Image credits to 9To5Google

Google continues to be productive in recent days by making some changes in the designs of its products. Recently, it made a lot of changes in Google Play, including the addition of the Compatibility section, removal of the Movies and TV tab, and a lot more. Now, it is testing a new design for the New Tab Page of Chrome Android by turning the 4×2 Favicon grid into a scrollable carousel.

The new design change is reportedly being tested on some users over the weekend, as spotted by 9to5Google. Under this new design, the Chrome New Page on Android will be seen in a much neater layout since the presently space-consuming grid of eight shortcut icons would be just one long line of carousel. If your Discover and Following feed is turned off, it gives you a clean bottom New Tab Page. If you choose to activate it, on the other hand, you get a more spacious feed to scroll on.

It is the only feature reportedly seen in this test, which is still located in the same spot where the current 4×2 grid resides. That said, Chrome Android users will still see the Omnibox address bar with the voice and image search icons, the Discover/Following feed section, and the rest of the details of the present Chrome.

Image credits to 9To5Google

It can be recalled that Google previously tried this same Favicon carousel setup in Chrome Android in April this year, together with the addition of a new “Continue browsing” section. It is placed just above the Discover feed section of the tab and uses the carousel effect with a “View all” option. That test was not tested widely and obviously didn’t get implemented on users globally, but the resurrection of the icon carousel on Chrome Android must mean it will be rolled out formally this time.

Google replaces icon grid with carousel on Chrome New Tab Page in new Android test

Apple

iPadOS 16 waves goodbye to the iPad Air 2 but supports most older hardware

iOS 16 requires an iPhone 8, drops support for two generations of older phones

However, going forward, Samsung may emphasize truly democratizing the product category by releasing foldable phones that belong to the mid-range price segment.

According to leaker @chunvn8888 on Twitter, Samsung is planning a foldable phone that will be part of the Galaxy A series, which includes both mid-range and more affordable devices.

Samsung's plan to release a foldable phone that's part of the Galaxy A series seems to be in very early stages. @chunvn8888 has told Neowin that the chief of Samsung's mobile division, Roh Tae-moon, doesn't know when the company will start working on the project. That said, the expectation is that Samsung will release it either in 2024 or a year after that.

Another important aspect that's currently missing from is what kind of foldable phone it will be. Will it be a clamshell foldable phone or a Z Fold-styled one? There is no clarity on that, but given that clamshell foldable are a bit less expensive to make, the rumored Galaxy A series foldable phone could draw similarities from the Galaxy Z Flip lineup. Again, it's just speculation, and we're hoping to get more clarity on a lot of things, including the form factor, in the future.

If things go as planned, there will be a couple of exciting pieces of tech coming from Samsung in 2025. Apart from the potential release of the Galaxy A series foldable phone, the South Korean tech giant is expected to release a new chipset different than Exynos dedicated to power the future Galaxy S series phones. The first Galaxy S series handset to be powered by the chipset will likely be the "Galaxy S25".

Source: @chunvn8888 (Twitter)

Samsung may be planning a mid-range Galaxy A series foldable phone

A few weeks ago, we heard Samsung had started mass producing its next-gen foldable phones, indicating that their official launch could be imminent. The firmware development is an even more reliable indicator to make us believe that we’re very close to the launch date. Currently, Samsung is testing F936NKSU0AVF2, and F721NKSU0AVF2 firmware builds.

GALAXY Z FLIP 4 SPECIFICATIONS BASED ON RUMORS

The Z Flip 4 will have a fingerprint sensor embedded inside the power button on the side of the device, just like their predecessors. Additionally, it’s said to have more battery capacity than its predecessor, meaning battery life will hopefully be better in the newer generation Z Flip 4. And of course, powering the device will be Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1. The Z Flip 4 will look very similar to its predecessor.

• Main display: 6.7″ FHD+ sAMOLED, 120Hz
• Outer display: 2.1″ sAMOLED
• Processor: Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1
• RAM: 8GB
• Storage: 128/256GB
• Main Cam: 12MP + 12MP (UW)
• Inner Cam: 10MP

Galaxy Z Fold 4 specifications based on rumors

• Camera: a 50MP main camera, a 12MP Ultrawide angle, and a 12MP 3x zoom.
• Display: 7.6 inches (19.30 cm)
• Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1
• RAM: 8GB/12 GB.
• Storage: 256 GB.
• Battery: 4500 mAh.

Aside from the specifications, Galaxy Z Fold 4 will be thinner and lighter than the Z Fold 3, making it more compact than its predecessor.

Are you excited about Samsung’s upcoming foldable phones? Let us know in the comments.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Z Flip 4 firmware development begins

With Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference only a few days away, the leaks and rumors are starting to come fast about Apple’s upcoming software plans. And iPad owners may be in for a treat: Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports that some of the biggest announcements of the year will be for iPadOS 16, including an expansion to the iPad’s multitasking system.

Apple has steadily, if somewhat tepidly, improved the way iPads multitask. As it stands, you can have two windows open side by side, with another in the slide-over view on the side. It works, more or less, but it can be finicky to set up, and it’s not obvious how to move apps around or change their arrangement.

Gurman reports only that iPadOS 16 “will expand upon that interface,” which could mean lots of things. At some point, though, there’s only one way for Apple to go: full, free-form multitasking a la the Mac, where you can make windows any size and shape you’d like. The iPad may not go that far since developers have mostly built their apps to a couple of specific sizes and aspect ratios. But now that iPad screens are practically laptop-sized and many models are powered by the same M chips inside Apple’s latest Macs, there’s plenty of power and real estate to run more than three apps at a time.

As part of the multitasking push, Gurman also reports that Apple’s working on a new way to see and switch between all your open apps. The current system is already fairly laptop-like, so it’ll be interesting to see what Apple does here.

For most of its life, Apple has treated the iPad more like a big phone than a small laptop. But, in recent years, as the iPad has gotten more powerful and more functional and as Apple has invested in accessories like the Magic Keyboard, it’s clear that the tablet is more MacBook than iPhone. It sounds like Apple sees it that way, too, and is ready to tweak the software to match.

iPadOS 16 will reportedly include some much-needed multitasking improvements

You might think you control your phone—but over time, your phone has taken control of you. We're rarely without our digital devices, and we've become dependent on them, even when their use is not necessary.

Anyone who has had an idle moment knows that with a phone in hand, it can turn into an hour or two. Nearly half of those surveyed (47%) said they felt compelled to fill any momentary boredom with their smartphones. And if you’ve found your fingers traveling some well-worn paths around your screen, then you’re aligned with the 38% who said they had repetitive internet behaviors.

More disturbing, the overwhelming amount of available, readable bad news you'll find any time you pick up a phone has a numbing effect. Thirty-four percent of survey respondents said they doomscrolled without an emotional or psychological response. There’s even some irony involved; 29% procrastinated by browsing for and installing productivity apps on their phones.

If you can relate to any or all of the above, then you might want to consider limiting your screen time. On Apple devices, you can cut back by using the Screen Time feature. You can do the same on Android devices with the Digital Well Being feature(Opens in a new window). It’s possible that your over-reliance on your phone is a symptom of something larger, though, in which case you might want to try using it for good, by using a meditation app or reaching out to a therapist.

< Watch the video at the source page. >

Source

Google Play is gradually changing. After the recent design changes we saw this week, its announcement in March saying the Movies & TV tab on Android would be going away is here now. Reports say that it started last week and still continues until today.

This will be gradually implemented across Android users of the app as Google realizes that the Play Store app is no longer the best place to buy or rent movies or television shows. As such, the company is pushing Google TV as the “new home for entertainment,” where users will be able to access their respective libraries in the place.

“Starting in May 2022, the Google TV app will be your home for buying, renting, and watching movies and shows on your Android mobile device or tablet,” notes Google in its blog post. “On the Google Play app, Movies & TV will no longer be supported. Google Play will continue to be your store for apps, games, and books. On Google TV, you will find the same experience you are used to on Google Play Movies & TV with the latest new releases, rentals, deals, and great recommendations for you.”

By removing the Movies & TV on Google Play, only three tabs now would only be left to the Android app, namely, Games, Apps, and Books. This makes the app neater and simpler for users. Moreover, this will transform the Google Play Android app into a dedicated place for items more applicable to phones and tablets, such as applications, games, audiobooks, and ebooks.

Despite this big change, Google stressed a few things related to removing the Movies & TV in the Google Play Android app. It includes the continuous availability of the user’s purchased content in the Google TV app and continuous eligibility of Google TV app purchases for family sharing and Google Play Points. Additionally, users can still view and request refunds for purchases on Google Play and use Play credit and Play gift cards when purchasing Google TV app content.

Google Play undergoes removal of Movies & TV tab on Android

A photo of the Pixel 7 prototype. Image: eBay listing

An alleged prototype of Google’s upcoming Pixel 7 smartphone has been posted on eBay, giving us our first look at the new phone in the wild months ahead of its scheduled fall release (via Android guru Mishaal Rahman).

Google just revealed the phone a few weeks ago at Google I/O, and what we can see in the prototype matches up with what Google has already shown. The distinctive camera bar is back, and this year it’s an aluminum bar with cutouts for the cameras. And the alleged prototype’s casing is a deep black that looks just like one of the colors Google showed off at I/O.

One of Google’s official Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro images — including that deep black. Image: Google

The eBay listing includes a few photos of the front, back, and sides of the device, though there’s not much to see that you can’t already spot on Google’s official renders. A photo of the phone turned on shows it has 128GB of storage, which suggests Google will once again be offering a 128GB model as an option for the final phone. A screenshot says that the phone’s model is GVU6C. And one photo indicates that this eBay seller may have gotten their hands on a Pixel 7 Pro as well, as you can catch the reflection of what looks to be the Pixel 7 Pro’s camera bar on the back of the Pixel 7 prototype.

We’ve collected images from the eBay listing into the gallery below, if you want to scrutinize them for yourself:

In messages with The Verge, the seller claims they bought the Pixel 7 prototype from a wholesaler without knowing what it was. The seller says they realized it was a Pixel 7 after doing research and seeing pictures that seemed like the phone they had. They also say they had a Pixel 7 Pro, but sold it already.

The listing has been closed, so you won’t be able to snap up this device for your collection. There were no bids for the prototype, and the starting bid was $450. Google didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment.

This Pixel 7 listing is just the latest major pre-release leak of a Pixel device, which has a history of surprise appearances dating back to the very first phone to carry the name. A prototype of a Pixel Watch was apparently found at a restaurant shortly before the smartwatch’s announcement at I/O. A mention of the Pixel 6A appeared in a coloring book all the way back in January. Somebody filmed what appeared to be a Pixel 6 Pro test unit a few weeks before Google officially launched the device. I could go on.

Unfortunately, we’ll likely be waiting a few months before Google shares more about the Pixel 7. The phones aren’t set to arrive until the fall, and if past years are any indication, we should expect some kind of launch event in October. Until then, these photos from eBay might be our best look at the upcoming phone... well, until it inevitably leaks again.

Alleged Pixel 7 prototype hits eBay months ahead of the phone’s official release

Although the long-rumored Pixel Watch has finally arrived, there’s still no sign of Google’s mysterious folding phone — and we likely won’t see it for another year. According to reports from Korean industry site The Elec and supply chain analyst Ross Young (via Android Central), the release of Google’s rumored folding phone has been delayed until next spring.

Google was originally expected to reveal the device in 2021, but that prediction was pushed back to the fourth quarter of 2022. This most recent delay could explain why we didn’t see the device at Google I/O earlier this month alongside the brief tease of a future Pixel tablet.

Sources with knowledge of the situation reportedly told The Elec that the phone’s release date has been postponed simply because it isn’t finished yet. Young backed up these claims in a tweet, stating he heard “from multiple sources in the supply chain that the Google foldable launch was delayed till next spring” but didn’t cite a reason why.

Past leaks indicate that Google is experimenting with two designs for the device, called “Passport” and “Jumbojack” internally. While “Jumbojack” folds horizontally like the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold, “Passport” folds vertically like the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip. As noted by The Elec, the folding device could come with displays from Samsung, with the Passport variation featuring a 7.57-inch display on its interior and a 5.78-inch screen on its exterior.

Now that Google is focusing on the launch of the highly anticipated Pixel Watch and Pixel 7, it seems even more unlikely that Google would decide to reveal the folding phone at its Pixel event this fall.

Google’s folding phone has reportedly been delayed again

Total Commander for Android removes the ability to install APKs

Here's what happened. Christian Ghisler, the developer of Total Commander, has revealed that Google sent him a warning that his app would be removed from the Play Store within 7 days unless he modified his app. What was the offense? The app was reportedly not compliant with the Device and Network Abuse policy.

The policy forbids apps from modifying, replacing or updating itself from any other source except the Play Store. It also restricts apps from downloading other apps from third-party sources. Google claimed that Total Commander was violating this policy. The developer blocked the installation of Total Commander, so it can't update itself via its own APK (when the user downloads it from elsewhere), but Google sent a second warning with the same wording. A third warning will remove the app from the Play Store altogether, as has happened to other developers.

Ghisler tried reaching to Google to appeal the decision, but was unable to reach a real person at the company. The irony is that Android's stock Files app, Google Chrome allow installation of APKs, as do all third-party file manager apps and browsers. That's why the restriction posed on Total Commander feels unfair. It's just Google being Google.

How is Total Commander responsible for what the user does?

It is up to the user to choose what apps they download, where they download it from, and to install them on their devices. Total Commander plays a very small role in this scenario, particularly in the third step, it just enables the user to install the apps that they have downloaded. The file manager does not have the ability to browse the internet, let alone download APKs.

One user suggested the issue could have been caused by the Plugins page in the app. Total Commander for Android supports plugins, which can be downloaded from the Play Store. The file manager app has an "add plugins" option that lists the plugins, with the word "Install" next to them. Tapping these leads to the plugin's Play Store page. It is possible that Google misunderstood these options, and perceived it as downloading third party apps, and issued the warning to the developer.

Future of Total Commander for Android

Ghisler has removed the options to download the plugins from the Play Store version of Total Commander, but it seems to be to no avail. The developer points out that removing the ability to install APKs could result in a lot of negative opinions, i.e., 1-star reviews, and that this could hurt the reputation of the app. As a result, he may be forced to remove the app from the Google Play Store entirely.

All is not lost, as Ghisler has released a standalone version of Total Commander that allows installation of APK files. The unrestricted version of the app is available for download on the official website.

The EU is set to enforce the Digital Markets Act (DMA) in 2023, which will force Apple to allow installation of iOS apps from third-party sources. Being able to customize the user experience is Android's strongest point, this includes the freedom to download and install apps from wherever we want, but Google seems to be heading in the opposite direction by banning APK installs in Total Commander.

Google forces Total Commander developer to remove the ability to install APKs on Android devices

Google Pixel 6 and 6 Pro users aren’t impressed with Google’s $30 first-party cases. Looking at Reddit and reviews on Amazon, there are dozens of people complaining about the transparent plastic showing extreme yellowing, warping, or just plain not fitting the phone from the factory. Some users have posted some gnarly-looking pictures of their cases, saying that they degraded in anywhere from several months to just two or three weeks. An editor here at The Verge says that their case has also started to look “a bit dingy.”

While there are plenty of positive reviews for the cases, it’s hard to ignore the number of complaints. It also seems unlikely that this is just from a bad batch of cases. There’s a Reddit thread complaining about the issue from January and one with almost the exact same complaints from just a few hours ago. Some reviews also mention that the cases start to change shape around the buttons or bottom, which would personally make me worry about its ability to protect my phone. Google didn’t immediately respond to The Verge’s request for comment on whether these were known issues.

One of the several Amazon reviews we found showing a less severe case of splotching. Image: Akshay Mohol on Amazon

Anyone who’s bought a $10 translucent phone case is likely very familiar with this kind of rapid discoloration. For the most part, it’s just a fact of life with translucent plastics. Even a lot of the negative reviews admit that they expected the discoloration to happen at some point; they just didn’t expect it to happen within a matter of weeks or months, nor did they expect it to look quite so gross when it happened. Personally, I don’t think I’ve seen it this bad since the early 2010s.

My editor’s case doesn’t have the ugly splotches, but it hasn’t aged gracefully either. Image: The Verge / Richard Lawler

Again, though, this isn’t some bargain, no-name case; it’s one sold and branded by the same company that makes the phones. There’s also the extra sting that this is a problem Google’s solved in the past. A few of my colleagues had fond memories of the fabric cases the company made for phones like the Pixel 4A and Pixel 5, as did a few Reddit commenters (though there were also a fair amount of complaints). Obviously, those didn’t have the same yellowing issue, and if they did get dirty, you could clean them off relatively easily.

Thankfully, there are plenty of third-party Pixel cases these days, but it is a bit disappointing that getting the official one is such a gamble. At least these reports started popping up before the Pixel 6A was released; if Google offers similar cases for its more budget-conscious phone, perhaps it’s best to steer clear unless the company announces that it’s fixed the issue.

Pixel 6 owners aren’t thrilled with Google’s overpriced, yellowing cases

Changelog

What’s new

The update also offers several improvements to make the app experience better. You can see the improvements below.

Improvements

Microsoft updates Remote Desktop Mobile app on iOS

Qualcomm’s Snapdragon “8+ Gen 1” salvage operation moves the chip to TSMC

In a Reddit AMA (ask me anything) session, Microsoft founder Bill Gates has said that he is currently using a foldable phone as his daily driver. However, the foldable device that he has mentioned is not the Surface Duo 2, it's Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3.

Bill Gates has mentioned that the Galaxy Z Fold3 is a device that is a portable PC and a phone at the same time. And it seems he loves that characteristic of the Z Fold3. However, the Microsoft founder has also mentioned that he loves to try "different ones."

Gates has never always been quite open about which devices he has for personal use. Back when it became quite clear that Windows Phone was dead, Gates openly admitted that he was using "an Android phone with a lot of Microsoft software."

However, Gates ditching Windows Phone in favor of Android was quite an obvious choice because he didn't seem to like iPhone that much. And now, even though Microsoft is trying to sort of re-renter the phone space with the Surface Duo lineup, the ex-Microsoft CEO doesn't seem convinced enough to try the Surface Duo 2 as his daily driver.

While the first-generation Surface Duo had received a great response from both reviewers and users, the second-generation Duo failed to get the appeal it needed to go head to head with rivals like the Galaxy Z Fold3. Nevertheless, after the March 2022 firmware update, the Surface Duo 2 now seems to be a much better product than it was when it was launched. However, the firmware update didn't bring enough improvements to convince Bill Gates. He seems to be enjoying the experience of the Galaxy Z Fold3 for now.

Source: Reddit | via Android Authority

Bill Gates uses a foldable phone, but it's not a Surface

Door detection will use the lidar scanner and machine learning to identify doors and relay information about their location, labeling, and more to blind or low-vision users.

Live Captions will transcribe what people on calls and in videos say while you use the phone.

Apple Watch screen mirroring will give Watch users access to some accessibility features that are available on the iPhone but not the Watch.

Users will be able to set how long Siri waits for you to finish speaking before saying something back or performing an action.

Added touch gestures will give users more ways of controlling the Apple Watch.

You'll be able to train your iPhone to recognize important sounds like your doorbell.

Apple's Books app offers new customization options to make text more legible.

Global Accessibility Awareness Day is Thursday, so Apple took to its newsroom blog this week to announce several major new accessibility features headed to the iPhone, Apple Watch, iPad, and Mac.

One of the most widely used will likely be Live Captions, which is coming to iPhone, Mac, and iPad. The feature shows AI-driven, live-updating subtitles for speech coming from any audio source on the phone, whether the user is "on a phone or FaceTime call, using a video conferencing or social media app, streaming media content, or having a conversation with someone next to them."

The text (which users can resize at will) appears at the top of the screen and ticks along as the subject speaks. Additionally, Mac users will be able to type responses and have them read aloud to others on the call. Live Captions will enter public beta on supported devices ("iPhone 11 and later, iPad models with A12 Bionic and later, and Macs with Apple silicon") later this year.

There's also door detection. It unfortunately will only work on iPhones and iPads with a lidar sensor (so the iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 13 Pro, or recent iPad Pro models), but it sounds useful for those who are blind or have low vision. It uses the iPhone's camera and AR sensors, in tandem with machine learning, to identify doors and audibly tell users where the door is located, whether it's open or closed, how it can be opened, and what writing or labeling it might have.

Door detection will join people detection and image descriptions in a new "detection mode" intended for blind or low-vision users in iOS and iPadOS. Apple's blog post didn't say when that feature would launch, however.

Other accessibility additions that Apple says are just around the corner include 20 new Voice Over languages, new hand gestures on Apple Watch, and a feature that allows game players to receive help from a "buddy" with another game controller without disconnecting their own. Additionally, there are new Siri and Apple Books customizations meant to expand accessibility for people with disabilities, sound recognition customizations, and Apple Watch screen mirroring on the iPhone—which gives Watch users access to many accessibility features available on the iPhone but not the Watch.

Tech enthusiasts often lament that smartphones (and personal tech in general) have become stagnant, without many exciting new developments. But that couldn't be further from the truth for many people with disabilities. Google, Apple, and numerous researchers and startups have been making significant advancements, bringing powerful new accessibility features to mobile devices.

Listing image by Apple

Apple details new iPhone features like door detection, live captions

The latest version of the To Do app has a new Notes icon, which you will see while adding tasks. You will need to tap on the new Notes icon to add notes to your tasks. According to Microsoft, this will add more context.

You can read the complete official changelog below.

Changelog

In other Microsoft To Do news, Microsoft recently added a new feature for To Do users on Windows, which now performs additional automatic commands in setting up users’ reminders. You can read about the feature in detail here. In February last year, Microsoft announced the availability of Microsoft To Do widgets for iOS 14 devices. You can view your to-do lists from your home screen with the new widgets. Microsoft will continue to add new features to its task management app in the future to make the app even better.

Meanwhile, you can download the Microsoft To Do app from  click here to go to the App Store download page directly.

Microsoft To Do for iOS gets updated with a new feature

E Ink displays are currently in use in Amazon's Kindle e-readers devices. While these displays are extremely low on power consumption, they are less responsive than OLED panels. This is because the ones from E Ink feature a lower refresh rate, which is why it's perhaps best suited to devices like the Kindle, where there isn't much dynamic usage.

Cover displays in foldable phones are primarily used for checking time and notifications and thus don't have much dynamic usage. On the surface, E Ink's displays seem to be a perfect fit for a device where the refresh rate is not that important, but power efficiency is. And this is why Apple may have gone with testing the display technology for its future foldable devices.

Kuo has also added that the color EPD has the potential to become a mainstream solution for the cover displays of foldable devices.

It is worth pointing out that Apple could cancel the project if it doesn't get the desired results, and in that case, the company will look somewhere else. Apple's foldable iPhone and a foldable MacBook are rumored to go official in 2025, so Apple has ample time to decide on which display technology it wants to use for its foldable iPhone models.

Apple's foldable iPhone display may have 'excellent' power efficiency

Google has recently been cracking down on apps that do not comply with the store policies for a long time. The company recently banned 190,000 malicious developers from Play Store. The search giant is also looking to introduce new restrictions to prevent installing sideloaded apps.

As per the Pixalate report, 68% of Google Play Store and App Store apps have received an update in the last two years. To put this into perspective, nearly 3.1 million apps across Play Store and App Store have received updates and, therefore, are abiding by the new rules. The report estimates that nearly 869,000 apps in the Google Play Store and around 650,000 apps in the App Store are likely to face the consequences since they haven't got an update in the last two years. This is equivalent to nearly one-third of Google Play Store and App Store apps combined.

While Google has required developers to update their apps at least once in the last two years, Apple's policy change doesn't have enough clarity. The latter says it would remove apps that have been "updated in a significant amount of time" from the App Store. Apple has given developers 90 days to update their apps.

Google's new policy change will be effective when it officially releases Android 13 for Pixel devices. As a result of the changes, outdated Android apps may either get removed or be hidden from the search result.

Unless outdated apps get removed from the store, users who're using them can continue to use them if they wish to.

Source: CNET via Android Central

Nearly one-third of App Store and Play Store apps may get removed

The motivation behind the move is that it will help reduce e-waste as consumers will just reuse old cables across different devices. Now, it seems that Apple has started gearing up for this switch.

Over the past few days, several reports have emerged claiming that the iPhone will move to USB-C charging in 2023. This is primarily in response to the European proposal and would mean that the alleged iPhone 15 would be ditching Lightning connectivity.

Now, reputable industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo states that this switch would apply to other Apple accessories too. This includes AirPods, Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse, MagSafe Battery Pack, and more. It's a bit unclear if the EC proposal applies to all of the aforementioned devices, but it seems as if Apple is transitioning to USB-C charging as a standard anyway.

Kuo says that the switch will happen in the "foreseeable future", so it's currently not known whether it will adhere with the expected 2023 timeline. The analyst has also dismissed the idea of a portless iPhone that wirelessly charges, saying that the MagSafe ecosystem is not mature enough yet and neither is wireless tech.

We'll likely hear more news on this front in the coming weeks and months as plans, if any, begin to materialize.

Source: Ming-Chi Kuo (Twitter)

Report: Apple accessories will soon ditch Lightning and switch to USB-C

Apple is testing iPhones that swap the Lightning port for USB-C, according to a new Bloomberg report from Apple whisperer Mark Gurman. But you shouldn’t expect to see it in this year’s iPhone lineup, as the changeover wouldn’t happen until 2023 “at the earliest,” Gurman says. The report follows reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo’s tweets this week indicating Apple would swap to USB-C in the second half of 2023, which is presumably when that year’s iPhone lineup will be released.

The switch would be a big one, though it’s not a complete surprise. Apple has already moved the iPad Pro, iPad Air, and iPad Mini to USB-C. And the EU revealed a proposal in September that would require many devices, including smartphones, to include USB-C ports — Gurman says that this legislation was “a key reason” for Apple’s move to consider the change. There are also technical benefits to moving to USB-C, which is capable of faster transfer speeds than Lightning.

Rumors have also swirled about Apple developing a portless iPhone, and Gurman says that Apple has “worked on iPhones without any charging port” in “recent years.” But his report Friday doesn’t suggest a portless iPhone will be available anytime soon.

Apple didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment. The company first introduced the Lightning port with the iPhone 5 in 2012.

Apple is reportedly testing iPhones with USB-C

At its Google I/O event on Wednesday, Google released the second beta of Android 13. The search giant highlighted several new aspects to Android 13 including better privacy controls that help users to limit what data apps have access to, an improved Material You theme system that works across more apps, a new Settings & Privacy page that can help you boost your security, swanky music controls that adjust their look based on the music you’re listening to, and the ability to change the language of each app – something that music be quite handy if you are bilingual and prefer certain apps in a particular language.

Google said that many of these features are present today in the second beta of Android 13 and that the new operating system is being made available on a range of devices from Google’s device-maker partners including Asus, Lenovo, Nokia, OnePlus, Oppo, Realme, Sharp, Tecno, Vivo, Xiaomi, ZTE, and, of course, it’s available for Pixel devices too. If you want to find out how you can download it, head over to the Android Developer website.

With Android 13, privacy and security are very important focuses for Google. Users will have more control over the files they give apps access to, for example, “Files and media” has been removed and two new categories have taken its place, “Photos & videos” and “Music & audio”. Another way that Google is preserving privacy is by no longer needing users to grant location to apps just to enable Wi-Fi scanning.

To protect the data you may have copied to the clipboard, Google is adjusting Android so that you get a notification when an app accesses your clipboard. The system will also erase your clipboard history after a short period so apps are blocked from copying information. While this is good from a privacy perspective, it sounds as though it could become annoying if you’re trying to copy and paste between apps, especially if your phone is a bit sluggish.

To ensure we are as safe as possible, Google is going to introduce the Settings & Privacy settings page. Here, you’ll see things such as app security, screen lock, Google Security Checkup and Find My Device settings and any requests Google wants you to make to tighten up your security settings.

Aside from all of the features mentioned, Android 13 will also improve the tablet experience. It brings better multitasking on tablets and an updated taskbar so you can switch between single tablet view and split screen. To enter split screen mode, just drag and drop a second app onto your screen from the taskbar library and it will share the screen with the app already open.

Furthermore, if you are using a stylus pen with your tablet, you’ll be able to rest your hand on the screen without it being misidentified as the pen. Google said that it’s updating more than 20 of its apps to work better on large screens and third-party developers such as TikTok, Facebook, and Zoom are being revamped to work better on tablets.

Google releases Android 13 beta 2 with finer privacy controls and improved Material You

Google couldn’t let its I/O keynote pass without teasing its next flagship phones: the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro, arriving this fall. It’s a modest update of last year’s design that keeps the horizontal camera bar but tones it down a little with updated camera cutouts. The 7 and 7 Pro will include a next-gen Tensor chipset and ship with Android 13.

This year’s Pixel phones feature an updated version of the design introduced on the 6 and 6 Pro, hanging onto the prominent horizontal camera bump wrapping around the back. This time, the camera bar is made of aluminum that flows into the device’s side rails, rather than having a big black bar that cuts off at the edges like last year. The renders also suggest that Google will ditch the two-tone color treatment on the back panel.

The Pixel 7 Pro render shows three main rear cameras, including what looks like a telephoto lens. Image: Google

The Pixel 7 Pro will also have a triple rear camera system, like the 6 Pro, and the standard Pixel 7 appears to have two rear cameras, like the standard Pixel 6. Again, nothing changing there. The 7 Pro seems to stick with the standard wide / ultrawide / telephoto configuration, judging by the renders, so don’t expect to see multiple telephotos like on the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra.

The camera bar and the side rails are made of a single piece of aluminum. Image: Google

Lastly, and perhaps most important, there’s no “kinda coral” color option in any of the renders provided today. Bring back the pink phone, you cowards.

Although details are fairly limited in today’s announcement, Google seems to be taking a step to get ahead of the inevitable leaks that will surely happen closer to the devices’ launch. The company might also be eager to remind us all that it’s serious about making true flagship phones. The Pixel 6 and 6 Pro were the first step in that direction, with excellent hardware that’s been somewhat overshadowed by some high-profile software problems.

Lest we get too carried away, keep in mind that this is a very early first look at the new Pixel devices. They’ll likely be released in October along with Android 13. Until then, start your letter-writing campaign to keep “kinda coral” in the mix.

Here’s an early look at the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro coming this fall

Google is officially announcing the Pixel 6A, which embraces the company’s new design language and custom chipset but keeps the 5A’s $449 price tag. The announcement comes as Google kicks off its I/O developer conference, but if you’re itching to snag the new device, you’ll have to wait a little while longer since it won’t actually ship until July 28th. (Preorders will begin a week earlier, on July 21st.)

The 6A follows the pronounced design trend that the 6 and 6 Pro set when they arrived last year with a raised horizontal camera bump and a two-tone body. Following suit, the fingerprint sensor is under the screen rather than on the back panel. And there’s good news if you think the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro are too big — the 6A comes with a slightly smaller 6.1-inch OLED 1080p display. It’s a standard 60Hz refresh rate, too, so Google seems happy to let Samsung take the lead on fast refresh rate screens in midrange phones.

While the design ethos is the same, the Pixel 6A offers less robust camera specs than the flagship 6 and 6 Pro. That’s a departure from previous A-series phones, which offered the same camera hardware as their pricier counterparts. The 6A includes a 12-megapixel main rear camera with optical image stabilization that appears to be the same hardware used by the 5A, rather than the 50-megapixel main camera on the Pixel 6. There’s also a 12-megapixel ultrawide and an 8-megapixel selfie camera.

Interestingly, the Pixel 6A comes with a smaller 4,400mAh battery than the 5A’s 4,680mAh cell, but Google still claims it will last a full day like its predecessor. It’s also claiming three days of use in Extreme Battery Saver mode, which is a full day longer than it claimed for the 5A. That’s likely due to more efficient hardware and software integration now that Google’s in control of both variables.

A single storage configuration (128GB with 6GB RAM) will be available, similar to how Google sold the 5A. And good news for anyone outside of the US and Japan (the only two markets where the 5A launched) — the 6A will be available in a lot more places, including Canada, the UK, Australia, Germany, and France. There’s a full list of countries where it will be sold on the Google Store.

There’s also 5G, of course; the 6A supports both sub-6GHz and mmWave 5G. And because all good things must end, the 6A does not include a headphone jack. The Pixel 5A was the last Google phone to come with a charger, so you won’t find one of those, either.

For a while, the Pixel A-series was more or less a shoo-in for the best phone in the midrange class. In recent years, though, serious competition has arrived from Samsung and challengers like OnePlus, so the 6A has its work cut out for it.

Update May 11th, 3:35PM ET: Added new information about global availability for the Pixel 6A.

The Pixel 6A includes Google’s Tensor chipset and costs $449

One of the few glimpses so far of Google’s upcoming Android tablet. Image: Google

Google is getting back in the tablet game. The company’s internal hardware division plans to release an Android-powered tablet in 2023, senior vice president of devices and services Rick Osterloh announced on Wednesday at its I/O developer conference. Osterloh was light on details, except to say it’ll run on the same Tensor processor inside Google’s latest Pixel phones and that he imagines it as a consumer-focused gadget focused on entertainment and consumption rather than work. (The Verge’s Dan Seifert, who briefly saw a picture during a product briefing ahead of I/O, immediately said “it looks like an old Samsung tablet.”) But Osterloh’s overall message is clear: Google cares about Android tablets. For real this time.

The announcement is a huge about-face from Google’s recent history. In 2019, when Osterloh himself said Google was getting out of the tablet business. “Hey, it’s true,” he tweeted in response to rumors that Google was shutting down its existing tablet products, “Google’s HARDWARE team will be solely focused on building laptops moving forward,” though he again said the software teams still care about supporting tablets. That announcement seemed to chill the market, as if signaling that Google was never going to get serious about tablets. Since then, few companies outside of Samsung have continued to make Android slates.

So why the change of heart? “We see it as a critical part of how people are interacting with media and computers at home, especially,” Osterloh said in an interview ahead of I/O. Google seems to think of Chrome OS as mostly a tool for work and school, while Android is the consumer product. (Osterloh did say Google plans to make more Pixelbooks, by the way, but he wouldn’t say when.) And the pandemic made it clearer than ever to Google that tablets have a unique place in users’ lives as entertainment, gaming, and general consumption devices. (You’d think a decade-plus of Apple’s iPad success would have made that clear already, but alas.) “And certainly, we think we want to design something that’s a perfect companion for Pixel with a larger form factor,” he said.

One way to understand the Pixel lineup in general is less as a product organization designed to sell lots of devices and more as a showpiece of Google’s intentions. Google isn’t just building a flagship tablet it hopes lots of people will buy; it’s building a flagship tablet so that Android developers in and out of Google will believe Google actually cares about these devices and will have a reason to care about how their apps look on a larger screen. Google can’t build a great tablet if it can’t start that flywheel. Solving its tablet problem will take more than great hardware and even more than dedicated focus from the entire team at Google. It requires the whole ecosystem to decide it’s worth giving a crap when Google has given them a decade of reasons not to.

Luckily, Google knows that better than anyone. In the early days of Android, back when Google’s in-house hardware projects were called Nexus rather than Pixel, the Nexus 7 and Nexus 10 were some of the best tablet hardware on the market. But Android tablets never caught on, in large part because Android was never well-suited to tablets and Google never seemed to care. Apps mostly treated tablets like “phones with humongous screens” rather than a device category unto themselves, so they showed up big and misfit and generally didn’t work right.

Google’s tablet will fit into the broader Tensor-powered Pixel lineup. Image: Google

Internally, at least, that appears to be changing. “The Android team has been investing a ton in the space,” Osterloh said. Starting with Android 12L and continuing with some new features in Android 13, like an updated taskbar with an app drawer that makes it easier to use two apps side by side, the OS is at long last starting to look optimized for larger screens. The Pixel Tablet (or whatever it’s called) will be a showcase for that work. “We wanted to make sure people knew about it so that they knew not only is this a big thing for the Android team, but it’s a big thing for our team, too. And we intend to be in this category, starting then and going forward forever.”

Trystan Upstill, a VP of engineering on the Android team, said that his team has also been working with third-party developers on adapting their apps to the larger displays. “We have TikTok, Zoom, and Facebook building out new apps this year for tablet,” he said in an interview, “and many more coming as well.” Google’s also updating 20 of its own apps — Google Maps, Google Messages, YouTube Music, and more — for tablets over the next few weeks. That’s a strong sign of progress, but the fact that those updates are only coming now says a lot about Google’s history in the space.

Android 13 makes multitasking much easier on larger screens. Image: Google 

Google’s focus on tablets may also have something to do with the state of smartphones. As foldable phones become more popular, they’re also becoming one of the most compelling reasons to pick an Android device over an iPhone. Except, all too often, Android doesn’t work great on the larger foldable screens, either. “The distinction, of course, is they have two screens,” Upstill said. “And the layout changes make a big difference. But what we’re doing for tablets is translating directly to improvements for foldables as well.”

And if you’re rooting for Android tablets to be great, you should be rooting for foldables to be successful. Because it’s not hard to imagine a world in which Google really tries to make Android tablets work again only to discover that Apple’s iPad and Microsoft’s Surface are so far ahead that it’s going to be impossible to catch up and decide to just move on to something newer and shinier. Foldables could keep Google’s focus on big screens much longer, though, if they are indeed the next big thing in smartphones.

Osterloh seems to be serious about bringing the Pixel shine to the Android tablet world. But if Google’s going to pull off a successful launch next year, it’s going to need help. And fast.

Google’s Pixel team is making an Android tablet