Google Cast is getting better support for short form content, fixing a common problem, and expanding to new devices.
A new “auto-play” button can appear when you’re casting a short form video, giving you the option to cast just that specific video or automatically continue playing the next video after the current one ends. Speaking of short form video, you can now cast TikTok content from your phone! In the near future, you’ll also be able to cast live videos from TikTok.
A new “Persistent Cast icon” ensures the Cast icon will appear whenever users need it, even when no nearby Cast devices are detected. This is because users have complained that the Cast icon is missing, so now the Cast icon will persist to help explain why a specific device might not be visible. Developers are generally recommended to place the Cast icon prominently on every screen with playable content in the top right corner.
New devices with Google Cast support include LG’s 2024 TV series, and later this year, LG Hospitality and Healthcare products such as those in hotel rooms. Google says there are now over 220 million monthly active Google TV and Android TV OS devices (which all ship with Chromecast built-in).
Lastly, for Web Receiver apps streaming HLS content, Google is asking developers to migrate to Shaka Player for playback, since the current player (MPL) won’t get any feature updates. The Cast Web Receiver SDK has gained increased support for HLS playback using Shaka Player on cast device targets and has added an opt-in flag to enable it.
A new “auto-play” button can appear when you’re casting a short form video, giving you the option to cast just that specific video or automatically continue playing the next video after the current one ends. Speaking of short form video, you can now cast TikTok content from your phone! In the near future, you’ll also be able to cast live videos from TikTok.
A new “Persistent Cast icon” ensures the Cast icon will appear whenever users need it, even when no nearby Cast devices are detected. This is because users have complained that the Cast icon is missing, so now the Cast icon will persist to help explain why a specific device might not be visible. Developers are generally recommended to place the Cast icon prominently on every screen with playable content in the top right corner.
New devices with Google Cast support include LG’s 2024 TV series, and later this year, LG Hospitality and Healthcare products such as those in hotel rooms. Google says there are now over 220 million monthly active Google TV and Android TV OS devices (which all ship with Chromecast built-in).
Lastly, for Web Receiver apps streaming HLS content, Google is asking developers to migrate to Shaka Player for playback, since the current player (MPL) won’t get any feature updates. The Cast Web Receiver SDK has gained increased support for HLS playback using Shaka Player on cast device targets and has added an opt-in flag to enable it.
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Android Auto is getting better integration with EVs, starting with the Ford Mustang Mach-E and F-150 Lightning. EVs can now share real-time battery information with Google Maps, so you can see your estimated battery level upon arrival at your destination, get suggested charging stops, and even get estimates for how long charging will take.
Cars with Google built-in (ie. those that run Android Automotive OS with Google apps support), meanwhile, are getting new apps like Chrome, PBS Kids, and Crunchyroll. You’ll also now be able to send trips planned on your phone directly to Google Maps in your car. Lastly, Nissan and Lincoln will be releasing cars with Google built-in eventually.
Cars with Google built-in (ie. those that run Android Automotive OS with Google apps support), meanwhile, are getting new apps like Chrome, PBS Kids, and Crunchyroll. You’ll also now be able to send trips planned on your phone directly to Google Maps in your car. Lastly, Nissan and Lincoln will be releasing cars with Google built-in eventually.
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Mishaal's Android News Feed
Google’s new “cast to devices nearby” feature lets you seamlessly transfer media playback from your Pixel Pro phone to your Pixel Tablet when it’s docked. All you have to do is bring your phone close to the docked tablet to transfer media from phone to tablet…
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Here's a demo of the new "cast to nearby devices" feature, which lets you transfer media playback from an UWB-enabled Pixel phone to a docked Pixel Tablet (or vice versa) by bringing your phone close to the tablet.
This works with YouTube Music and Spotify at launch, but other media apps that integrate media output switcher support should work with this.
This works with YouTube Music and Spotify at launch, but other media apps that integrate media output switcher support should work with this.
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Mishaal's Android News Feed
Finally: Fast Pair support is coming to Google TV devices, starting with the Chromecast with Google TV. This will make it much easier to pair Fast Pair-enabled Bluetooth accessories with your Google TV device. You’ll see a big pop-up on your TV with a “Connect…
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Here's a brief demo of Fast Pair support on Google TV.
As you can see, a big pop-up appears on screen when a Fast Pair-compatible headset, like the Sony WH-1000XM5, is in pairing mode.
Once connected, you can open the Quick Settings to easily switch the media output device.
As you can see, a big pop-up appears on screen when a Fast Pair-compatible headset, like the Sony WH-1000XM5, is in pairing mode.
Once connected, you can open the Quick Settings to easily switch the media output device.
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Mishaal's Android News Feed
The rumors were true: Google is rebranding Nearby Share to “Quick Share” to better align with Samsung’s P2P file sharing service of the same name. Google collaborated with Samsung to integrate the experiences and bring “the best of [their] sharing solutions…
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Here's a demo of the new Quick Share experience coming to Android devices soon.
On the left is a Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra and on the right the Google Pixel 8 Pro.
On the left is a Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra and on the right the Google Pixel 8 Pro.
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So...Google is releasing Android 14 QPR2 Beta 3 today (build number AP11.231215.007) but the timing SUCKS for me.
I'm still in Vegas at CES, but I just checked out of my hotel, so no stable/fast WiFi or great place to work. I have a flight to catch this afternoon, and I feel a bit sick.
Sorry y'all, but I'm not going to dive into this build until much later tonight or tomorrow. Rest assured there'll be plenty of cool stuff left to discover!
I'm still in Vegas at CES, but I just checked out of my hotel, so no stable/fast WiFi or great place to work. I have a flight to catch this afternoon, and I feel a bit sick.
Sorry y'all, but I'm not going to dive into this build until much later tonight or tomorrow. Rest assured there'll be plenty of cool stuff left to discover!
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Mishaal's Android News Feed
So...Google is releasing Android 14 QPR2 Beta 3 today (build number AP11.231215.007) but the timing SUCKS for me. I'm still in Vegas at CES, but I just checked out of my hotel, so no stable/fast WiFi or great place to work. I have a flight to catch this afternoon…
FUCK IT, LET'S DO THIS
Android finally has a pop-up dialog for the Bluetooth Quick Setting tile! I previously spotted this in the QPR2 Beta 2 release, but it's now enabled by default in QPR2 Beta 3!
(Image credits: Nail Sadykov.)
Android finally has a pop-up dialog for the Bluetooth Quick Setting tile! I previously spotted this in the QPR2 Beta 2 release, but it's now enabled by default in QPR2 Beta 3!
(Image credits: Nail Sadykov.)
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Forwarded from Google News | En
Android 14 QPR2 (March) Beta 3 is out!
List of fixes:
• Fixed an issue where SPIR-V sequences of OpShiftLeft followed by OpShiftRight didn't produce the expected results for ARM Vulkan driver versions 43.0 and 44.0.
• Fixed issues that sometimes caused Bluetooth connections to be interrupted for some devices.
• Fixed issues that sometimes caused a device to crash or become unresponsive after restarting.
• Fixed issues that in some rare cases caused devices to reboot while in idle mode.
• Fixed an issue that caused live wallpapers to stop animating.
• Fixed an issue that prevented Google Assistant from activating in some cases.
• Fixed an issue that sometimes caused multi-finger gestures to stop working.
• Fixed an issue where the device's screen didn't initially turn on when the screen was double-tapped or the power button was pressed.
• Fixed an issue that sometimes caused higher than usual CPU usage during video playback.
• Fixed a system issue that sometimes caused poor audio quality or higher power consumption when making calls.
• Fixed an issue where the keyboard was always shown even if the "Swipe up to start search" setting was disabled in system settings.
• Fixed an issue where sometimes when a user unlocked the device using their fingerprint, there was no haptic feedback.
• Fixed an issue for Pixel Fold devices where sometimes after a user unlocked the device while it was folded, the inner display didn't turn on after unfolding the device.
Fixed various issues that were impacting system stability, performance, connectivity, camera, and accessibility.
Build number:AP11.231117.006 → AP11.231215.007
Security Patch: January 2024
🔗 Android Beta
• OTA images
• Factory Images
Google News | En
List of fixes:
• Fixed an issue where SPIR-V sequences of OpShiftLeft followed by OpShiftRight didn't produce the expected results for ARM Vulkan driver versions 43.0 and 44.0.
• Fixed issues that sometimes caused Bluetooth connections to be interrupted for some devices.
• Fixed issues that sometimes caused a device to crash or become unresponsive after restarting.
• Fixed issues that in some rare cases caused devices to reboot while in idle mode.
• Fixed an issue that caused live wallpapers to stop animating.
• Fixed an issue that prevented Google Assistant from activating in some cases.
• Fixed an issue that sometimes caused multi-finger gestures to stop working.
• Fixed an issue where the device's screen didn't initially turn on when the screen was double-tapped or the power button was pressed.
• Fixed an issue that sometimes caused higher than usual CPU usage during video playback.
• Fixed a system issue that sometimes caused poor audio quality or higher power consumption when making calls.
• Fixed an issue where the keyboard was always shown even if the "Swipe up to start search" setting was disabled in system settings.
• Fixed an issue where sometimes when a user unlocked the device using their fingerprint, there was no haptic feedback.
• Fixed an issue for Pixel Fold devices where sometimes after a user unlocked the device while it was folded, the inner display didn't turn on after unfolding the device.
Fixed various issues that were impacting system stability, performance, connectivity, camera, and accessibility.
Build number:
Security Patch: January 2024
🔗 Android Beta
• OTA images
• Factory Images
Google News | En
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Android 15 might add a new API that lets apps programmatically change the media output.
A new "change media output" appop permission (
A new "change media output" appop permission (
android.permission.MEDIA_ROUTING_CONTROL) has been added in Android 14 QPR2 Beta 3 that "allow[s] this app to choose which connected device plays audio or video from other apps. If allowed, this app can access a list of available devices such as headphones and speakers and choose which output device is used to stream or cast audio or video."👍61🤔16🤷♂8👏1
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It looks like that taskbar pinning feature I spotted back in June could launch soon! This feature lets you switch between the floating "transient" taskbar and the "persistent" taskbar.
A new animation has been added to the Pixel Launcher in Android 14 QPR2 Beta 3 that demos this feature, as shown above.
A new animation has been added to the Pixel Launcher in Android 14 QPR2 Beta 3 that demos this feature, as shown above.
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Google Wallet on Wear OS added support for passes and loyalty cards last month, and I finally got a chance to try it out last weekend on my Pixel Watch 2!
It was nice being able to scan my boarding pass at the airport/security/gate without having to pull out my phone.
All the relevant boarding pass info (TSA PreCheck mark, gate number, seat number, etc.) is also accessible on the watch, just by tapping the pass then scrolling down when the QR code appears.
It was nice being able to scan my boarding pass at the airport/security/gate without having to pull out my phone.
All the relevant boarding pass info (TSA PreCheck mark, gate number, seat number, etc.) is also accessible on the watch, just by tapping the pass then scrolling down when the QR code appears.
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IS IT HAPPENING?
I was able to add a widget to the LOCK SCREEN in the latest Android 14 QPR2 beta. The UI is still a heavy WIP, but this could be an indicator that Android 15 will bring back widget support to the lock screen.
Screenshots + full details in this Android Authority article.
I was able to add a widget to the LOCK SCREEN in the latest Android 14 QPR2 beta. The UI is still a heavy WIP, but this could be an indicator that Android 15 will bring back widget support to the lock screen.
Screenshots + full details in this Android Authority article.
Android Authority
Android 15 could bring widgets back to the lock screen
Google killed off lock screen widget support on Android nearly a decade ago, but it could be coming back in Android 15.
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I finally got my Pixel Watch 2 and Galaxy Z Fold 5 to sync Do Not Disturb mode!
This basic functionality is arbitrarily limited to Pixel phones (and to be fair to Google, Samsung does the same thing requiring a Galaxy phone to sync DND to Galaxy watches) but it's easy to fix.
All you need is an app called DNDSync (it's free, open source, and doesn't require the Internet permission) available on GitHub. The original was made by developer blundens but there's also a forked version by DreadedLama that adds bedtime mode sync functionality.
The app requires some manual setup, though. You have to sideload it on both your phone and watch, enable the app's Notification Listener service on your phone through Settings, manually enable the app's Notification Listener service on your watch through ADB, and then manually grant the app the Write Secure Settings permission on your watch through ADB.
The Notification Listener service is necessary for the app on your phone and watch to toggle DND (using
Let me know if this app works for you!
This basic functionality is arbitrarily limited to Pixel phones (and to be fair to Google, Samsung does the same thing requiring a Galaxy phone to sync DND to Galaxy watches) but it's easy to fix.
All you need is an app called DNDSync (it's free, open source, and doesn't require the Internet permission) available on GitHub. The original was made by developer blundens but there's also a forked version by DreadedLama that adds bedtime mode sync functionality.
The app requires some manual setup, though. You have to sideload it on both your phone and watch, enable the app's Notification Listener service on your phone through Settings, manually enable the app's Notification Listener service on your watch through ADB, and then manually grant the app the Write Secure Settings permission on your watch through ADB.
The Notification Listener service is necessary for the app on your phone and watch to toggle DND (using
NotificationManager#setInterruptionFilter) as well as to listen to when the Digital Wellbeing app on your phone posts the notification for when bedtime mode is enabled so it can then attempt to enable bedtime mode on your watch; enabling bedtime mode on the watch requires enabling the app's Accessibility Service, so it can pull down the Quick Settings and tap the bedtime mode tile. YMMV on the bedtime mode sync, as it doesn't work on Samsung phones because Samsung has their own version of Digital Wellbeing that this app isn't listening for. Let me know if this app works for you!
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TIL that apps can essentially embed Nearby Share so that users can select and share files with a nearby device from within the app instead of having to open the share sheet, pick Nearby Share, and then select the device to share with.
This is made possible by a slice that Nearby provides. The slices API was added in Android 9 but isn't used for much, so I was surprised to learn that Nearby offers this.
Nearby Sharing Android API demo
This is made possible by a slice that Nearby provides. The slices API was added in Android 9 but isn't used for much, so I was surprised to learn that Nearby offers this.
Nearby Sharing Android API demo
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Following OnePlus/OPPO/Realme, ASUS has also added deeper integration with Windows PCs in their Android 14 release!
On the ROG Phone 8 series, Link to Windows is preloaded, which enables additional features you can't get by simply downloading the app from Google Play, like "Phone screen" (screen mirroring), "Apps" (mirroring individual or multiple apps), drag-and-drop files, and "Instant Hotspot" (connecting to your phone's mobile hotspot from your PC's WiFi menu).
Microsoft submitted a bunch of code to Qualcomm's fork of Android 14 to more tightly integrate Phone Link into the OS, and it's interesting to see more OEMs embrace this integration. Unlike Samsung, however, ASUS seems to also support app mirroring to Chromebooks, as their devices (including the ROG 8) also integrate Cross-Device Services.
So you get app mirroring to both Windows PCs and Chromebooks on the ROG Phone 8!
On the ROG Phone 8 series, Link to Windows is preloaded, which enables additional features you can't get by simply downloading the app from Google Play, like "Phone screen" (screen mirroring), "Apps" (mirroring individual or multiple apps), drag-and-drop files, and "Instant Hotspot" (connecting to your phone's mobile hotspot from your PC's WiFi menu).
Microsoft submitted a bunch of code to Qualcomm's fork of Android 14 to more tightly integrate Phone Link into the OS, and it's interesting to see more OEMs embrace this integration. Unlike Samsung, however, ASUS seems to also support app mirroring to Chromebooks, as their devices (including the ROG 8) also integrate Cross-Device Services.
So you get app mirroring to both Windows PCs and Chromebooks on the ROG Phone 8!
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Microsoft/Qualcomm seems to have modified Android 14 to add an "allow until next restart" button to the MediaProjection consent dialog. This means that on Snapdragon devices running Android 14 with the new advanced Link to Windows integration (like the ASUS ROG Phone 8), you won't have to grant LtW permission every single time you want to mirror an app from your phone - only once per boot.
This change in behavior (forcing apps to ask you for permission every time they want to record the screen) was intentionally added in Android 14 by Google, but it seems Microsoft/Qualcomm took note of this annoyance and fixed this issue by modifying AOSP.
This button isn't available on my Galaxy Z Fold 5, which also has LtW preloaded, suggesting that Samsung didn't take all the framework patches that Microsoft submitted to CLO.
This change in behavior (forcing apps to ask you for permission every time they want to record the screen) was intentionally added in Android 14 by Google, but it seems Microsoft/Qualcomm took note of this annoyance and fixed this issue by modifying AOSP.
This button isn't available on my Galaxy Z Fold 5, which also has LtW preloaded, suggesting that Samsung didn't take all the framework patches that Microsoft submitted to CLO.
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