Category: Android

A new commit in the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) Gerrit suggests that a change could be coming to the LTE signal bars in Android P.  The commit suggest that carriers would be able to manipulate how this is displayed on devices to be more specific to them an not quite as generic as they are today.

Before the conspiracy theorists out there start to percolate, let’s be clear:  The carriers would not be able to hide the signal strength bars nor manipulate them in a why that gives false information.  Google doesn’t allow that to happen already and has reinforced it with other commits for Android P.  No, this change would give carriers the ability to change how the LTE bars are displayed to be more accurate for their coverage in a specific area.

After months of testing and teasing, the Android Oreo update for the Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ are starting to roll out.  The update brings Samsung Experience 9, the company’s skin on top of Oreo, to the 2017 flagship devices and weighs in at 487MB.  Right now, it appears that the release has only happened on the unlocked variants of the phones in Europe.  No indication on if it has hit US users yet but it will likely be soon.  Also keep in mind that beta testers will be the first to get the update so if you did not participate, you have a bit longer to wait.

Public beta testing of the Oreo build on the Samsung Galaxy S8 lineup began last November with the beta period ending January 15th of this year.

The Huawei Mate 10 and Mate 10 Pro have a significant bug fixing update rolling out in the manufacture’s home country, China.  The update brings a number of bug fixes and stability improvements to both devices.  The update to EMUI, the company’s Android Oreo build, is version 8.0.0.127 (SP1C00) and it is the same for both devices.

From an optimization perspective, there are seven improvements noted in the release notes for the build.

• Optimizes Camera and the Navigation dock.
• Optimizes the Beauty feature by adding special touches based on the genders of the photographed subjects.
• Optimizes the accessibility of the Navigation dock, which can now be used in Ultra power saving mode and the notification panel.
• Optimizes the system power consumption by controlling the consumption of third-party apps
• Simplifies the operation of the status bar (tapping on it to return to the call screen is supported).
• Increases the speed of grabbing WeChat lucky money.
• Enjoy being faster than the rest even when in the same network environment.

If you have noticed a change in your Google Feed from the Google app on your phone, you are not alone.  The shortcuts to weather, restaurants and other information at the top of the page has been removed in an effort by Google to improve the overall user experience with the Google app.

To be clear, the Google Feed is accessed either by going into the Google app or, if you have a Pixel phone, a swipe to the right on your Home page.  There you see information cards you have configured, news and other information.  Previously, there were shortcuts at the top of this page for one-tap information which are now gone.

Microsoft OneNote, the company’s note taking app, has a new update rolling out that brings a number of improvements for users.  The new build is version 16.0.9001.2134 for those keeping score at home and has been released to the Play Store.  This update likely brings something for everyone as it is pretty comprehensive.

First, there is a new lasso tool, which allows for you to select ink drawings and other content on your page in a much easier and more controllable way.  The lasso tool on the desktop version of Microsoft OneNote always worked well but it hasn’t been in the mobile version up to this point.  Now you have feature parity, on the lasso at least, across all devices.

A new update to the Google WiFi app is rolling out in the Play Store today, bringing a somewhat minor change:  App Shortcuts.  The update is build BV10144 for those keeping score at home and should land on everyones account over the course of the next few days.

Once updated, you can long press the app icon and access to features of the Google WiFi app.  First, you can test your Internet access to see your overall connection speed to your ISP.  Second, you can open up the Family WiFi feature of the app, allowing you to quickly pause devices without having to jump through the menus within the app itself to do so.