Mishaal's Android News Feed
I'm starting a newsletter called Android Decoded! On this week's Android Faithful podcast, we launched our new website alongside some new newsletters and other content. I've been told I should start a newsletter a few times, so I'm finally doing one! What's…
How do I subscribe?
Go to AndroidFaithful.com and click on the "Join" button in the top right. Once you sign up, you'll get automatic access to all the free newsletters. If you want my premium newsletter plus ALL the other premium content offered by the Android Faithful team, you'll need to subscribe to the $9.99/mo tier.
(If you already subscribe to me on Patreon or X, you don't have to subscribe again on Android Faithful. I'll send out the newsletter to y'all, either as subscriber-only posts or directly via email if you opt-in.)
When is it coming out?
The first edition is coming tomorrow, hopefully! I plan on releasing new editions of Android Decoded on Fridays. The first edition tomorrow will be a trial run of sorts as I work out the formatting. The "premium" edition of the first edition will talk about what I expect to see in Android 15 Beta 2 next week, based on some insider information.
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Go to AndroidFaithful.com and click on the "Join" button in the top right. Once you sign up, you'll get automatic access to all the free newsletters. If you want my premium newsletter plus ALL the other premium content offered by the Android Faithful team, you'll need to subscribe to the $9.99/mo tier.
(If you already subscribe to me on Patreon or X, you don't have to subscribe again on Android Faithful. I'll send out the newsletter to y'all, either as subscriber-only posts or directly via email if you opt-in.)
When is it coming out?
The first edition is coming tomorrow, hopefully! I plan on releasing new editions of Android Decoded on Fridays. The first edition tomorrow will be a trial run of sorts as I work out the formatting. The "premium" edition of the first edition will talk about what I expect to see in Android 15 Beta 2 next week, based on some insider information.
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Android Faithful
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Good news: the Pixel 8a will soon support display output over USB-C! I've gotten this question a lot about the device, so I thought I'd look into it to confirm.
More details can be found in this article.
More details can be found in this article.
Android Authority
The Pixel 8a will soon support display output over USB-C
The Pixel 8a just launched but it doesn’t support mirroring its display when you connect it to an external monitor. That will change soon.
Bad news: the Pixel 6, 6 Pro, and 6a appear to be missing Bluetooth LE Audio support right now.
As I previously reported, one of the biggest features of Android 15 could be audio sharing, which is built on Auracast, a feature of LE Audio.
More details on why this matters can be found in this article.
As I previously reported, one of the biggest features of Android 15 could be audio sharing, which is built on Auracast, a feature of LE Audio.
More details on why this matters can be found in this article.
Android Authority
Google's Pixel 6 series appears to miss out on Bluetooth LE Audio support
The Google Pixel 6 series doesn't seem to support Bluetooth LE Audio, which means they might miss out on Android 15's audio sharing feature.
The Find My Device network is starting to roll out to some users outside North America!
Google said last month the launch would be global but would start in the US and Canada. They didn't say when it'd rollout globally but some users in the UK and Japan got it.
More details on what this means for global users can be found in this article.
Google said last month the launch would be global but would start in the US and Canada. They didn't say when it'd rollout globally but some users in the UK and Japan got it.
More details on what this means for global users can be found in this article.
Android Authority
Google's Find My Device network quietly rolls out to some outside North America
Some users outside of North America are starting to get Google's Find My Device network, suggesting a global rollout might be happening.
It's official, Apple has implemented an unwanted tracker alerts feature - based on the Detected Unwanted Location Trackers industry spec - in iOS 17.5!
This means Apple users will receive an "[Item] Found Moving With You" alert if an unknown Bluetooth tracking device is seen moving with them over time. Before this update, only AirTags/Find My accessories could be detected, but now any Bluetooth tracker compatible with the DULT spec can be detected!
iOS lacking DULT support was the main reason Google delayed the rollout of its Find My Device network. Google has already begun rolling out its Find My Device network to some users globally, but perhaps now the rollout will ramp up.
This means Apple users will receive an "[Item] Found Moving With You" alert if an unknown Bluetooth tracking device is seen moving with them over time. Before this update, only AirTags/Find My accessories could be detected, but now any Bluetooth tracker compatible with the DULT spec can be detected!
iOS lacking DULT support was the main reason Google delayed the rollout of its Find My Device network. Google has already begun rolling out its Find My Device network to some users globally, but perhaps now the rollout will ramp up.
Exclusive: Google experiments with running Chrome OS on Android
What if you could run Chrome OS from your Android phone? And what if you could hook your phone up to an external monitor to project it?
That's exactly what Google is testing.
More details can be found in this article I wrote.
What if you could run Chrome OS from your Android phone? And what if you could hook your phone up to an external monitor to project it?
That's exactly what Google is testing.
More details can be found in this article I wrote.
Android Authority
Exclusive: Google is experimenting with running Chrome OS on Android
Google has developed a method to run Chrome OS on its Pixel devices, and it privately demoed this to other companies last month.
Here's a FIRST look at Chrome OS running on an Android phone! I managed to get a special build of Chromium OS - code-named "ferrochrome" - up and running on my Pixel 7 Pro, complete with networking, mouse, and keyboard support.
You can watch my hands-on video demo in this article I wrote for Android Authority.
You can watch my hands-on video demo in this article I wrote for Android Authority.
Android Authority
Exclusive first look: Here's Chrome OS running on an Android phone
We got Google’s Chrome OS up and running alongside Android on a Pixel phone, thanks to a special project called "ferrochrome."
By the way, you can catch my live coverage of Google I/O over on Twitter. I'll be making some posts on this channel soon, though!
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Mishaal Rahman (@MishaalRahman) on X
It's time for #GoogleIO 2024! Here's my thread covering everything Google is announcing 🧵
Gemini Nano with Multimodality just got announced! This new, 3.8B parameter is designed to run on-device and can process not just text input but also audio and images. It’s coming later this year “starting with Pixel” and will be used for:
- Clearer descriptions with TalkBack. TalkBack will soon be able to automatically generate more useful image descriptions. This will help people with visual impairments who can’t see images, especially when those images don’t have alt text already.
- Scam detection. A new feature that processes voice calls to detect and warn you when the person on the other end is trying to scam you. The feature will look for conversation patterns commonly associated with scams, like when a “bank representative” asks you to urgently transfer funds. If so, your phone will buzz and show a warning. This feature will be opt-in and audio is processed on-device by Gemini Nano with Multimodality, meaning your voice calls don’t leave the device.
- Clearer descriptions with TalkBack. TalkBack will soon be able to automatically generate more useful image descriptions. This will help people with visual impairments who can’t see images, especially when those images don’t have alt text already.
- Scam detection. A new feature that processes voice calls to detect and warn you when the person on the other end is trying to scam you. The feature will look for conversation patterns commonly associated with scams, like when a “bank representative” asks you to urgently transfer funds. If so, your phone will buzz and show a warning. This feature will be opt-in and audio is processed on-device by Gemini Nano with Multimodality, meaning your voice calls don’t leave the device.
Gemini for Android is getting upgraded with new contextual capabilities!
- A new “ask this video” chip will appear if you invoke Gemini while a YouTube video is open. Gemini will then use the YouTube video as context.
- A new “ask this PDF” chip will appear when you’re viewing a PDF file in supported apps. Tapping this will let you ask questions about/summarize the document. This requires Gemini Advanced, though, because of its longer context window.
- You’ll be able to drag and drop generated images directly into Gmail, Messages, and other supported apps.
- Finally, devices with the next-gen multimodal Gemini Nano will surface dynamic suggestions. The way this works is that a screenshot of the screen is fed to Gemini Nano, which can then generate chips of potential things you might want to ask about.
- A new “ask this video” chip will appear if you invoke Gemini while a YouTube video is open. Gemini will then use the YouTube video as context.
- A new “ask this PDF” chip will appear when you’re viewing a PDF file in supported apps. Tapping this will let you ask questions about/summarize the document. This requires Gemini Advanced, though, because of its longer context window.
- You’ll be able to drag and drop generated images directly into Gmail, Messages, and other supported apps.
- Finally, devices with the next-gen multimodal Gemini Nano will surface dynamic suggestions. The way this works is that a screenshot of the screen is fed to Gemini Nano, which can then generate chips of potential things you might want to ask about.
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Circle to Search can now help students do their homework! If you select a math or physics word problem using Circle to Search, Google will now generate step-by-step instructions on how to solve the problem, without leaving the page you’re on.
Later this year, Circle to Search will be able to solve more complex math problems that involve symbolic formulas, diagrams, graphs, and more thanks to LearnLM, Google’s new family of language models fine-tuned for learning.
Later this year, Circle to Search will be able to solve more complex math problems that involve symbolic formulas, diagrams, graphs, and more thanks to LearnLM, Google’s new family of language models fine-tuned for learning.
Gemini in Android Studio is getting some new features with Android Studio Koala!
- You can now provide custom prompts to generate a code suggestion that either adds new code or transforms selected code. You can ask Gemini to simplify complex code by rewriting it, perform specific code transformations like “make this code idiomatic”, or generate new functions you describe. Android Studio will show you Gemini’s code suggestion as a code diff you can review.
- It can now analyze your crash reports, generate insights that are shown in the Gemini tool window, provide a crash summary, and sometimes recommend next steps like sample code and links to relevant documentation.
- Later this year, the underlying Gemini model will be upgraded to Gemini 1.5 Pro, which offers a much larger context window and multimodal input.
- You can now provide custom prompts to generate a code suggestion that either adds new code or transforms selected code. You can ask Gemini to simplify complex code by rewriting it, perform specific code transformations like “make this code idiomatic”, or generate new functions you describe. Android Studio will show you Gemini’s code suggestion as a code diff you can review.
- It can now analyze your crash reports, generate insights that are shown in the Gemini tool window, provide a crash summary, and sometimes recommend next steps like sample code and links to relevant documentation.
- Later this year, the underlying Gemini model will be upgraded to Gemini 1.5 Pro, which offers a much larger context window and multimodal input.
Gemini Nano is being baked into Google Chrome on PCs! This will power a new “help me write” feature that helps users write short form content. When users click on “help me write”, Chrome will download and quickly load the optimized Gemini Nano model in the background. This will work on the “vast majority of devices that are out there.”
Furthermore, web devs will get access to Gemini in Chrome. They won’t have to worry about prompt engineering, as Gemini Nano can be called by one of several high-level APIs, including translate, caption, and transcribe.
Google says they’ve “started to engage” with other browsers on enabling Gemini and will be opening up an early preview program soon.
Furthermore, web devs will get access to Gemini in Chrome. They won’t have to worry about prompt engineering, as Gemini Nano can be called by one of several high-level APIs, including translate, caption, and transcribe.
Google says they’ve “started to engage” with other browsers on enabling Gemini and will be opening up an early preview program soon.
Google Play has announced a bunch of new features and tools for app developers! Here’s a summary:
- The ability to tailor store listings by search keywords. If you don’t know what keywords to optimize for, Google Play will give suggested keywords.
- Developers can now leverage Play Points to launch coupons, discounts, or exclusive in-game items.
- Deep links patching makes it easier to experiment or make quick changes to your deep links setup without needing to release a new app version.
- A new surface (in developer preview) in Google Play for devs to showcase app content and enable cross-app continuation journeys. Devs can highlight the most important content from their apps and even launch users into a full-screen, immersive experience with personalized recommendations and promotions. This requires integrating the Engage SDK.
- The SDK Console is now available to all SDK providers that are distributed from a canonical Maven repository source. Devs can also now share crash or ANR data with SDK owners.
- Google’s new pre-review checks aggregate existing quality checks into one UI so it’s easier for devs to spot common policy and compatibility issues before their app goes live. You can also now discard unwanted releases in the “not yet sent for review” stage.
- Play Integrity API can now return a Play Protect verdict, letting apps know if Play Protect is turned on and if it’s found any known malware. Through recent device activity, Play Integrity lets apps know if it detects a high volume of requests that could signal an attack. Further, a new app access risk signal (in public beta) lets devs know when a non-accessibility app is capturing the screen or controlling the device.
- Listings for an app will now show screenshots, ratings, and reviews specific to each device type. Users can also search and filter through ratings and reviews by device type.
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- The ability to tailor store listings by search keywords. If you don’t know what keywords to optimize for, Google Play will give suggested keywords.
- Developers can now leverage Play Points to launch coupons, discounts, or exclusive in-game items.
- Deep links patching makes it easier to experiment or make quick changes to your deep links setup without needing to release a new app version.
- A new surface (in developer preview) in Google Play for devs to showcase app content and enable cross-app continuation journeys. Devs can highlight the most important content from their apps and even launch users into a full-screen, immersive experience with personalized recommendations and promotions. This requires integrating the Engage SDK.
- The SDK Console is now available to all SDK providers that are distributed from a canonical Maven repository source. Devs can also now share crash or ANR data with SDK owners.
- Google’s new pre-review checks aggregate existing quality checks into one UI so it’s easier for devs to spot common policy and compatibility issues before their app goes live. You can also now discard unwanted releases in the “not yet sent for review” stage.
- Play Integrity API can now return a Play Protect verdict, letting apps know if Play Protect is turned on and if it’s found any known malware. Through recent device activity, Play Integrity lets apps know if it detects a high volume of requests that could signal an attack. Further, a new app access risk signal (in public beta) lets devs know when a non-accessibility app is capturing the screen or controlling the device.
- Listings for an app will now show screenshots, ratings, and reviews specific to each device type. Users can also search and filter through ratings and reviews by device type.
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Mishaal's Android News Feed
Google Play has announced a bunch of new features and tools for app developers! Here’s a summary: - The ability to tailor store listings by search keywords. If you don’t know what keywords to optimize for, Google Play will give suggested keywords. - Developers…
- Billing changes: customers with a Google family setup can approve their child’s purchases from anywhere; in India, customers can ask someone else to buy an app or in-app product for them by sharing a payment link; Google Play now updates price ranges to reflect currency fluctuations; items can be priced as high as $999.99 now; new badges reflect trending items; finally, customers in Brazil, France, Italy, and Spain can now pay over time for long-term subscriptions.
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