Category: Android

The fourth and like the last Chrome 65 based beta build is now available for Chrome for Android testers.  The update is based on build 65.0.3325.109 and is rolling out to the Play Store this morning.

Unlike other beta programs in the Play Store, there is no sign up to get the Chrome beta for Android.  You can download it here and install it on your compatible devices.  Like all beta software however, its not recommended to run it as your daily browser or deploy it into production as there are likely still bugs to be found and there could be performance issues.

Although we are still weeks away from the first Developer Preview of Android P, more details of what will be in the next major release of the platform continue to come to light.  The latest is native support for iris scanning for biometric security.

A new commit points to iris identification to be supported within P, something that manufactures like Samsung have added to their devices.  This change should make it much easier for manufactures to add iris security support to their devices and it should be more reliable.

Android’s gaming hub app, Google Play Games, has a new update rolling out that brings a new Arcade tab to help you discover new games to play.  The update follows on from the major update that that app received in January.  That update brought a completely new look to the app along with some built-in games but there was no way to discover new games from within it.

This new 5.5 version of Google Play Games addresses that issue.  Now you have a new tab where you can find games to play and can filter your results based on what is new, kids games, premium games as well as genres like Action, Adventure, Board games, Racing, and RPG to name but a few.

Twitter has begun rolling out a handy new feature to their mobile apps and site:  Bookmarks.  The bookmarks feature allows you to save a Tweet in your feed to read later or to share later.  There appears to be no expiration of the bookmarks either so you can, in theory, save them for as long as you want.

The new feature is rolling out as a cloud-side update to the Twitter apps for both Android and iOS and is also live on the mobile site, mobile.twitter.com.  It does not appear to be on the main Twitter site, at least not yet.

The Microsoft OneDrive for Android app has a new update rolling out that brings several improvements in photo editing and storage.  The new build is version 4.5 for those keeping score at home and is in the Play Store now.

Within the OneDrive app, this update allows you to crop, rotate and chose filters of photos with the improved Scan feature.  There is also improvements to to the navigation of the Photos view in the app which will make it quicker to search through your photos.  This will be particularly handy for those who have a lot of photos stored in OneDrive.

When the new lineup of Nokia phones were announced this week at Mobile World Congress, one of the key questions was which one of the devices would make it to the United States.  Initially, the answer was none of them.  HMD Global, the parent company of Nokia, indicated that while the US market was on their roadmap, it wasn’t in the plans for this year.

That now has seemed to change slightly.  CNet, who originally published an article stating no phones were coming to the US, has updated their post after clarifying it with Nokia.  Now it appears that at least the revamped Nokia 6 will be coming to the country in May.