latest
[Update: Merged] Airplane Mode may finally stop shutting down Bluetooth audio, starting with Android 11 R
Airplane mode has a few handy uses, but it's not a terribly nuanced tool: one tap kills all radios. However, in Android 11 R, it may get a little smarter.
Airplane mode is a feature that has been around in phones for a very long time. The name comes from the idea that the radios in phones can interfere with airplanes, so this allows you to turn them off without powering down the phone completely. Airplane mode has other uses, of course, but it's not a terribly nuanced tool: one tap kills all radios. However, in Android 11 R, it may get a little smarter.
Google Stadia is coming to Android TV in 2020, possibly with Android 11 R
At IBC 2019, Google revealed that Android TV will get Stadia 2020, likely with the Android 11 R update. Stadia is Google's cloud gaming service.
Each year, tech companies gather in Amsterdam for the International Broadcasting Convention. Think of it like CES or MWC but more aimed at the TV industry. Google attends the event to unveil the latest updates for the Android TV ecosystem, and this year was no different. At the event, the company unveiled its roadmap for Android TV in 2020 and 2021. An attendee who wishes to remain anonymous sent us a picture of a slide titled "ATV continues to bring to partners free innovation at an accelerated pace," but we were asked not to share the picture. Still, we can reproduce the text shown in the slide to share Google's plans for the next two years of its TV OS. Stadia integration is the headliner, of course, since there's a lot of hype around the cloud gaming service.
Android Q AMA Summary: Android R Screenshot changes, Desktop mode clarification, Time-based Dark mode, and more
Google engineers did an AMA on Reddit the other day. The AMA was about the Android Q beta. Here's a summary of what we learned from their responses.
Last year, Google's Android team hosted an Ask Me Anything (AMA) on Reddit's /r/AndroidDev subreddit to field questions about the Android P Developer Preview. This year, the engineering team working on the Android Q beta answered questions on Reddit. The AMA started August 1st at 12:00 PM PST and ended about an hour and a half later. 33 Google engineers were involved in the AMA, answering a ton of questions in the short time the AMA lasted. Here's our summary of all the new information that we learned.
[Update: Planned for Android R] Adding Scrolling Screenshot support to stock Android is apparently "infeasible"
Scrolling screenshot support on Android, according to Google, is "infeasible". The company hasn't said more on the issue, but it's a strange stance to take.
Stock Android is pretty barebones as it acts as more of a base for manufacturers to work off of to implement their own features. Not even the Google Pixel runs it, with Google instead opting to use their own version of Android with extra features. Even still, Google's Android on the Pixels does bare the most resemblances of pretty much any other manufacturer's implementation, bar a select few. Because of that, though, devices from the likes of Samsung and Xiaomi have a lot more features implemented over some competitors, though obviously, features aren't everything. One near-ubiquitous feature across Android devices of all kinds is the ability to take scrolling screenshots. Google has since said on their Android issue tracker that adding such a feature is "infeasible," and that it will not be making its way to stock Android.
Google warns that ADB backup and restore may be removed in a future Android release
Unfortunately, it looks like ADB backup and restore may be going away. A commit in AOSP is titled "Add deprecation warning to adb backup/restore."
Setting up a new Android phone has gotten a lot easier over the years. Android Oreo's Autofill feature has made it much easier to sign in to all your apps, and some apps even carry over all your preferences too. Switching between phones from the same OEM is especially easy as most have their own backup and restore tools. However, the experience is not perfect and switching between phones from different OEMs can be a pain. That's where ADB backup and restore can come in handy.
Bubbles in Android Q will fully replace the overlay API in a future Android version
Google will fully deprecate the SYSTEM_ALERT_WINDOW (overlay API) in a future Android release, pushing developers toward the Bubbles API in Android Q.
Google's annual I/O developer conference is chock full of news about all of Google's apps, services, and developer tools, but the Android OS is one of the biggest topics. Android, now used on over 2.5 billion devices globally, takes up a huge chunk of time at Google I/O. There's a lot of changes to the platform - so many, in fact, that it's impossible for Google to bring equal attention to every change. During the "What's new in Android" talk on the first day of I/O 2019, Google announced a major upcoming change to a very old API: SYSTEM_ALERT_WINDOW. The API lets developers draw an overlay on top of the screen, and its most famous use is for chat head bubbles (think Facebook Messenger). Now that Google offers an alternative API to SYSTEM_ALERT_WINDOW in the form of Bubbles in Android Q, Google has decided to eventually deprecate SYSTEM_ALERT_WINDOW in a future Android release.
Google is considering adding Call Recording APIs in a future Android version
In Android Pie, Google blocked the only way to record phone calls. Now, the company is evaluating adding an official call recording API in a future release.
Considering how long we spend doing activities like browsing the web, sending emails, watching videos, listening to music, etc. on our smartphones, we may as well start calling these devices portable PCs and not smartphones. For many users, however, placing regular old phone calls is still a very important feature, especially when it relates to work. Similarly, recording phone calls is very important functionality for some people such as when dealing with threats, talking to customer service, or doing business over the phone. Sadly, call recording (without turning on the speakerphone and recording via the microphone output) is basically impossible on most Android devices since Google blocked the last known method that call recording apps used. According to a comment left by a Google employee on the Google Issue Tracker, however, Google may be reconsidering its stance on call recorders.
Future Android version may support "Smart Forwarding" to forward calls between SIMs
A future version of Android will allow calls to be automatically forwarded to a working SIM when the current number is unreachable.
The open source nature of Android is arguably the biggest advantage the OS has to offer when compared to its competitors. AOSP allows third-parties to modify Android for their own devices, and also makes it so their code is easily contributable. Lurking in the AOSP Gerrit, we stumble upon a few interesting things every now and then. Although the stable version of Android Q isn't even out yet, Google is already working on features that will make their way into future versions of Android. Earlier, we found a clue that Android R may support DualShock 4 motion controls and securely storing digital driver's licenses. Now, we found something connectivity-related.
Google is working on securely storing Digital Driver's Licenses in Android
Android R could support securely storing mobile driver's licenses on devices like the Google Pixel 2, Google Pixel 3, or Google Pixel 4.
Carrying a wallet has become less of a necessity for me since I started using Google Pay to manage my credit cards, but there's still no way I can travel anywhere without my driver's license. I know a few people who use wallet cases to hold what few cards they must carry on their person, but I'm waiting for the day when I can legally drive to Walmart with just my phone on me. A digital driver's license offers multiple advantages over the traditional ID card. You can't lose it, you can update it remotely so you don't have to stand in line at the DMV, you can wipe it remotely if your phone gets stolen, you're less likely to get your identity stolen since you don't need to carry a wallet with easily accessible information, you're less likely to leave your phone at home, and you'll have an easier time bringing it up on request. Authorities across the U.S. are slowly recognizing the benefits of a mobile driver's license, which is why we're hearing more U.S. states test their adoption each year.
Future Android versions may support DualShock 4 motion controls in time for new PlayStation apps
A new commit hints at a future version of Android adding support for the Sony PlayStation 4's DualShock 4 motion controls, and maybe new PlayStation apps.
Gaming-oriented smartphones have become very popular in the past few years. Asus brought its ROG (Republic of Gamers) brand into the smartphone industry, Razer bought an OEM called Nextbit and release the Razer Phone, Nubia released the Red Magic, Xiaomi released the Black Shark, and so on. Even if some phones don’t include the ‘gaming’ branding in their name, all the recent flagships are perfectly capable of playing graphics-intensive titles, thanks to the ever-so-advancing system-on-chips and graphics processing units. By default, Android doesn’t include a lot of game optimization features to make the playing experience better for the users. But, that has been changing for quite some time now.