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Google Fi's unlimited plans now have more data and lower prices
Google Fi is lowering prices on all unlimited plans and boosting the amount of available high-speed data (yes, it's not actually unlimited).
Google Fi has been around for years as a mobile network focused on people with limited cellular data usage, but more recently, the network has offered "unlimited" data plans. Google Fi rolled out a 'Simply Unlimited' option last year, and now it's lowering prices and adding more data to both of its unlimited-branded plans.
Chrome Web Store will show badges for reputable developers and extensions [Update: Official]
Google is rolling out two public badges on the Chrome Web Store to help people find high-quality and trustworthy extensions.
The Chrome Web Store is Google's repository of extensions and themes for the Chrome web browser, which has had repeated issues with malicious extensions. The new Manifest V3 standard aimed to fix some of the excessive permissions given to browser extensions by default, and now Google will start highlighting reputable developers and publishers with a special badge.
TP-Link Deco XE75 mesh system has Wi-Fi 6E, but you probably shouldn't buy it
TP-Link has a new Deco XE75 mesh system that supports Wi-Fi 6E and the 6GHz band, but you probably shouldn't buy it.
TP-Link has been selling routers for what seems like forever, but more recently, the company has branched into mesh Wi-Fi systems that can cover larger areas with a more reliable wireless network. TP-Link released the Dexo XE75 mesh system on Monday, which is built to support the new Wi-Fi 6E standard that has started to show up in devices, but there's (probably) a catch)
Andy Rubin's tech startup Essential only ever released one product before collapsing, the Essential Phone PH-1, but the company had grand ambitions for other devices. The 'Essential Home' was planned as something like today's smart displays, and now a supposed prototype has appeared on eBay.
Spotify released its 'Car Thing' accessory last year, which is a touchscreen control panel for playing Spotify content in a car. The player only makes sense for people who use Spotify all the time and don't have a car with Android Auto or Apple CarPlay, but now Spotify is updating Car Thing to make it generally more useful.
Google and Samsung start to patch 'Dirty Pipe' vulnerability on their phones
The April security patch for Android didn't fix the 'Dirty Pipe' security vulnerability, but some OEMs are rolling out their own fixes.
Google released the Android security update for April earlier this week, but the patch didn't include a fix for the 'Dirty Pipe' security vulnerability that was widely publicized last month. Even though we'll likely have to wait until the May update for most devices to be fixed, some manufacturers have started to patch their own devices, including Google itself.
Google promises to sell Pixel replacement parts in partnership with iFixit
Google Pixel phones will soon have official replacement parts available to purchase, thanks to a partnership with iFixit.
Many smartphone manufacturers have been attempting (with mixed results) to decrease the negative environmental impact of their devices, and part of that means keeping existing phones working for as long as possible, so they don't end up in landfills after just a year or two. Samsung announced last month that it will start selling replacement parts for Galaxy phones and tablets "this summer," and now Google is working towards the same goal for its smartphones.
OnePlus' carrier phones are months behind on updates for some reason
The OnePlus 8 series and OnePlus 7 Pro are stuck on old Android versions and lack important security fixes, less than 3 years after release.
OnePlus has struggled with software updates in recent history, with most of its phones still waiting on an Android 12 update, and security updates usually a month late or more. However, older OnePlus phones originally sold by carriers in the United States are in an even worse spot.
T-Mobile is pushing older 'JUMP' subscribers to worse newer plan
T-Mobile stopped offering its original 'JUMP' upgrade program in 2016, and now it's pushing the remaining subscribers to a newer version.
T-Mobile's 'JUMP' program has been around for years, and was originally designed for customers to upgrade their phones up to two times in the same year. The plan was later replaced in 2016 with a new version that limited the upgrade cycle, and now T-Mobile is forcing anyone still on the original plan to switch later this year.
Google has always offered filters and multiple terms for text searches — for example, "microsoft windows" might show results related to Microsoft, Windows, or both. However, there's never been an easy way to do that with images, besides using Google's reverse image search to figure out what something is, then starting a new text search with that. Google is now trying to fix this with a new 'multisearch' feature rolling out on mobile devices.
Microsoft Journal is a new notetaking app built for Windows devices
Microsoft Journal has graduated from an experimental project to a full-fledged note app, complete with a fresh Windows 11-like design.
Microsoft experiments with new projects all the time under the 'Garage' moniker (similar to Google's Area 120). Journal was first released as a Garage project last year, and now Microsoft has graduated it to a fully-supported product with a bunch of new features and improvements.
Raspberry Pi OS update adds Bluetooth improvements, experimental Wayland support, and more
The default operating system for the Raspberry Pi now has experimental Wayland support, security improvements, and more.
The Raspberry Pi lineup of microcomputers has officially been around for a decade now, and it's still a popular option for everything from teaching programming to powering DIY projects. The group behind the Raspberry Pi has been working on improvements for the default operating system, and a few changes are now available to try out.
Garmin is one of the most popular manufacturers for fitness trackers, and the Garmin Vivosmart 4 is one of the company's only remaining options for a band-style tracker (as opposed to something resembling a smartwatch). The Vivosmart 4 dates back to 2018, so it's definitely due for an update, and a new leak indicates that may be happening soon.
Cash App is one of the most popular services for sending money over the internet, especially in the United States. It's developed by Block, Inc, the same company behind the Square payments platform, and a new regulatory document published by Block reveals it had a security breach last year.
Google Play Store will soon prevent you from downloading outdated apps
Google will start hiding outdated apps and games on the Play Store on newer devices, starting November 1, 2022. Read what that means here.
Apple has repeatedly purged apps from the App Store that aren't built for the latest iPhone models or newer versions of iOS, which is usually beneficial for the overall software experience but has made the preservation of old apps and games much more difficult. Google has been hesitant to make the same moves with the Google Play Store, but that's changing soon.
Amazon Music might not be the most-discussed music service around, but it is a popular choice with people already subscribed to Amazon Prime, since there's a discounted rate just for Prime members. That's now changing, as Prime members will pay almost the same amount as non-Prime customers for Amazon Music.
The Oppo Reno 8 might be the OnePlus 10 that never was
The newly-leaked Oppo Ren 8 looks an awful lot like the OnePlus 10 Pro, but with a smaller display and other minor tweaks.
The OnePlus 10 Pro has finally been released internationally, and even though new OnePlus devices have historically offered regular and 'Pro' versions, there's no regular OnePlus 10 this time around. However, we might have an idea of what the regular OnePlus 10 could have been, thanks to a new leak for the Oppo Reno 8.
Chrome has a new 'Privacy Guide' that explains security settings
Google is rolling out a new Privacy Guide that walks you through some of Chrome's most important security settings.
Chrome's settings page has a lot of options and toggles, to the point where it can be intimidating. That's probably why Google is rolling out a new feature called 'Privacy Guide,' which aims to walk people through all of the important settings.
RealityScan app from Epic Games will create 3D models from real-life objects
Epic Games partnered with Quixel to create an app for turning real-life objects into 3D models for use in game development or other work.
Epic Games is probably best known for Fortnite and other games it has published, but the company also makes a lot of money building tools for other companies to create video games. Epic revealed a new smartphone app today, RealityScan, which aims to turn real-life objects into 3D models that can be used in games and other virtual experiences.
Google Maps adds more traffic information and new iPhone features
Google Maps is rolling out new traffic and navigation features on all platforms, and iPhone owners get a few extra goodies.
Google Maps is still the best mapping service around, and Google is constantly adding new features. Today the company announced a few changes to how maps are displayed on mobile, as well as a handful of new features exclusively for Apple devices to take advantage of newer iOS functionality.