The Pixel Watch may soon add support for syncing app permissions from your phone!
Back in October, I discovered a new "sync permissions" setting in Android 14 QPR1 Beta 2 that gives your connected Wear OS smartwatch the same app permissions you allowed on your phone.
Today, Nail Sadykov discovered that the Pixel Watch companion app is preparing to add support for this. After flipping a flag, a new 'device details' item appears in the companion app that says "remove watch, sync permissions, share contacts".
Tapping on this opens Android's Bluetooth device details page for your connected Pixel Watch, surfacing the "sync permissions from phone" menu item I previously discovered.
Back in October, I discovered a new "sync permissions" setting in Android 14 QPR1 Beta 2 that gives your connected Wear OS smartwatch the same app permissions you allowed on your phone.
Today, Nail Sadykov discovered that the Pixel Watch companion app is preparing to add support for this. After flipping a flag, a new 'device details' item appears in the companion app that says "remove watch, sync permissions, share contacts".
Tapping on this opens Android's Bluetooth device details page for your connected Pixel Watch, surfacing the "sync permissions from phone" menu item I previously discovered.
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The Pixel Launcher app found on Google's Pixel devices is getting some new animations and quality-of-life improvements in Android 15.
They aren't live yet, but you can check them out in this article I wrote for Android Authority.
They aren't live yet, but you can check them out in this article I wrote for Android Authority.
Android Authority
Here are some new features of the Pixel Launcher in Android 15
Google is preparing to tweak the Pixel Launcher’s animations and feature set in Android 15. Here's a sneak peek at what's new!
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Google had a multi-year plan to migrate the AOSP build system completely over to Bazel, but this project was cancelled late last year.
In a statement to OEMs last year, Google said "in a recent review of our progress, we concluded that the conversion to Bazel would take a lot more time than originally anticipated. After carefully considering our options, we decided to stop working on transitioning Android’s build system to Bazel, and instead focus on improving the existing system."
At one point, I'm told, Google even aimed to migrate all Make and Soong build files to bazel by Android 16 W. But that obviously won't happen anymore.
In a statement to OEMs last year, Google said "in a recent review of our progress, we concluded that the conversion to Bazel would take a lot more time than originally anticipated. After carefully considering our options, we decided to stop working on transitioning Android’s build system to Bazel, and instead focus on improving the existing system."
At one point, I'm told, Google even aimed to migrate all Make and Soong build files to bazel by Android 16 W. But that obviously won't happen anymore.
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New TVs that launch with Android TV 14 or later on Linux kernel 5.15 or higher will be required to meet Google's Generic Kernel Image (GKI) requirements in order to pass certification!
This means that GKI is now enforced on all major Android form factors with AArch64 chipsets: handhelds, watches, automotive, & televisions.
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GKI 1.0 was introduced in Android 11 for devices that launched with Linux 5.4.
GKI 2.0 was introduced in Android 12 for devices that ship with Linux 5.10 or later kernels.
Automotive devices used to be exempt from GKI requirements, but any cars running Android Automotive OS 13 or later on Linux 5.15 or higher are required to meet GKI 1.0 requirements.
Automotive devices are still exempt from GKI 2.0 requirements, though that doesn't seem to be the case for TV devices. The biggest difference between GKI 1.0 and 2.0 is that 2.0 devices ship with a Google-signed boot image.
This means that GKI is now enforced on all major Android form factors with AArch64 chipsets: handhelds, watches, automotive, & televisions.
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The Generic Kernel Image (GKI) project addresses kernel fragmentation by unifying the core kernel and moving SoC and board support out of the core kernel into loadable vendor modules. GKI also presents a stable Kernel Module Interface (KMI) for vendor modules, so modules and kernel can be updated independently."GKI 1.0 was introduced in Android 11 for devices that launched with Linux 5.4.
GKI 2.0 was introduced in Android 12 for devices that ship with Linux 5.10 or later kernels.
Automotive devices used to be exempt from GKI requirements, but any cars running Android Automotive OS 13 or later on Linux 5.15 or higher are required to meet GKI 1.0 requirements.
Automotive devices are still exempt from GKI 2.0 requirements, though that doesn't seem to be the case for TV devices. The biggest difference between GKI 1.0 and 2.0 is that 2.0 devices ship with a Google-signed boot image.
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Android is preparing to add support for quarantining misbehaving apps!
I've been tracking the progress on this feature over the last few months, and while it isn't working yet, I have a good idea of how it'll work.
For more details, read this article I wrote over on Android Authority.
I've been tracking the progress on this feature over the last few months, and while it isn't working yet, I have a good idea of how it'll work.
For more details, read this article I wrote over on Android Authority.
Android Authority
Android 15 may be able to quarantine misbehaving apps
Android 15 could introduce a new way for the system to protect users from misbehaving apps: by quarantining them.
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Here's a very early look at lock screen widgets in Android 15 Beta 1.
The feature isn't quite finished yet, but hopefully it launches in time for the Pixel Tablet 2!
Full details + a video can be found in my latest article for Android Authority.
The feature isn't quite finished yet, but hopefully it launches in time for the Pixel Tablet 2!
Full details + a video can be found in my latest article for Android Authority.
Android Authority
Here's a very early look at lock screen widgets in Android 15
Here’s a very early hands-on of what lock screen widget support will look like on tablets running Android 15.
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Android 15 is adding a storage lifetime API that will be used to tell you how much longer your phone's storage chip will last!
This is needed as phone makers keep extending software support policies.
For more details, read my article over on Android Authority.
This is needed as phone makers keep extending software support policies.
For more details, read my article over on Android Authority.
Android Authority
Android 15 can tell you how long your phone's storage chip will last
Android 15 is preparing a new feature that will tell users the remaining lifetime of their device’s internal storage.
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Curious about how much longer your Pixel's storage chip will last?
Android 15 adds a new storage lifetime API, and it's already in use in Beta 1!
If you want to how to check the health of your Pixel's storage chip, read my guide on Android Police.
Android 15 adds a new storage lifetime API, and it's already in use in Beta 1!
If you want to how to check the health of your Pixel's storage chip, read my guide on Android Police.
Android Police
How to check the health of your Pixel's storage chip in Android 15
A new feature in Android 15 lets you check the health of your Pixel phone's storage chip. Here's how to use it
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Google confirms that Android is switching to VideoLAN's libdav1d decoder for AV1 video playback!
I first reported back in February that Google plans to roll out a Play System Update that enables libdav1d as Android's default AV1 software decoder. Yesterday, Arif Dikici, Software Development Manager on the Android Video and Image Codecs team, confirmed the news.
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The libdav1d codec is available on Android 12+ devices with the March 2024 Google Play System Update or newer. However, the libgav1 codec is still used by default, so apps have to manually opt in to using libdav1d instead. YouTube has already started doing so (though this has led to mixed results for some users).
Compared to libgav1, libdav1d is significantly more efficient and performant at decoding AV1 videos. Of course, a hardware accelerated decoder is still preferred, but many devices don't have a HW AV1 decoder.
Let me know if you've noticed any changes in YouTube following the March 2024 GPSU!
I first reported back in February that Google plans to roll out a Play System Update that enables libdav1d as Android's default AV1 software decoder. Yesterday, Arif Dikici, Software Development Manager on the Android Video and Image Codecs team, confirmed the news.
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Android welcomes dav1d, the best AV1 software decoder. It's official! All Android devices back to Android S received this new codec over the air. Most devices can decode 720p30 in software using dav1d. Apps need to opt into dav1d to benefit for now yet soon it will become the default av1 software decoder."The libdav1d codec is available on Android 12+ devices with the March 2024 Google Play System Update or newer. However, the libgav1 codec is still used by default, so apps have to manually opt in to using libdav1d instead. YouTube has already started doing so (though this has led to mixed results for some users).
Compared to libgav1, libdav1d is significantly more efficient and performant at decoding AV1 videos. Of course, a hardware accelerated decoder is still preferred, but many devices don't have a HW AV1 decoder.
Let me know if you've noticed any changes in YouTube following the March 2024 GPSU!
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Mishaal's Android News Feed
Google confirms that Android is switching to VideoLAN's libdav1d decoder for AV1 video playback! I first reported back in February that Google plans to roll out a Play System Update that enables libdav1d as Android's default AV1 software decoder. Yesterday…
My Nothing Phone 2, which has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 (which doesn't have HW AV1 decoding support), smoothly decodes 1080p60 AV1 videos in YouTube.
You can see using the Codec Info app that there's two AV1 decoders:
The latter is the libgav1 decoder, while the former is the new libdav1d decoder.
Currently, the libgav1 decoder has a higher priority than libdav1d, hence it's used by default.
(Higher number in the rank = lower priority.)
Edit: Hmmm, YouTube seems to have reverted its server-side change forcing AV1 videos to be served on devices that only support SW decoding. I'm no longer seeing AV1 videos served on my Nothing Phone 2. Anyone else notice this?
You can see using the Codec Info app that there's two AV1 decoders:
c2.android.av1-dav1d.decoderc2.android.av1.decoderThe latter is the libgav1 decoder, while the former is the new libdav1d decoder.
Currently, the libgav1 decoder has a higher priority than libdav1d, hence it's used by default.
(Higher number in the rank = lower priority.)
Edit: Hmmm, YouTube seems to have reverted its server-side change forcing AV1 videos to be served on devices that only support SW decoding. I'm no longer seeing AV1 videos served on my Nothing Phone 2. Anyone else notice this?
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Mishaal's Android News Feed
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…
Pebblebee's Find My Device-compatible item finders, the Card, Clip, and Tag, will start shipping as early as May 27, 2024, according to an email I was sent from a spokesperson for the company.
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Alongside the new Nothing Ear (a) (which I'll share a review on soon!), Nothing also unveiled the Nothing OS 2.5.5 update for the Nothing Phone 2, which has already begun rolling out!
The update enables Nothing's "Ultra XDR" by default, which I can confirm is based on Google's Ultra HDR, as well as other new features such as:
* A new Quick Setting tile to change the ringer mode
* Ability to change the voice assistant that launches when you squeeze the Nothing Ear (a) to ChatGPT
* Ability to enable zRAM up to 8GB ("RAM Booster")
* New widgets to quickly start ChatGPT in text/voice/image query mode, start a quick recording in the Recorder app, and see the battery level of connected devices
* Ability to quickly paste text/images from the clipboard into ChatGPT. You'll see an "a|" button in the clipboard overlay that you can tap to open the ChatGPT app with your clipboard content preloaded.
Lastly, there's also new switches to toggle HDR for Photo and Portrait modes, a Glyph Interface Debug Mode, and lots of bug fixes.
The update enables Nothing's "Ultra XDR" by default, which I can confirm is based on Google's Ultra HDR, as well as other new features such as:
* A new Quick Setting tile to change the ringer mode
* Ability to change the voice assistant that launches when you squeeze the Nothing Ear (a) to ChatGPT
* Ability to enable zRAM up to 8GB ("RAM Booster")
* New widgets to quickly start ChatGPT in text/voice/image query mode, start a quick recording in the Recorder app, and see the battery level of connected devices
* Ability to quickly paste text/images from the clipboard into ChatGPT. You'll see an "a|" button in the clipboard overlay that you can tap to open the ChatGPT app with your clipboard content preloaded.
Lastly, there's also new switches to toggle HDR for Photo and Portrait modes, a Glyph Interface Debug Mode, and lots of bug fixes.
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Mishaal's Android News Feed
Alongside the new Nothing Ear (a) (which I'll share a review on soon!), Nothing also unveiled the Nothing OS 2.5.5 update for the Nothing Phone 2, which has already begun rolling out! The update enables Nothing's "Ultra XDR" by default, which I can confirm…
This is not limited to Nothing of course, but I wish companies would stop making up new names for their HDR image features. It's just confusing.
Google's developer docs for Ultra HDR even brings this up😅
Generally, the reason that different branding is used is because companies want to highlight their entire HDR pipeline, while Ultra HDR just refers to the image format. But still, seeing "ProXDR" versus "Super HDR" versus "Ultra XDR" tells me, the consumer, nothing.
(To be fair to OnePlus and their ProXDR branding, it did exist before Ultra HDR was announced.)
Google's developer docs for Ultra HDR even brings this up😅
Generally, the reason that different branding is used is because companies want to highlight their entire HDR pipeline, while Ultra HDR just refers to the image format. But still, seeing "ProXDR" versus "Super HDR" versus "Ultra XDR" tells me, the consumer, nothing.
(To be fair to OnePlus and their ProXDR branding, it did exist before Ultra HDR was announced.)
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Meta has announced that they're opening up its AOSP-based Horizon OS platform (the company's mixed reality OS that powers the Meta Quest devices) to third-party hardware makers.
Very interesting announcement from Meta, given that we'll likely see the launch of the new Android Glasses SDK plus the new Android XR OS at I/O next month.
Very interesting announcement from Meta, given that we'll likely see the launch of the new Android Glasses SDK plus the new Android XR OS at I/O next month.
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