Tag: Android

Here is another great example of how fun it is to live in the future.  Google has rolled out a new feature for Google Assistant that allows you to send money to a contact from you Google Pay account all by voice command.  Now you can sort out sending cash to a friend or family member immediately and, more importantly, securely.

The feature works by you saying something to the effect, “Hey Google, send $20 to Rob for beer” and you will be prompted for which Rob if you have multiple Rob’s in your contacts.  Once the contact is identified, you will be prompted by Assistant to confirm the funds transfer and then use your fingerprint to actually authorize the transfer.  That’s it!

A new update to Microsoft Cortana for Android is rolling out today and it brings the ability to send a voice activated call or text from your phone.  The feature isn’t necessarily earth shattering as other assistants can do this too.  But it does give a clear indicator that Microsoft is continuing to develop and push Cortana feature-wise for their customer base.

The update in question is version 2.10.2.2135 for those keeping score at home and it is already in the Play Store.  If you have Microsoft Cortana installed on your phone, you likely already have the update – but double-check.

Huawei has suffered yet another blow in their efforts to break into the US smartphone market.  Retailer Best Buy is reportedly not replenishing their current inventory of devices such as the Mate 10 Pro and will cease selling them once inventory is gone.

The news adds to what has already been a very rough start to 2018 for the Chinese manufacture in the United States.  In January both AT&T and Verizon pulled out of carrier deals with the company after being pressured by the United States government to do so.  This forced Huawei to look to retail channels like Amazon, Best Buy, Newegg and B&H Photo.  So far, only Best Buy has indicated they will not be selling the device any longer.

Google has announced that by the end of 2018, the basic mobile management feature on G Suite domains will be enabled by default.  The announcement comes as part of a series of announcement the company has made regarding data and device security.

When the change is enabled, it will require that all users of Android and iOS phones associated with a G Suite domain to have, at a minimum, a password or PIN to unlock their phones.  Without it, users will not be able to access G Suite associated apps and thus, the data associated with those apps.

Last week I posted about the new Chrome for Android beta app.  Unlike other beta programs in the Play Store, anyone can actually download the beta version of Chrome to their phone and give it a try without having to sign up for a formal beta program.  The update brought Chrome 66 to the app and on the surface, didn’t bring a lot of changes.

However, if you dig into the flags within Chrome for Android, you will find a new Chrome Modern Design option.  Enabling this flag transforms the User Interface into a rounded, clean design that frankly makes the current Stable channel UI look really dated.

AT&T has released the Android Oreo update for the Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ on their network, becoming the last major US carrier to do so.  Verizon, T-Mobile and Sprint have all released the update, with Verizon being the first.

For those of you on AT&T, if you have the Galaxy S8, you are looking for build G950USQU2CRB9.  If you have a Galaxy S8+, build G955USQU2CRB9 is your jam.  In both cases, the updates come with the February Android Security Update patch and both updates come in at just over 1.5GB in size.  That means that downloading over WiFi is a must.