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Android 10 goes live for Google's Pixel phones today
Android 10 might not have a delicious, dessert-themed name (and for good reason), but some of you can take solace in the fact that it's available to install today. As usual, Google Pixel owners are getting first crack at the update, and we wouldn't be surprised if other phone makers announce their own Android 10 upgrade plans throughout the day. That's no guarantee of news, though: OEMs like Samsung, Sony, Lenovo and others often handle these announcements at their own pace, and all Google will say on the matter is that it's "working with a number of partners to launch or upgrade devices to Android 10 this year."
Android Q is now simply Android 10
Google has finally revealed Android Q's release name, and it's not Quiche, Quinoa or Quesadilla. In fact, it's not named after any dessert that starts with the letter Q at all -- the tech giant has decided to simply call it Android 10. In a blog post, the company said it's changing the way it names its releases altogether in a push for greater accessibility. "[W]e've heard feedback over the years that the names weren't always understood by everyone in the global community," the company wrote.
Apple and Google show off their more inclusive emoji for 2019
The Unicode Consortium teased the next round of emoji additions for 2019, and now it's clear just what they'll look like when they reach your phone. Both Apple and Google are marking World Emoji Day (July 17th) by showing their adaptations of the dozens of emoji characters coming to their platforms later in the year -- you can find a few of Apple's examples above, and Google's below. In both cases, the focuses are on inclusivity and a bit of whimsy.
Google Assistant launch gesture officially arrives on Android Q beta
From the very start, Google intended to fine-tune the gesture-based navigation system it introduced with Android Pie in an effort to make poking around phones with edge-to-edge screens feel a lot more natural. One of the gestures it was working on would summon Google Assistant with a swipe -- now that feature is rolling out with Android Q's fifth beta version that's available for Pixel devices. Users can swipe from one of the bottom corners of their phone to call on the platform's high-tech helper if they need it. The feature also comes with "handles," presumably on those corners of the screen, to serve as the gesture's visual representation.
ActionDash 3.0's new 'Focus' mode keeps Android users on task
At I/O earlier this year, Google announced that Android Q will upgrade the recently added Digital Wellbeing feature with a Focus Mode to quiet attention-grabbing apps so you can get things done. However, there's a way to get that feature, and a few other tweaks, well ahead of the official Android Q release. Action Launcher developer Chris Lacy has released version 3.0 of ActionDash, which already provided the kind of monitoring and feedback you'd expect from the Wellbeing service, and now has a Focus mode that you can toggle on or off with a quick settings tile. It can temporarily shut off access to whatever apps you select -- news, Twitter and Facebook are probably a good start -- with a splash screen that pops up if you try to open them.
ASUS' ZenFone 6 has a flippable camera and giant battery
It's no secret that ASUS had been struggling in the smartphone world, but following the resignation of its previous CEO, the company has since shifted its focus from the masses to power users, with last year's ROG Phone already hinting at a new direction. That said, ASUS also needs to offer something that's less niche but still stands out from the crowd. This is where the new ZenFone 6 comes in: It's a flagship all-screen device with a flipping camera. It's an implementation once used by the likes of Oppo and Huawei years ago, and more recently, Samsung.
How Android Q supports 5G apps and why you should care
When Francesco Grilli and his peers were working on the 4G standard, they had a few ideas as to what the popular use cases might be. Video calls over the internet, perhaps, or rich messaging content, they thought. "In the end, none of that really happened on a larger scale," Grilli said. "Other stuff we were thinking about didn't materialize." As vice president of product management at Qualcomm Technologies, Grilli's job largely revolves around imagining how people would use advanced networks.
The new Android Q beta is a mostly cosmetic update
The Android Q beta 3 is here, and like the first public beta of this OS, there's not much to get excited about. This beta doesn't offer the meatiest update, but it is our first look at some of the user-facing features coming to Android Q. Things like Dark Mode and full gesture navigation are here, but more exciting highlights like Live Caption and Focus Mode are both missing. You can try the beta yourself if you're not afraid of potentially buggy software, and if you own one of the 21 handsets that will work with it. That's double the number of devices that supported the beta last year.
With Android Q, Google is pushing for more elegant, standardized gestures
At last year's developer conference, Google gave us our first taste of Android Pie's gesture-based navigation system. It was, uh, pretty rough: the classic, three-button navigation scheme was replaced with a back button, a "pill" and a handful of swipe gestures that, to me at least, never felt particularly elegant or natural. Thankfully, Allen Huang, Google's product manager for Android's system interface, explained it was always meant to be a transitional step and never meant for it to last "in its current form" for more than a year.
Google will roll out ambiguously gendered emoji to Android Q
The variety of emoji has skyrocketed from 176 since the initial release of the symbols back in 1999, to more than 3,000 today. During that time they've steadily become more inclusive, expanding to feature same sex couples, redheads, female scientists and people of every skin tone. Now, Google is adding 53 gender ambiguous characters, according to Fast Company.
Watch Google's I/O 2019 keynote in 13 minutes
To say that Google had a busy I/O keynote would be an understatement. There were new Pixel phones and a Nest smart display, but those were really just the start. Google also had an avalanche of AI and software updates, including a next-gen Assistant, AR search and of course Android Q. That's a lot to digest, but don't fret about catching up. We've assembled the highlights of the keynote in a 13-minute clip that will get you up to speed on Google's many plans.
Here's all the important stuff Google announced at I/O 2019
A better, faster, stronger Google is in store for 2019. During its I/O developer conference on Tuesday, the company unveiled dozens of updates to every corner of the Google ecosystem; from search and Google Assistant to the next generation of Android. In the keynote, Google CEO Sundar Pinchai said the company's mission is shifting from a company that "helps you find answers" to one that "helps you get things done." Whether it's hailing a Lyft, translating foreign languages or transcribing video in real-time, the theme today was how Google can help users perform more tasks than ever before.
Google is using the Play Store to speed up Android security updates
Google is planning to push out some security updates directly through its Play Store, a feature that will be part of Android Q. As The Verge reports, Google is calling this "Project Mainline," with the goal being to deliver important updates to your smartphone in a more timely manner. It's worth noting that these updates will be focused on security, as Google can't update your entire phone in this way. According to The Verge, at launch Project Mainline is going to be update 12 different "modules," such as media components. In practice, this will allow Google to patch bugs or flaws in the same way it can, say, update one of its first-party apps -- like Chrome or Play Music.
Android Q will feature dark mode, live video captioning and lots more
Google likes to drop plenty of surprises at its annual I/O developer event, but there's one thing we always know we'll hear about: the state of Android. Specifically, the next version of Android, currently only known as Q. As usual, Google released a developer-only beta back in March, and today senior director of Android Stephanie Cuthbertson was on stage going through more details about the forthcoming release.
We're live from the Google I/O 2019 keynote!
What a beautiful time of year this is: it's finally, properly warm again, the rains have (temporarily) subsided, and we'll be at Google's I/O developer conference to get a better sense on what the search giant has been working so diligently on. Some of Google's biggest announcements might not actually be surprises anymore, but no matter — we'll be covering the big, day one keynote live right here.
What to expect at Google I/O 2019
May has begun, and that means the latest iteration of Google's I/O developer conference is right around the bend. Usually, that translates to a deluge of new software, AI breakthroughs and web technology. And we're still expecting plenty of that at this year's show. This time around, however, there's a bit of a twist: Google confirmed during its latest financial results call that it will make hardware announcements at I/O, breaking a device drought from the past few years. But what does it plan to reveal, exactly? Here's a primer on what to expect so that you're prepared for whatever appears onstage on May 7th.
AT&T’s fake 5GE icon is available in the Android Open Source Project
AT&T is still in hot water over its 5GE logo, but that's not slowing the company down. This week, the not-really-5G icon showed up in the Android Open Source Project (AOSP). Meaning, whether you like it or not, 5GE could start showing up on Android smartphones using AT&T. According to XDA Developers, the AOSP code suggest that phones will only need to use 4G LTE with Carrier Aggregation to prompt the icon, so as critics have said, there's no guarantee that the logo will be anything more than a visual change.
Android Q will offer photo apps access to added depth effects
The first Android Q beta has arrived. And based on the features Google listed on Android Developers Blog, it could herald the arrival of more photography apps with depth effects like iPhone's portrait mode. The upcoming mobile platform allows applications to request a "Dynamic Depth" image consisting of a JPEG and various depth-related elements in the same file. That will allow developers to offer a variety of blur and bokeh styles and options in-app.
The Android Q beta is here with a focus on privacy
It's that time of year when Google offers an early peek at the next version of Android, and sure enough, the first Android Q preview beta is here. Like previous Android betas, the emphasis here is more on functional updates rather than razzle-dazzle. Most notably, privacy is a major focus. You can limit location gathering to when an app is running (much like on iOS) and restrict apps' access to media, while Google will restrict apps' power to either jump to the foreground or collect sensitive info like IMEI and serial numbers.
