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The September 2023 Android Feature Drop is here! The Android Feature Drop is a roundup of new features in Google apps. The latest drop brings an updated At a Glance widget, new Android Auto apps, and improvements to Lookout, Wallet, and Routines. Here's a 🧵 about what's new:
Because this ALWAYS causes confusion, no, this is NOT the same thing as the Pixel Feature Drop. The Pixel Feature Drop is for new Pixel-exclusive features, while the Android Feature Drop is for new features in Google apps that are available to all Android devices.
1) The Google App's At a Glance widget is getting a visual revamp and new features. The widget will surface helpful information like weather alerts, travel updates, and event reminders. (Note: this is not the same At a Glance widget found on Pixel devices.)
2) With image Q&A, now out of closed beta, the Lookout app can automatically generate descriptions from images that have low quality captions or that don't have alt text at all. Users can then use their voice or type to ask questions about the image.
Lookout also now supports 11 new languages, including Japanese, Korean, and Chinese, bringing the total number of supported languages to 34.
3) Google Wallet now supports Pass photo import, letting you digitize any pass that has a barcode or QR code. You can, for example, upload an image of your gym or library card to store a digital version of it in Google Wallet.
4) Apps for Zoom and Webex by Cisco are coming to Android Auto, letting you join conference calls by audio and browse your meeting schedules right from your car display.
5) You can now get Assistant to automatically read out your activity and sleep data (from Fitbit or Google Fit) through a new action in personal Routines. For example, you can add the "get wellness info" action to the "Hey Google, good morning" routine.
Because this ALWAYS causes confusion, no, this is NOT the same thing as the Pixel Feature Drop. The Pixel Feature Drop is for new Pixel-exclusive features, while the Android Feature Drop is for new features in Google apps that are available to all Android devices.
1) The Google App's At a Glance widget is getting a visual revamp and new features. The widget will surface helpful information like weather alerts, travel updates, and event reminders. (Note: this is not the same At a Glance widget found on Pixel devices.)
2) With image Q&A, now out of closed beta, the Lookout app can automatically generate descriptions from images that have low quality captions or that don't have alt text at all. Users can then use their voice or type to ask questions about the image.
Lookout also now supports 11 new languages, including Japanese, Korean, and Chinese, bringing the total number of supported languages to 34.
3) Google Wallet now supports Pass photo import, letting you digitize any pass that has a barcode or QR code. You can, for example, upload an image of your gym or library card to store a digital version of it in Google Wallet.
4) Apps for Zoom and Webex by Cisco are coming to Android Auto, letting you join conference calls by audio and browse your meeting schedules right from your car display.
5) You can now get Assistant to automatically read out your activity and sleep data (from Fitbit or Google Fit) through a new action in personal Routines. For example, you can add the "get wellness info" action to the "Hey Google, good morning" routine.
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Google is overhauling Android's logo and iconic robot mascot! The new visuals "draw inspiration from Material design to complement the Google brand palette, as well as be adaptable." The updated visuals will "appear on Android devices and in more places starting this year."
What do you think of the new logo and robot design?
What do you think of the new logo and robot design?
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The Android Security Bulletin for September 2023 is now live, detailing the vulnerabilities addressed by the 2023-09-0X security patch level!
Updated AOSP versions include 11-13. No word yet on if Android 14 will launch with the September 2023 patches.
Oof:
Updated AOSP versions include 11-13. No word yet on if Android 14 will launch with the September 2023 patches.
Oof:
"The most severe vulnerability in this section could lead to remote (proximal/adjacent) code execution with no additional execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation."Probably related to this OOB bug in the Bluetooth stack. Also, there's a note that CVE-2023-35674 may be "under limited, targeted exploitation." This is addressed by the following patch.
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In a forum post, Google shared "10 fresh updates to try on your Wear OS watch". Many of these changes aren't new, though there are some new things of note.
* You can now send voice messages via Google Messages for Wear OS. This new feature "is starting to roll out, allowing you to easily send voice messages by speaking into your watch."
* You can now see information about places like opening hours and ratings in Google Maps for Wear OS. You can also "find noteworthy places around you, such as coffee shops or grocery stores, either by searching or tapping on pins on the map."
* You can now access Google Assistant in new languages including Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish, Polish and more.
* You can now use Google Wallet for Wear OS in new regions including "Albania, Argentina, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Isle of Man, Greenland, Faroe Islands, San Marino, and Colombia."
* You can now send voice messages via Google Messages for Wear OS. This new feature "is starting to roll out, allowing you to easily send voice messages by speaking into your watch."
* You can now see information about places like opening hours and ratings in Google Maps for Wear OS. You can also "find noteworthy places around you, such as coffee shops or grocery stores, either by searching or tapping on pins on the map."
* You can now access Google Assistant in new languages including Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish, Polish and more.
* You can now use Google Wallet for Wear OS in new regions including "Albania, Argentina, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Isle of Man, Greenland, Faroe Islands, San Marino, and Colombia."
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Hearing now that the source code release of Android 14 has been delayed to next month.
This decision seems to have been made very late, as even OEMs were anticipating that the release would be today.
OEMs are now being told that vulnerabilities detailed in the Android 14 Security Release Notes will be published on October 4, 2023, so that may be the new release date.
Yes, October 4, 2023 is the same day as the Pixel 8 launch event, so if this is true, it would be the first time that the AOSP release has been pushed back to coincide with the new Pixel device launch.
On the one hand: BOOOOO (if true)!
On the other hand: Yay, I can stop pressing shift + F5!
Edit:
To be clear: Google didn't originally plan for the AOSP release of Android 14 to land on the Pixel 8 launch day. September 5, 2023 was the date they had planned FAR out in advance. I don't know exactly why there's been a delay, so I can only speculate.
I also don't know how this may impact OEMs like OnePlus who plan to launch their Android 14-based updates later this month. I don't know if Google places a formal embargo on stable releases until the OS is released to AOSP.
This decision seems to have been made very late, as even OEMs were anticipating that the release would be today.
OEMs are now being told that vulnerabilities detailed in the Android 14 Security Release Notes will be published on October 4, 2023, so that may be the new release date.
Yes, October 4, 2023 is the same day as the Pixel 8 launch event, so if this is true, it would be the first time that the AOSP release has been pushed back to coincide with the new Pixel device launch.
On the one hand: BOOOOO (if true)!
On the other hand: Yay, I can stop pressing shift + F5!
Edit:
To be clear: Google didn't originally plan for the AOSP release of Android 14 to land on the Pixel 8 launch day. September 5, 2023 was the date they had planned FAR out in advance. I don't know exactly why there's been a delay, so I can only speculate.
I also don't know how this may impact OEMs like OnePlus who plan to launch their Android 14-based updates later this month. I don't know if Google places a formal embargo on stable releases until the OS is released to AOSP.
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Users have figured out how to "sideload" unsupported apps onto cars running Android Automotive OS!
For example, here's Firefox browser running on the Volvo XC40's infotainment system, which runs AAOS. (Image credits: Reddit user touchwiz.)
A lot of Android apps run just fine on AAOS if you can figure out how to get them onto the device. The problem is that the only way to install apps is through whatever app store is built-in, since AAOS doesn't support sideloading apps.
On cars with Google built-in (ie. cars that have access to the Google Play Store), Google vets every app that targets AAOS. AAOS apps have to fall under certain categories and meet certain design guidelines/requirements before they can be published.
However, XDA user dary figured out a while back that if you upload an app as an internal beta, you're able to bypass Google's approval process and install the app onto your car through the Play Store.
So that means for apps like Firefox, you just need to compile it from source and change the package name so it doesn't conflict with the existing listing. Then upload it to the Play Store (you need a developer account for this) and bam, you can install it on your car.
XDA user dary said they were able to get apps like Firefox, Amaze File Manager, Wireguard VPN, K9 Mail, ZAPP, Home Assistant, and more onto their Polestar 2. YMMV, of course, as not all APIs/features are available on AAOS, plus some cars have x86 rather than Arm chips.
Anyway, there's a good reason why AAOS doesn't allow for sideloading and why Google restricts what apps are available through the Play Store: safety. Google doesn't want users to run apps that aren't designed with car safety in mind. So keep that in mind before you jump through all these hoops to "sideload" an app onto your car.
For example, here's Firefox browser running on the Volvo XC40's infotainment system, which runs AAOS. (Image credits: Reddit user touchwiz.)
A lot of Android apps run just fine on AAOS if you can figure out how to get them onto the device. The problem is that the only way to install apps is through whatever app store is built-in, since AAOS doesn't support sideloading apps.
On cars with Google built-in (ie. cars that have access to the Google Play Store), Google vets every app that targets AAOS. AAOS apps have to fall under certain categories and meet certain design guidelines/requirements before they can be published.
However, XDA user dary figured out a while back that if you upload an app as an internal beta, you're able to bypass Google's approval process and install the app onto your car through the Play Store.
So that means for apps like Firefox, you just need to compile it from source and change the package name so it doesn't conflict with the existing listing. Then upload it to the Play Store (you need a developer account for this) and bam, you can install it on your car.
XDA user dary said they were able to get apps like Firefox, Amaze File Manager, Wireguard VPN, K9 Mail, ZAPP, Home Assistant, and more onto their Polestar 2. YMMV, of course, as not all APIs/features are available on AAOS, plus some cars have x86 rather than Arm chips.
Anyway, there's a good reason why AAOS doesn't allow for sideloading and why Google restricts what apps are available through the Play Store: safety. Google doesn't want users to run apps that aren't designed with car safety in mind. So keep that in mind before you jump through all these hoops to "sideload" an app onto your car.
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Check out this new app called "aBattery" on Google Play. It uses Android 14's new battery health APIs to show you information like the cycle count, battery manufacturing date, and more.
To use these battery health APIs, the app requires the
YMMV regarding the data's accuracy, as the app only reports what the OS tells it, which itself depends on whether the battery charging IC is reporting this data to the health HAL.
I previously talked about "Batt" by developer narektor. aBattery, however, supports Android versions back to Android 11 (though different info will be shown), has a more modern design, is available through Google Play, and supports multiple languages. It's not open source, though.
To use these battery health APIs, the app requires the
BATTERY_STATS permission which needs to be granted via ADB. To simplify things, the app supports Shizuku so you don't have to connect your phone to your PC to grant the permission manually.YMMV regarding the data's accuracy, as the app only reports what the OS tells it, which itself depends on whether the battery charging IC is reporting this data to the health HAL.
I previously talked about "Batt" by developer narektor. aBattery, however, supports Android versions back to Android 11 (though different info will be shown), has a more modern design, is available through Google Play, and supports multiple languages. It's not open source, though.
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Chrome for Android is preparing to add a new "non-linear zoom" slider in Accessibility settings that will "allow users to zoom the smaller text on a screen more than the larger text."
This slider is currently hidden behind the "Accessibility Page Zoom" and "Smart Zoom" flags, but "functionality to save the text contrast levels to user profiles and affect web rendering" are in the works. Also, the Chrome team is testing tying this slider to the OS-level font setting.
Great find by Leopeva64!
The idea sounds similar to Android 14's nonlinear font scaling curve. "To prevent large text elements on screen from scaling too large, the system applies a nonlinear scaling curve. This scaling strategy means that large text doesn't scale at the same rate as smaller text."
This slider is currently hidden behind the "Accessibility Page Zoom" and "Smart Zoom" flags, but "functionality to save the text contrast levels to user profiles and affect web rendering" are in the works. Also, the Chrome team is testing tying this slider to the OS-level font setting.
Great find by Leopeva64!
The idea sounds similar to Android 14's nonlinear font scaling curve. "To prevent large text elements on screen from scaling too large, the system applies a nonlinear scaling curve. This scaling strategy means that large text doesn't scale at the same rate as smaller text."
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Xiaomi is committing to delivering 4 generations of Android OS upgrades and 5 years of security patches for its Xiaomi 13T series, which is launching on Sept. 26 in Berlin.
It's great to hear OEMs commit to providing extended software support. Samsung, OnePlus, and OPPO have also made similar commitments for select models, beating out Google who only commits to 3 years of Android OS upgrades.
Although in Google's defense, as Max Weinbach pointed out before, they do always launch on the latest Android OS version, so depending on launch timing for other brands, Google's 3 year commitment may beat out others' 4 generation commitment.
(As an aside, Google really needs to start using "generation" or "major OS upgrade" instead of "years" when talking about how long they're guaranteeing Android version updates. Their decision to use "years" has led many to have the false hope that the Pixel 4a might somehow get Android 14 because it's just around the corner.)
Oh, forgot to mention: The Xiaomi 13T will likely launch with Android 13-based MIUI 14 out of the box, meaning it'll receive upgrades all the way to Android 17.
The Pixel 8 will launch with Android 14 out of the box and, if Google's "3 years" of Android OS upgrade commitment remains, then it'll receive upgrades to Android 17 as well.
While the Pixel 8 will likely receive major OS upgrades and security patches more quickly than the Xiaomi 13T, in a head-to-head comparison of software longevity, both are basically equal to the average user. Google really needs to increase the length of their software update support IMO.
It's great to hear OEMs commit to providing extended software support. Samsung, OnePlus, and OPPO have also made similar commitments for select models, beating out Google who only commits to 3 years of Android OS upgrades.
Although in Google's defense, as Max Weinbach pointed out before, they do always launch on the latest Android OS version, so depending on launch timing for other brands, Google's 3 year commitment may beat out others' 4 generation commitment.
(As an aside, Google really needs to start using "generation" or "major OS upgrade" instead of "years" when talking about how long they're guaranteeing Android version updates. Their decision to use "years" has led many to have the false hope that the Pixel 4a might somehow get Android 14 because it's just around the corner.)
Oh, forgot to mention: The Xiaomi 13T will likely launch with Android 13-based MIUI 14 out of the box, meaning it'll receive upgrades all the way to Android 17.
The Pixel 8 will launch with Android 14 out of the box and, if Google's "3 years" of Android OS upgrade commitment remains, then it'll receive upgrades to Android 17 as well.
While the Pixel 8 will likely receive major OS upgrades and security patches more quickly than the Xiaomi 13T, in a head-to-head comparison of software longevity, both are basically equal to the average user. Google really needs to increase the length of their software update support IMO.
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The way Android calculates how much storage space "system" files takes up is still totally faulty, even in Android 14!
Earlier this year, I inadvertently discovered how broken Android's storage calculations are when I posted a thread asking users to share screenshots of their storage statistics. Samsung users shared screenshots showing "system" files taking up 60+GB in size, causing many to believe that One UI was just that bloated.
However, this was just a misunderstanding by users due to the way OEMs advertise storage capacity (GB, ie. base 10) versus how Android sees the actual storage (GiB, ie. using base 2). So no, One UI isn't dramatically more bloated than other OSes.
Regardless, the way Android presented storage statistics to users was what caused them to be misled, so Samsung did the smart thing and fixed how they calculate the size of "system" files in their One UI 6 update, as Max Weinbach mentioned last month. However, Google did not fix this problem, which extends even beyond the GB/GiB conversion issue.
See, the way Android actually calculates "system" is totally nonsensical. Android just subtracts the storage attributed to everything else (images, videos, audio files, games, documents, and trash) from the amount of storage that's currently used up and attributes that to "system".
That means that Android considers as part of "system" any file that takes up space that isn't attributed to one of the other categories mentioned on the Storage page. Even if those files are user-created and located on /data/media, ie. absolutely not system files.
To demonstrate this, I used a shell command to create a 3GB file at /data/media/0 filled with random data, and Android in return thought that "system" grew 3GB larger in size. This is total nonsense, and it even affects how "Files by Google" calculates storage (perhaps because it uses the same attribution logic).
Earlier this year, I inadvertently discovered how broken Android's storage calculations are when I posted a thread asking users to share screenshots of their storage statistics. Samsung users shared screenshots showing "system" files taking up 60+GB in size, causing many to believe that One UI was just that bloated.
However, this was just a misunderstanding by users due to the way OEMs advertise storage capacity (GB, ie. base 10) versus how Android sees the actual storage (GiB, ie. using base 2). So no, One UI isn't dramatically more bloated than other OSes.
Regardless, the way Android presented storage statistics to users was what caused them to be misled, so Samsung did the smart thing and fixed how they calculate the size of "system" files in their One UI 6 update, as Max Weinbach mentioned last month. However, Google did not fix this problem, which extends even beyond the GB/GiB conversion issue.
See, the way Android actually calculates "system" is totally nonsensical. Android just subtracts the storage attributed to everything else (images, videos, audio files, games, documents, and trash) from the amount of storage that's currently used up and attributes that to "system".
That means that Android considers as part of "system" any file that takes up space that isn't attributed to one of the other categories mentioned on the Storage page. Even if those files are user-created and located on /data/media, ie. absolutely not system files.
To demonstrate this, I used a shell command to create a 3GB file at /data/media/0 filled with random data, and Android in return thought that "system" grew 3GB larger in size. This is total nonsense, and it even affects how "Files by Google" calculates storage (perhaps because it uses the same attribution logic).
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Mishaal's Android News Feed
The way Android calculates how much storage space "system" files takes up is still totally faulty, even in Android 14! Earlier this year, I inadvertently discovered how broken Android's storage calculations are when I posted a thread asking users to share…
Samsung, for what it's worth, solved this problem too in One UI 6. I asked @akhilnarang to run the same ADB command on his Galaxy S23 running One UI 6, and "system" did not grow in size, only "other files" did. Which is exactly what should happen.
If you store a lot of games on your phone for emulation purposes, then those game files are likely erroneously being attributed to "system" as are any other file that's not recognized as falling into one of the other categories. I transferred a multi-gig .nsp file to my Pixel, and Android thought "system" grew by 12GB in size, lol!
This issue is going to make people freak out thinking their phone has a bug, leading to them unnecessarily taking their phone in/factory resetting. (I've already seen a few threads on Reddit of people freaking out by this/thinking it's a bug.)
Please fix this, Google!
If you store a lot of games on your phone for emulation purposes, then those game files are likely erroneously being attributed to "system" as are any other file that's not recognized as falling into one of the other categories. I transferred a multi-gig .nsp file to my Pixel, and Android thought "system" grew by 12GB in size, lol!
This issue is going to make people freak out thinking their phone has a bug, leading to them unnecessarily taking their phone in/factory resetting. (I've already seen a few threads on Reddit of people freaking out by this/thinking it's a bug.)
Please fix this, Google!
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TIL that Amlogic has a page (openlinux.amlogic.com) that lists what Android OS versions (both AOSP and Android TV/Google TV) they support for their chipsets. The table even confirms which Amlogic chipsets will get an updated BSP with Android 14 support.
According to this chart, Amlogic's S905X4(S905C2/S905C2L), S905Y4(S905C3), S805X2, A311D2, S905X3, S905X2, T963D4, T962D4, T965D4 (T982), T950D4, A311D2, and T982 will get Android 14 support, though oddly only the S905X2 and S905X3 are listed as getting the "ATV upgrade version".
(Just because your device has one of the chipsets listed as getting Android 14 support doesn't mean it'll actually get an update. That still depends on your device's OEM.)
(H/T AndroidTV_Rumor on Twitter.)
According to this chart, Amlogic's S905X4(S905C2/S905C2L), S905Y4(S905C3), S805X2, A311D2, S905X3, S905X2, T963D4, T962D4, T965D4 (T982), T950D4, A311D2, and T982 will get Android 14 support, though oddly only the S905X2 and S905X3 are listed as getting the "ATV upgrade version".
(Just because your device has one of the chipsets listed as getting Android 14 support doesn't mean it'll actually get an update. That still depends on your device's OEM.)
(H/T AndroidTV_Rumor on Twitter.)
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The latest version of Google Play Services (v23.35.14) suggests you'll be able to locate some devices on the Find My Device network even when they're powered off or out of battery.
"
This lines up with what Kamila Wojciechowska reported back in April. She said that Google was working on adding support for locating Pixel devices even when they're powered off.
This would allegedly require hardware support to keep the Bluetooth chip running while the main processor and OS are shut down, as well as an updated HAL so that Play Services can send precomputed "Finder Network" keys to the device's Bluetooth chip so that it can continue broadcasting to other nearby devices on the FMDN.
"
Find My Device can also use the network to help locate this device when it’s powered off or out of battery."This lines up with what Kamila Wojciechowska reported back in April. She said that Google was working on adding support for locating Pixel devices even when they're powered off.
This would allegedly require hardware support to keep the Bluetooth chip running while the main processor and OS are shut down, as well as an updated HAL so that Play Services can send precomputed "Finder Network" keys to the device's Bluetooth chip so that it can continue broadcasting to other nearby devices on the FMDN.
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