Smartspacer is a supercharged version of Google's At a Glance widget.
Google's At a Glance widget can already do a lot of things like show you timer and stopwatch info, flashlight reminders, and more, but it has limited support for showing info from other apps. It can show the status from ridesharing apps like Uber, doorbell alerts from Nest, safety check countdowns from Personal Safety, fitness tracking info from Adidas Running and Strava ... but not much else.
Smartspacer, though, has 20 different plugins to pull info from a variety of apps and OS settings, including:
* Aftership
* Amazon
* BBC Weather
* Google Finance
* Google Keep
* Google Maps
* Google Wallet
* Health Connect
* Pokemon Go
* Samsung Health
* Uber
* Yahoo Sports
* YouTube
There are also plugins for showing the battery (of the device, connected devices, and remote devices), notifications, sunrise/sunset info, data usage, and energy monitor.
Oh. And it HAS A PLUGIN FOR TASKER! That means you can basically program Smartspacer to show ANYTHING you want.
Using Smartspacer, you can do things like show your loyalty cards or Keep lists when you're at certain locations. You can also show more advanced flight tracking info, better delivery alerts, and so much more.
Best part: It doesn't require root access and works on both Pixel and non-Pixel devices. On Pixel devices, Smartspacer even keeps all the original At a Glance functionality, so you lose nothing by switching to it.
My friend Kieron Quinn has been working on Smartspacer for nearly a year and a half now and is getting ready to release it. Right now, it's in a preview state and is only available to a handful of testers. If you're interested, then join the Discord group!
(Developers: Kieron says he's making an SDK for launcher integration. Documentation and the SDK for plugin development will also be released soon.)
Google's At a Glance widget can already do a lot of things like show you timer and stopwatch info, flashlight reminders, and more, but it has limited support for showing info from other apps. It can show the status from ridesharing apps like Uber, doorbell alerts from Nest, safety check countdowns from Personal Safety, fitness tracking info from Adidas Running and Strava ... but not much else.
Smartspacer, though, has 20 different plugins to pull info from a variety of apps and OS settings, including:
* Aftership
* Amazon
* BBC Weather
* Google Finance
* Google Keep
* Google Maps
* Google Wallet
* Health Connect
* Pokemon Go
* Samsung Health
* Uber
* Yahoo Sports
* YouTube
There are also plugins for showing the battery (of the device, connected devices, and remote devices), notifications, sunrise/sunset info, data usage, and energy monitor.
Oh. And it HAS A PLUGIN FOR TASKER! That means you can basically program Smartspacer to show ANYTHING you want.
Using Smartspacer, you can do things like show your loyalty cards or Keep lists when you're at certain locations. You can also show more advanced flight tracking info, better delivery alerts, and so much more.
Best part: It doesn't require root access and works on both Pixel and non-Pixel devices. On Pixel devices, Smartspacer even keeps all the original At a Glance functionality, so you lose nothing by switching to it.
My friend Kieron Quinn has been working on Smartspacer for nearly a year and a half now and is getting ready to release it. Right now, it's in a preview state and is only available to a handful of testers. If you're interested, then join the Discord group!
(Developers: Kieron says he's making an SDK for launcher integration. Documentation and the SDK for plugin development will also be released soon.)
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Mishaal's Android News Feed
Smartspacer is a supercharged version of Google's At a Glance widget. Google's At a Glance widget can already do a lot of things like show you timer and stopwatch info, flashlight reminders, and more, but it has limited support for showing info from other…
Okay, originally the Discord group for this app wasn't going to be open, but since there's SO much interest in trying it out, here it is.
(Please don't overwhelm the dev, he's just one dude!)
Also, no I'm not getting paid to promote this app, nor am I getting any money from ad revenue or anything. Kieron just makes insanely cool apps (Pixel Launcher Mods; Ambient Music Mod; Tap, Tap), so I figured y'all would be interested in his new project.
(Please don't overwhelm the dev, he's just one dude!)
Also, no I'm not getting paid to promote this app, nor am I getting any money from ad revenue or anything. Kieron just makes insanely cool apps (Pixel Launcher Mods; Ambient Music Mod; Tap, Tap), so I figured y'all would be interested in his new project.
Discord
Discord - A New Way to Chat with Friends & Communities
Discord is the easiest way to communicate over voice, video, and text. Chat, hang out, and stay close with your friends and communities.
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Mishaal's Android News Feed
Since I'm not gonna have my own Pixel 8 for a while, I might as well put this out there so someone else can test it ASAP: You might be able to enable DisplayPort Alternate Mode (ie. display output over USB-C) if you root the device. That's because it seems…
Here's the code change that added this system property. It seems that USB-C DisplayPort Alternate Mode is currently only enabled on userdebug/eng builds. I'm not sure why it doesn't work when spoofing that property on user builds, though.
Edit: DP was disabled on userdebug/eng builds, too.
Edit: DP was disabled on userdebug/eng builds, too.
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Google's new "Pixel Troubleshooting" app, which helps Pixel users diagnose battery or network issues, is available on the Pixel 8 per Andreas Proschofsky for The Standard.
This app will likely come to other Pixel devices in the Android 14 QPR1 release.
This app will likely come to other Pixel devices in the Android 14 QPR1 release.
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Good news for developers: The Pixel Watch 2's new charging puck with POGO pins supports USB data, so you don't have to deal with wireless ADB debugging!
The Pixel Watch 2 will be a good device to test apps on Wear OS 4.
Thanks to Rob for the tip (and images)!
The Pixel Watch 2 will be a good device to test apps on Wear OS 4.
Thanks to Rob for the tip (and images)!
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While digging through the Pixel 8's device tree the other day, I discovered some features that were scrapped before launch.
These include 8K video recording, 480fps slo-mo videos, and sadly display output. Full details in this Android Authority article.
I'm hoping at least the display output feature can be re-enabled in the future!
These include 8K video recording, 480fps slo-mo videos, and sadly display output. Full details in this Android Authority article.
I'm hoping at least the display output feature can be re-enabled in the future!
Android Authority
Here are three Pixel 8 features that didn't make the cut
The Pixel 8 series adds a lot of new software features, but not every feature Google planned to add made it in. Here are some examples.
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Here are four ways that Android 14 improves on performance and memory efficiency:
1) Freezing cached applications
Android 14 freezes cached apps after a "short period of time", giving them 0 CPU time. During the Android 14 Beta, Google saw cached processes consume "up to 50% less CPU cycles as compared to Android 13 public devices."
2) Optimized broadcasts
To ensure frozen apps stay frozen, Android 14 adjusts how apps receive context-registered broadcasts once they enter a cached state. These broadcasts may be queued, and certain repeating ones (like
3) Faster app launches
Thanks to the previous two optimizations, Google says they were able to "increase long-standing limits on the maximum number of cached applications" in Android 14, leading to a "reduction in cold app starts that scales by the RAM present on the device."
A cold app start is when an app's process is started from scratch. This requires more CPU cycles than warm or hot starts, so reducing them improves power efficiency.
On devices with 8GB RAM, the beta group "saw 20% fewer cold app starts". On devices with 12GB RAM, "it was over 30% fewer".
4) Reduced memory footprint
Google says that ART 14 in Android 14 "includes optimizations that reduce code size by an average of 9.3% without impacting performance." The smaller the files containing the code that ART has to interpret, the better it is for memory and storage.
(Google hasn't shared full details on what's new in ART 14, but I'm hoping they'll do so soon!)
—-
Source
1) Freezing cached applications
Android 14 freezes cached apps after a "short period of time", giving them 0 CPU time. During the Android 14 Beta, Google saw cached processes consume "up to 50% less CPU cycles as compared to Android 13 public devices."
2) Optimized broadcasts
To ensure frozen apps stay frozen, Android 14 adjusts how apps receive context-registered broadcasts once they enter a cached state. These broadcasts may be queued, and certain repeating ones (like
BATTERY_CHANGED) may be merged into one broadcast.3) Faster app launches
Thanks to the previous two optimizations, Google says they were able to "increase long-standing limits on the maximum number of cached applications" in Android 14, leading to a "reduction in cold app starts that scales by the RAM present on the device."
A cold app start is when an app's process is started from scratch. This requires more CPU cycles than warm or hot starts, so reducing them improves power efficiency.
On devices with 8GB RAM, the beta group "saw 20% fewer cold app starts". On devices with 12GB RAM, "it was over 30% fewer".
4) Reduced memory footprint
Google says that ART 14 in Android 14 "includes optimizations that reduce code size by an average of 9.3% without impacting performance." The smaller the files containing the code that ART has to interpret, the better it is for memory and storage.
(Google hasn't shared full details on what's new in ART 14, but I'm hoping they'll do so soon!)
—-
Source
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Android 14 increases the maximum number of cached applications to 1024 (up from 32)!
That's a HUGE increase.
This was made possible thanks to the improvements Android 14 made to freezing cached apps (so they consume 0 CPU time) and to optimizing context-registered broadcasts.
Source
H/T Thai Nguyen on Twitter
That's a HUGE increase.
This was made possible thanks to the improvements Android 14 made to freezing cached apps (so they consume 0 CPU time) and to optimizing context-registered broadcasts.
Source
H/T Thai Nguyen on Twitter
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Here's a quick rundown on where some OEMs are at when it comes to their Android 14 releases:
ASUS: Last week, opened up an Android Preview Program for users of the Zenfone 10 to test Android 14. No details are available about this build, since enrollees have to agree to confidentiality.
OnePlus: Launched OxygenOS 14 Open Beta 1 for the OnePlus 11 last month, now on Open Beta 2 but Beta 3 is dropping soon. Earlier today, OxygenOS 14 Open Beta 1 released for the OnePlus Pad and OnePlus Nord 3 (India only).
Nothing: An open beta for Nothing OS 2.5 based on Android 14 was announced earlier this week. Currently available for the Nothing Phone (2).
Samsung: Formally announced One UI 6.0 based on Android 14 at the Samsung Developers Conference (SDC) last week. The sixth One UI 6.0 beta is currently available for the Galaxy S23 series in select markets. A beta is also available for the Galaxy Z Fold 5, Galaxy Z Flip 5, Galaxy S22, Galaxy S21, and Galaxy A34.
Xiaomi: A "Beta Stable" (ie. Release Candidate) build is available for MIUI beta testers with the Xiaomi 12T, Xiaomi 13, and Xiaomi 13 Pro. Kacper Skrzypek says these updates have at least partially been pushed to non-beta users, so it's fair to say the Android 14 update is slowly rolling out now to these devices.
—-
I have received devices from each of these OEMs recently and have been wanting to do more coverage on their respective forks of Android. Waiting for them to release their stable builds of Android 14 so I can dive in!
ASUS: Last week, opened up an Android Preview Program for users of the Zenfone 10 to test Android 14. No details are available about this build, since enrollees have to agree to confidentiality.
OnePlus: Launched OxygenOS 14 Open Beta 1 for the OnePlus 11 last month, now on Open Beta 2 but Beta 3 is dropping soon. Earlier today, OxygenOS 14 Open Beta 1 released for the OnePlus Pad and OnePlus Nord 3 (India only).
Nothing: An open beta for Nothing OS 2.5 based on Android 14 was announced earlier this week. Currently available for the Nothing Phone (2).
Samsung: Formally announced One UI 6.0 based on Android 14 at the Samsung Developers Conference (SDC) last week. The sixth One UI 6.0 beta is currently available for the Galaxy S23 series in select markets. A beta is also available for the Galaxy Z Fold 5, Galaxy Z Flip 5, Galaxy S22, Galaxy S21, and Galaxy A34.
Xiaomi: A "Beta Stable" (ie. Release Candidate) build is available for MIUI beta testers with the Xiaomi 12T, Xiaomi 13, and Xiaomi 13 Pro. Kacper Skrzypek says these updates have at least partially been pushed to non-beta users, so it's fair to say the Android 14 update is slowly rolling out now to these devices.
—-
I have received devices from each of these OEMs recently and have been wanting to do more coverage on their respective forks of Android. Waiting for them to release their stable builds of Android 14 so I can dive in!
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You can now build Android Automotive for the Pixel Tablet!
Add Tangorpro_car build support | Add aosp_tangorpro_car to COMMON_LUNCH_CHOICES
(H/T Al Sutton, Francisco Franco)
Obviously there's no benefit for users running Android Automotive on the Pixel Tablet, but it could be useful if you need a portable AAOS test device.
Many Pixel phones can be used to test AAOS, but a tablet is better since its screen more closely matches a typical head unit.
AAOS has been unofficially ported to several Samsung tablets in the past, but it's nice to see Google's latest Android tablet gain official support for this.
Add Tangorpro_car build support | Add aosp_tangorpro_car to COMMON_LUNCH_CHOICES
(H/T Al Sutton, Francisco Franco)
Obviously there's no benefit for users running Android Automotive on the Pixel Tablet, but it could be useful if you need a portable AAOS test device.
Many Pixel phones can be used to test AAOS, but a tablet is better since its screen more closely matches a typical head unit.
AAOS has been unofficially ported to several Samsung tablets in the past, but it's nice to see Google's latest Android tablet gain official support for this.
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Some tidbits from Google's AMA on Reddit about Android 14:
—-
In Google's Ask Me Anything (AMA) about Android 14 on Reddit, someone asked about the status of satellite SOS/SMS.
In response, Google said they're "working on it! In fact you can see the new telephony satellite interface in Android 14 source code. More to come on the Satellite eSOS feature soon."
—-
The Pixel 8 series will add support for lossless USB audio in a future later release, according to Dave Burke in response to a comment from a Redditor.
Android 14 added support for lossless audio formats over USB wired headsets.
—-
Dave Burke has shared more details about the new optimizations in ART 14, the major new version of the Android Runtime that's available in Android 14 (and will likely be backported to Android 12+ devices via a Project Mainline update).
For context, Google earlier said ART 14 "includes optimizations that reduce code size by an average of 9.3% without impacting performance." The smaller the files containing the code that ART has to interpret, the better it is for memory and storage.
According to Burke, these ART optimizations include "dead code elimination, collapse return statements, etc. An average phone can have 500MB-1GB of optimized code so this translates to a 50-100MB savings!"
—-
In Google's Ask Me Anything (AMA) about Android 14 on Reddit, someone asked about the status of satellite SOS/SMS.
In response, Google said they're "working on it! In fact you can see the new telephony satellite interface in Android 14 source code. More to come on the Satellite eSOS feature soon."
—-
The Pixel 8 series will add support for lossless USB audio in a future later release, according to Dave Burke in response to a comment from a Redditor.
Android 14 added support for lossless audio formats over USB wired headsets.
—-
Dave Burke has shared more details about the new optimizations in ART 14, the major new version of the Android Runtime that's available in Android 14 (and will likely be backported to Android 12+ devices via a Project Mainline update).
For context, Google earlier said ART 14 "includes optimizations that reduce code size by an average of 9.3% without impacting performance." The smaller the files containing the code that ART has to interpret, the better it is for memory and storage.
According to Burke, these ART optimizations include "dead code elimination, collapse return statements, etc. An average phone can have 500MB-1GB of optimized code so this translates to a 50-100MB savings!"
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Google Photos is switching to the system sharesheet in Android 14!
This already appears to be rolling out for some users. Rita El Khoury mentioned she has it on her Pixel 8 Pro, and another user with an 8 Pro (Mustachedminer) told me they also have it on version 6.56.
Let me know if you see this too!
For more information on how Android 14 is improving the system share sheet, check out this article I wrote for Esper.
This already appears to be rolling out for some users. Rita El Khoury mentioned she has it on her Pixel 8 Pro, and another user with an 8 Pro (Mustachedminer) told me they also have it on version 6.56.
Let me know if you see this too!
For more information on how Android 14 is improving the system share sheet, check out this article I wrote for Esper.
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Android Device Streaming, which is currently in Alpha, has added 13 new devices to stream, including several Samsung Galaxy devices!
This upcoming service will let you test apps on real Android devices located remotely in a Google data center, all through Android Studio.
Some of the devices that were just added include:
FUJITSU F-01L
Google Pixel 8
Google Pixel 8 Pro
Motorola Moto G20
Samsung Galaxy A51
Samsung Galaxy Note9
Samsung Galaxy S8
Samsung Galaxy S20
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra
Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3
SHARP AQUOS sense2 SH-01L
(Thanks to anonymous for the tip!)
This upcoming service will let you test apps on real Android devices located remotely in a Google data center, all through Android Studio.
Some of the devices that were just added include:
FUJITSU F-01L
Google Pixel 8
Google Pixel 8 Pro
Motorola Moto G20
Samsung Galaxy A51
Samsung Galaxy Note9
Samsung Galaxy S8
Samsung Galaxy S20
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra
Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3
SHARP AQUOS sense2 SH-01L
(Thanks to anonymous for the tip!)
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I WAS RIGHT! THE PIXEL 8 SUPPORTS DISPLAY OUTPUT!
Earlier I shared a method to enable DisplayPort Alt Mode on the Pixel 8. At first I thought it didn't work, but Micha Lechner (@mile_freak07) tried the same method and it worked for him!
Video proof + full details available in this article.
The fact that this works after changing a single system property means Google could enable display output in an OTA update if they want.
I suspect they're waiting until Android's desktop mode is in a better state, though.
Earlier I shared a method to enable DisplayPort Alt Mode on the Pixel 8. At first I thought it didn't work, but Micha Lechner (@mile_freak07) tried the same method and it worked for him!
Video proof + full details available in this article.
The fact that this works after changing a single system property means Google could enable display output in an OTA update if they want.
I suspect they're waiting until Android's desktop mode is in a better state, though.
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