Android 15's BIGGEST new feature is Private Space, and I managed to get it fully up and running.
You can see how it looks in my latest article for Android Authority.
You can see how it looks in my latest article for Android Authority.
Android Authority
Here is Android 15's new Private Space in action
Android 15 will introduce a new Private Space feature that creates a separate profile you can hide apps in.
It’s finally LIVE! Google’s Find My Device network, the Android equivalent of Apple’s Find My network, is rolling out to Android devices today, starting in the U.S. and Canada (with more regions to follow). The Find My Device network is a crowdsourced network of over a billion Android devices that’ll help you find your misplaced or lost Android devices. You can locate compatible Android devices by ringing them or viewing their location on a map in Find My Device.
Starting in May, you’ll also be able to locate everyday items by placing a Bluetooth tracker tag compatible with the Find My Device network on them. Chipolo and Pebblebee are the first to offer accessories built for FMDN but later this year eufy, Jio, Motorola, and others will offer Bluetooth tags. Tracker tags built for FMDN are also compatible with the unknown tracker alerts feature, available now on Android and coming soon to iOS, which means you don’t have to worry about unwanted tracking.
Find My Device has some nice features to make tracking down a lost item easy. If you’re near a lost device, a “find nearby” button will appear in the app that helps you pinpoint its location. If you have Google Nest devices at home, FMD can also show your lost device’s proximity to them, making them easy reference points. Lastly, you can share accessories with friends and family so they can help you keep track of them.
The new Find My Device works on devices running Android 9 or higher. By default, aggregated location reporting is enabled (this corresponds to the “with network in high-traffic areas only” setting) but you can opt into contributing non-aggregated locations (“with network in all areas”) or turn the network off entirely (“without network” or “off”). Select headphones from JBL, Sony, and other audio brands will be receiving software updates soon that enable them to join the FMDN.
Starting in May, you’ll also be able to locate everyday items by placing a Bluetooth tracker tag compatible with the Find My Device network on them. Chipolo and Pebblebee are the first to offer accessories built for FMDN but later this year eufy, Jio, Motorola, and others will offer Bluetooth tags. Tracker tags built for FMDN are also compatible with the unknown tracker alerts feature, available now on Android and coming soon to iOS, which means you don’t have to worry about unwanted tracking.
Find My Device has some nice features to make tracking down a lost item easy. If you’re near a lost device, a “find nearby” button will appear in the app that helps you pinpoint its location. If you have Google Nest devices at home, FMD can also show your lost device’s proximity to them, making them easy reference points. Lastly, you can share accessories with friends and family so they can help you keep track of them.
The new Find My Device works on devices running Android 9 or higher. By default, aggregated location reporting is enabled (this corresponds to the “with network in high-traffic areas only” setting) but you can opt into contributing non-aggregated locations (“with network in all areas”) or turn the network off entirely (“without network” or “off”). Select headphones from JBL, Sony, and other audio brands will be receiving software updates soon that enable them to join the FMDN.
Google says the Find My Device network is built with “multi-layered protections” and offers numerous privacy controls. Location data is end-to-end encrypted with a key that’s only accessible to the Bluetooth tag’s owner and whoever the owner shared the tag with. Locations are contributed to the FMDN in a manner that doesn’t let Google ID the owners of the nearby Android devices that contributed that data. Tag owners aren’t given any info on those devices, either.
Another safety feature of the Find My Device network is aggregated device location reporting. The FMDN, by default, requires multiple nearby Android devices to detect a tag before reporting its location to the tag’s owner. This provides extra protection against someone tracking a device back to a home or private location. Also, if you’ve saved your home address in your Google Account, your Android device won’t contribute crowdsourced location reports to the FMDN when it’s near your home.
Find My Device also limits the number of times that a nearby Android device can contribute a location report for a particular tag; it also throttles how frequently the owner of a tag can request an updated location. And as mentioned before, tags built for FMDN are compatible with the unwanted tracker alerts feature. With all these features and protections, it’ll be difficult for anyone to abuse the FMDN to track someone without their knowledge.
Another safety feature of the Find My Device network is aggregated device location reporting. The FMDN, by default, requires multiple nearby Android devices to detect a tag before reporting its location to the tag’s owner. This provides extra protection against someone tracking a device back to a home or private location. Also, if you’ve saved your home address in your Google Account, your Android device won’t contribute crowdsourced location reports to the FMDN when it’s near your home.
Find My Device also limits the number of times that a nearby Android device can contribute a location report for a particular tag; it also throttles how frequently the owner of a tag can request an updated location. And as mentioned before, tags built for FMDN are compatible with the unwanted tracker alerts feature. With all these features and protections, it’ll be difficult for anyone to abuse the FMDN to track someone without their knowledge.
If you have a Pixel 8 or Pixel 8 Pro, you’ll be able to locate your phone on the Find My Device network even if it’s powered off or the battery is dead! This is possible because the phones have the specialized hardware to support the Powered Off Finding feature I previously reported on. The company tells me that the Pixel 8 has reserve power on the device that is channeled to the Bluetooth chip for several hours even after the battery is dead.
Google tells me the Powered Off Finding feature is available now and that you shouldn’t need to take any further action to enable it on your Pixel 8 or Pixel 8 Pro, such as updating your phone to Android 15. (I thought the system APIs for Powered Off Finding would be limited to Android 15, but it looks like that won’t be the case!)
Google tells me the Powered Off Finding feature is available now and that you shouldn’t need to take any further action to enable it on your Pixel 8 or Pixel 8 Pro, such as updating your phone to Android 15. (I thought the system APIs for Powered Off Finding would be limited to Android 15, but it looks like that won’t be the case!)
Pebblebee and Chipolo announced today that they’re set to deliver their Find My Device network-compatible item locator accessories that they announced last year! These accessories are also compatible with the unwanted tracker alerts feature.
Pebblebee’s Card, Clip, and Tag devices for Android are rechargeable and are equipped with LED indicator lights and melody alerts. They’re available for pre-order now on their website and will ship in late May. They’ll also be available in stores in late May and on the Google Store in June 2024. Each item costs $29.99 individually but you can also order a 2- or 4-pack.
Chipolo’s ONE Point and CARD Point trackers feature long-lasting batteries (1 year and 2 year respectively), loud audio alerts (120dB and 105dB respectively), and an IPX5 rating. They’ll be available from May 27 on Chipolo’s website. They’ll also be available on Amazon and select retailers from July onwards. The ONE Point costs $28 while the CARD Point costs $35 for a 1-pack, but both can be bought in a 2- or 4-pack bundle.
Pebblebee’s Card, Clip, and Tag devices for Android are rechargeable and are equipped with LED indicator lights and melody alerts. They’re available for pre-order now on their website and will ship in late May. They’ll also be available in stores in late May and on the Google Store in June 2024. Each item costs $29.99 individually but you can also order a 2- or 4-pack.
Chipolo’s ONE Point and CARD Point trackers feature long-lasting batteries (1 year and 2 year respectively), loud audio alerts (120dB and 105dB respectively), and an IPX5 rating. They’ll be available from May 27 on Chipolo’s website. They’ll also be available on Amazon and select retailers from July onwards. The ONE Point costs $28 while the CARD Point costs $35 for a 1-pack, but both can be bought in a 2- or 4-pack bundle.
Studio Bot, Google's AI-powered coding companion for Android developers, is being rebranded as Gemini in Android Studio!
With the rebranding, Google is updating the AI companion's underlying large language model to Gemini 1.0 Pro. The functionality is the same, but you'll now get higher quality code generations, code completions, and responses to questions.
Gemini in Android Studio is currently available for free in over 180+ countries and territories in Android Studio Jellyfish. It's only available if you log in and opt in, only uses your conversation history (not your code) by default, and supports excluding certain files and folders (when you want to share code context) through an .aiexclude file.
With the rebranding, Google is updating the AI companion's underlying large language model to Gemini 1.0 Pro. The functionality is the same, but you'll now get higher quality code generations, code completions, and responses to questions.
Gemini in Android Studio is currently available for free in over 180+ countries and territories in Android Studio Jellyfish. It's only available if you log in and opt in, only uses your conversation history (not your code) by default, and supports excluding certain files and folders (when you want to share code context) through an .aiexclude file.
Mishaal's Android News Feed
It’s finally LIVE! Google’s Find My Device network, the Android equivalent of Apple’s Find My network, is rolling out to Android devices today, starting in the U.S. and Canada (with more regions to follow). The Find My Device network is a crowdsourced network…
Here are the trackers and headphones that support the Android Find My Device network:
Trackers:
* Pebblebee Clip
* Pebblebee Card
* Pebblebee Tag
* Chipolo One Point
* Chipolo One Card
* Eufy SmartTrack Link for Android (coming soon)
* Eufy SmartTrack Card for Android (coming soon)
* JioTag Go (coming soon)
Headphones:
* JBL Tour Pro 2
* JBL Tour One M2
* Sony WH-1000XM5
Source
Thanks to winner00 on my Discord for the tip!
Trackers:
* Pebblebee Clip
* Pebblebee Card
* Pebblebee Tag
* Chipolo One Point
* Chipolo One Card
* Eufy SmartTrack Link for Android (coming soon)
* Eufy SmartTrack Card for Android (coming soon)
* JioTag Go (coming soon)
Headphones:
* JBL Tour Pro 2
* JBL Tour One M2
* Sony WH-1000XM5
Source
Thanks to winner00 on my Discord for the tip!
Here's a first look at Android 15's new "Home Controls" screensaver, a new screensaver that'll have your Google Home device controls always at your fingertips when your phone or tablet is docked.
Details + screenshots can be found in the latest article I wrote for Android Authority.
Details + screenshots can be found in the latest article I wrote for Android Authority.
Android Authority
Android 15 adds a new screensaver that makes it easier to control your smart home
Android 15 is preparing to add a screensaver called “Home Controls” that lets you more easily control your Google Home devices.
Depth Effect on Android?
iOS lets you add a depth effect to your lock screen so that subjects in your lock screen wallpaper can be layered over the clock.
Developer siavash7999 managed to get this working on Android, thanks to ML Kit's subject segmentation API!
You can try this out on your own Android device by installing the latest canary version of the "PixelXpert" Xposed module (requires root).
IMO Google should add this to Android. This is so cool!
iOS lets you add a depth effect to your lock screen so that subjects in your lock screen wallpaper can be layered over the clock.
Developer siavash7999 managed to get this working on Android, thanks to ML Kit's subject segmentation API!
You can try this out on your own Android device by installing the latest canary version of the "PixelXpert" Xposed module (requires root).
IMO Google should add this to Android. This is so cool!
Android 15 will let you change the default wallet app! Wallet apps can store your credit and loyalty cards, car keys, and other things to help with various forms of transactions.
More details available in my latest article for Android Headlines.
More details available in my latest article for Android Headlines.
Android Headlines
Android 15 will let you set a default wallet app
Android 15 is preparing to let you change the wallet app used to store your credit and loyalty cards, car keys, and other digital cards.
The first Android 15 beta is HERE! Android 15 Beta 1 is rolling out today to users enrolled in the Android beta program. Supported devices include the Pixel 6 and newer, as well as the Pixel Tablet and Pixel Fold.
Here’s what’s new in Android 15 Beta 1, according to Google:
* As I first reported, apps targeting Android 15 are now displayed edge-to-edge by default when running on Android 15! This means apps won’t have to call the edge-to-edge APIs to show content behind system bars in Android 15, though they should call those APIs to do so in earlier releases. To assist app developers in supporting edge-to-edge, many Material 3 composables handle insets for you.
* Another Android 15 feature I first reported on is app archiving, which went live in DP2 but Google is now choosing to highlight in Beta 1. Android 15 includes OS level support for app archiving and unarchiving, making it easier for third-party app stores to support it (Google Play already does since last year). App store developers should check out the new PackageInstaller APIs while launcher developers should check out the new LauncherApps APIs to learn how to handle archived apps.
* The TalkBack accessibility service in Android 15 now supports Braille displays that use human interface devices over USB and Bluetooth.
* There’s also now an OS-level API for E2EE of contact keys so users can securely manage and verify other people’s contact information, enhancements to the NFC observe mode to allow apps to register a fingerprint so they can be notified of polling loop activity, inter-character text justification support, a new ProfilingManager class to collect profiling info from within apps, and additional changes to prevent malicious background apps from bringing other apps to the foreground.
Android 15 Beta 1 is the first of 4 planned beta releases. Beta 2 will very likely be unveiled at Google I/O on May 14, while Beta 3 will happen sometime in June and Beta 4 sometime in July. Beta 3 is when Platform Stability will be reached.
Here’s what’s new in Android 15 Beta 1, according to Google:
* As I first reported, apps targeting Android 15 are now displayed edge-to-edge by default when running on Android 15! This means apps won’t have to call the edge-to-edge APIs to show content behind system bars in Android 15, though they should call those APIs to do so in earlier releases. To assist app developers in supporting edge-to-edge, many Material 3 composables handle insets for you.
* Another Android 15 feature I first reported on is app archiving, which went live in DP2 but Google is now choosing to highlight in Beta 1. Android 15 includes OS level support for app archiving and unarchiving, making it easier for third-party app stores to support it (Google Play already does since last year). App store developers should check out the new PackageInstaller APIs while launcher developers should check out the new LauncherApps APIs to learn how to handle archived apps.
* The TalkBack accessibility service in Android 15 now supports Braille displays that use human interface devices over USB and Bluetooth.
* There’s also now an OS-level API for E2EE of contact keys so users can securely manage and verify other people’s contact information, enhancements to the NFC observe mode to allow apps to register a fingerprint so they can be notified of polling loop activity, inter-character text justification support, a new ProfilingManager class to collect profiling info from within apps, and additional changes to prevent malicious background apps from bringing other apps to the foreground.
Android 15 Beta 1 is the first of 4 planned beta releases. Beta 2 will very likely be unveiled at Google I/O on May 14, while Beta 3 will happen sometime in June and Beta 4 sometime in July. Beta 3 is when Platform Stability will be reached.
Mishaal's Android News Feed
Android 15 will let you change the default wallet app! Wallet apps can store your credit and loyalty cards, car keys, and other things to help with various forms of transactions. More details available in my latest article for Android Headlines.
Android 15 Beta 1 adds the new "wallet" role that I literally just posted about over on Android Headlines! You can read all about that here.
Android 15 Beta 1 adds a new "cellular network security" settings page under Settings > Security & privacy > More security & privacy with toggles for "security notifications" and "require encryption."
This page controls Android 15's new anti-stingray protection features I first reported on for Android Authority.
This page controls Android 15's new anti-stingray protection features I first reported on for Android Authority.