Android

Ahead of a rollout starting in November, Oppo has revealed ColorOS 15 with some big UI changes, but also a lot of… let’s say “inspiration” from iOS.

Samsung is working on a new AI experience for its devices that will help you use your phone without ever accessing the Settings menu.

Google's giving Android users an extra tool to keep their phones safe with the mandatory biometric security of Identity Check.

Alongside the Android 15 update, Google is rolling out a bevy of new Pixel-exclusive features as part of its latest Pixel Drop release.

New features for Pixel phones in the October '24 Pixel Drop

New features for Pixel watches in the October '24 Pixel Drop

Google is rolling out Android 15 to Pixel devices, bringing new features like Private Space, built-in app archiving support, and more.

Which Pixel devices are getting the Android 15 update?

The Android 15 update is rolling out to the following Pixel devices starting today:

• Google Pixel 6
• Google Pixel 6 Pro
• Google Pixel 6a
• Google Pixel 7
• Google Pixel 7 Pro
• Google Pixel 7a
• Google Pixel Fold
• Google Pixel 8
• Google Pixel 8 Pro
• Google Pixel 8a
• Google Pixel 9
• Google Pixel 9 Pro
• Google Pixel 9 Pro XL
• Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold
• Google Pixel Tablet

Battery and charging

• Fixed an issue where the device occasionally restarted unexpectedly [2]
• General improvements in charging and battery usage [3]

Biometric method

• Fixed an issue where face unlocking did not work reliably under certain conditions [8]

Bluetooth

• Fixed an issue where connecting to certain Bluetooth devices or Bluetooth accessories was occasionally not possible [7]

Camera

• General improvements to camera reliability under certain conditions [7]

Display and graphics

• Fixed an issue where a gray shadow appeared on the inner display under certain conditions [10]
• General improvements to the reliability and performance of certain system apps [7]
• General improvements in display reliability [9]

Framework

• Fixed an issue where apps could occasionally fail to access media files [7]

System

• Fixed an issue that affected system reliability and performance under certain conditions [1]

Telephony

• Fixed an issue that affected the reliability and performance of adaptive connectivity services [6]
• General improvements in network connection reliability and performance under certain conditions [5,9]

User interface

• Fixed an issue where Android icons were not displayed correctly under certain conditions [1]
• Fixed an issue where the animation was not displayed correctly when launching Google Assistant on the lock screen [7]
• Fixed an issue where the center button would stop responding under certain conditions [3]
• Fixed issue with incoming call notifications under certain conditions [3]
• Fixed an issue that occurred with layouts and animations under certain conditions during transitions [7]
• Fixed an issue that affected the view and reliability of transitions between certain UI elements and animations [3]
• General improvements to the view and reliability of transitions between certain UI elements and animations [1]

What new features are available in the Android 15 update?

#1 - Private Space

#2 - App archiving support

#3 - More secure screen shares

#4 - Predictive back animations

#5 - App Pairs

#6 - Taskbar pinning

#7 - Edge-to-edge mode by default

#8 - Home Controls screensaver

#9 - Redesigned volume panel

#10 - Bluetooth auto-on

#11 - Additional security for sensitive settings

#12 - Color contrast settings

#13 - Cast volume controls for speaker groups

#14 - Richer widget previews

#15 - Single tap sign-ins with Passkeys

#16 - More security around factory resets

People ask why an app is large on Twitter and we at Emerge break it down. It's kind of become our bat signal.

Usually, we break down iOS apps, as iOS apps appear to be an order of magnitude larger than their Android counterparts. Almost always, someone points to Android's size vs. iOS.

At face value, they're right! The size we see in the iOS App Store is almost always a multiple of the Android counterpart in the Google Play Store.

But what if I told you that Android app sizes are larger than they might immediately appear?

In this blog, we'll explain why Android apps are larger than people think, where size comes from on both platforms, and whether iOS apps are really that much bigger than Android.

After six major previews and betas, Google is ready to launch Android 15 for Pixel devices today.

Of all the apps you can install on your new Android phone, a solid app launcher can be the biggest transformation in your user experience, unlocking depths of customization most OEM-provided solutions are only starting to fathom. Talk to any enthusiast who's watched the launcher scene, and they may point you to older, reliable options like Nova Launcher and Smart Launcher as a good starting point.

Smart Launcher is around 12 years old, and that's a long time to keep a passion project up and running. We blocked some quality time with the app's creator, Vincenzo Colucci, to understand his perspective on what it takes to stay relevant as an older Android launcher, especially since the app segment is more competitive now.

With the launch of Android 15, Google is rolling out the October 2024 Pixel Drop. Besides the slight naming tweak, there are new features for all devices, while a lot of things introduced on the Pixel 9 are coming to older devices.

FlorisBoard is a free and open-source keyboard for Android 7.0+ devices. It aims at being modern, user-friendly and customizable while fully respecting your privacy. Currently in early-beta state.

New update includes:

• Major rework of emoji suggestions
• Major rework of emoji history
• Rework inline autofill suggestions from password managers
• handful of other changes listed in the link above

Can one rant about Wear OS here since it's technically still Android?

When Samsung was making watches on Tizen, they released products like Frontier (boasting upto 3 day battery life), original Galaxy Watch (boasting upto 4 days battery life). Cue they switched to Wear OS with GW4 and with the 40mm variant, the battery life doggedly remained at a pathetic 1 day with AOD on.

Even with release of newer generations like Ultra, they are barely hitting 3 days with ~590mAh battery. Why is Wear OS such a battery hog?

I own a Galaxy Watch 6 and the watch OS uses like 6 GB storage and 1+ GB in perpetual RAM. Is it really so that displaying time and running couple of apps in the background takes more memory than GNOME 46?