Posts From Aamir Siddiqui

Aamir Siddiqui
Aamir Siddiqui

A journalist at XDA-Developers and the current Editor in Chief, I have been writing for XDA since 2015, despite being a qualified business-litigation lawyer. A low-end smartphone purchase in 2011 brought me to the forums, and it's been a journey filled with custom ROMs ever since. When not fully dipped in smartphone news and tutorials, I love traveling to places just to capture pictures of the sun setting. You can reach out to me at [email protected] And my Twitter is @aamirsidd94.

Google introduces new Developer Center and SDKs at Smart Home Developer Summit, clarifies GMS requirement for Matter support

Google introduces new Developer Center and SDKs at Smart Home Developer Summit, clarifies GMS requirement for Matter support

October 21, 2021
Smart homes are the future, and the future is inching closer with every passing day. Earlier this year at Google I/O, Google had announced Matter, a universal standard for smart home devices to encourage interoperability and seamless co-existence between them. Several internet giants like Google, Amazon, Apple, and Samsung have worked together on Matter, and...
Qualcomm’s new ultraBAW RF Filter tech promises to improve your phone’s 5G and Wi-Fi 6E performance

Qualcomm’s new ultraBAW RF Filter tech promises to improve your phone’s 5G and Wi-Fi 6E performance

October 20, 2021
Back in early 2020, Qualcomm had announced its ultraSAW filter technology alongside the launch of the Snapdragon X60 modem. Today, the company is expanding on the available RF Filters with the announcement of the Qualcomm ultraBAW RF filter technology for bands up to 7GHz. Radio Frequency (RF) Filters are a fascinating piece of technology, something that...
The OnePlus Watch Harry Potter Limited Edition brings the magical world to your wrist

The OnePlus Watch Harry Potter Limited Edition brings the magical world to your wrist

October 18, 2021
The OnePlus Watch was released earlier this year, marking it as the company's first attempt at making a smartwatch. In our review of the OnePlus Watch, Mishaal enjoyed the wearable and considered it a decent competitor against the likes of offerings from Xiaomi and Amazfit. OnePlus is now back with another smartwatch, and this time,...
Apple is appealing its lawsuit win against Epic Games and Fortnite

Apple is appealing its lawsuit win against Epic Games and Fortnite

October 11, 2021
The Apple vs Epic lawsuit needs no introduction at this point. Last month, the lawsuit had reached a dramatic conclusion, with the judge deciding to award a result that wasn't exactly what the two parties wanted. Instead, several key decisions came out in Apple's favor, except for one. Apple even went on record to call...
WhatsApp could be working on a new Community feature [Update]

WhatsApp could be working on a new Community feature [Update]

October 11, 2021
WhatsApp is undoubtedly one of the biggest instant messaging platforms around. Despite being this big in size and popularity, the app is slow to add features. For instance, several popular IM apps offer seamless chat backup and sync across Android and iOS, but WhatsApp only very recently got around to letting iOS users migrate their...
Massive Google Pixel 6 leak confirms everything we’ve been saying for a while

Massive Google Pixel 6 leak confirms everything we’ve been saying for a while

October 9, 2021
The Google Pixel 6 and Google Pixel 6 Pro are the next set of flagships from Google. The Pixel line as a whole has prioritized the experience over just hardware, so everyone is indeed excited about Google finally bumping up the hardware in all the right ways. While Google will be officially launching the devices...
Xperia Open Devices adds AOSP build instructions for Android 12

Xperia Open Devices adds AOSP build instructions for Android 12

October 8, 2021
Sony is counted among the better contributors to the Android Open Source Project, with a lot of code contributions through the years. Sony also runs and maintains its own Xperia Open Devices program, making it easy for developers to tinker with AOSP on their recent Sony devices. With Android 12 now being released to the...
Rewind no more: YouTube shutters down Rewind recaps after a decade of nostalgia

Rewind no more: YouTube shutters down Rewind recaps after a decade of nostalgia

October 8, 2021
Love it or hate it, there's no denying that YouTube Rewind was one video that everyone looked forward to, even if it was to hate on it. This annual video series became a year-end tradition for the platform, as it roped in hundreds of popular creators to recount their memorable moments, acts, and trends during...
Facebook, Messenger, Instagram, and WhatsApp are finally back online after hours-long outage

Facebook, Messenger, Instagram, and WhatsApp are finally back online after hours-long outage

October 4, 2021
Facebook services across America, Europe, and Asia are being disrupted this morning, causing users of Facebook itself, Facebook Messenger, and its sister services Instagram and WhatsApp to throw up error messages when attempting to access any of the sites and services on any OS. The issue could be related to DNS, as none of the...
Google updates Privacy Sandbox timeline for September 2021 with extension for FLoC discussions

Google updates Privacy Sandbox timeline for September 2021 with extension for FLoC discussions

October 1, 2021
Earlier in March, Google began testing FLoC, a new way to serve targeted advertisements without using cross-site tracking cookies. This feature was marketed under the Privacy Sandbox initiative, but many have strongly advocated against FLoC. Google's original timeline for FLoC envisaged the killing of cross-site cookies with a phase-out by 2022, which was later pushed...
Google Discover tests showing Islamic Prayer times to some users

Google Discover tests showing Islamic Prayer times to some users

September 30, 2021
For all the information that Google presents through Discover on the -1 homescreen, there's always scope to provide more useful information beyond the usual news articles, weather updates, and ads. Google is now testing a new information card in Google Discover, one that shows the next Islamic prayer timings. A user on Reddit spotted Google displaying...
Samsung’s Galaxy S22 Ultra seems to be the spiritual successor to the Galaxy Note

Samsung’s Galaxy S22 Ultra seems to be the spiritual successor to the Galaxy Note

September 23, 2021
Much has been said about Samsung's Galaxy Note lineup. The Galaxy Note series faces an existential crisis within Samsung's current portfolio of smartphones, overshadowed by S Pen-supported phones like the Galaxy S21 Ultra and the Galaxy Z Fold 3. Samsung has not released a "Galaxy Note 21" yet even though a refresh is due, and...