Tag: Android

For the fourth time in as many weeks, there is a new build of the Chrome for Android beta app available in the Play Store.  The new build number is 66.0.3359.82 for those keeping score at home and if you have the beta app installed, you likely already have the update waiting for you.

As a reminder, with the Chrome Beta app is a seperate app in the Play Store which you can download without having to join a formal beta program.  You can use it along side your stable version of Chrome on your phone with no problem.

A new update to Microsoft Launcher is rolling out in the Google Play Store today, bringing several bug fixes and stability improvements to the app, as well as a few new features.  The new build is version 4.7.5 for those keeping score at home and if you have the launcher installed, you should get the OTA update to this new build over the next few days.

Microsoft characterized this new build as a maintenance build and it pretty much is just that.  There are several fixes included in this build including fixing top crashes and apps not responding errors in the launcher as well as fixing several badge count issues if you have that feature enabled in the launcher.  You will also find a lot of tweaks under-the-hood that bring performance, memory and CPU utilization improvements to Microsoft Launcher.

Google has extended the length of time your Pixel 2 and 2 XL will be covered under their optional Preferred Care program.  The Preferred Care program is an add-on purchase to the phones that protects them against accidental damage.  Previously this 24 months of coverage, the same as the hardware warranty that comes with the devices.  Now you get coverage for an additional 6 months, 30 months in total.

Preferred Care also brings you six months of mechanical failure for 6 months after the main warranty has ended for the phone in addition to the accidental damage coverage.

Samsung has updated their Android Security Update page and it appears that it is the end of the line for the majority of the Galaxy S6 series of phones.  The Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge will both no longer receive any updates of any type from Samsung while the S6 Edge+ and S6 Active will still get updates – but that’s likely not for long.

The S6 lineup for the most part was introduced in April 2015 and for the S6 and S6 Edge, the last official update they will receive is the February Android Security Update for Android Nougat.  It is likely that one last update will come to the Edge+ and Active but that hasn’t been officially announced.

After being announced back in February at Mobile World Congress, the Android Go based ZTE Tempo Go phone is now available for purchase here in the United States.  The $80 is available directly from ZTE on their site.  Sporting a 5″ FWVGA display, the Tempo Go is aimed at the entry level market and has a price point that will be hard to pass up, especially considering the phone comes with Android Oreo and will be regularly updated as part of the Go program.

The ZTE Tempo Go is powered by the Snapdragon 210 quad-core SoC.  It has 1GB of RAM, 8GB of storage but that storage can be expanded by an additional 32GB thanks to the MicroSD slot.  Powering all of this is a 2200mAh battery that is recharged via the MicroUSB port.

The 2-factor authentication app from Microsoft, Microsoft Authenticator, has a new update rolling out that brings a slightly refreshed look to the app as well as compliance with the new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) directive in the European Union.  The new update is version 6.2.26 for those keeping score at home and it has been released to the Play Store.

As for the new look, it is a slight one compared to the older version of the app.  Now an account is shaded grey if it isn’t setup for identify verification and is only used to access organizational resources.