Posts From Pranob Mehrotra

Pranob Mehrotra
Pranob Mehrotra

A Literature and Linguistics graduate with a keen interest in everything Android. When not writing about tech, Pranob spends most of his time either playing League of Legends or lurking on Reddit.

Google expands Android Automotive OS and Android Auto support to more car manufacturers and app developers

Google expands Android Automotive OS and Android Auto support to more car manufacturers and app developers

August 11, 2020
Google today announced some major updates for Android Auto and Android Automotive OS, which are expected to expand the reach of the two platforms and make it easier for app developers to create apps for the platforms. In a blog post regarding the matter, the company highlighted all the changes that are expected to make...
App Settings Reborn is a new version of the popular Xposed mod that lets you tweak per-app settings

App Settings Reborn is a new version of the popular Xposed mod that lets you tweak per-app settings

August 11, 2020
The popular Xposed App Settings module, which rolled out all the way back in 2013, has received a new lease on life thanks to XDA Member Blue cat. App Settings Reborn is an updated version of the original App Settings module for newer versions of Android, which lets you modify app settings like DPI, font...
Galaxy A51 and Galaxy A71 get new privacy features in Samsung’s AltZLife update for India

Galaxy A51 and Galaxy A71 get new privacy features in Samsung’s AltZLife update for India

August 11, 2020
Samsung recently rolled out an update for the Galaxy A51 and Galaxy A71, which introduced some of the headline-worthy features from the Galaxy S20 series to the mid-range devices. The update included features like the Single Take camera mode, a better Pro mode, Quick Share, Music Share, and much more. Now, the company is rolling...
[Update: New Timeline] Google announces when they’ll end support for Chrome Apps on Windows, Mac, Linux, and Chrome OS

[Update: New Timeline] Google announces when they’ll end support for Chrome Apps on Windows, Mac, Linux, and Chrome OS

August 10, 2020
Towards the end of 2017, we learned that Google was planning to replace Chrome Apps with Progressive Web Apps (PWAs). The company planned on completely removing Chrome Apps support on Windows, Mac, and Linux by Q1 2018. However, Google didn't follow through with the plan and chose to wait until more Desktop PWAs became available...
Fossil Gen 5 smartwatches will soon get sleep tracking and VO2 monitoring

Fossil Gen 5 smartwatches will soon get sleep tracking and VO2 monitoring

August 10, 2020
Fossil Gen 5 smartwatch owners are in for a treat as their year-old smartwatches will soon be getting a host of new features via a software update. The update, which is scheduled to roll out on August 19th, includes a new sleep tracking feature, VO2 max monitoring, and more. According to a recent report from Droid-Life,...
OnePlus’ HydrogenOS 11 comes with redesigned Weather app, Always-On Display, and more

OnePlus’ HydrogenOS 11 comes with redesigned Weather app, Always-On Display, and more

August 10, 2020
During a live-streamed event earlier today, OnePlus unveiled the latest version of its custom Android skin for China — HydrogenOS 11. The software is based on Android 11 and it brings a ton of new features for OnePlus devices, including Always-on Display functionality, smart gallery, voice notes, multi-user Zen mode, an improved dark mode, and...
OPPO Reno4 Z 5G and OPPO Reno4 Lite get certified for a possible global launch

OPPO Reno4 Z 5G and OPPO Reno4 Lite get certified for a possible global launch

August 10, 2020
Following the launch of the Snapdragon 720G powered Reno4 Pro (global) late last month, Chinese OEM OPPO is now gearing up to launch the 5G-enabled Reno4 (CPH2091) and Reno4 Pro (CPH2089) globally. The Snapdragon 765G powered mid-range devices, which were launched in China earlier this year in June, recently received Global Certification Forum (GCF) certification....
Gboard rolls out smart completion and undo autocorrect on backspace, tests new Google Assistant dictation

Gboard rolls out smart completion and undo autocorrect on backspace, tests new Google Assistant dictation

August 10, 2020
In a recent teardown of Gboard v9.7, we discovered strings of code regarding a couple of new features making their way to the popular keyboard app. These included a new Ask Assistant button to trigger the Google Assistant, smart completion support, and a feature that would undo auto-correct on tapping backspace. Now, Google has started...
Power Shade brings Android 11’s new media controls UI to any Android device

Power Shade brings Android 11’s new media controls UI to any Android device

August 7, 2020
The first stable Android 11 release is just around the corner, and I'm sure a lot of you are looking forward to trying out all the new features included in the update. However, you might have to wait a while before the update lands on your device and, even then, there's a good chance you...
Google’s Digital Ink Recognition API in ML Kit enables handwriting and drawing recognition

Google’s Digital Ink Recognition API in ML Kit enables handwriting and drawing recognition

August 7, 2020
About a month ago, Google made some significant changes to its ML Kit SDK (Software Development Kit) to make mobile development with machine learning easier for developers. The company decoupled ML Kit's on-device APIs from Firebase and made them available under a separate SDK, added Android Jetpack Lifecycle support to all APIs, and announced an...
[Update: TikTok’s statement] Trump signs executive order to ban U.S. “transactions” with TikTok and WeChat

[Update: TikTok’s statement] Trump signs executive order to ban U.S. “transactions” with TikTok and WeChat

August 7, 2020
US President Donald Trump has signed a pair of executive orders that ban any US transactions with the Chinese companies that own TikTok and WeChat, citing national security risks. The executive orders come just weeks after the Indian government issued a ban on over 100 Chinese apps due to similar reasons. According to a recent...
Apple blocks Microsoft xCloud and Google Stadia from the App Store, leaving Android as the only mobile OS for cloud gaming

Apple blocks Microsoft xCloud and Google Stadia from the App Store, leaving Android as the only mobile OS for cloud gaming

August 7, 2020
Microsoft is scheduled to launch its xCloud game streaming service on September 15th and the company has already released a partial list of titles that will be supported at launch. Much like NVIDIA's GeForce NOW cloud gaming service, xCloud will let users enjoy a wide variety of Xbox and PC games on their smartphones and...