Latest Articles
Pull to refresh can now be enabled in Google Chrome for Chromebooks and 2-in-1 Windows Laptops
There's a new way to refresh web pages in Google Chrome: pull to refresh. On Chromebooks and Windows 2-in-1s, it's a downward swipe on the touchpad.
Pull to refresh, a downward swipe gesture that refreshes in-app content, has made its way to a number of Android applications over the years. but it isn't something we've seen on Chrome. That changed this week: the Chrome Browser on Chrome OS devices and Windows on 2-in-1 laptops gained a pull to refresh gesture.
Textto lets you send Text Messages through your PC without changing your SMS app
Textto, a new app for Android, lets you send text messages from your PC without switching from your default messaging app.
Tight integration between the devices you use every day contributes to a great overall user experience. While SMS might not be as popular in many countries around the world, it's still extremely popular in the United States. That's why many Americans were pleased at the news that Google might bring Android Messages to the web. It's nice to be able to text someone without having to pull your phone out of your pocket, after all. For those of you who don't want to wait for Google to update Android Messages, there's a new application called Textto that makes this possible already, and it's free to use.
Huawei MediaPad M5 10 Pro Renders and More Specifications Leak
Huawei's upcoming MediaPad M5 series, the rumored successor to the MediaPad M2, leaked in full recently. One tablet in the series, the MediaPad M5 10, has an all-metal body and a high-resolution display.
There hasn't been a new flagship Android tablet in quite some time, but some OEMs are still pumping out devices year after year. One is Huawei, which launched the MediaPad M2 in 2017. Since the device's unveiling at the Consumer Electronics Show 2017, some predicted the company would take the wraps off its successor, MediaPad M5 series, at CES 2018. But the company appears to be saving the big announcement for Mobile World Congress.
Magisk v16.0 released with Bootloop Crash Fix, Huawei/Honor Treble Support, and more
Magisk v16.0 has been released with a fix for a bootloop issue, support for Huawei/Honor Android Oreo devices, and a special announcement by topjohnwu regarding the future of Magisk development for the next few months.
Earlier this month, XDA Recognized Developer and Contributor topjohnwu released version 15.4 of Magisk to the public. That update included MagiskBoot improvements, socket obfuscation for hiding Magisk better, and some optimizations to Magisk Manager. Today, the popular systemless root tool has seen another release, this time to version 16.0, and this big update adds support for both Huawei and Honor devices running Android Oreo, fixes some previously reported bootloop issues, and much more.
OpenAuto turns a Raspberry Pi into an Android Auto Head Unit [Video]
OpenAuto turns a Raspberry Pi, a display, and a microSD card into a fully functioning head unit. It's an open source project hosted on Github.
Android Auto adds an untold level of convenience to your driving experience. For years, people have been sticking suction cup smartphone holders to their dashboards so they can get quick glimpses at apps such as Google Maps. With Android Auto, that's no longer necessary, but there's a downside in that it requires a compatible infotainment system. If your car doesn't have the requisite hardware, though, there's another way: OpenAuto, which lets you create your own Android Auto head unit with a display, Raspberry Pi, and an 8GB (or larger) microSD card.
Google introduces the Android Enterprise Recommended program to certify smartphones for business use
Google's Enterprise Recommended Program provides a list of devices to corporate partners that regularly receive security updates.
Google and Android OEMs have shipped Android to 2 billion active devices around the world. That's made it a big target when it comes to vulnerabilities, which is a headache for enterprise. Keeping company data safe and secure is a top priority for businesses, and it's a big reason why Google pushes out monthly security updates and why it recently increased its bug bounties. To coincide with those efforts, Google's launching a new program: Android Enterprise Recommended program.
Leanback Launcher is an Android TV Launcher for the Amazon Fire TV
Leanback Launcher for Amazon Fire TV devices is a fully functional port of the Android TV launcher to Fire OS-based set-top boxes, TVs, and HDMI dongles.
Amazon competes with Google on a number of fronts, from smart speakers to streaming boxes. (It even had its own smartphone once upon a time.) But the operating system at the heart of Amazon's Fire tablets and Fire TV set-top boxes is Fire OS, which is based on Android. It even supports a lot of Android's core features, like the ability to sideload apps and switch between home launchers.
Sony is Removing Night Light from the Xperia XA1 in Upcoming Android Oreo Update
Sony is removing a "night light" feature from Xperia XA1 series smartphones, according to a report. The reason is unclear.
Android's well-received Night Light feature, which was introduced alongside the Android N Developer Preview in 2016, inexplicably disappeared for certain devices in Android 8.1 Oreo. That motivated OEMs such as Sony to roll out replacements: the Xperia XA1 series featured the company's own take on Android's Night Light. Unfortunately, it'll be removed in an upcoming Oreo update.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 and Redmi Note 5 Pro Forums Are Now Open for Posting
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 and Redmi Note 5 Pro official XDA forums are now open for posting. You can ask questions, read news, post tips/tricks/guides, and download the latest ROMs/kernels/modifications all in one place.
This week, Xiaomi held a press event in New Delhi, India, where it took the wraps off the Redmi Note 5 and the Redmi Note 5 Pro. Naturally, they're the successors to last year's Redmi Note 4, and they've changed quite a bit from last year's models. We reported live from the event, where we saw the new designs in person and to get a sense of how the new hardware performs. There are a number of differences between the two devices, with the Redmi Note 5 packing a Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 system-on-chip and up to 4GB of RAM and the Redmi Note 5 Pro sporting a Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 and up to 6GB of RAM. They're retailing in India this month starting February 22, with additional markets likely to come later this year.
Unofficial LineageOS 15.1 brings Android 8.1 Oreo Go Edition to First Generation Android One Devices
An unofficial build of LineageOS 15.1 based on Android 8.1 Oreo Go Edition is now available for Sprout, also known as the first generation Android One devices.
While there has yet to be an official release of LineageOS 15.1, the LineageOS developers have been hard at work on the bring-up and several maintainers have released unofficial builds in the meanwhile. The first generation Android One devices, commonly referred to as Sprout within the community, also have a few unofficial builds available. XDA Recognized Developer varun.chitre15 has just uploaded an early alpha build of LineageOS 15.1 that brings Android 8.1 Oreo Go Edition to these devices.
Take Control of your Phone's Rotation with "Rotation" Orientation Manager
Rotation, an orientation manager for smartphones, has gotten a massive update that brings it in line with Google's Material Design. Check it out in the XDA forums.
Back in 2014, we highlighted a free application called Rotation from XDA Recognized Developer and Themer Pranav Pandey. (You likely already know of his work -- he's the person behind the port of the Pixel 2 Live Wallpapers application.) Rotation was designed to replace Android's basic orientation feature and let you control how and when your screen rotates. Now, it has gotten a massive update.
Nokia 7+ and Nokia 1 Renders Show Dual Zeiss Cameras, 18:9 Display, and More
Press renders of upcoming Nokia devices have leaked in earnest. The Nokia 7+ is said to be a part of Google's Android One program, and the Nokia 1 reportedly runs Android Go.
Nokia's resurgence in 2017 went a lot better than some had predicted, and at least some of the company's success can be attributed to its dedication to the Android platform: It isn't afraid to embrace stock Android. HMD Global, Nokia's Finnish manufacturing partner, announced the Nokia 7 with a Snapdragon 630 system-on-chip in China back in October of last year, and a couple of newly leaked renders from Evan Blass at VentureBeat reveal the upcoming Nokia 7+, an Android One device. Not only that, but another render shows pics of the Nokia 1.
Dreaming Battery is a Minimalist Screensaver for Displaying your Battery Level
Dreaming Battery is a minimalist screensaver app that shows off your current battery level in a beautiful way. It works on any Android device that supports screensavers, and is free to download from the Google Play Store.
Knowing what the battery percentage of your smartphone is at a glance while it is charging can be quite convenient. Some ROMs will use the color of the LED notification light to convey this information, but it's a feature not available for every device. That's why XDA Inactive Recognized Developer xenon92 recently cooked up this free application called Dreaming Battery that uses the built-in screensaver feature in Android to show you how full your current battery is.
Magisk v15.4 Updated with MagiskBoot Improvements, Socket Obfuscation, and More
The latest stable version of Magisk Manager, Magisk 15.4, includes MagiskBoot improvements, socket obfuscation, and other fixes.
Last month, Magisk received an update that fixed a number of bugs and added support for fingerprint-authenticated SU access (on Android 6.0+ devices). The stable and beta branches of Magisk have gotten a number of improvements since then, as XDA Recognized Developer and Contributor topjohnwu has continued to refine the root utility. And this week marks the release of the newest beta version, Magisk v15.4, which brings Magisk Manager optimizations, socket obfuscation, and a revamped MagiskBoot.
CoolADB is an ADB Client for C# .net projects
CoolADB is an ADB client for C# .net projects. Check it out if you want to incorporate ADB with a GUI into a program instead of a standard shell menu!
Usually it is much easier to implement features into programs with a GUI instead of a standard shell with a menu. This is where CoolADB comes into play as it is made for the C# programming language. This project from XDA Ricky Divjakovski, Inactive Recognized Developer and Recognized Contributor, has resulted in an ADB client for C# .net projects to manage adb commands. We're told the library is pretty complete, so you should be able to do almost everything you can do in a shell window with adb.
How to Enable Camera2 API on the Xiaomi Mi A1 without disabling OTA updates
Want to enable the Camera2 API on the Xiaomi Mi A1 so you can use the Google Camera HDR+ ports? Here's a guide on how to do so without forcing you to pick and choose between a better camera and being able to take OTAs!
Multiple Xiaomi devices like the Mi A1 have support for the Camera2 API, but it isn't enabled by default. That's a shame because it means that things like the various Google Camera ports floating around our forums won't work. We've shown how the Google Camera HDR+ mod can greatly enhance the picture quality on Xiaomi phones, and coupled with all of the other neat features that these ports bring such as Portrait Mode, AR Stickers, and more, it's no surprise that people are drawn to these camera mods.
Official LineageOS 14.1 now available for the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
LineageOS 14.1 based on Android 7.1 Nougat has now been made official for the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge. As the build is official, you can expect it to be stable with nearly everything working. Try it out!
LineageOS is by far the most popular custom ROM; we prefer not to compare ROMs because each has their own merit, however, we can say for sure that much of the popularity of LineageOS stems from its stability rather than its feature-set. When a build of LineageOS is marked "official", then you'll know that the ROM is stable and usually just works. That's why it's significant that the LineageOS 14.1 build for the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge has just been made official.
Official TWRP is Available for the Galaxy S4 Mini, Galaxy A3 & A5 (2016), Moto Z2 Force, and Xperia Tablet Z
Official TWRP are now available for a new crop of devices, including the Samsung Galaxy S4, Moto Z2 Force, Xperia Tablet Z, and more. They're available at the XDA forums.
The stock recovery menu that ships with Android is pretty useful if you need to apply an update via ADB or SD card, or perform a factory reset. Other than a few additional options and settings, though, there isn't much you can do with it. That's where custom recoveries come into play, and TWRP is one of, if not the most, popular custom recovery available. There's good news on that front: A lot of devices have received official support for TWRP recently.
Download: Amazon Offers APK to Remove Lockscreen Ads on Prime Exclusive Phones
Amazon recently announced that they would release an update which would remove lockscreen ads from Prime Exclusive Android devices. One of our members has extracted the APK, which you can sideload right now!
Much like Google, Amazon is a fan of trying out a number of unique and interesting experiments to see how the market reacts to it. Amazon Prime is a yearly subscription service from Amazon that was launched back in 2005 which includes a number of benefits such as free 2-day shipping, access to Amazon Music, Amazon Prime Video and more. Prime Exclusive Phones was another benefit and it gave subscribers access to some Android smartphones at a cheaper price as long as they were willing to put up with lockscreen ads. In a surprise move, Amazon recently announced that they would remove lockscreen ads from all Prime Exclusive devices, though it requires an update. A member on our forums grabbed the APK that you need to remove these advertisements from your lock screen on Amazon Prime Exclusive devices.
VLC 3.0 Adds Support for Chromecast, Samsung DeX, Android Auto, and more
VLC for Android has been updated with stable Chromecast support, Samsung DeX support, and even support on Android Auto devices.
VLC may have been late to the party when it comes to being a competitive media player for Android, but the work they've been doing lately has resulted in them catching up very quickly. A couple of months ago VLC for Android was updated to version 2.5 and it added a new dynamic user interface, support for picture-in-picture mode, audio boost functionality and a lot more. Those who are have opted into the beta program via the Play Store were recently greeted with experimental support for Chromecast. Today, the VLC team has announced the stable version has been updated to 3.0 which is actually the first ever synchronized release between desktop application and mobile ports.