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Android 13 Developer Preview 2 brings the app drawer to the taskbar
Android 13 updates the taskbar on large-screen devices with a new button to open the app drawer without going to the home screen.
Android 13 Developer Preview 2 was just released on Thursday, with another round of new features and changes leading up to the final release of Android 13 later this year. Google highlighted some of the changes in the new build when it arrived, but it seems there's another helpful improvement: an app drawer in the taskbar on large screen devices.
Apex Legends Mobile now available for pre-registration on Google Play
Electronic Arts has published a pre-registration page for Apex Legends Mobile on Android, as well as the requirements for Android and iOS.
Electronic Arts revealed last year that Apex Legends, the popular competitive first-person shooter game for PC and consoles, was going to receive a mobile port. There hasn't been much news about Apex Legends Mobile since then, but now a listing for the game is live on the Google Play Store.
Google is working on a super-charged screen recorder for Chrome OS
A new 'Projector' app is in development for Chrome OS with advanced screen recording and sharing features.
Google Chrome OS has offered a built-in screen recorder for a while now, but it's fairly basic. You can switch between recording the entire screen, a partial screen, or a window, but there are no options or features beyond that. Thankfully, it seems like Google is working on a completely new screen recorder with more features.
Samsung announced earlier this month that it would hold a 'Galaxy A Event' on March 17. Even though the company didn't say at the time what exactly would be revealed, the Galaxy A53 and Galaxy A33 seemed likely, given both phones had already been leaked on multiple occasions. Now the day has finally arrived, and sure enough, the Galaxy A53 5G and Galaxy A33 5G are official.
Android tablets and foldables might see more helpful Play Store search results soon
Google will roll out ranking algorithm changes on the Play Store soon, with a focus on finding apps optimized for tablets/foldable devices.
Android on tablets and other large-screen devices hasn't been a great experience for a long time, but Google is slowly trying to change that. The recent Android 12L update (also called Android 12.1) focused on interface improvements for tablets and folding phones, and now the Google Play Store is introducing a few changes to help people find applications properly optimized for large devices.
Google's 'Switch to Android' app for iOS might copy iCloud data to Google Photos
Google might be working on an update to its Data Transfer Tool that will make copying iCloud data to Android easier.
Data migration and backup has never been Android's strong suit. Even though data like SMS messages, Wi-Fi passwords, and other basic data can be backed up to a Google account, transferring most app data isn't possible without third-party tools, and migrating from iOS to Android can also be difficult. However, there's now more evidence that Google is working on a solution for iPhone owners looking to switch to Android.
Google publishes new puzzle for revealing I/O 2022 information
Google is following its yearly tradition of revealing the dates for its Google I/O live event with a complex puzzle.
Google I/O is a yearly event targeted mainly at developers, which is usually where we get our first good look at the yearly Android release and (occasionally) upcoming hardware products. Google usually creates a puzzle or teaser that leads to revealing the dates for I/O, and now the puzzle for I/O 2022 is live.
YouTube on Android tests more autoplay controls on Home page
YouTube is testing a new design for autoplaying videos on the Home page of the Android app, and it looks kind of annoying.
YouTube has slowly rolled out more autoplay features on the home page in recent history. The desktop site shows a snippet of a given video when you roll your mouse over a thumbnail, while the mobile apps will now automatically play videos on the home tab (with the audio muted) on the Home tab if you aren't scrolling. Now there might be another change for mobile on the way.
Grab an Amazon Echo Show 5 for just $45 right now
The Amazon Echo Show 5 smart display is back on sale for $45, matching the previous all-time low price.
Amazon pioneered the smart display product category with the original Echo Show, and there have been several new models since then (in varying sizes and shapes). The original Echo Show 5 was released in mid-2019 as a more compact smart display, with an upgraded second-gen model arriving last year. Now you can get the second-gen model for $44.99, which matches the previous all-time low price.
Russia running out of cloud data storage following Ukraine invasion
Russia is reportedly running out of data storage, due to foreign cloud storage providers leaving the country over the Ukraine invasion.
Russia began a military invasion of the country of Ukraine on February 24, which is still ongoing and prompted started a chain of sanctions against Russia. Google, Meta (Facebook's parent company), Apple, and many other tech companies are in the process of winding down operations in Russia, mostly due to sanctions enforced by Europe and the United States. Russia now has another problem on its hands: the country is running out of storage for cloud services.
OnePlus isn't the best company around when it comes to quick updates. We're about halfway through March at this point, and the March 2022 security patch level that Google released on March 7 hasn't appeared on any OnePlus devices. Thankfully, that looks like it might finally change, starting with the OnePlus Nord CE.
Samsung released the Galaxy Watch 4 series back in August, which marked a return to Google's Wear OS platform after Samsung used its own Tizen software for several years. Assuming the company sticks to a yearly release schedule, the Galaxy Watch 5 series might show up in the latter half of this year, and now we might have our first detail about the watches.
Play Store's 'Play as you download' is coming to all Android 12 devices
Play as you download, which allows some games to be played while they are downloading, will roll out soon to Android 12 devices.
Google revealed "Play as you download" in July of last year, which would allow some games and applications from the Play Store to be opened while they were still downloading. After a long wait, Google says the functionality will roll out to all Android 12 devices soon.
Google Stadia now has Click-to-Play trials and new development porting tools
Google is rolling out two impropvemetns that might give Stadia a much-needed boost: Click-to-Play trials and a new suite of dev tools.
Google has been expanding its Stadia game streaming service recently, with support for more smart TVs and the slow-but-steady rollout of additional games. However, reports about Google's attention shifting from a games service to a white-label streaming technology for other companies has put a damper on excitement around Stadia. Now there's somegood news for both Stadia players and game developers, with two new feature announcements.
Google Play Games for PC now available in beta, bringing your favorite Android games to Windows
Google Play Games for PC, the new desktop Android game emulator from Google, is now being tested in select regions.
Google surprised everyone in December when the company confirmed it was working on an official way to play Android games on Windows PCs. The limited beta testing program for the new Google Play Games desktop application opened in January, and now the company is ready for players to take it for a spin.
Apple released macOS Monterey 12.3 and iOS 15.4 on Monday, both of which include the latest update for the Safari web browser, version 15.4. In addition to the usual changelogs for both operating systems, Apple has also published a blog post revealing all the changes in the latest WebKit engine update, which powers Safari on all platforms.
macOS Monterey 12.3 now available with Universal Control and more
Apple is now rolling out macOS Monterey 12.3, which adds the long-awaited Universal Control feature, as well as other improvements.
Apple released macOS Monterey (also known as macOS 12) in October of last year, complete with a revamped Safari web browser, improvements for Shortcuts and FaceTime, and much more. However, one of the most-anticipated features — Universal Control — was delayed to a future release. Apple released macOS 12.3 on Monday alongside iOS 15.4, and it finally adds the long-awaited Universal Control.
AT&T will start selling the 5G Galaxy Tab S8 Plus on March 15
Verizon was already selling a 5G version of the Galaxy Tab S8 Plus, but AT&T will start doing the same on March 15.
Samsung released the Galaxy Tab S8 series last month, with three models to choose from: the smallest 11-inch Tab S8, the larger Tab S8 Plus with a 12.4-inch screen, and the Tab S8 Ultra with a massive 14.6-inch display. All three tablets are available in Wi-Fi-only models, and Verizon started selling a 5G version of the Galaxy Tab S8 Plus around the time Samsung announced the tablet. Now AT&T is also joining the party.
Samsung will unveil new Galaxy A phones on March 17
Samsung is holding a Galaxy A Event on March 17, where the company will likely announce several new budget phones.
Samsung just released the Galaxy S22 series and Galaxy Tab S8 series last month, followed by a few more budget devices since then (like the Galaxy F23 in India), but the company isn't done with its 2022 lineup. Samsung is now sending out invitations for a "Galaxy A Event" for March 17, where the company will reveal new phones.
Samsung Galaxy S22 Review: Good choice for most people, but not revolutionary
The base model Samsung Galaxy S22 isn't quite as exciting as the S22 Ultra, but it's still one of the best Android phones around right now.
Samsung finally revealed the Galaxy S22 series in February, with three models to choose from: the regular Galaxy S22, the Galaxy S22 Plus, and the Galaxy S22 Ultra. Most of the attention has been on the Galaxy S22 Ultra, mostly because it's another Note-style phone and it has been a year and a half since the last Galaxy Note phones hit store shelves. However, at a starting price of $799.99, the entry-level Galaxy S22 is the one to buy if you want a top-tier Android phone without paying over a thousand dollars.