Android 15's revamped desktop mode takes one step closer to release

Android 15 QPR1 Beta 1 adds a new toggle to enable the revamped desktop mode, but it doesn’t work yet.

For more details on the progress of Android's revamped desktop mode, read this article on Android Authority.

Android 15 could add new settings to manage your external display

A new page in the Settings app will let you tweak the resolution and rotation of external displays.

I managed to enable the new page and grab some screenshots, which you can find in this article on Android Authority.

Do Not Disturb mode is being supercharged in Android 15

Google is preparing to bring back Priority Modes in Android 15, and they're much more customizable than DND mode.

Full details and screenshots can be found in my latest article for Android Authority.

Are you a fan of Niagara Launcher? Their latest beta update, out now, adds support for two of Android 15's biggest new features: app archiving and Private Space.

The full changelog and some hands-on videos can be found in my latest article for Android Authority.

Unfortunately, third-party launchers like Niagara Launcher are unable to support Private Space with 1:1 parity to the Pixel Launcher. This is because Google restricted certain necessary APIs to system launchers only. Full details on this issue are in the article.

In addition to Theft Detection Lock, Google is also rolling out Offline Device Lock and Remote Lock to users with compatible devices in Brazil.

These features work on phones running Android 10+ with GMS installed, excluding Android Go devices and devices without the requisite hardware.

- Offline Device Lock automatically locks your screen if a thief tries to keep your phone disconnected from the Internet for an extended period of time.
- Remote Lock lets you remotely lock your phone using just your phone number in case you can't sign into Find My Device using your Google account password.
- Theft Detection Lock uses a ML model to detect when someone snatches your phone from your hand and tries to run away with it on foot, by bike, or by car. If detected, your phone will automatically lock, blocking unwanted access to your apps and data.

All three features are in beta. The final versions will more widely roll out later this year.

Sweet: The Google Pixel 9 has a new "Adaptive Touch" feature, and it works REALLY well!

The Pixel 9 handles wet fingers way better than the Pixel 8 Pro, as you can see in the video embedded in this article.

Waiting for the Android 15 update to roll out for your Pixel? I have some good and bad news:

Android 15 may have the longest gap - ever - between its source code drop and Pixel OTA release.

Full details on Android 15's release schedule can be found in my latest article for Android Authority.

The Android 15 source code is scheduled to be released next week, but the Pixel OTA update isn't planned to roll out at the same time.

More details can be found in my latest article for Android Authority.

Here’s an early look at Google’s revamped Pixel wallpaper app in Android 15 QPR1.

The new version will make it easier to customize your home screen and lock screen.

You can see a demo of this new UI in my latest article for Android Authority.

Google has just confirmed my report that the Pixel's Android 15 update won't roll out next month.

Here's a first look at Android 15 QPR1's revamped keyboard switcher!

The new keyboard switcher is faster, more one-handed friendly, and has a cleaner design.

A video of this new keyboard switcher can be found in my latest article on Android Authority.

If you unlock the bootloader of your Google Pixel 9 as I did, AICore refuses to download the Gemini Nano with multimodality model, breaking core features of the Pixel Screenshots app, Call Notes, and AI weather reports in Pixel Weather.

Pixel Studio doesn't use Gemini Nano, so it still mostly works.

Not surprising, but Google doesn't want people snooping around and messing with these features/the model.

In the future, I'm betting a lot of these ML models will be run in VMs, further isolating them. In fact, that's one of the things that the Android Virtualization Framework team has pitched to developers - being able to securely run proprietary ML models in a VM. And AOSP has just added flags for assigning TPUs to protected VMs, so we're getting there.

It's finally happening: Widgets are coming back to the lock screen on Android.

The feature seems ready to launch in Android 15 QPR1, ie. the December 2024 Android 15 release.

More details on this feature and how I know it's near launch can be found in my latest Android Authority article.

The Google Play Store is (once again) rolling out simultaneous downloads support!

With this change, the app store can download multiple app updates at the same time.

Google rolled this out a couple of times in the past, but they've pulled the feature before, so hopefully that doesn't happen this time.

Thanks to _ultranoob_ on Telegram for the tip!

Sending files from your Android phone to your Windows PC is now even easier with a recent Link to Windows update.

Your Windows PCs can now appear directly on the Android share sheet.

Details + a screenshot can be found in this article.