While there aren’t a lot of new features in Android 15, it does offer some useful additions for your phone — and one of the most interesting is called “Private Space.” Think of it as a separate app vault that locks away specified apps on your Android device.

 

Of course, the main lockscreen already stops other people from accessing your phone, but Private Space puts an extra barrier in place. The idea is that if you lend someone your device to make a call or look at a photo, they won’t accidentally (or deliberately) stumble into something they shouldn’t. It’s also an extra safety net if your phone is lost or stolen while it’s unlocked.

 

I tried the feature on a Pixel 8 phone running Android 15. Here’s how it works.

Setting up Private Space

There is a lot of screen guidance when

you set up your first private space.

Screenshot: Google

 

You get the option to use a lock that’s

different from that of your main screen.

Screenshot: Google

 

• Begin by going to Settings and selecting Security and privacy > Private space.
• You then get a comprehensive overview of how it works and your options. Tap Set up.
• On the next screen, you get the option (if you want) to use a different existing Google account for your private space or create a new one. You don’t have to do this, but it means you don’t run the risk of data from your private space being synced to your normal, more public areas on other devices: think photos, browsing history, and emails, for example. It also prevents your private data from being used in your browsing history or to prompt suggested content. Choose Got it to select another account or Do it later to skip this step. 
• Once you’ve chosen your account (or created a new one), you’ve got another choice: tap Choose new lock to set a new authentication method (like a PIN) for this private space or Use screen lock to use the security method already configured for your phone’s lockscreen.
• After a few moments, your private space will have been created. Click Done.
• You’ll find that a selection of Google apps, including Google Chrome and Google Photos, is already included.

 

Now, whenever you want to go to your private space, just scroll to the bottom of the app drawer, tap on the padlock icon, and authenticate (using either a biometric method like fingerprint recognition, or a PIN).

Configuring Private Space

Your private space lives at the bottom

of the app drawer.

Screenshot: Google

 

There are options to fully hide the private

space and lock it automatically.

Screenshot: Google

 

You can’t drag apps in and out of your private space — you have to install them. Think of it almost like a completely different Android device. When you’re within the space, tap the Install button to add new apps, and long-press on an app icon and choose Uninstall to remove them.

 

You can receive notifications from apps in the private space, but only when it’s unlocked. To use the same example as I used above, it’s effectively like a separate device, and when the space is locked, it’s like you’ve turned off that device. For this reason, Google doesn’t recommend using it to store apps that might need to send you critical information. 

 

Once you’ve unlocked your private space, it stays open on the app drawer until you lock it again via the Lock button. You can also have the space lock automatically in certain situations: this and other options can be configured by tapping on the gear icon in the private space window.

 

• Choose Private space lock to change the lock method used to access the private space.
• Select Lock private space automatically to set when the private space is locked automatically: whenever the phone is locked; five minutes after a screen timeout; or every time the device restarts.
• Tap Hide private space to remove it from the app drawer so other people don’t know it’s there. When it’s hidden, you can only find it by searching for “private space” in the search bar at the top of the app drawer.
• Choose Delete private space to erase the private space and everything in it (though anything synced to the cloud isn’t affected).

 

Note that you can’t transfer your private space to a new phone. The standard Android-to-Android setup process won’t include any private space apps. You’ll have to start the private space again from scratch, though you can sign in with the same Google account you used for the private space on the older phone, which will restore your data in apps such as Gmail and Google Keep.

 

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Android 16 may come with a new “Rich Ongoing Notifications” feature that lets developers keep persistent notifications in the Android status bar, according to Android 15 beta code discovered by Android Authority’s Mishaal Rahman, who frequently dives into code to surface coming features.

 

Right now, the code enables adding a pill-shaped icon with custom text and background color to the Android status bar. Some mock notifications Rahman created show how it could be used for things like telling you when to expect your Uber to arrive. Android has already had a feature like this since Android 12 that lets you know how long you’ve been on a phone call, Rahman notes.

 

A screenshot of a mock ongoing notification for Uber, created by Rahman.

Screenshot: Mishaal Rahman / Android Authority

 

It looks similar to the iOS Live Activities feature, which surfaces things like timers, sports scores, and delivery ETAs on users’ lock screens and at the top of notifications. On the iPhone 14 Pro and up, they appear as widgets that are a glance away in the Dynamic Island cutout while you’re doing other things on your phone.

 

I’d love to have something just like that on my Pixel 6 phone. Live Activities have been a great way to keep from forgetting about a parking meter I paid for via my city’s parking app, or quickly checking on when a food delivery will arrive. Having something similar on Android would be one less barrier to me switching back to the platform in the future.

 

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In the latest Google Calendar Android app version (2024.42.0-687921584-release), a new toggle was spotted inside the Settings menu. Notably, event illustrations are called "flairs" and are automatically generated images that are applied for months and events in the calendar view.

For example, if you have an upcoming coffee date, then the event will have a matching illustration applied to it. Similarly, if you have someone's birthday coming up, then that event will have an illustration with a cake or something close to a birthday celebration for that particular event. Additionally, the illustrations, aka "flairs," are also applied to depict seasonal themes and holidays.

Now, the application has added a "Show event illustration" toggle to turn them completely off. Folks at Android Authority have shared images of what the Calendar app looks like when the illustrations are turned off (pretty boring). On the other hand, it could be pretty beneficial and appealing for those who would like to squeeze more information into the calendar view. With the flairs turned off, you will see more events fit into the screen.

Turning off the illustrations currently only applies to events and doesn't affect the monthly or seasonal flairs that are applied automatically. Interestingly, the ability to turn off event flairs isn't a new feature entirely. It was available on tablets and screens with a DPI greater than 600 for quite some time. But this is the first time the toggle has been spotted on smartphones.

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Today, Google announced that it is adding a new feature to Google Photos to make it easier for users to see when AI edits have been used. Starting next week, Google Photos will add a note when a photo has been edited with Google AI right in the Photos app. Recently, Apple also introduced a similar feature in its Photos app. Apple is marking AI-edited photos as "Modified with Clean Up" in the Photos app and is also updating the photo's EXIF data with the "Apple Photos Clean Up" information.

It is important to note that images edited with tools like Magic Editor, Magic Eraser, and Zoom Enhance in Google Photos already include metadata based on technical standards from The International Press Telecommunications Council (IPTC) to indicate that they've been edited using generative AI. Google is now making this information visible to end-users, along with the file name and other details.

Apart from indicating AI-edited images, Google is also using IPTC metadata to indicate if an image is composed of elements from different photos using non-generative features. This will be applied to photos captured using Best Take on Pixel 8 and Pixel 9 and Add Me on Pixel 9 smartphones.

Based on user feedback, Google will further improve transparency around AI photo edits in the future. As AI editing tools become more sophisticated, it's essential for companies like Google and Apple to continue prioritizing clear communication about how these technologies are being used.

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Almost a month before the official debut of the iPhone 16, we reported that Apple may want to keep some of its best innovations under wraps and use them in the 2025 iPhones. As a result of recent structural changes at Apple, Richard Dinh has become the VP of product design for the iPhone and related programs, as per Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.

In a memo to the engineering group, Apple's engineering head, John Ternus, described next year's iPhone 17 series as the "most ambitious in the product's history." Such an inflated claim makes us wonder what Apple might have kept under wraps for 2025.

According to previous reports, Apple wants to drop the Plus model from the iPhone 17 lineup and replace it with a Slim model. This is the most reliable information about Apple's next-generation iPhones to date, alongside other claims like 12GB of RAM for the Pro variants. Additionally, there is no question that the iPhone 17 series will be heavily dependent on AI capabilities with an improved and smarter Apple Intelligence.

Since no context is yet offered, it's hard to define what Ternus could mean by his "most ambitious" claim. However, reading between the lines, Apple could be preparing to finally launch a foldable or flipping iPhone to catch up with Samsung and Google. In April, Apple was spotted filing patents for an alleged multi-display phone, dubbed "User Interfaces For Devices With Multiple Displays." Though, the firm might still need to gain some technological uniqueness before launching a so-called iPhone Fold.

Another feature that could fulfill Apple's ambitious dream for the iPhone 17 series is its compatibility with AR and VR content, aligning with the company's recent plans to launch a cheaper Vision Pro headset to make it cater to a broader audience.

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The devices look to continue the Leica partnership that Xiaomi has enjoyed for the last few years, starting with the Xiaomi 12 Ultra, with the camera setup rumoured to feature a 50MP primary Light Fusion 900 series camera, with f/1.4 aperture, as well as a 50MP ultrawide and 50MP Sony IMX858 5X telemacro camera. The devices are currently expected to boast up to 16GB of RAM, and storage options of up to 1TB.

We've also had some official renders of the upcoming devices shared, with the Xiaomi 15 confirmed to be coming with a 6.36 inch display, and the Xiaomi 15 Pro is going to have a quad-curved display covered with Xiaomi Dragon Crystal Glass 2. Both devices will also include an ultrasonic fingerprint scanner under the display, and will be supported with up to five years of software updates, increasing from the four that it provides for the Xiaomi 14 series.

The launch event for these devices will also include the announcement of its in-house developed operating system, HyperOS 2.0, as well as further showcases of the Xiaomi SU7 Ultra electric hypercar which will also be powered by HyperOS and will further build upon the SU7, SU7 Pro and SU7 Max.

Even though the devices are expected to launch in China next week, there has not yet been a global release schedule planned for them but the current expectation is that both the Xiaomi 15 and the Xiaomi 15 Pro will be available in early 2025.

Source: Android Authority

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In addition to expanding the browser choice screen to iPadOS, Apple is also making changes to the screen based on feedback from developers. The following design changes have been made to the browser choice screen in iOS 18.2 and iPadOS 18.2:

• Users will be able to select their default browser directly on the choice screen, without seeing descriptive information on the App Store product page for that browser.
• Browser descriptions on the choice screen will include the app subtitle from the browser’s App Store product page.
• Users will be able to review each browser’s App Store product page by tapping on the chevron to the right.
• Users will be required to scroll through the full list of browser options before setting a browser as default.
• If the chosen default browser is already on device, that browser will automatically open once chosen.
• If the chosen default browser is not already downloaded on device, the choice screen will show the selected browser’s download progress on the choice screen before automatically opening.
• If Safari is currently in the user’s Dock or on the first page of the Home Screen and the user selects a browser that is not currently installed on their device from the choice screen, the selected browser will replace the Safari icon in the user’s Dock or in the Home Screen. If the user selects a browser that is currently installed on their device from the choice screen but not on the first page of the Home Screen or the Dock, the selected browser will replace the Safari icon in the user’s Dock or in the Home Screen.
• If Safari is currently in the user’s Dock or on the first page of the Home Screen and the user had previously selected another other browser as their default from the choice screen before updating to iOS 18.2, they will be prompted once upon first launch of Safari about whether they want to swap Safari’s icon with the icon of their default browser. This is only if their default browser is not on the first page of the home screen or the Dock.
• Developers of browsers on the choice screen will have access to a new set of data about their browser’s performance on the choice screen. Developers should contact their Apple representative or dma-data@apple.com for more information.

The updated browser choice screen will be displayed for users in the following countries in the European Union:

• Austria
• Belgium
• Bulgaria
• Croatia
• Cyprus
• Czechia
• Denmark
• Estonia
• Finland
• France
• Germany
• Greece
• Hungary
• Ireland
• Italy
• Latvia
• Lithuania
• Luxembourg
• Malta
• Netherlands
• Poland
• Portugal
• Romania
• Slovakia
• Slovenia
• Spain
• Sweden

In addition to the browser choice screen changes, Apple is now allowing users to export their browser data from Safari Settings in the Settings app. This will allow users to install an alternative browser and import their data from Safari to continue their browsing experience without any issues. Browser vendors can support Safari import through the details provided in this link. The above changes are now available for testing with the recently released iOS 18.2 beta.

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Google’s Longevity GRF program lets chipset vendors like Qualcomm support their platforms with 7 years of Android OS updates.

• Google announced a new program called longevity GRF earlier this year that makes it easier for chipset vendors to support their platforms for 7 years of Android updates.
• Chipsets under longevity GRF can use the same vendor software through 7 years of Android OS updates.
• Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite is the first chipset to be part of the longevity GRF program.

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The extended support comes in the form of Board Support Packages, or BSP. The BSP includes the low-level binary drivers, integrated development environments (IDEs), and application programming interfaces (APIs) needed for an Android device's customized software build to function on the underlying processor hardware.

So if a phone debuts with Android 15, it will continue to receive BSP updates through Android 22 (assuming the current yearly Android version update cadence continues). This provides a much longer window with which device makers can push security patches and new features to their phones via software updates.

This 8-year support period could allow phones powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite to stay relevant, but it still requires manufacturers to customize Qualcomm's BSPs and push them down to users. While the chip may offer 8 years of updates, the actual update rollout schedules will be set by the OEMs.

Recently, larger OEMs like Samsung and Google have expanded their update policies to 5-7 years. But many still offer minimal support. Not all Snapdragon 8 Elite handsets may see the full 8 years of software longevity unless practices change across the industry. Still, this upgraded BSP significantly raises the bar and puts pressure on brands to match Qualcomm's improved longevity standards.

In case you missed it, the Snapdragon 8 Elite is manufactured on TSMC's 3nm process node. Qualcomm is also bringing its own Oryon CPUs to smartphones for the first time. It's worth noting that a Snapdragon 8 Elite is expected to power a number of Android smartphones including ASUS, Honor, iQOO, OnePlus, OPPO, Realme, Samsung, Vivo, Xiaomi and more.

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The iPad mini is a niche product, that much is clear. But for those who want an extra-small tablet, the launch of the sixth-generation iPad mini in 2021 was a red-letter day. For the first time in ages, the mini got close to the same kind of performance and features as its bigger brethren.

Then it didn’t get any updates for a couple of years. It was still a good tablet, but it wasn’t positioned to take advantage of new products or features on Apple’s docket like Apple Intelligence or the Apple Pencil Pro.

Enter the new 2024 refresh of the iPad mini, which releases October 23. For the most part, it’s the same as the previous generation—but Apple has laser-focused on a couple of tweaks to modernize the device just enough to keep it competitive in the company’s current ecosystem.

I’ve spent a couple of days with the new iPad mini, so let’s take a quick look at what has changed. If you want to learn more about the form factor, basic features, and other stuff that hasn’t changed since last time, take a look at our 2021 iPad mini review. Almost everything we said then applies here, too.

Now, let’s start with the biggest change: a new system-on-a-chip.

A new chip for Apple Intelligence

As Apple’s marketing tells it, the iPad mini’s most important update is on the inside: The new model replaces the A15 system-on-a-chip that was first introduced with the iPhone 13 back in 2021 with the A17 Pro, which first appeared in the iPhone 15 Pro last year.

The A17 Pro has a 6-core CPU, a 5-core GPU, and a 16-core NPU (neural processing unit). The GPU adds features like dynamic caching, hardware-accelerated ray-tracing, and mesh shading. Apple claims that the A17 Pro offers 30 percent better CPU performance, 25 percent better GPU performance, and 100 percent better NPU performance than the A15.

These boosts are all nice to see, especially for that small sliver of people running demanding professional apps like video editing tools on the iPad—but also for the much larger cadre of users who play graphically intensive games like Genshin Impact.

But it’s hard not to notice the timing of this release. When the A17 Pro was introduced last year, it was the first from Apple to support the upcoming Apple Intelligence AI features, and those features are now expected to launch just a few days after this seventh-generation iPad mini hits store shelves.

With the iPad Pro running on Apple’s M4 chip (which is found in the latest Macs) and the iPad Air on the slightly older M2, the addition of the A17 Pro to the iPad mini means that the cheapest base iPad (which has a now quite-long-in-the-tooth A14) is the only iPad that doesn’t support Apple Intelligence. (I expect that to change before too long, of course.)

Apple Intelligence features were first announced for iOS and iPadOS 18, which went out to the public a few weeks ago. They haven’t yet been released, though, because they were delayed to iOS 18.1 and iOS 18.2, depending on the feature. iOS 18.1 will launch next week, and iOS 18.2 is expected before the end of the year.

As we’ve discussed here before, the “Apple Intelligence” label is a catch-all term for a number of new software features that use some form of generative AI, like large language models. It will do things like summarize emails and notifications, help you clean up your writing with edits, enable more robust Siri responses and understanding of context, and generate images or emojis you can use in your texts.

I’m taking the same approach here that I did with the iPhone 16 review: That phone was heavily marketed by Apple as an Apple Intelligence-ready device, but I didn’t talk much about Apple Intelligence in that review since it wasn’t yet available. It makes sense to review products for what they’re like now, not what they might be like in the future.

We’ll have multiple articles diving into Apple Intelligence as it rolls out. For now, just know that the tablet’s main reason for being seems to be to make sure new iPad mini buyers are ready for those features in the coming weeks.

We ran some quick benchmarks on the iPad mini, and the performance gains are roughly in line with what Apple promised compared to the previous iPad mini. That said, it’s far from the fastest tablet in Apple’s current lineup. Those M-series chips found in the current iPad Pro and iPad Air are a lot faster.

 

 

 

More storage options and price points

The 2021 iPad mini didn’t give buyers a wide range of configuration options. The base model had a paltry 64GB of storage, with the option to splurge for 256GB. Now, the updated mini addresses a wider range of user needs. It starts at 128GB, so you’re getting double the storage for the same entry-level price—always nice to see. Additionally, you can now upgrade not just to 256GB, but also 512GB—if you really want to splurge, that is.

Going to 256GB brings the price from $499 to $599, and going up to 512GB takes it all the way to $799. Steep prices aside, these additional options could expand the audience for this tablet a teensy-tiny bit. I’m sure there were a handful of people who wanted a small tablet but couldn’t make the existing storage options work for them.

It’s worth noting that these prices make the iPad mini one of the cheapest ways to get Apple Intelligence, though I’m not convinced there are people out there looking to buy a new device just to take advantage of Apple’s much-hyped AI features.

Improved connectivity and other specs

There are some more modest specs changes beyond the A17 Pro and the storage. We’ve gone from Wi-Fi 6 to Wi-Fi 6E, with speeds up to 2.4Gb/s and simultaneous dual-band for staying connected to more than one device at the same time. The new tablet also supports Bluetooth 5.3 compared to its predecessor's 5.0.

The previous model had already abandoned Apple’s proprietary Lightning connection for the industry-standard USB-C, but this updated USB-C port supports transfer speeds up to 10Gb/s, much faster than the previous model. (That’s data transfer, while charging seems the same.)

The USB-C port returns, this time with faster data transfer.

Credit: Samuel Axon

The camera system is mostly the same as before, but Apple has added support for Smart HDR 4, the latest version of its computational photography algorithms that combines multiple rapidly taken photos into one image, using the best features of all of them. This process offers benefits like better low-light photography and improved highlights. There’s also 4K video capture support.

I don’t think there are many iPad mini photographers out there, but hey, not going to say no to improvements.

Lastly, there have been improvements to the display that should mitigate some of the jelly scrolling that irritated a subset of owners of the previous generation of the iPad mini.

Apple Pencil Pro support

Apart from improved CPU, GPU, and NPU performance, the biggest addition here is Apple Pencil Pro support.

Introduced this spring, the Pencil Pro has lower latency than prior Pencil models, but at least as importantly, it has several new sensors and feedback features to make it more versatile. You can squeeze the pencil lightly to bring up a new options panel to quickly switch tools, among other things. There’s also a sensor that lets you roll the pencil to change the orientation of some tools.

Pencil Pro isn’t cheap, though—it’s $129. I imagine most digital artists want the largest canvas possible, so they’re not looking at the mini. But for more casual users, it’s nice to have the option.

Though it be but little, it is fierce

There are a lot of things I like about the iPad mini. It’s comfortable to hold, making it ideal among Apple’s tablets for reading or browsing the web. Typing on it while holding it in landscape mode feels ideal for me, though your mileage may vary, as hand sizes, of course, vary.

It lacks the power of the otherwise similar iPad Air, and it certainly can’t pack the same punch as the beefy iPad Pro. But it’s enough for most passive consumption use. As we noted in our 2021 iPad Air review, you probably wouldn’t want to try to do heavy work on a screen this small anyway.

All that said, Apple’s intention was clear: get the iPad mini past the minimum spec for Apple Intelligence. We’ll see how much that matters over the next few weeks.

On the outside, it's the same iPad mini.

Credit: Samuel Axon

This update maintains the iPad mini’s position in the market and in Apple’s lineup, but it doesn’t do anything to actually change that position. It’s still a niche product for folks who want a comfortable, one-handed holding size but might want to watch some videos at decently high quality or play a few games. If it were a bit cheaper, it’d be ideal as a tablet for kids.

By excluding the smart connector for accessories like the Magic Keyboard, Apple made it clear this iPad isn’t designed for all that desktop replacement productivity stuff it promotes on its other iPads. (There was no smart connector in the previous iteration of the iPad mini, either.) It’s not a cutting-edge or premium product. For example, its bezels are quite large for a modern iPad relative to its size—which is a bummer, since you’d think a small chassis would benefit most from using a higher percentage of its size for the screen.

But if you want something small, it feels great to use, and its specs are pretty good for the price.

The good

• Comfortable form factor
• Good (albeit not cutting-edge) screen and performance, ideal for mobile games
• Expanded storage options to accommodate more types of users
• Apple Intelligence support, if that matters
• Pencil Pro support

The bad

• A little pricey for a pure content-consumption device
• No smart connector for advanced productivity

The ugly

• Bezels along the screen edges take up a bit too much space relative to the small size of the device, wasting an opportunity for a better viewing experience

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Back in September, it was tipped that Apple could complete the adoption of OLED displays across all its products with the usage of OLED display on the iPhone SE 4. It was also purported that LG and BOE will be supplying the OLED display panels for next year's iPhone SE 4. Now, a fresh report by South Korean publication Hankooki indicates that Apple has added Samsung to its OLED display supply chain for the iPhone SE 4.

It should also be noted that if true, then the iPhone SE 4 will be the first SE phone from Apple to feature an OLED display since previous SE phones came with LCD technology. The inclusion of Samsung in the OLED display supply chain suggests Apple's strategy of smooth supply and price negotiations. Notably, Apple also reduced its reliance on Samsung Display, the display wing of Samsung Electronics, for this year's iPhone 16 series.

The report adds that this year LG has supplied more OLED displays for the standard iPhone 16 model than other suppliers. For the iPhone SE 4, there is no clarity on the amount of display panels that will be supplied by the manufacturers. Recently, images and videos of the dummy units of the iPhone SE 4 popped up on the internet, showing not only the standard iPhone SE 4 but also a "Plus" size model as well, despite no rumors about the same.

The iPhone SE 4 is expected to feature big upgrades compared to its predecessor. The phone is tipped to have a design similar to the iPhone 14, but with a single camera, rumored to be a 48MP primary shooter. The phone is expected to ditch the Touch ID for Face ID and could cost less than $500.

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The Snapdragon 8 Elite will be built using TSMC's 3nm process node for significant performance and efficiency gains. For the first time, Qualcomm is bringing its in-house developed Oryon custom ARM CPUs to smartphones. The new Prime and Performance cores architecture comes with a 24MB cache and can hit 4.32GHz frequency, delivering the following performance improvements:

• 45% single core improvement
• 45% multi-core improvement
• 63% web browsing performance improvement

Gallery: Snapdragon 8 Elite

 

 

 

The GPU in the Snapdragon 8 Elite delivers a 40% performance improvement and a 35% ray tracing improvement. When it comes to AI performance using the NPU, the Snapdragon 8 Elite will be a huge leap forward. With the fastest Qualcomm Hexagon NPU (6-core vector accelerator and 8-core scalar accelerator), you can get 45% better performance compared to the NPU in the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3.

In addition to performance improvements, the Snapdragon 8 Elite is also much better at power savings. Qualcomm claims the following power savings improvements:

• 44% CPU
• 40% GPU
• 45% AI perf/watt
• 27% overall SoC

The Snapdragon 8 Elite is a powerhouse when it comes to camera capabilities, with 4.3 Gigapixels/sec support and a 33% throughput improvement. It features Limitless Segmentation, AI Relighting, an AI Pet Suite, a Video Magic Eraser, and more. In terms of connectivity, the Snapdragon 8 Elite comes with the Snapdragon X80 modem, Qualcomm FastConnect 7900, and support for Wi-Fi 7.

Chris Patrick, senior vice president and general manager of mobile handsets, Qualcomm Technologies, said:

"With leading CPU, GPU and NPU capabilities, the Snapdragon 8 Elite delivers dramatic performance enhancements and power efficiency 3. In addition, it revolutionizes mobile experiences by offering personalized, multi-modal generative AI directly on the device enabling the understanding of speech, context, and images to enhance everything from productivity to creativity tasks while prioritizing user privacy."

Qualcomm will reveal more details about the Snapdragon 8 Elite SoC later today. With its impressive specs and features, this new SoC is poised to power the next generation of premium smartphone experiences.

Update:

Qualcomm revealed that several Android OEMs including ASUS, Honor, iQOO, OnePlus, OPPO, RealMe, Samsung, Vivo, Xiaomi, and more are expected to launch smartphones powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite.

Source: Qualcomm

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There are three new key features for AirPods Pro 2 that will be included in this update, which are all focused around hearing health and includes clinical-grade hearing aid functionality. Additional features include the ability to test your hearing using the headphones, as well as more robust hearing protection features if used in scenarios such as concerts and live music venues.

The hearing aid functionality comes after a user has completed a hearing test, and if this shows evidence of hearing loss, the AirPods Pro 2 can automatically set themselves up to boost specific sounds in real time. In addition, the hearing protection will continuously monitor the environment and reduce the impact of sustained louder sounds. This functionality was also approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in September, just days after the features was announced.

Beyond this, the iOS 18.1 update will bring the first Apple Intelligence features to the iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, and iPhone 16 series of devices. These include Writing Tools, text and notification summaries, a Clean Up tool in Photos, smart replies for emails and messages, and much more. Further features that were originally announced at WWDC, such as the new Siri with CharGPT integration, will be coming at an unconfirmed later date.

Other iPhones that are compatible with iOS 18.1 and will not be receiving any Apple Intelligence features with Monday's update are as follows:

• iPhone SE (2nd & 3rd generation)
• iPhone XR
• iPhone Xs & Xs Max
• iPhone 11, 11 Pro, and 11 Pro Max
• iPhone 12, 12 mini, 12 Pro, 12 Pro Max
• iPhone 13, 13 mini, 13 Pro, 13 Pro Max
• iPhone 14, 14 Plus, 14 Pro, 14 Pro Max
• iPhone 15, 15 Plus

Source: The Verge

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Now, the latest APK Teardown of the Play Store app v42.9.16-3 reveals several strings related to a download manager feature. While the strings don't reveal much about the functionality of the download manager, they suggest that it organizes the apps. It is often challenging to recall the apps that you have recently installed, but the download manager could probably address the issue.

Here are the strings about the Play Store download manager:

AppOpenDownloadManager__enable_play_download_manager
AppOpenDownloadManager__enable_recent_downloads_sorted_by_install_time
AppOpenDownloadManager__enable_recent_downloads_sorted_by_schedule_time

Folks at Android Authority were able to enable the feature and give us a look at how the Play Store download manager would look if Google ever made the feature live for all users. The download manager within the Google Play Store shows a list of apps that are currently downloading and all the recently installed apps that you haven't opened.

When you open any app from the download manager, the list disappears. Additionally, Google will add an icon at the top right, before the 3-dot menu icon, showing a badge. This badge also shows the number of apps and games that you have recently downloaded.

However, one of the important things for a download manager that it should let you perform, e.g., the ability to pause and resume downloads, is missing from this iteration. Since apps' and games' sizes are increasing, it would have been a nifty feature, especially if they are on a limited mobile data plan that refreshes daily.

Notably, the feature isn't live at the moment on the Play Store, and Google hasn't shared a word about the feature. So, it may or may not be released in the future.

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The press release (PDF) states that all mobile handsets, including smartphones and feature phones, should be compatible with hearing aids. The FCC has also established new Bluetooth-device coupling standards to push hearing aid manufacturers to move away from proprietary technology and make it easier for users to switch between devices without having to buy new compatible hearing aids.

There are also new volume control benchmarks that will allow users to increase or decrease the volume of their device without any distortion, so that people who don't use hearing aids but still experience hearing difficulties, can also listen to clear audio.

Manufacturers will also have to clearly indicate on their website and at all points of sale whether their handset is compatible with hearing aids, and to specify the compatibility standards their device meets, like telecoil or Bluetooth. They also have to add details about the maximum volume level their device can produce without any distortion.

The FCC hasn't yet specified an exact duration for the transition period during which all mobile phones must meet the standards. So smartphone manufacturers will have sufficient time to ensure their upcoming devices will be hearing-aid compatible, as well as packaging updates.

Many smartphones like the iPhone 16 and many other Android devices are already designed to be compatible with hearing aids. Recently, Apple also announced hearing aid features on the AirPods Pro 2, which allows users to make personalized hearing adjustments and amplifies nearby sounds in real-time for better hearing.

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This all goes back to another court battle in December 2023, when a jury decided that, in Google's legal battle with Epic Games, Google had a monopoly of control for launching apps for devices that used its Android OS. The jury also ruled it illegally tried to keep that monopoly in place with anti-competitive practices.

Judge Donato's decision earlier this month to set a November deadline for developers to ditch Google Play Billing for Android caused the company to ask for this temporary administrative stay claiming that the company was not given enough time. Today, The Verge reports that Judge Donato agreed with Google. In its own statement, Google said it was "pleased with the District Court’s decision." There has been no official comment from Epic Games on today's legal events.

The temporary stay could become much longer if the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals decides to grant Google's request for a longer delay. Indeed, Judge Donato reportedly said he believes Google will get that delay, which means that any move to change Android app store rules could be pushed back by months or even years.

Just eight days ago, Microsoft's Xbox President Sarah Bond stated that due to Judge Donato's earlier ruling, it would allow Xbox gamers to purchase games and play them directly from the Android Xbox app in November. In light of today's decision by that judge, it's unlikely that change to the Xbox Android app will actually happen anytime soon.

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Android 15 started rolling out to Pixel devices Tuesday and will arrive, through various third-party efforts, on other Android devices at some point. There is always a bunch of little changes to discover in an Android release, whether by reading, poking around, or letting your phone show you 25 new things after it restarts.

In Android 15, some of the most notable involve making your device less appealing to snoops and thieves and more secure against the kids to whom you hand your phone to keep them quiet at dinner. There are also smart fixes for screen sharing, OTP codes, and cellular hacking prevention, but details about them are spread across Google's own docs and blogs and various news site's reports.

Here's what is notable and new in how Android 15 handles privacy and security.

Scroll down your all-apps list and you'll see a lock at the bottom and a new kind of panel you can pull up.

Google

 

Unlocking the Private Space with biometric or passkey reveals the apps that have been tucked down there.

Google

Private Space for apps

In the Android 15 settings, you can find "Private Space," where you can set up a separate PIN code, password, biometric check, and optional Google account for apps you don't want to be available to anybody who happens to have your phone. This could add a layer of protection onto sensitive apps, like banking and shopping apps, or hide other apps for whatever reason.

In your list of apps, drag any app down to the lock space that now appears in the bottom right. It will only be shown as a lock until you unlock it; you will then see the apps available in your new Private Space. After that, you should probably delete it from the main app list. Dave Taylor has a rundown of the process and its quirks.

It's obviously more involved than Apple's "Hide and Require Face ID" tap option but with potentially more robust hiding of the app.

Hiding passwords and OTP codes

A second form of authentication is good security, but allowing apps to access the notification text with the code in it? Not so good. In Android 15, a new permission, likely to be given only to the most critical apps, prevents the leaking of one-time passcodes (OTPs) to other apps waiting for them. Sharing your screen will also hide OTP notifications, along with usernames, passwords, and credit card numbers.

This might also prevent apps from doing the convenient thing of automatically pasting codes they are expecting, but it's likely a good trade-off. Google notes that there are exceptions for apps with companion apps for wearables (i.e., Pixel Watch).

AI-powered Theft Detection Lock, Remote Lock, and Offline Device Lock

Thieves' tactics are constantly evolving. One of the more effective ways to steal a phone—and steal something of value from it before the owner can remotely lock it—is to yank it from the owner's hands. So long as the phone is unlocked and functional, a thief who gets far enough away can check emails, apps, and messages for rich targets, like money transfer or banking apps.

Android's theft protection, i.e., Plan B after a phone jacking.

Theft Detection Lock on Android uses AI to sense if someone has yanked a phone and is rapidly moving away with it, automatically locking the phone if so. Google's security blog post on the feature suggests it uses "on-device machine learning" to "analyze various device signals" and determine if a device was yoinked. Google is unlikely to give away the full details of what it's looking for.

If theft detection didn't work, there are at least two backups. Offline Device Lock activates if the Internet connection is disabled on your phone. And, using another device, you can use Remote Lock at android.com/lock to quickly lock your device with a phone number and a security challenge. It's a faster way to secure your device while you use Find My Device to locate and further lock your gear.

Those three key features—Theft Detection Lock, Offline Device Lock, and Remote Lock—are not exclusive to Android 15 but are rolling out along with its release. Users on Android 10 or higher should get a Google Play Services update to enable the features, though they'll have to be turned on in the device settings.

Live Threat Detection in Google Play Protect

Having an AI core raising the cost of your Pixel may not be an entirely bad thing. In Android 15, the app-scanning Google Play Protect will start using on-device AI from the "Private Compute Core" to "analyze additional behavioral signals related to the use of sensitive permissions and interactions with other apps and services."

Should strange happenings be detected, users can send the suspect app to Google for further review and disable the app from a notification in the meantime.

Cellular security

It can be easy to forget that your phone is actually a phone and is constantly communicating over the air. It's one of the most vulnerable parts of a phone, and Android 15 does some things to address the cellular part of your cell phone—even if none of them are available yet, even on Pixel phones.

Android 15 can tell users when they're using an unencrypted cellular connection to prevent potential interception or injection of their traffic or SMS messages. Certain "at-risk users like journalists or dissidents" can be alerted to potentially false cellular base stations or attempts to identify their device. But these features are not on by default and require "OEM integration and compatible hardware," with Google saying it expects OEM adoption "over the next couple of years."

Little changes to deeper settings

Should a thief or snoop have access to your phone before you can lock it, Android 15 has instituted some smarter defaults for making changes to deeper settings, including:

• Changing something in the Find My Device settings requires either a PIN, account password, or biometric verification.
• Logging in multiple times with the wrong PIN or password will lock the device for some time (similar to iOS's lock-out).
• Google says that "enhanced factory reset protection" will make it harder to wipe a device if you don't have the owner's Google account credentials.
• Identity Check is an opt-in feature that always asks for biometric authentication when changing critical settings or accessing passkeys from previously unused locations.
• There's now a device toggle for sending your device name to network and Bluetooth connections.
• Android devices put into Lockdown mode now entirely block USB data access to accessories and computers, which should block attacks over ADB (Android debugging bridge) channels.

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In a nutshell, the iPad mini 7 is the same iPad from three years ago with three main upgrades: it now has a much faster A17 Pro processor straight from the iPhone 15 Pro, it now supports Apple Pencil 2 Pro with its fancy new gestures and hover, and it has 128GB of storage in the base configuration with the new 512GB configuration.

Updating the processor from the A15 to the A17 Pro enables the upcoming Apple Intelligence features that Apple plans to release later this month with iPadOS 18.1.

Here are the key changes summed up in a list:

• A new processor with Apple Intelligence support.
• Apple Pencil 2 Pro support.
• Faster USB-C port: 10Gbps over 5Gbps in the mini 6.
• More storage in the base configuration: 128GB vs 64GB.
• Smart HDR 4 support for the rear and front cameras.
• Faster Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity.
• No physical SIM.
• One new color.

Of course, if you want to update from the iPad mini 5 or even older models with the Home button and thick bezels, the list of upgrades will be much more significant and impressive.

Here is a spec-by-spec comparison of the last three generations of iPad mini:

The iPad mini 7 is now available for preorder, with sales starting on October 23, 2024, in 29 countries.

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At the Lenovo Tech World 2024 event, Motorola stated, "Moto AI advances this mission to transform the smartphone user experience across three core areas: assist, capture, and create. This means Moto AI can take actions to help users get things done effortlessly, empower users to capture the world around them, recall it at a moment’s notice, and provide users tools that inspire creativity."

The new Moto AI features will be available later this year as part of an invite-only beta program. Moto AI is powered by Large Action Models (LAM), which allows users to converse with the AI assistant using natural language. The functionality extends to everyday tasks, and future updates to Moto AI will also automate daily routines.

Motorola showcased three new Moto AI tools, including "Catch Me U," "Pay Attention," and "Remember This." Using the "Catch Me Up" prompt, users can save time by asking Moto AI to summarize personal communications so they don't have to endlessly scroll through the notifications.

The "Pay Attention" feature helps users recall specific information or details without needing to write them down or listen to long recordings to bring out details. It enables the recording of conversations or speakers, which is then transcribed by Moto AI for later usage.

Then there is the "Remember This" feature, which allows you to capture live moments or on-screen information with just a command. It works similarly to the Google Pixel Screenshot app and uses AI to generate content and details about the captured moments. Notably, the created memories are stored locally and protected in the device.

During the beta rollout phase, Motorola will consider user feedback to fine-tune the Moto AI features and capabilities.

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Apple quietly announced a new version of its iPad mini tablet via press release this morning, the tablet's first update since 2021.

The seventh-generation iPad mini looks mostly identical to the sixth-generation version, with a power-button-mounted Touch ID sensor and a slim-bezeled display. But Apple has swapped out the A15 Bionic chip for the Apple A17 Pro, the same processor it used in the iPhone 15 Pro last year.

The new iPad mini is available for preorder now and starts at $499 for 128GB (an upgrade over the previous base model's 64GB of storage). 256GB and 512GB versions are available for $599 and $799, and cellular connectivity is an additional $150 on top of any of those prices.

Apple says the A17 Pro's CPU performance is 30 percent faster than the A15's and that its GPU performance is 25 percent faster (in addition to supporting hardware-accelerated ray tracing). But the biggest improvement will be an increase in RAM—the A17 Pro comes with 8GB instead of the A15's 4GB, which appears to be Apple's floor for the new Apple Intelligence AI features. The new iPad mini will be the only iPad mini capable of supporting Apple Intelligence, which will begin rolling out with the iPadOS 18.1 update within the next few weeks.

Other hardware upgrades are more marginal. All models upgrade from Wi-Fi 6 to Wi-Fi 6E, and the USB-C port now supports 10Gbps data transfers instead of topping out at 5Gbps. The 12 MP rear camera is the same resolution as the previous model, though it should benefit from any marginal improvements to the image signal processor in the A17.

Like the iPad Pro and iPad Air refreshes earlier this year, the new iPad mini will only work with either the Apple Pencil Pro or the cheaper USB-C Apple Pencil, not the first- or second-generation Apple Pencils.

Reliable rumors indicate that this won't quite be Apple's last hardware refresh of the year—we're also due for the first wave of M4 Macs, which are said to be launching in early November following an announcement at the end of the month.

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Earlier reports indicated that next year's iPhone 17 Pro Max could include 12GB RAM and upgraded cooling technology. As per the latest report, 12GB of RAM could also be true for the 2026 iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max models.

Apple’s VP of hardware technology, Johny Srouji, explained in an interview (YouTube link) that the move to 8GB of RAM was required to deliver Apple Intelligence on iPhones without compromising performance. This is the reason why last year's iPhone 15 and 15 Plus didn't support the Apple suite of AI features. Ming-Chi Kuo has allegedly claimed that only next year's Pro Max model will get 12GB of RAM, while the other two standard models, one of which is rumored to be iPhone 17 Slim or Air, to stick to 8GB of RAM.

Now, according to a leaker called Mobile Chip Expert on the Chinese social media platform Weibo, at least one iPhone 18 model will switch from the InFo (Integrated Fan-Out) packaging to WMCM (Wafer-Level Multi-Chip Module) packaging, with 12GB of RAM.

Speaking of difference, InFo packaging allows the integration of components, including memory, directly onto a circuit board. This is done to reduce package thickness, faster speed, better power dissipation, and more.

On the other hand, WMCM packing allows the combination of multiple components within a single package, offering greater flexibility, improved efficiency, and enhanced performance. WMCM's flexibility allows to integrate components such as CPUs, GPUs, DRAM and other accelerators such as AI and ML chips to be included in one package. For now, it is unclear which model of the 2026 iPhone 18 series will get the RAM boost and upgraded chip technology.

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The primary email address is visible to other people when you share or collaborate on documents and other content. Previously, there was no way to change or remove the iCloud email address that you had set. You did get an option to set an alias to send emails from, but not the option to completely change it.

According to MacRumors, users will be able to change their Apple account email address directly from the iPhone's Settings app. It was possible to change the primary email address, but only if you removed the connected email address from your account.

To set or change your primary email address, head to the Settings app, tap on your name, and choose "Sign In & Security." Here, tap on the relevant email address, and you will see a button called "Change Email Address." Tapping on this button will allow you to change your iCloud email address.

Do note that Apple has said that you will not receive future emails on your old @iCloud.com or @me.com email addresses once you have changed them. However, you can continue to use them as your iCloud alias to send or receive emails. Also, the old emails won't be functional on Facetime or iMessage.

It is a nifty feature, especially for those who might have created an Apple account decades ago or for those who aren't that happy with the email address that you might have chosen back then.

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According to Which? different providers have different deactivation policies. Lebara and 1p Mobile, for example, will cut inactive users off after just three months, while Voxi will give you nine months before it deactivates your number.

While it sounds good that your number will be deactivated if you don't use it, this is not the end of the story. As new customers join the company, the company will start recycling numbers, meaning new customers will get someone else's old phone number and this has led to customers getting unwanted messages.

Where phone numbers are used for two-factor authentication, this recycling of phone numbers also leads to security issues. To help combat this problem, Which? is asking Ofcom to improve the way providers communicate the risks of deactivation. It also wants the regulator to look into the issues the practice is causing for users.

Based on research by Which?, some people had been receiving unwanted calls and messages for up to several years. These were intended for the number's previous owner. It also heard about two cases where debt collection agencies had called the recycled numbers; this suggests people were switching phone numbers to try and escape their debts.

Another person cited by Which? had received many calls and texts on their new number from people trying to buy drugs. One respondent said they were being offered drugs too.

For anyone thinking about swapping numbers anywhere in the world, not just in the UK, it's important to remember the consequences. Especially be careful to make sure you update any two-factor authentications from your old number.

Source: Which?

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