutout class lets you find out the location and shape of the non-functional areas where content shouldn't be displayed. To determine the existence and placement of these cutout areas, use the getDisplayCutout() method.
Notifications
Android P introduces several enhancements to notifications, all of which are available to developers targeting Android P and above.
Support for images: Android P now displays images in Messaging Notifications on phones.
Save replies as drafts: Your app can retrieve the EXTRA_REMOTE_INPUT_DRAFT sent by the system when a user inadvertently closes a messaging notification.
Identify if a conversation is a group conversation: You can use setGroupConversation() to purposefully identify a conversation as a group or non-group conversation.
SmartReply: Android P supports the same suggested replies available in your messaging app.
Multi-camera support and camera updates - You can now access streams simultaneously from two or more physical cameras on devices running Android P. On devices with either dual-front or dual-back cameras, you can create innovative features not possible with just a single camera, such as seamless zoom, bokeh, and stereo vision. The API also lets you call a logical or fused camera stream that automatically switches between two or more cameras.
Animation - Android P introduces a new AnimatedImageDrawable class for drawing and displaying GIF and WebP animated images.
Security enhancements - Android P introduces a number of new security features, including a unified fingerprint authentication dialog and high-assurance user confirmation of sensitive transactions.
Android 9.0 P first Developer Preview is now available to the Pixel, Pixel XL, Pixel 2, and Pixel 2 XL.
Note that there won't be any OTA beta to join, so you'll need to flash the Developer Preview Images or OTA files manually. Download Android P Factory Images and OTA files from below.
Every month, Google posts a new security update for the Nexus and Pixel line of devices. The Android security update for March 2018 are already live for a number of devices.
Google has posted both the OTA’s and the factory images for the selected Nexus or Pixel devices. The supported devices includes Nexus 5X, Nexus 6P, Pixel C, Pixel, Pixel 2, Pixel 2 XL and Pixel XL.
For now, we have March 2018 Security Firmware files based on Android 8.1.0 Oreo for the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL (OPM1.171019.021), Pixel and Pixel XL (OPM1.171019.021), Nexus 6P (OPM3.171019.016, OPM5.171019.017), and Nexus 5X (OPM3.171019.016, OPM5.171019.017).
March 2018 Security update for the Pixel 2, Pixel 2 XL also brings Performance, Audio improvements, and other fixes.
You can grab Factory Image or OTA file at the links below.
