#Pixel6
Your Pixel 6 fingerprint sensor may break if it runs out of battery
Android Authority

Don't know how much issue Pixel 6 is going to face, but recently out there it reported that the phone can be unlocked with unregistered fingerprints. And another new report emerged saying that when the Pixel 6 run out of battery, it will disable the fingerprint sensor.

Someone on Reddit posted a thread regarding the issue, and many people also seems to face it too. Their Pixel 6 drain to 0%, then after charging the phone and reboot, they find the fingerprint sensor to be not functioning anymore. Factory reset the device appears to be the only way to fix it, which is also confirmed.

Though there a person reported that they faced the issue without draining all the battery yet still facing the issue, suggesting it could be some other reasons causing it (according to the article). Anyway, it is reported on Google Issue Tracker and hopefully Google can be aware of the issue and fix it as soon as possible.

*By the way, you shouldn't fully drain your phone battery if possible, as it degrade the battery much faster, resulting in shorter battery life.

#News #Pixel2
There are much more Android 12 ROMs for the Pixel 2
Last Updated: 12 Dec 2021, 11:51 UTC. No longer updating anymore.

Reminder:
Join @Pixel2Updates to get latest development update for the Pixel 2, operated by the same team of this channel. All the info are updated at the time of writing.

Remember the Pixel 2? One of the best made phone by Google, and many people are still using it as their daily driver. Our Pixel 2 community @Pixel2Updates have already released quite an amount of Android 12 ROM besides than ProtonAOSP 12 which get featured on articles. Here are the list of Android 12 ROM that are available for the device:

ArrowOS v12 (Pixel 2)
Pixel 2 build kicked in, maintained by the same developer @reallysnow. For now, you can get unofficial build but technically it should be enough to be daily driver.

ArrowOS v12 (Pixel 2 XL)
First Android 12 ROM for Pixel 2 XL, big thanks to @reallysnow else other Android 12 ROM won't exist. The first official build has gone live and it quite stable as reported by many users.

Bliss v15.0 (Pixel 2 XL)
Bliss come with tons of customisation, but in exchange for a not really stable experience. Anyway if you are the guys who like many customisations in a ROM, this ROM will suit you, made possible by Blackjubel.

CrDroid 8.0 (Pixel 2 XL)
XDA Thread
You can say that CrDroid is a fork of LineageOS, with more customisation which makes the ROM interesting. It is also quite stable overall, made possible by Blackjubel.

LineageOS 19.0 (Pixel 2 & Pixel 2 XL)
XDA Thread
The classic and most well-known ROMs by the majority, LineageOS is one of the most stable ROM out there you can try. Most features should just work out of the box, with minor bugs hidden here and there for the Pixel 2. It is also built by the official maintainer for the device too, @Eamo5.

Pixel Experience 12 (Pixel 2 & Pixel 2 XL)
XDA Thread
Stock like experience but Android 12, built by @PixelBoot which is the official maintainer for the ROM too. First Android 12 ROM for the smaller Pixel 2, also come with Google services by default, dynamic color theming engine is included too. Currently official build is entering beta stage.

ProtonAOSP 12 (Pixel 2 XL)
XDA Thread | Android Authority | Android Police | 9To5Google | XDA Developers
First Android 12 ROM to get posted on XDA, hence getting media attention and posted on articles. @kdrag0n, the creator of ProtonAOSP, once maintained both Pixel 2 devices officially on Android 11, but later he released a post stating that he won't be building it anymore due to vulnerabilities in proprietary code. Anyway @Dollscythe & @RealOkabe work together and released an unofficial build of ProtonAOSP 12, it is available in Vanilla & Gapps build, and also support dynamic color theme engine in both builds.

Summary:
• ArrowOS v12.0 for Pixel 2, by @reallysnow
• ArrowOS v12.0 for Pixel 2 XL, by @reallysnow
• Bliss v15.0 for Pixel 2 XL, by Blackjubel
• CrDroid 8.0 for Pixel 2 XL, by Blackjubel
• LineageOS 19.0 for Pixel 2 & Pixel 2 XL, by @Eamo5
• Pixel Experience 12 for Pixel 2 & Pixel 2 XL, by @PixelBoot
• ProtonAOSP 12.0.0 for Pixel 2 XL, by @Dollscythe & @RealOkabe

Credits:
• @TheOGLunarixus
• @ReallySnow
• @Eamo5
• @PixelBoot
• @Dollscythe
• @RealOkabe

Follow @PixelHubUpdates

#News #Pixel
A lot of recent Pixel devices that are on Android 12 is receiving another Android 12 update prompt

UPDATE 2: Google issued statement about the extra update.

UPDATE: It confirmed that Google accidentally send out Verizon builds out to unlocked models, now the update is reverted, and yeah, we recommend not to waste your cellular data and time to update it. More info.

Google Pixel 3 & later Pixel devices have got updated to Android 12 last month and have received November security patch last Monday too. Well, weirdly, Google pushed a weird update notification for those Pixel devices again.

On the Reddit thread (2), many people are facing the same issue with the updater simply saying there a system update even they are on Android 12 already. Meanwhile devices that are spoof to Pixel 3a & later are also getting the same notifications too, even if they are on a custom ROM, but they can't access the page which of course, prevent you from bricking your device actually.

If you are using a Google Pixel with original software installed, installing it doesn't seem to have any changes, with the build number changing, but some people got different results.

One guy said the (Pixel 5) build number changed from SP1A.211105.003 to SP1A.211105.002.A1. By the way, "A1" at the back of the build number is actually for Verizon as mentioned on the website. Your mileage may vary though.

I had say don't waste your time and data to update it, since there nothing else changed other than the build number, don't know what Google is doing but anyway.

Follow @PixelHubUpdates

#YouTube
YouTube will stop showing dislike counts on all videos
YouTube Blog

YouTube is making a big decision, and users starting today won't be able to view dislike counts on all videos soon.

It has been experimented by YouTube back in March, and this changes will be permanent for all users and it will take a few days to apply to all users. Creators can still view their videos dislike count in YouTube Studio. Viewers can still use the dislike button to help YouTube " further personalize and tune your recommendations." For apps or other stuff that use YouTube API, the public dislike count data access will be blocked starting December 13.

YouTube said they are doing this because smaller creators are targeted unfairly with dislike attacks, with their experiment data they saw less incidents of happening. You could learn more about it here.

*By the way, YouTube should solve their comment spam issue next. It is literally hurting creators in even more way and it common for a lot of large creators.

#News
Firebase gains new extensions, better macOS & Flutter support, Personalization beta, more
9To5Google

Ah yes, most people forgot about Firebase Summit because it unnecessary for most people. Anyway, articles out there has posted about what new's with Firebase, so if you are an app developer, probably do check it out.

Basically, there "Extensions" which allow developers to simplify common use cases or even connect their Firebase project with other services. The DartPad web app let you access Firebase APIs with just a browser. Firebase is also expanding to Apple macOS and tvOS in beta. Besides, there also a new documentation about the privacy disclosures necessary for each of Firebase’s tools, which is going to useful for the upcoming "Data Safety" section in the Play Store.

For more info, do checkout Firebase Blog or watch the YouTube live stream to learn more.

#News
PixelBook won't be arriving until at least 2023
XDA Developers

The last time we see Google releasing PixelBook is back at 2019, they released a cheaper variant of it, PixelBook Go. Then back to 2017, the first PixelBook released. So far, we haven't got any updated model by Google, and it seems like we won't be seeing in this or next year.

Trusted Review reports that a Google representative confirmed there won't be any Chromebook by Google releasing soon. Chrys Tsolaki, Retail Partner Manager for Chromebooks at Google, replied “Next year there won’t be anything coming. In the future, I don’t know.” It was asked at a Qualcomm press event in London.

These suggested that the next generation of PixelBook won't be coming anytime soon in 2021 or 2022. Whether it will launch in a later year, no one is sure about that.

#Pixel6
Google might add Face Unlock on the Pixel 6 in a future software update
XDA Developers

Earlier leaks hinted that Pixel 6 will be getting face unlock feature, but end up didn't launching. There still chance it could surface though.

XDA Recognized Developer Freak07 (also the guy who released the first Pixel 6 custom kernel) spotted some evidences inside Pixel 6 kernel source code. It suggests that the Pixel 6 Face Unlock feature is given the codename "Tuscany," and was working to improve its impact on the battery by boosting the CPU clusters for a more precise time window.

Anyway no one is clear why Google drop the feature, probably due to some critical issues like the fingerprint sensor (lol), the evidence are still kept which suggests Google could be bringing it in a future update.

#News #Pixel6
Pixel 6 received its first custom kernel
XDA Developers

Google Pixel 6 is officially released on October 28 and in less than a month time, custom kernel kicked in to the development for the device.

Made by XDA Recognized Developer Freak07, Kirisakura kernel has make it appearance since the first Pixel. Now the developer has released the kernel to be compatible with both Pixel 6 & Pixel 6 Pro. Here are the enhancements included in the kernel:
• Based on the latest kernel sources from Google for Android 12
• Linux-Stable-Upstream included to 5.10.44 (stock is 5.10.43)
• Use BBR as the default TCP congestion algorithm
• Enable support for TTL spoofing
• Includes LRNG

If you have a Pixel 6 or Pixel 6 Pro, you could give it a try by following the installation method in the post. You can download it from here and the kernel source code is available publicly.

#News
Project Relate is Google new project to help improve their Assistant and speech-to-text for people with speech impairments
Android Central

There is many people who are disabilities, and a voice assistant can play a role to help them control the phone screen, but people with speech difficulties might have hard time to command it.

Here where Google's Project Relate kicked in. It is "a new Android app that aims to help people with speech impairments communicate more easily with others and interact with the Google Assistant." It is available in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States, currently in beta phase. It has three functions, Listen, Repeat and Google Assistant. Listen can transcribe text in real time, Repeat can speak out the words in a clearer tone, Assistant can follow your command better.

Google is seeking volunteers with speech impairments with an Android phone running Android 8 and later. Volunteers will be asked to record 500 phrases to help train Google's algorithm.

*Communication is a "fundamental human need" and a "basic human right," ~ Aubrie Lee, a Google brand manager who named the project.

#Workspace #Docs #Sheets #Slides
Google Docs now let users block unwanted comments and mentions
Google Workspace Updates

You can block users on Google Drive, and Google is taking another step to add it into Google Docs, Sheets and Slides.

Blocked users can still try mention or interact with you in a Google Docs file, but you won't receive a notification from them, so you don't get annoying pings about it.

The feature has started rolling out and will take up to 2 week time to appear for everyone.

#News #Pixel
Google issued statement about Pixel phones receiving extra Android 12 update prompt
9To5Google | Previous post

A few hours ago, many Pixel owners noticed that they are receiving another Android 12 update, despite they have already update to the latest November security patch.

Google has issued a statement regarding the update on Reddit: "We’re sorry for the alert you received. Not to worry, we’ve resolved this issue and you can disregard it."

9To5Google also reported that the company told them that people who have updated should have "no" impact, a future software update will revert back to the correct carrier build.

*By the way, this literally solved a myth, is that carrier or unlocked model build can be sideload on any variant of the Pixel phone. Anyway, better to just use the appropriate build for your device to avoid any issue from happening.

#ChromeOS
Chrome OS virtual keyboard getting dark mode, Unicode 14 emoji and Linux apps support
9To5Google

Chrome OS is getting some neat addition, virtual keyboard is getting dark mode, emoji additions from Unicode 14, and connecting virtual keyboards to Linux apps.

There a flag which enable dark mode for virtual keyboard: chrome://flags/#enable-cros-ime-dark-mode. The flag is just added and currently it not working. Chrome OS will also be getting latest emoji from Unicode 14, according to a recent code change. It is already live in Canary version 98 build, so expect the new emoji to arrive on stable channel in February 2022.

Also Google is experimenting to connect Chrome OS virtual keyboard to Linux apps, as two flags suggested it: Crostini IME support (chrome://flags/#crostini-ime-support) & Crostini Virtual Keyboard Support (chrome://flags/#crostini-virtual-keyboard-support). The feature isn't working as it is still under development behind the scene.

Overall, Chrome OS virtual keyboard is set to gain some improvements from Google. We will see all these features arriving to everyone sometimes next year I guess.

#Pixel #Pixel5
Google Tensor could have make it appearance with the Pixel 5
XDA Developers

Google Tensor first debut with the Pixel 6 series, but a recent finding suggested that Google may have started testing it on the Pixel 5.

XDA Recognized Developer Freak07 found out that the company once tested a Pixel 5 powered with Google Tensor. Digging through the Pixel 6 source, he saw the kernel device tree files for two variants of the Tensor chip, internally referred to as gs101-b0 and gs101-a0. Pixel 6 is using gs101-b0 variant, and gs101-a0 seems relative new to us.

Apparently, gs101-a0 is linked to a Pixel device codenamed Whitefin, and this device is identical to Pixel 5 in specifications, but it powered by the Tensor SoC, according to Mishaal Rahman.