Category: Android

CyanogenMod, the independent developer who has created Android builds for a multitude of devices including the OnePlus One, has announced on their blog that they have started rolling out CM13, their Android Marshmallow based image.  The updates are a part of what they call nightlies which means that every night they will be releasing an update to the build for developers and those with a sense of adventure to try.  Currently the nightlies are being released for the OnePlus One, Nexus 7, LG G4, LG GPad 7.0, LG G3 (Verizon), Galaxy Tab Pro 8.4 and the Moto X 2014.

In the post, CyanogenMod indicates that the plan is to release a formal build (what they call a Snapshot) in January so if you do not want to unlock your device & bootloader, flash the device yourself nightly and deal with backups, you can simply wait until January and you will get an OTA update from CM12.1 to CM13.  Doing the nightlies is really aimed for those who can and are willing to beta test as this is very much a beta build. If you are not up to the task, don’t install it.  There will be bugs and it will impact your daily use of your device in some cases.

If you have been craving a OnePlus 2 but haven’t got your hands on an invite, this week could be your week.  The Chinese manufacture has taken to Twitter to let everyone know that starting November 27th through the 30th you can order a OnePlus 2 without having an invitation.  They are terming it as “Unlimited” and fundamentally, it speaks volumes to the challenge that OnePlus has created for itself with their invitation system.

Like the OnePlus One, the company rolled out an invitation purchasing system for the OnePlus 2 announced this summer.  When I wrote a post outlining what the company needed to do to make this new flagship successful, I pointed out that a key to the success would be a smarter and far smoother roll out of this invitation system for this new device.  It has been anything but smooth and frankly, given the lack of some key features of the OnePlus 2, sales have not been exactly stellar. So to make up for it in a way, they are suspending the invite system for Black Friday so you can get your hands on one of these devices without having to wait for an invite.

No indication on how long you will have to wait for the device however.

Google Play Music has been update for Android devices and it brings a new feature for subscribers to the services unlimited plan.  Now you have a new Sound Search feature that allows you to have the app listen to music that is playing and it will identify it and take you to that song in the service so you can add it to your library. Because subscribers can add and download music to their library without actually owning the content (it is digitally locked to your account), the search feature is a quick way to add music to your library on-the-fly without having to make anything more than the $9.99 monthly subscription.

If this new Sound Search feature sounds familiar, the concept has been around quite some time.  Shazam is probably the best known of these types of services and they still are around.  With the inclusion of this type of feature in Google Play Music and other premium services, a stand alone app is starting to make less sense.

The update to the app is version 6.1.2116T for those who are keeping score at home and it is in the Google Play Store now.  If you have the app installed, it could be a day or two before you see the OTA update.

Google Play Music – Free (In-App Purchases) – Download Now

The Project Fi team has just sent an email out to subscribers that a new Android Marshmallow update is being released for the Nexus 6.  The notification comes on the same day that T-Mobile announced a Marshmallow update for the Nexus 6 on their network and as I speculated, a Project Fi specific build likely wasn’t far behind.

There had been a lot of rumors since the release of Marshmallow that users of Project Fi would have issues getting connectivity. Specifically that the switching mechanism with the new Fi SIM, Marshmallow and the Nexus 6  meant that users could not switch from T-Mobile or Sprint on-the-fly, a key selling point of Project Fi.  Thus, to this point, an update had not been sent to subscribers.  That has meant that Project Fi customers have remained on Android Lollipop.

I have been running Marshmallow as a Fi user but I receive the OTA update on my Nexus 6 while I was still on AT&T (my device is unlocked and was purchased from Google directly).  When I switched over to Fi, I had no issues at all and in fact have found the service to be very reliable and faster than AT&T here in Denver. Ironically I reached out to Fi support earlier today asking about this very issue to which I was told that they had not had any issues reported to them. Yet we now have a new Marshmallow build.  Curious much?

For those of you who have a T-Mobile Nexus 6, good news has come your way from Des, the company’s Product Evangelist, on Twitter. According to a post last night, the Android Marshmallow update for the device has been tested, approved and should be rolling out very soon.  The updated build is MRA58X and while no exact date was given, user could start seeing the update as soon as today if previous history is any indication.

Great News! The @TMobile #Nexus6 Marshmallow SW MRA58X has been approved & should start rolling out soon! pic.twitter.com/oiyZ5mO9MC

— Des (@askdes) November 20, 2015

With this update starting to roll out, it means that T-Mobile is the first to get Android Marshmallow out to the Nexus 6 on their network. Verizon and AT&T both sold the Nexus 6 but neither have released or committed to the update for their devices.

When I posted my review of Google Fit several months ago, I pointed out that while it was a good app that had a nice, clean interface, it lacked some of the features that would make it a true must-have fitness app.  The latest update to the app, which is rolling out to the Google Play Store now, closes a lot of those gaps by bringing a much tighter integration with other fitness and nutrition apps.  The result is that Google Fit becomes a portal for all your nutrition and exercise information.

The update is version 1.55.44-000 for those keeping score at home and while it has been released to the Play Store, it could be a day or two before you see the OTA update if you have it installed.  The first thing that is new in this build is the real-time tracking of exercises.  If you go on walks, runs or bike rides, you can now have Google Fit track that exercise for you and it will integrate with Google Maps so you can see where you went on your activity.  To do this, there is a new Start Activity option in the app’s menu.

Google Fit for Android – Free – Download Now