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How to install OTA updates and keep root on your Google Pixel phone
Looking for a way to keep root access after OTA updates on your Google Pixel phone? Here's a step-by-step guide on how to do so.
Part of the beauty of owning a Google Pixel phone comes through the proper availability of firmware images that can be used to return the device to a factory state. Even if you unlock the bootloader, root the phone, or tinker a bit too much, you can always restore the stock configuration. Having said that, some users might find it difficult to keep root access and associated mods intact while retaining the ability to take monthly security updates. Although many hardcore Android fans will know exactly what to do, not everyone is as adept at getting their phone updated without losing root.
LineageOS 20 is already available for a plethora of devices from Samsung, OnePlus, Xiaomi, Motorola, Sony, and even Google. Keeping the modding spirit alive, more devices are constantly being added to the list. The second generation Pixel phones are the latest Google devices to get the official support of the latest LineageOS release based on Android 13.
The Google Pixel 7 series is right around the corner, and the company's devices have taken several turns over the years. We wanted to take a trip down memory lane and explore each of the Pixel smartphones that have launched over the years and talk about some of their standout features when they launched.
How to downgrade your Google Pixel device from beta or developer preview to stable Android version
Tried Android 13 beta, but weren't a big fan? Here's how to downgrade from Android 13 back to stable Android 12 on your Google Pixel device.
Smartphone companies that are on top of their software update game are far and few between. Luckily, Google Pixel users not only get major updates before everyone, they can also test out the upcoming version of Android through a public beta program. It has been some time since Google released Android 13 through the beta channel for eligible Pixel devices and while the update has received generally favorable reviews, we can't forget the fact that it is still just a beta quality software, not a daily driver like Android 12.
Google Pixel 2 can now run Android 12, unofficially
2017's Google Pixel 2 lineup has received a taste of Android 12, courtesy of an unofficial build of the ProtonAOSP custom ROM. Read on!
In the last few weeks, we’ve come across a number of community-made Android 12 ports for several smartphones. The aftermarket developers have also released custom Android 12 Generic System Image (GSI) packages so that any Project Treble-supported device can boot the latest version of Android. Now, the four-year-old Google Pixel 2 lineup has received a taste of Android 12 through an unofficial build of ProtonAOSP custom ROM.
The Google Pixel 2's final software update is now available
After three years of software and security updates, Google has released one final software update for the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL.
After three years of software and security updates, Google has released one final software update for the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL.
Google Camera 8.0 mod brings the Pixel 5's camera app to OnePlus, Xiaomi, ASUS, and other phones
Arnova's first Google Camera 8.0 mod brings Pixel 5's camera app to OnePlus, Xiaomi, ASUS, OPPO, Google, Samsung and Realme devices.
The Google Pixel 5 and Pixel 4a 5G were launched with a new version of the Google Camera app (v8.0) that featured a revamped UI and some exciting new features. While the app was initially reserved for Google's latest phones, the company recently released Google Camera 8.1 which brought the new UI, Cinematic pan mode, and the Storage Saver feature to older Pixel devices. Now, thanks to the efforts of XDA Senior Member Arnova8G2, you can enjoy the new Google Camera 8.0 UI and features on a bunch of non-Pixel devices.
Download Google Recorder 2.0 from the Google Pixel 5
You can now download Google Recorder 2.0 from the Pixel 5 on older Pixel phones and some non-Pixel devices. Download the APK here!
Earlier today, Google debuted a new version of the Google Recorder app on the Pixel 4a 5G and the Pixel 5. Version 2.0 of the audio recording app brings a couple of useful new features to help users easily find, edit, and share recordings. These include a new Smart Scrolling feature that automatically finds important keywords in a transcript and highlights them next to the scrollbar to help users easily jump to an important section, an Audio Editing feature to help users edit voice recordings by editing the transcript, a feature that creates short video clips out of saved recordings for easier sharing, and text correction support. These features are only available on the latest Google Recorder update on the Pixel 4a 5G and Pixel 5 at the moment, but you don't have to wait to try them out on your current Pixel device. We can also confirm that this APK surprisingly works on some non-Pixel devices, but your mileage may vary.
Download Google Camera 8.0 from the Pixel 5 on other Pixel phones
Download latest Google Camera 8.0 from the Pixel 5 for older Pixel smartphones including Pixel 2, Pixel 3, Pixel 3a, Pixel 4, and Pixel 4a.
Over the years, Google has established the custom of introducing some new camera features with the latest Pixel devices. With the launch of the Pixel 5 and the Pixel 4a 5G last month, Google took the same route and showcased new features, like Night Sight for portrait mode, that will be exclusively available on the latest devices. Exactly a fortnight after the launch of the new Pixel smartphones, Google is releasing the Google Camera version 8.0 with an updated user interface and some other subtle changes including easier zoom controls, wide-angle views for the Portrait mode, and a new leveler to fix frontal or backward tilt among other features. Google Camera 8.0 also makes it easy to capture videos in different modes with easily accessible settings and share them instantly to your favorite social media apps with Social Share.
Hands-on with Google Camera 8.0 from the Google Pixel 5
Check out the new features in Google Camera 8.0 from the Pixel 5 including an improved user interface, a new leveler for frontal tilt, more.
Google Camera offers one of the greatest experiences when it comes to smartphone photography. Even though the camera hardware has remained unchanged for several generations of Pixel smartphones, each new device gets new and exciting software features. With the recent launch of the Pixel 5 and the Pixel 4a 5G, Google introduced several new Camera features such as the Night Sight portrait mode, Cinematic pan, and more. While these features will be exclusive to these two devices, Google is bringing the updated Google Camera 8.0 app to the Pixel 5 with subtle visual changes and a bunch of new features. Following the Pixel 5, the updated version of the Camera app will be made available for the older Pixel devices.
Android 11 is now available in stable for Google Pixel phones and in beta for some OnePlus, Xiaomi, Realme, and OPPO phones
Android 11 is here with stable builds rolling out for Google Pixel smartphones and betas for select OnePlus, Xiaomi, Realme, and OPPO phones.
Android 11 is the latest update to the world's most popular smartphone operating system, and the first set of stable builds are finally rolling out to support Google Pixel smartphones. We've gone through four developer previews (DP 1, DP 2, DP 3, and DP4) and three betas (Beta 1, Beta 2, Beta 3) to get to this point, and we've tracked every little detail along the way as best as we could. And now with the stable release of Android 11, we can finally look forward to Google's vision arriving in the hands of consumers across the world!
LineageOS 17.1 adds support for the Google Pixel 2, Pixel 3a, Pixel 4, Moto G7 Power/Play, and Huawei P20 Lite/P Smart
The team behind the popular LineageOS custom ROM has added official LineageOS 17.1 support for the Google Pixel 3a, Google Pixel 4, and more.
The team behind the popular LineageOS custom ROM has been adding LineageOS 17.1 support for new devices ever since the latest version of the ROM made its debut earlier this year in April. Over the last couple of months, the team has added support for devices like the ASUS ROG Phone II, Google Pixel 3 series, Samsung Galaxy A7 2016, Xiaomi Mi A1, Samsung Galaxy J7 2015, OnePlus One, Sony Xperia XZ2, and many more. Since our previous coverage, the team has added support for eight more devices.
Android 11 on the Google Pixel vastly improves Nintendo Switch Joy-Con and Pro Controller support
Android 11 on the Google Pixel has greatly improved support for the Nintendo Switch Joy-Con and Pro Controller by eliminating the latency.
With cloud gaming at the forefront of mobile gaming discussions thanks to the upcoming launch of Microsoft's xCloud service, we've been looking into the state of controller support on Android. Back in Android 11 Beta 1, we noticed that Google added a whopping 84 new controller mappings, meaning that the new Android release can recognize inputs from 84 new gaming controllers. A lot of the newly supported controllers were from third-party gaming accessory makers because Android already supports the original gaming controllers for the big 3 gaming consoles. While Android has supported connecting to the Nintendo Switch Joy-Cons since 2017 and the Pro Controller since 2019, the latency from both controllers is unbearable. Thankfully, though, Google has finally fixed the major connectivity and latency issues with the Android 11 release for Pixel phones.
How to download Android 11 Beta for Google Pixel and other Android devices
Google has officially kicked off the Android 11 beta program. If you're curious about the next version of Android, you can download Android 11 right now.
Google has officially kicked off the Android 11 Developer Preview program, just five months after the stable release of Android 10. They're starting things a little earlier this year (the first Android Q beta dropped in March). If you're curious about the next version of Android, you can download Android 11 right now for the Pixel 2, Pixel 2 XL, Pixel 3, Pixel 3 XL, Pixel 3a, Pixel 3a XL, Pixel 4, and Pixel 4 XL (the original Google Pixel and Pixel XL are not officially supported).
Android 11 Beta 3 is here, removing the location requirement for COVID-19 contact tracing apps
Google has released the final Android 11 Beta 3 build, and it removes the location requirement for COIVD-19 contact tracing apps. Read on to know more!
Google released Android 11 Beta 2 last month, pushing the new update for the Android OS to "platform stability" status. This was followed by the Beta 2.5 release, which is more of a bug-fix release instead of a proper increment. Between each release, there are a lot of announced and unannounced changes to spot, just as we found for Beta 1 and Beta 2. While we rub our hands in anticipation of the stable release that is expected around September 8, Google has now released Android 11 Beta 3, the final scheduled beta before the official stable release.
August 2020 security update rolls out for Google Pixel, Samsung Galaxy S20, and more Samsung phones
The August 2020 security update is now live for the Google Pixel phones and several devices from Samsung, including the Samsung Galaxy S20.
It’s the first Monday of a new month, which means it’s time for a new round of Android security updates from Google. The search giant on Monday published the latest Android Security Bulletin and Pixel Update Bulletin for August 2020. The update is rolling out now for Google Pixel devices, of course, but several Samsung phones, including the Samsung Galaxy S20, have also already started to get the update.
Android 11 reaches Platform Stability with Beta 2, out now for Google Pixel phones
Google has released Android 11 Beta 2 as the next platform version reaches Platform Stability. Developers can now optimize their apps to target Android 11.
Google started the Android 11 developer preview program in February, ahead of the usual release schedule to give developers more time to adapt their apps to the new platform behaviors and APIs introduced in the new Android OS version. However, the overall release cycle was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Although the first Android 11 Beta was intended to be released at the Google I/O developer conference, the cancellation of that event caused Google to release an impromptu Android 11 Developer Preview 4 to make up for the delay. The first Beta went live in June and brought several new changes focusing on the themes of People, Controls, and Privacy. Now, Google is releasing Android 11 Beta 2 for Google Pixel devices.
Google may release the stable Android 11 update on September 8th
Google may have accidentally spilled the bins on the stable release date for Android 11. The date was shared in a presentation video.
The first Android 11 Beta was released about a month ago, which means the next update should be coming very soon. Google shared its release timeline with the first Developer Preview, noting that the first two beta releases would come out in June and July. Subsequent releases, however, are scheduled vaguely for "Q3." Google may have accidentally spilled the bins on the stable release date.
July 2020 security update goes live for the Google Pixel and Samsung Galaxy S20
Google is rolling out the July 2020 Android security patches to the Pixel family. Samsung is also rolling it out to the Galaxy S20 at this time.
We're already 6 days into July, but since today is the first Monday of the month, that means it's time for the latest batch of Android security patches. Google has published the latest Android Security Bulletin for the month of July and is also rolling out the update to the Pixel 4, Pixel 4 XL, Pixel 3a, Pixel 3a XL, Pixel 3, Pixel 3 XL, Pixel 2, and Pixel 2 XL. Samsung is also rolling out a new update bringing this same Security Patch Level (SPL) to the Galaxy S20 series in the U.S.
Android 11 Beta goes live for Google Pixel phones with Device Controls API, Bubble notifications, and much more
Android 11 Beta 1 is finally here, bringing along several notable changes such as One-Time Permissions, Device Controls API, and more! Read on for more!
Android 11 is the next major Android version update, and the first public beta for the update was scheduled to be released following an online event on June 3, 2020. Because of the current civil unrest in the U.S., Google chose to postpone the online launch event, although the first beta accidentally ended up arriving on some users' phones anyways. Now, Google has announced that the online launch event has been fully cancelled. But fret not, for the Android 11 Beta 1 is still moving forward. Google has officially released the first beta for Google Pixel phones, bringing along several new changes focused around the key themes of People, Controls, and Privacy.