Do you often forget to turn off extra dim in the morning?

Android 15 is preparing a new "even dimmer" display option that'll let adaptive brightness automatically go even dimmer, basically extra dim but adaptive to ambient lighting!

More details can be found in my latest article for Android Authority.

Android 15 is preparing to add built-in screen share protections that could help protect users from oversharing sensitive content while screen recording/sharing.

More details in my latest article for Android Police.

Android 15 may make it even harder for sideloaded apps to get sensitive permissions

Google is finally preparing to close a loophole in a security feature they introduced in Android 13. Before you get upset at the title, read the whole article I wrote over on Android Authority.

I'm back with yet another early first look at an upcoming Android 15 feature: audio sharing.

Audio sharing utilizes Auracast, a feature of the Bluetooth LE Audio standard, to stream audio from your phone to two or more nearby devices!

Full details are available in my hands-on article for Android Authority.

Google has just published the I/O 2024 schedule!

Though I think I've done an amazing job at documenting Android 15 this year, Google always seems to pull an announcement or two out of their hat that surprises me.

Looking forward to finding out what that is! I've heard some stuff about Wear OS 5 and future Android TV versions that I'm not super confident about reporting yet, so I've held off for now. I hope this information gets confirmed at I/O, though!

Android 15 is preparing to add a new feature that makes all apps go dark, even if they don't have a dark theme. This feature can even force apps like Fitbit to go dark!

For more details plus a BUNCH of screenshots, read my latest article over on Android Authority.

If you're bothered by the Pixel Launcher truncating app names in the apps list and in search results, then you may appreciate this upcoming change: a new toggle to "show long app names" is coming!

Details + screenshots can be found in my article over on Android Authority.

Android 15's new notification cooldown feature can not only lower the volume when you get successive notifications from the same app, but it'll soon also stop those same notifications from vibrating your phone like crazy!

More details are available in my latest article on Android Authority.

For some reason, you can't use Circle to Search while in split-screen mode on Pixel phones, even though you can on Samsung phones.

Google is looking to fix that limitation, though. More details can be found in this article I wrote for Android Authority.

By the way, in case you were wondering why you have to set the Google App as the default digital assistant in order for Circle to Search work, this article also explains that.

Google is testing a lock screen change in Android 15 that has me thinking of Live Activities in iOS: Moving the At a Glance widget to the bottom!

More details plus screenshots can be found in this article I wrote.

Here's a new feature in Android 15 that'll delight Wear OS users:

Android 15 is adding support for letting your smartwatch control your phone's media output!

Read my article for more details.

Is Google killing RISC-V support in Android? Not quite, but they are, at least for now, dropping support for RISC-V in Android's Linux kernel fork in what seems to be a setback for RISC-V hardware launching with Android anytime soon.

More details can be found in this article I wrote.

Here's Android 15's new volume panel UI on a Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra!

If you want to try this new UI out on your own device, it's available in the Precise Volume app from developer Phascinate. The app provides a replicated version of Android 15's volume UI.

More details on what this app can do in this article I wrote.

Android 15 could finally optimize the lock screen and notifications panel for landscape mode on phones!

Here's an early look at the landscape-optimized UI for both. Screenshots can be found in the article I wrote here.

Surprise, surprise! The Rabbit R1 runs Android under-the-hood, and its entire interface is powered by an Android app.

I managed to get that app up and running on a Pixel 6a.

More details are available in this article I wrote.

The Rabbit R1 specifically runs Android 13, according to the metadata for the OTA from v0.8.67 to v0.8.77 of RabbitOS.

The security patch level (SPL) of v0.8.77 of RabbitOS is May 2023.

(In case you're wondering, the build fingerprint post-OTA is alps/vnd_k65v1_64_bsp/k65v1_64_bsp:13/TP1A.220624.014/eng.jenkin.20240430.101004:user/release-keys.)

And the preloaded keyboard app on the Rabbit R1 is a fork of the open-source Android app "AnySoftKeyboard" with a custom theme. Isn't FOSS great?

Circle to Search is finally starting to roll out to some Pixel Tablet users!

If you have a Pixel Tablet, let me know if you've gotten CtS on your device.

Android 14 quietly made Alt+Tab way more useful on tablets!

Instead of bringing up the recents screen like before, you now get a small row of apps near the top that you can quickly cycle through.

More details on this awesome multitasking change can be found in this article.

A follow-up to my "Rabbit R1 is an Android app in a box" article:

In their attempted rebuttal, Rabbit made several misrepresentations of my findings - as well as of their own product.

I address their claims in my latest article for Android Authority.

The Google Pixel 8a is here with Google’s on-device AI and 7 years of updates for just $500! This mid-range phone has a lot to offer for its price. Here are its key specs:

* Google Tensor G3 chipset
* 6.1” FHD+ OLED display, 120Hz refresh rate, 2000 nits peak brightness
* 64 wide-angle + 13MP ultra wide-angle rear cameras; 13MP selfie camera
* 8GB LPDDR5x RAM
* 128/256GB UFS 3.1 storage
* 4500mAh battery, Qi wireless charging
* IP67 rating, Gorilla Glass 3, matte aluminum frame
* Optical UD fingerprint scanner, class 3 face unlock
* Stereo speakers
* Wi-Fi 6E, 5G, Bluetooth 5.3, USB-C 3.2
* Gemini Nano support (soon)
* AI features like Magic Editor, Audio Magic Eraser, Best Take, etc

The Pixel 8a costs $499 for the 8/128 model and $559 for the 8/256 model. It comes in four colors: Obsidian, Bay, Porcelain, and Aloe. Note that the 8/256 model only comes in Obsidian.

If you plan to buy the Google Pixel 8a, use my affiliate link to help support me so I can keep digging into new Android releases and uncover new features coming to the Pixel 8a (and other Pixel devices!)

Best Buy is offering a $100 gift card if you pre-order the phone before May 19!

Buy the Google Pixel 8a from Best Buy (affiliate link).

Google is relaunching its Pixel Tablet today! You can now buy Google’s tablet without a dock for $399/£399/€499. That’s $100 off in the US, £200 off in the UK, and €180 off in Europe compared to the price with the dock. The specs are unchanged.

You can pre-order the standalone Pixel Tablet today. General sales start May 15 in the US, UK, EU, and other markets. It’ll also be available this time in Spain and Italy. Google hasn’t confirmed if an official stylus or keyboard accessory are coming.

By the way, if you plan to buy the Pixel Tablet, please use my affiliate link to help support me! It costs you nothing but helps compensate me so I can continue digging into Android releases to discover new features you’ll enjoy on your Pixel Tablet!

Buy the Pixel Tablet from Best Buy (affiliate link).