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Digital Wellbeing might soon let you easily disable Focus Mode for holidays
The feature could roll out with a future update
Digital Wellbeing's Focus Mode is a handy tool that lets you easily avoid distractions by temporarily pausing certain apps. It disables notifications from selected apps and grays out their icons in the app drawer, allowing you to focus on the work at hand. You can turn on Focus Mode manually whenever you want to avoid distractions or set up a schedule to enable it automatically at specified times.
APK Teardown: Fitbit's Wear OS smartwatch might feature a square display and Google Pay support
New strings spotted in a teardown of Google Play Services v22.32.12 beta suggest that the Fitbit watch with Wear OS could feature a square display and Google Pay support.
Shortly after Google confirmed the Wear OS overhaul at its I/O developer conference last year, the company announced that the updated operating system would make its way to users on a new range of smartwatches from Samsung and Fitbit. Although Fitbit was supposed to release its Wear OS 3 smartwatch later in the year, the wearables manufacturer is yet to bring it to the market. However, new strings in the latest Google Play Services beta update suggest that the Fitbit watch with Wear OS could launch soon, and it might feature a square display and Google Pay support.
APK Teardown: Google could soon let you backup your Wear OS smartwatch data when switching to a new phone
New strings spotted in a teardown of Google Play Services v22.32.12 beta suggest that Wear OS could soon let you backup smartwatch data for easier migration.
Google seems to be working on a fix for one of the most annoying issues with Wear OS smartwatches. New strings in Google Play Services v22.32.12 beta reveal that the company might soon give users the option to backup their smartwatch data when switching to a new phone.
Pixel's Car Crash Detection feature might soon make its way to other Android devices
An APK teardown of the latest Personal Safety update reveals that the Pixel-exclusive Car Crash Detection feature might soon reach non-Pixel devices.
Google recently rolled out an update for the Personal Safety app on Pixel devices. A teardown of the latest release has revealed new strings suggesting that the Pixel-exclusive Car Crash Detection feature might soon make its way to other Android phones.
APK Teardown: WhatsApp may soon let you dictate and send messages via Facebook Assistant on Ray-Ban Stories
WhatsApp is working on letting Meta's Ray-Ban Stories smart glasses users dictate and send messages through Facebook Assistant.
WhatsApp is by far the most popular Instant Messaging app. Despite its popularity, it is slow-moving when it comes to introducing new features. For instance, the Community feature was first spotted by us back in October 2021, and it only got officially announced yesterday. One of the pain points of WhatsApp remains its non-integration with Voice Assistants -- you can't ask Google Assistant to send a message on WhatsApp to someone. Meta could be working on letting this happen, but not with Google Assistant, but with Facebook Assistant and on its Ray-Ban Stories smart glasses.
Teardown: Google Duo might get Meet's Companion Mode soon
A teardown of the latest version of Google Duo for Android has revealed that the app could get Google Meet's Companion Mode soon.
In June last year, Google previewed a new second-screen experience for Google Meet called Companion Mode. Google then shared more details about the mode in September, revealing that it would let participants use their laptops or smart home devices as a second screen for a video call. The feature finally started rolling out to users earlier this year in January with support for the Google Nest Hub Max, and Google is now prepping to bring the Companion Mode to its other video calling app -- Google Duo.
Scoop: Google could be bringing Air Raid Alerts to almost all Android phones [Update: Confirmed]
Google could be integrating Air Raid Alerts into Google Play Services, according to an APK Teardown. Check out what that means, here.
The current invasion of Ukraine has seen several big tech companies step up and apply varying degrees of pressure on Russia. We've seen Apple entirely stop selling its products in the region, we've seen Meta and TikTok prevent access to state-news broadcasters RT and Sputnik, and we've even seen Google go so far as to suspend monetization on videos within Russia. Google has also been pushing users in Ukraine to install the Ukrainian Alarm app in order to receive air raid alerts, though an APK Teardown has revealed that Google may be working on integrating those air raid alerts directly into Play Services.
[Update: First look] APK Teardown: Signal is working on a Snapchat-style Stories feature
Within the latest APK of Signal, we have discovered some new strings related to an upcoming story feature. Read on.
It was Snapchat that introduced the concept of Stories, a feature that lets you post ephemeral photos or videos that disappear after 24 hours. The feature was a massive hit among Snapchat users and helped the platform grow exponentially after its introduction in 2013. The success of Snapchat Stories led to several copycats, with Instagram later introducing the feature under the same name and WhatsApp adding a Status feature. Twitter also briefly tried out its own version of Snapchat Stories called Fleets. It appears the privacy-focused messaging app Signal could be the next in line to add a story feature.
[Update: More info] Microsoft might add 'Photo Story' feature to OneDrive mobile app
Microsoft is testing a "Photo Story" feature in the Android OneDrive application, which could be similar to Memories in Google Photos.
OneDrive is the cloud storage service from Microsoft, but the service isn't just focused on file management. It also serves as the company's alternative to Google Photos, with similar photo backup features, but it lacks much of the functionality that has made Photos an excellent product over the years. There might be a new feature for photos on the way, though.
APK Teardown: YouTube could add support for image polls in community posts soon
We've spotted new strings in an APK teardown of the latest YouTube beta on Android which suggest that the platform could get support for image polls soon.
In October last year, YouTube lowered the eligibility criteria for community posts in an attempt to give more creators access to the feature. The platform previously required creators to have at least 1000 subscribers to create community posts but, starting October 12, it reduced this threshold to 500 subscribers. YouTube is now working on a new feature for community posts that could prompt more creators to use the feature.
Bumble could expand into social media with new Collectives feature [Update: Statement]
Bumble could be making a foray into social media forums with the upcoming "Collectives" feature that works in BFF mode. Read on!
In the world of dating apps, there are a handful of big players that people will typically gravitate towards. Tinder is one of the biggest, but another which has a significant foothold in the dating population is Bumble. Bumble is unique though, as while its flagship product that many know it for is its dating service, it also has the ability to match you with potential friends and potential business contacts. Now the company appears to be expanding into more of a social media platform offering, as we've found evidence of a new "Collectives" feature that essentially acts as a forum in BFF mode.
N26 bank could introduce native cryptocurrency trading later this year
N26 bank may soon introduce native cryptocurrency trading, an APK teardown has revealed. It shows the partner and some of how it will work.
Fintech companies are all the rage in recent years, with players such as Curve, N26, and Revolut entering the space, especially in Europe. Revolut has blown up in some parts of Europe thanks to its approach to banking and additional perks rolled into one app such as stock trading and cryptocurrency trading, not to mention it was recently granted a European banking license, too. N26 is another pretty big fintech bank in Europe that has been fully licensed in Europe since 2016, and it's more of a traditional bank with a digital focus. Feeling the heat from competitors though, it would appear that N26 is working on introducing native cryptocurrency trading from within its own app.
Twitch for Android may soon let you edit stream schedules right from your smartphone
Twitch for Android may soon let you edit stream schedules right from your smartphone. Read on to know more.
Twitch is a leading video live streaming service that caters to gamers, musicians, and content creators. Twitch also has an Android client that lets you stream mobile games straight from your smartphones. However, if you're a creator and used the Twitch Android app, you probably know it's currently not possible to edit stream schedules using the mobile app. But that could be changing soon.
Google Duo preps Breakout rooms and the ability to broadcast and record meetings
In our recent teardown of the Google Duo app, we have learned about an upcoming feature called Breakout rooms.
It's been a while since the Google Duo app received a new feature, with Google giving most of its focus and attention to Meet as of late. But that dry spell may soon come to an end. In our recent teardown of the Google Duo app, we have learned about an upcoming feature called Breakout rooms.
Snapchat beta reveals "cheerios" selfie drone is still on track, ability to mute location coming soon too
The latest Snapchat beta indicates that work is still on for Snap's selfie drone codenamed "cheerios". Read on to know more!
Snapchat may not be the most popular instant messaging app around, but it still has a fairly loyal userbase comprising mostly of younger adults within its demographics. Lately, Snapchat was also one of the partners of choice for Google, with the Pixel 6 series getting an exclusive "Quick Tap to Snap" feature. With the Pixel 6 actually managing great sales for Google, the partnership may be turning fruitful for both the parties involved. We took a look inside the latest Snapchat beta to find that the company is continuing to work on its selfie drone, while users could soon look forward to muting the locations of others on their Snap Map.
YouTube for Android preps new "Listen with YouTube Music" button
It appears YouTube for Android is preparing to add a new "Listen with YouTube Music" button. Read on to know more.
After rolling out a new video player UI, YouTube is now preparing to add yet another useful feature: a dedicated button for launching YouTube Music.
Google Messages will soon let you disable the pinch-to-zoom gesture for resizing text
Google is working on adding a new toggle to Google Messages that will let users disable the pinch-to-zoom gesture to increase/decrease text size.
Google is reportedly working on adding a new toggle in its Messages app that will let users disable the pinch-to-zoom gesture to increase/decrease the text size. The upcoming toggle was spotted in an APK teardown of Google Messages version 20220121, which recently started rolling out on the beta channel.
YouTube Shorts might get a dedicated voiceover feature soon
An APK teardown of the latest YouTube beta for Android has revealed that the app is getting a dedicated voiceover feature for YouTube Shorts.
After debuting its TikTok clone in September 2020, YouTube released Shorts in over a hundred countries in July last year. Much like TikTok, YouTube Shorts allowed users to create short video clips up to 60 seconds in length within the YouTube app and it offered a couple of handy features, like the ability to add text to specific parts of the video, automatic captions, basic filters, and color correction.
YouTube may soon let you loop video chapters
YouTube is working on a new feature that will let users loop video chapters. The feature is still a work-in-progress and hasn't rolled out to users yet.
In May 2020, Google unveiled a new feature for YouTube called video chapters. As the name suggests, video chapters break down a YouTube video in chunks, making it easier to jump to specific sections of a given video without having to fiddle with the progress bar. The feature is immensely helpful when watching long videos as it allows you to quickly skim through irrelevant parts. And it's set to become even more useful with a new repeat mode.
Ring could launch a Glass Break Sensor soon
Ring appears to be working on a Glass Break Sensor that could launch soon, according to our latest APK teardown. Read about it here!
Amazon's Ring makes a ton of different smart-home additions that sometimes veer into the realm of security. From the company's basic video doorbells to the more advanced Ring Alarm Pro hub, there's something for everybody. Ring could be gearing up to launch a Glass Break sensor soon though, as version 3.47.0 of the app that just rolled out on the Google Play Store hints at.