If you want to try the new Gboard Smart Reply feature on the Pixel 8 Pro, you need to go to Settings > Developer Options > AiCore Settings and toggle "Enable Aicore Persistent".

Then, open a WhatsApp conversation to see LLM-powered Smart Reply suggestions in Gboard's suggestion strip.

These suggestions are powered by Google's Gemini Nano model, which is rolling out to Pixel 8 Pro devices via an update to the AICore app, so if you don't see the new Smart Reply behavior yet, you may need to wait for the model to be downloaded in the background.

Google says this feature is currently available as a limited preview for US English in WhatsApp but that support for more apps is coming next year.

The Pixel's December 2023 Feature Drop is rolling out today, and it brings a new feature I previously detailed called Repair Mode.

What is it and how does it work? Here's a first look at Repair Mode and an explanation of how it works under-the-hood.

The December 2023 Feature Drop update brings a much newer Arm Mali GPU kernel driver to Tensor Pixels, which users report significantly improves performance in games like Genshin Impact and Fortnite!

The GPU kernel driver has been upgraded from r38p1 released on August 18, 2022 to r44p1, which was released on October 11, 2023 (H/T @mile_freak07). (The GPU kernel driver version in the current Android 14 QPR2 beta is still r44p1.)

If you have a Tensor Pixel, try out some games/GPU benchmarks and see if the performance has improved significantly for you.

Alex Mullis noticed a major performance improvement in Genshin Impact a few weeks back after the game's version 4.2 update. The game ran quite poorly on the Pixel 8's Android 14 stable release, but ran much better on the QPR beta.

User TechDroider did a performance comparison between stable Android 14 and Android 14 QPR2 Beta 1 in Fortnite.

#Android #A14QPR2
Android 14 QPR2 Beta 2 has been released!
Release date: December 11, 2023
Build: AP11.231117.006
Security patch level: December 2023
Play Services version: 23.44.15

Google has released the second update of Android 14 QPR2 Beta for Pixel 5a to 8 devices. It's final release will be in March 2024. Enroll into the beta program to get OTA directly from Google. Here's the list of fixes.

Download for Google Pixel devices:
Factory Image | OTA update

Follow @PixelHubUpdates

#Android #A14QPR2
Android 14 QPR2 Beta 2 Changelog & Known issues

Changelog:
• Fixed an issue where battery usage information that was reported in system settings was sometimes incorrect
• Fixed an issue where the fingerprint icon on the lock screen would sometimes display before other information had loaded in always-on display mode
• Fixed an issue that sometimes caused the biometric prompt to crash, causing it to be dismissed before a user could interact with it
• Fixed an issue that sometimes caused the Internet Quick Settings tile to indicate that there was no Wi-Fi connection, even when the device was connected to a Wi-Fi network

Known Issues:
• Sometimes when a user unlocks the device using their fingerprint, there is no haptic feedback
• For Pixel Fold phones, sometimes after a user unlocks the device while it's folded, the inner display doesn't turn on after unfolding the device
• The Assistant At a Glance widget sometimes displays weather information for the wrong location

Follow @PixelHubUpdates

Sweet: Android may soon make it even easier to switch Bluetooth devices. Once this rolls out, you won't have to dive into the full Bluetooth settings page just to change the actively connected device anymore!

In Android 14 QPR2 Beta 1, I enabled a flag that let you remove the At a Glance widget entirely, but there was another interesting flag called SMARTSPACE_AS_A_WIDGET that didn't work at the time.

In Android 14 QPR2 Beta 2, I've enabled this flag, which lets you move the At a Glance widget around on screen and even rearrange it if you want!

Sadly, even with this flag enabled, you still cannot add the At a Glance widget to third-party launchers like Nova Launcher. This is because At a Glance isn't actually a widget under-the-hood, it's a "custom element behaving like a widget." (Thanks to Kieron Quinn for digging into this.)

RIP Google Podcasts

Google Podcasts will stop working in the US “as early as April 2024,” in favor of YouTube Music

" In YouTube Music, you will be able to listen to your podcasts just like you did on Google Podcasts, NO paid subnoscription required."

Google Podcasts will get an online tool soon to “Export subnoscriptions” to YouTube Music
There will be an option to export Google Podcasts subnoscriptions as an OPML file if you want to switch to a 3rd-party app.

For podcasts that aren’t currently available on YouTube, listeners will be able to add shows directly to their YouTube Music library via the podcast’s RSS feed

" We’ll share more about Google Podcasts’ availability and the release of this migration tool for other countries soon."

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Google Keep is FINALLY adding support for Android 14's new note-taking feature!

As I previously revealed, Android 14 quietly added a lock screen shortcut that lets you quickly launch a notes app in a floating bubble.

You can read more about how this feature will work in this Android Authority article.

Google Pixel 9 will feature the new 'Pixie Assistant'
Source

Google Assistant is the most powerful Assistant out of all others available on smartphones

Google is even integrating Bard into Google Assistant and since it is an Android Feature, it will be available on all Android devices

Now, Google is developing "Pixie", a new AI assistant, exclusive to Google Pixels
Pixie will be powered by Gemini, Google's most powerful data model

Some of the features of Pixie would be that it can pull information from Gmail, Maps, and other “data from Google products” on your phone to “evolve into a far more personalized version of the Google Assistant.”

Pixie aims to perform “complex and multimodal tasks, such as suggesting directions to the closest store where someone can buy a product they have photographed.”

Google might even bring those AI features to “its lower-end phones and devices like its Pixel watch.”

Pixie could be the Next Gen Version of Assistant with Bard

Follow @TechLeaksZone

Gboard is finally starting to roll out stylus handwriting support — here's a first look on the Pixel Tablet!

This feature lets you write in text fields and use gestures to select, insert, delete, join words, or add a new line. You also get a floating toolbar for quick access to voice input, clipboard, emojis, translate, and settings.

Thanks to Bálint Béres for the tip about this feature rolling out and for sharing this video with me! (The stylus that they used is the Penoval USI 2.0 stylus.)

Note: This feature may not be immediately available for everyone. Another tipster with a Pixel Tablet and USI 2.0 stylus noticed today that when connecting their stylus, they got a "stylus handwriting model is downloading" message from Gboard, but handwriting still didn't work.

The new Google Weather UI has rolled out to a bunch of my non-Pixel devices recently. I noticed it on my Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 the other day, but checked and saw it on a bunch of others too. These include:

* ASUS Zenfone 10
* Nothing Phone 2
* OnePlus 11
* OnePlus Pad
* OPPO Find X2
* Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra

The new UI hasn't yet rolled out to my Xiaomi 13T Pro or OnePlus Open, though. Interestingly, my Tab S8 Ultra got the UI right after I updated it to Android 14. I doubt there's a connection between the OS version and the UI's rollout, though, since my Zenfone 10, OnePlus Pad, and Find X2 are all on Android 13.

Have you received the new Google Weather UI yet on your device?

Here's how Google will simplify sideloading in Android.

As part of a proposed class action lawsuit settlement, Google said it will revise the default sideloading flow in Android. Here's exactly what they're changing:

1) The pop-up with the text "For your security, your phone currently isn't allowed to install unknown apps from this source. You can change this in Settings" and the "Install unknown apps" screen that lets you enable sideloading from the specified source will be combined into a single screen. That means you won't have to visit Settings to enable sideloading from a specified source anymore.

2) The text in this combined screen will read as follows: "Your phone currently isn't configured to install apps from this source. Granting this source permission to install apps could place your phone and data at risk."

Google will have to maintain this revised default sideloading flow for a period of five years after it's implemented, and they cannot "introduce additional material complexity or burden into the Revised Default Sideloading Flow solely because an app was sideloaded, as opposed to being downloaded from Google Play."

Source: 6.10 Sideloading from the Settlement Agreement and Release document

Big news! Google has announced the details of its settlement with the more than 30 U.S. states that filed a class action lawsuit over Google Play.

Google says it will:

1) Be "further simplifying the sideloading process and updating the language that informs users about these potential risks of downloading apps directly from the web for the first time." More details here.

2) Allow app and game developers to "implement an alternative billing option alongside Google Play's billing system for their U.S. users who can then choose which option to use when making in-app purchases."

3) Allow developers to "show different pricing options within the app when a user makes a digital purchase."

4) Pay $630 million into a settlement fund that will be distributed according to a Court-approved plan. $70 million will go to a fund that will be used by the states.

There's a bunch of other changes that Google agreed to as part of the settlement. The Verge's Sean Hollister has an excellent summary you can read here.

MKBHD smartphone camera Blind test 2023 results

While announcing the MKBHD Smartphone Awards 2023, Marques also announced the Blind Smartphone Camera Test Winners from a few "million" votes

There is NO way to determine which smartphone offers the Best camera because the camera app offers many filters, Pro controls, Telephoto etc and 95% people on Earth are average users who do NOT care for these features.

They just click the pictures from their smartphone with a simple manual focus on the subject

That's why this is a FAIR way to determine which smartphone offers the BEST camera.
Since millions of people voted, the error also gets reduced.

Standard
🥇 Google Pixel 7A
🥈 Google Pixel Fold
🥉 OnePlus Open

Low light
🥇 iPhone 15 Pro
🥈 Google Pixel 8 Pro
🥉 Google Pixel 7A

Portrait mode
🥇 Google Pixel 8 Pro
🥈 Samsung Z Fold 5
🥉 iPhone 15 Pro

Follow @TechLeaksZone

Finally! Android is preparing to show you an estimate of your battery's remaining charge capacity, so you'll know when to replace it.

You can see a screenshot of the Pixel's new "battery health" page and read more details about this feature in my latest article for Android Authority.

Bonus details in the article: Android may soon know whether you've replaced your battery or not by checking its serial number.

(Thanks to @nailsad_eleos for the tip!)

Interesting: It looks like Google might be rebranding Nearby Share to Quick Share. Quick Share is notably the name of Samsung's file sharing service on Galaxy devices. Are these two services going to be merged?

More details in my article for Android Authority, via Kamila Wojciechowska.