Samsung may have finally implemented seamless updates on their Android devices! When updating the new Galaxy A55 5G, users have noticed that the software update screen now shows a "downloading and installing" as well as "verification" steps.
In addition, TheMobileIndian reports that upon restarting their A55, they "did not encounter the One UI installation screen [recovery] that we see when we update other Samsung phones."
(Thanks to John and Abdulwahab for the tip!)
In addition, TheMobileIndian reports that upon restarting their A55, they "did not encounter the One UI installation screen [recovery] that we see when we update other Samsung phones."
(Thanks to John and Abdulwahab for the tip!)
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ICYMI: Qualcomm this week unveiled the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 and the Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3.
The Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3 is tiered slightly above the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3, while the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 is right below the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. The 7+ Gen 3 offers boosted CPU and GPU performance and Wi-Fi 7 support versus the 7 Gen 3. The 8s Gen 3 has slightly lower CPU clocks, an older GPU, and an older modem, but it has the same Arm CPU IP.
The key feature of these new platforms is that they bring support for running many popular LLMs on-device, such as Baichuan-7B, Llama 2, Gemini Nano and Zhipu ChatGLM. This will bring on-device generative AI features to more price points.
Expect to see a lot of "flagship killer" and upper mid-range smartphones powered by these new chipsets, with vendors like
Honor, iQOO, Realme, Redmi, Xiaomi, OnePlus, and SHARP adopting one or both platforms.
The Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3 is tiered slightly above the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3, while the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 is right below the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. The 7+ Gen 3 offers boosted CPU and GPU performance and Wi-Fi 7 support versus the 7 Gen 3. The 8s Gen 3 has slightly lower CPU clocks, an older GPU, and an older modem, but it has the same Arm CPU IP.
The key feature of these new platforms is that they bring support for running many popular LLMs on-device, such as Baichuan-7B, Llama 2, Gemini Nano and Zhipu ChatGLM. This will bring on-device generative AI features to more price points.
Expect to see a lot of "flagship killer" and upper mid-range smartphones powered by these new chipsets, with vendors like
Honor, iQOO, Realme, Redmi, Xiaomi, OnePlus, and SHARP adopting one or both platforms.
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Android 15 Developer Preview 2 is OFFICIAL! Google has just announced the release on the Android Developers blog. Here’s what Google says is new in Android 15 DP2:
- Android 15 DP2 adds some UI elements to ensure a “consistent user experience” for devices that support satellite connectivity. The update also expands platform support for satellite connectivity by adding a new ServiceState.isUsingNonTerrestrialNetwork() API that apps can use to detect when a device is connected to a satellite. Android 15 also lets SMS/MMS/RCS apps use satellite connectivity for sending and receiving messages.
- Android 15 is adding a property (WindowManager#COMPAT_SMALL_COVER_SCREEN_OPT_IN) that developers can use to show their Application or Activity on the small cover screen of a clamshell foldable phone (AKA a “flippable” device). Since these screens are too small for most apps, you need to opt in to support them. Plus, this only works on flippable devices that add support for this feature.
- Android 15 lets apps detect when they’re being recorded! Apps can use WindowManager’s addScreenRecordingCallback(...) API to receive a callback when they transition between being visible or invisible in a screen recording. This lets apps that are performing sensitive operations inform the user that they’re being recorded. Notably, this expands on the screenshot detection API introduced in Android 14.
- The PdfRenderer API is getting a lot of improvements in Android 15! The API now lets apps add advanced features like rendering password-protected files, annotations, form editing, searching, and selection with copy. Linearized PDF optimizations are supported to speed up local viewing and reduce resource use. Google is moving PdfRenderer to a Mainline module that can be updated via Play System Updates. On Android 11+, the PdfRendererPreV API provides a backported version of these changes.
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- Android 15 DP2 adds some UI elements to ensure a “consistent user experience” for devices that support satellite connectivity. The update also expands platform support for satellite connectivity by adding a new ServiceState.isUsingNonTerrestrialNetwork() API that apps can use to detect when a device is connected to a satellite. Android 15 also lets SMS/MMS/RCS apps use satellite connectivity for sending and receiving messages.
- Android 15 is adding a property (WindowManager#COMPAT_SMALL_COVER_SCREEN_OPT_IN) that developers can use to show their Application or Activity on the small cover screen of a clamshell foldable phone (AKA a “flippable” device). Since these screens are too small for most apps, you need to opt in to support them. Plus, this only works on flippable devices that add support for this feature.
- Android 15 lets apps detect when they’re being recorded! Apps can use WindowManager’s addScreenRecordingCallback(...) API to receive a callback when they transition between being visible or invisible in a screen recording. This lets apps that are performing sensitive operations inform the user that they’re being recorded. Notably, this expands on the screenshot detection API introduced in Android 14.
- The PdfRenderer API is getting a lot of improvements in Android 15! The API now lets apps add advanced features like rendering password-protected files, annotations, form editing, searching, and selection with copy. Linearized PDF optimizations are supported to speed up local viewing and reduce resource use. Google is moving PdfRenderer to a Mainline module that can be updated via Play System Updates. On Android 11+, the PdfRendererPreV API provides a backported version of these changes.
(1/3)
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Mishaal's Android News Feed
Android 15 Developer Preview 2 is OFFICIAL! Google has just announced the release on the Android Developers blog. Here’s what Google says is new in Android 15 DP2: - Android 15 DP2 adds some UI elements to ensure a “consistent user experience” for devices…
- Android 15 is updating the NFC stack to add a new “observe mode.” Observe mode lets devices listen but not respond to NFC readers. On supported devices, apps can request the NfcAdapter to enter observe mode so they then get PollingFrame objects to process. Apps can read PollingFrame objects to auth ahead of the first communication to the NFC reader, which allows for a one tap transaction to be made.
- Android 15 gives apps control over the HDR headroom with the Window#setDesiredHdrHeadroom. This lets apps decide how to strike a balance between SDR and HDR content. This is useful for when a mix of SDR and HDR content is shown on screen, as letting the OS decide can end up adversely influencing the perceived brightness of the SDR content.
- Android 15 supports the CTA-2075 standard which helps users avoid audio loudness inconsistencies and ensure they don’t have to constantly adjust volume when switching content. The system uses known characteristics of output devices and the loudness metadata available in AAC audio content to intelligently adjust audio loudness and dynamic range compression levels. Devs need to ensure loudness metadata is available in their AAC content and also enable the platform feature in their app.
- Android 15 expands the AutomaticZenRules API which lets apps customize Do Not Disturb rules and decide when to toggle them. The new version lets apps add types, an icon, a triggerDescription string, and ZenDeviceEffects that enable rules to trigger on things like grayscale display, night mode, or wallpaper dimming.
- Android 15 adds granular line break controls to TextView so apps can preserve a given portion of text in the same line to improve readability. Devs can take advantage of this by using the <nobreak> tag in string resources or by using LineBreakConfigSpan#createNoBreakSpan(). It’s also possible to preserve words from being hyphenated by using the <nohyphen> or by using LineBreakConfigSpan#createNoHyphenationSpan().
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- Android 15 gives apps control over the HDR headroom with the Window#setDesiredHdrHeadroom. This lets apps decide how to strike a balance between SDR and HDR content. This is useful for when a mix of SDR and HDR content is shown on screen, as letting the OS decide can end up adversely influencing the perceived brightness of the SDR content.
- Android 15 supports the CTA-2075 standard which helps users avoid audio loudness inconsistencies and ensure they don’t have to constantly adjust volume when switching content. The system uses known characteristics of output devices and the loudness metadata available in AAC audio content to intelligently adjust audio loudness and dynamic range compression levels. Devs need to ensure loudness metadata is available in their AAC content and also enable the platform feature in their app.
- Android 15 expands the AutomaticZenRules API which lets apps customize Do Not Disturb rules and decide when to toggle them. The new version lets apps add types, an icon, a triggerDescription string, and ZenDeviceEffects that enable rules to trigger on things like grayscale display, night mode, or wallpaper dimming.
- Android 15 adds granular line break controls to TextView so apps can preserve a given portion of text in the same line to improve readability. Devs can take advantage of this by using the <nobreak> tag in string resources or by using LineBreakConfigSpan#createNoBreakSpan(). It’s also possible to preserve words from being hyphenated by using the <nohyphen> or by using LineBreakConfigSpan#createNoHyphenationSpan().
(2/3)
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Mishaal's Android News Feed
- Android 15 is updating the NFC stack to add a new “observe mode.” Observe mode lets devices listen but not respond to NFC readers. On supported devices, apps can request the NfcAdapter to enter observe mode so they then get PollingFrame objects to process.…
Android 15 also:
* Helps apps keep up with the dynamic demands of web-hosted deep links by building in support for more precise Intent resolution
* Adds additional controls to improve the on-device multi-language audio recognition that was introduced in Android 14
* Introduces a new ApplicationStartInfoAPI that gives apps more info on how they were launched;
* Expands OpenJDK API support
* Improves PackageManager’s Stopped State to remove PendingIntents from apps
* Offers a new StorageStats.getAppBytesByDataType(...) API that provides more insight into how much space an app is taking up
* Brings a new mediaProcessing Foreground Service type to help apps migrate away from the dataSync Foreground Service type
* Adds new SQLite APIs that expose advanced features from the underlying SQLite engine that target specific performance issues that can manifest in apps
* Deprecates the Virtualizer class in favor of AudioAttributes.Builder.setSpatializerBehavior
* Enables the elegantTextHeight TextView attribute by default, replacing the compact font used by default with some scripts that have large vertical metrics with one that’s more readable. The compact font still exists but may not be supported in the future.
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* Helps apps keep up with the dynamic demands of web-hosted deep links by building in support for more precise Intent resolution
* Adds additional controls to improve the on-device multi-language audio recognition that was introduced in Android 14
* Introduces a new ApplicationStartInfoAPI that gives apps more info on how they were launched;
* Expands OpenJDK API support
* Improves PackageManager’s Stopped State to remove PendingIntents from apps
* Offers a new StorageStats.getAppBytesByDataType(...) API that provides more insight into how much space an app is taking up
* Brings a new mediaProcessing Foreground Service type to help apps migrate away from the dataSync Foreground Service type
* Adds new SQLite APIs that expose advanced features from the underlying SQLite engine that target specific performance issues that can manifest in apps
* Deprecates the Virtualizer class in favor of AudioAttributes.Builder.setSpatializerBehavior
* Enables the elegantTextHeight TextView attribute by default, replacing the compact font used by default with some scripts that have large vertical metrics with one that’s more readable. The compact font still exists but may not be supported in the future.
(3/3)
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Want to try out Android 15 Developer Preview 2? If you aren’t an app developer: don’t. If you are, then here’s what you should know:
- Builds are only available for the Pixel 6, 7, or 8 series devices as well as for the Pixel Tablet and Pixel Fold.
- Once you’ve manually installed a build, you’ll automatically get future Android 15 updates over-the-air.
- You can only manually install these builds by flashing a factory image. Google is not providing full OTA images due to a bug that can happen when sideloading the build that causes the device to show a “device is corrupted” message.
- Flashing a factory image requires unlocking the bootloader of your device, which causes a factory reset.
- If you don’t have a supported Pixel device, you can also try Android 15 DP2 with the Android Emulator in Android Studio.
- Builds are only available for the Pixel 6, 7, or 8 series devices as well as for the Pixel Tablet and Pixel Fold.
- Once you’ve manually installed a build, you’ll automatically get future Android 15 updates over-the-air.
- You can only manually install these builds by flashing a factory image. Google is not providing full OTA images due to a bug that can happen when sideloading the build that causes the device to show a “device is corrupted” message.
- Flashing a factory image requires unlocking the bootloader of your device, which causes a factory reset.
- If you don’t have a supported Pixel device, you can also try Android 15 DP2 with the Android Emulator in Android Studio.
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Here are the issues that Google resolved in Android 15 Developer Preview 2, as well as all the remaining issues that Google knows about in DP2.
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The Pixel Launcher in Android 15 DP2 now has an "apps list settings" page that contains the "swipe up to start search" settings toggle. (Eventually, this page may contain a new "show long app names" setting that lets you toggle whether to "display long app names on two lines in search results and apps list."
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FINALLY! Google has heard my complaints: They're adding a "High Quality Mode" to Android's USB webcam feature. Now my $1,000 Pixel 8 Pro won't look like a cheap webcam anymore!
More details plus a demo of this feature are available on this Android Authority article.
More details plus a demo of this feature are available on this Android Authority article.
Android Authority
Android 15 is fixing one of the worst parts of the Pixel's webcam feature
Android's USB webcam feature is convenient, but the video quality is mediocre. Google is finally fixing that with a High Quality Mode option.
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Under Settings > Connected devices in Android 15 Developer Preview 2, there's a new "audio sharing" settings page. As I previously reported, Android 15 will make it easier for users to start and join Auracast, ie. Bluetooth LE Audio broadcasting, sessions.
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Android 15 DP2 adds the "satellite messaging" page that I first reported was coming.
You can now publicly access it by invoking the
You can now publicly access it by invoking the
android.settings.SATELLITE_SETTING Intent action.👍52🔥18👏4