Category: Android

Back in June I posted on a bug that had been introduced in that month’s Android Security Update.  The bug caused the Pixel 2 XL to be very slow to wake up if you had the ambient display disabled in Settings.  At the time, Google acknowledged the bug and indicated that it would be fixed in the July Android Security Update.  Which they did but had to essentially break another fix in order to make this fix work.

Clear as mud?  Let me explain.

There was a bug that was impacting some users turning off their Pixel 2 XLs that caused a bright flash before the device entered into the ambient display.  That fix, which did fix that issue, broke the wake up process when coming out of ambient mode, thus causing the slow wake ups.  To fix the slow wake ups, they had to revert that first fix back to its original code.

The much anticipated arrival of the sequel to Alto’s Adventure, Alto’s Odyssey, has finally arrived for Android users.  The endless runner style game is similar to the first game but with new challenges and in a completely different setting.  But the beautiful graphics and soundtrack that was enjoyed in the first game is still there in Alto’s Odyssey.

Set in a magical desert, the game brings Alto and friends different challenges and obstacles but has the same feel to the first game.  There are caves, temples and even banner grinding between hot air balloons in the game so there is enough of a difference to keep you entertained.  For hours.

Just an hour after Google released Beta 4 of Android P for the Pixel lineup of devices, Essential has released their own Beta 3 for the Essential Phone, which is this latest beta from Google.  The update is build is PPR1.180610.066 for those keeping score at home.  If you have an Essential Phone registered in the company’s Android P beta program, you should be getting the update today if you don’t have it already through the Beta app from Essential.

Essential, like OnePlus, Oppo, and Sony to name a few, generally runs a few days or weeks behind Google on these releases.  Of all the partners, Essential is by far the quickest in getting these updates out but today’s one hour gap, even for them, is fast.

File this one under “What took so long?”.  After the Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge were updated to Android Oreo by all the major carriers here in the United States, the unlocked variant of the 2016 flagship devices remained on Android Nougat.  Normally the unlocked phones get these major updates first but for whatever reason, Samsung never rolled it out.  That, thankfully, is changing.

If you have an unlocked Samsung Galaxy S7 or S7 Edge, the South Korean company has finally released the Android Oreo update to US owners.  It is a hefty update at just under 1.5 GB so make sure you are on WiFi before you download it and that you have at least 50% of battery life left before installing it.

A new update to the Google Play Books app is rolling out this morning, bringing a new feature to trim silent moments in audio books to speed up the listening process.  The update is version 4.3 for those keeping score at home and is just now making its way into the Play Store.

The new Trim Silence feature is found in the Playback settings menu that you can access while listening to an audio book.  For those that may not use Google Play Books often for audio books, this is accessed by pressing the speed playback icon while listening to an audio book.

After having their flagship phone on sale for Amazon Prime Day last week, Huawei has lowered the price of the Huawei Mate 10 Pro once again.  While it isn’t as good as the Prime Day deal, it is a hefty savings for those considering it.  Normally the 6″ phablet is $799 now through June 30th you can pick one up on Amazon for just $549.  And this isn’t a stripped down version either.  It has 6GB of RAM and 128GB of built-in storage.  The $549 price represents the lowest price by far that has been available on the Mate 10 Pro here in the US.

I reviewed the Huawei Mate 10 Pro earlier this year and as I put in that review, it is one of the best phones out there right now.  Huawei has done a fantastic job with the overall design of the phone and the Android Oreo built EMUI 8 user experience is excellent.