Tag: google

Android 15 Could Add Auracast Feature to ‘Broadcast’ Audio to Nearby Devices via Bluetooth LE: Report

Google is working on adding support for Auracast, a feature that is part of the Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) standard, according to a report. If the feature makes its way to the next version of Android, users will be able to “broadcast” audio to nearby devices using Bluetooth LE technology — by scanning a QR code to connect an audio device and bypassing the pairing process. Android 15 could also feature a dedicated settings section to manage audio broadcasts when it arrives later this year.

Android Authority reports that several strings in the Android 14 QPR2 Beta 3 release refer to a new audio sharing feature. These settings options will allow users to enable the audio broadcast feature via a Share audio toggle. Users will be able to connect to a Bluetooth LE audio stream by scanning a QR code, according to the strings uncovered by the publication.

While it wasn’t possible to test the feature for lack of an Auracast-compatible device, the report states that Google has already prepared a settings page to enable and disable the feature. On Android 15, navigating to Connected devices > Connection preferences > Audio streams in the settings app will let users enable and disable the Bluetooth audio broadcast feature.

Some practical implementations of this technology could include listening to music with a friend while traveling together, assuming you both have Auracast-compatible headsets. If Android 15 adds support for the feature, more devices offering the same functionality are likely to arrive later this year.

It is worth noting that even though Android already supports Bluetooth LE features on devices with Bluetooth 5.2 and newer, the arrival of Auracast support could make it easier for two (or more) people to listen to the same music at the same time, without pairing their audio devices.

Apps like Spotify already allow users to start simultaneous listening sessions that are handy when listeners are far away, but Auracast support could allow multiple users to listen to audio from a single device when they are nearby, allowing friends to listen to the same podcast episode or music track wirelessly in the same room.

We can expect to hear more about the audio streaming feature on Android 15 in the coming months, as Google continues to work on Android 15. The beta versions of Android 15 should also give us an idea of how the feature will work — these are likely to arrive in the coming weeks, based on Google’s previous release schedules.

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Nothing Phone 1 Android 14-Based Nothing OS 2.5 Stable Update Rolling Out to Users

Nothing Phone 1 currently runs stable Android 13-based Nothing OS 1.5. The company has now announced that that it has started to roll out the Android 14-based stable Nothing OS 2.5 update for the Phone 1. In the detailed changelog, the update is said to bring improvements across different features including the signature Glyph Interface. It also introduces newer customisations and gestures and is claimed to enhance several user experiences on the handset. Notably, the Nothing Phone 1 launched in India in July 2022.

According to the changelog listed by Nothing, the Nothing OS 2.5 update for Nothing Phone 1 introduces a redesigned joint Home and Lock Screen customisation page said to offer a refined edit wallpaper flow to give a more comprehensive options view. It introduces a new Atmosphere wallpaper effect that helps transform the background image into a dynamic wallpaper and a seamless transition between the lock and home screen. The update also adds a monochrome theme to the basic colour section and presents solid colour wallpapers.

The Glyph Interface also sees augmentations with this update. It allows users direct access to the Interface’s Music Visualisation feature and is claimed to offer an overall improved Glyph light playback effect during device audio synchronisation. The update also unveils a new Glyph animation to notify NFC use and is said to improve the Flip to Glyph experience.

With the stable Nothing OS 2.5 update, Nothing Phone 1 users can customise the double-press power button gesture for quick access to any feature. The update also reveals new Lock Screen shortcut options like Do Not Disturb, Mute, QR code scanner, and video camera. It enables a three-finger swipe gesture for a screenshot and adds a new screenshot editor and menu. This update also automatically excludes a preview of the previous screenshot when taking continuous screenshots. The back gesture arrow visual has also been redesigned.

Alongside an updated Quick Settings layout that now supports showing more device icons, it adds support for switching ring modes and setting network. The update also brings Pedometer, Media Player, and Screen Time widgets. Users can customise the ringtone and notification sound volumes separately with the Nothing OS 2.5 update. It is also said to provide optimised camera stability. The update is claimed to enhance overall smoothness and responsiveness with improved system stability and battery life.

Will the Nothing Phone 2 serve as the successor to the Phone 1, or will the two co-exist? We discuss the company’s recently launched handset and more on the latest episode of Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.
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OnePlus 12 Receives First Software Update in India; Includes Master Mode With Hasselblad Colour Tuning


HMD Global Drops Nokia Branding From Official Website, X Account; Company Says HMD Devices Coming Soon



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Google Pixel 9 Pro Design Renders Leak; Suggests Flat Edges, Redesigned Camera Bar

Google Pixel 8 series with the vanilla Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro was launched in October at the ‘Made by Google’ event. Now, the first Pixel 9 Pro renders have emerged online offering a glimpse into the possible design of Google’s next flagship. The renders suggest a design deviation from the past few generations. The Pixel 9 Pro seems to have flat edges similar to what we’ve seen on iPhone models and a redesigned camera bar.

Prominent leaker Steve H.McFly (@OnLeaks), in collaboration with MySmartPrice, has shared alleged renders and specifications of Google Pixel 9 Pro. The handset appears to have flat edges resembling iPhone models. The camera bar seems to have undergone a design change in the upcoming handset as it does not appear integrated into the frame. The pill-shaped camera island is not connected to the edges of the device, deviating from the previous design language of the Pixel Pro models. It looks more like the camera bar from the Pixel Fold. Three cameras are placed side-by-side and covered by glass. Google’s temperature sensor appears to make a return with the upcoming phone.

The front of the Pixel 9 Pro draws similarities to the Pixel 7 and Pixel 8 series, with a hole-punch cutout for the selfie camera and narrow bezels. The power button and volume rockers are seen on the right side of the phone. The left side seems to have antenna markings. The USB Type-C port, speaker grille, and SIM card tray are seen to be housed at the bottom of the handset. Google seems to have changed the arrangement of the SIM card tray. In the Pixel 8 Pro, the SIM tray is placed on the left spine. The mmWave antenna cover and a microphone appear to be present on the top of the phone.

Google’s upcoming Pixel 9 Pro is said to feature a 6.5-inch display and could measure 162.7×76.6×8.5mm. By comparison, the Pixel 8 Pro measures 162.6×76.5×8.8mm and features a 6.7-inch display.

Google is expected to announce the Pixel 9 series in October. The handset could ship with Android 15 and the company’s in-house Tensor G4 SoC. We can expect more leaks in the coming days.

Google I/O 2023 saw the search giant repeatedly tell us that it cares about AI, alongside the launch of its first foldable phone and Pixel-branded tablet. This year, the company is going to supercharge its apps, services, and Android operating system with AI technology. We discuss this and more on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.
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Samsung Galaxy S24 Series to Come With Google’s Gemini AI Capabilities

At the Galaxy Unpacked event, Samsung unveiled its all-new Galaxy S24 series, which includes the Galaxy S24 Ultra, Galaxy S24+, and Galaxy S24. At the same event, Google announced that the new Samsung Galaxy S24 series will use Gemini, the company’s foundational model, to power the AI capabilities. Gemini Pro will be integrated into select Samsung apps to enhance functionalities. 

Notably, Samsung’s Notes, Voice Recorder and Keyboard apps on the Galaxy S24 series will use Gemini Pro to offer better summarisation features. 

As per Google, thanks to Gemini’s AI enhancements, if you record a lecture using the Voice Recorder app, it can summarise the lesson. Similarly, Google’s advanced text-to-image diffusion technology, Imagen 2, will offer image editing features using Generative Edit within the Galaxy S24 Gallery app.

The company also announced that the Galaxy S24 series will come built-in with Gemini Nano, the most efficient model for on-device tasks. This will enable a new feature in Google Messages and ensure user data doesn’t leave the smartphone. 

Additionally, Google confirmed that Samsung would be one of the first partners to test Gemini Ultra, the company’s largest model for highly complex tasks, before it is available broadly to developers and enterprise customers later this year.

An exact timeline wasn’t given at the event, but Samsung teased that some Galaxy S24 AI capabilities are coming to previous-generation Galaxy devices. 

Google also announced that the Galaxy S24 series is getting Magic Compose feature thanks to Gemini Nano. Other new AI features for the Galaxy S24 series include Photomoji and Voice Moods.

Google also announced its all-new Circle to Search and multisearch features to make Search more intuitive for users. The new Circle to Search feature will be available starting January 31, 2024, on select Android devices like the all-new Galaxy S24 series alongside Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro. The multisearch feature using generative AI is rolling out in the US later this week.

Is the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 the best foldable phone you can buy in India right now? We discuss the company’s new clamshell-style foldable handset on the latest episode of Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

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Google Pixel Call Screening Feature Said to Arrive in India and Other Countries Soon

Google’s useful call screening feature for Pixel smartphones could soon be available in more countries — including India — according to details spotted by a user on Reddit. The feature that transcribes calls from unknown and spam callers is currently available in select countries and languages, but the company is now tipped to add support for over 10 more languages and regions in the future. It is currently unclear whether the expanded rollout will offer access to the automatic call screening feature that is available to users in the US.

Reddit user u/Yuval17G (via Android Police) states that they were able to enable the Google Pixel Call Screening feature on a rooted OnePlus 7 running on a custom version of Android 14 called AOSPA (Paranoid Android) along with another root-related module called GappsMod. After enabling the relevant call screening flags, the user claims that they were able to download Hindi language packages and get the feature to work on their smartphone.

Screenshots of the call screening feature running in Hindi
Photo Credit: Reddit/ Yuval17G

 

According to screenshots shared by the user, Google appears to have added English (India) and Hindi (India) to the languages supported by the call screening feature. The discovery of previously unsupported languages suggests that the company could be planning on introducing the feature on Pixel smartphones in India in the coming months. The user claims that their friend was also able to enable the feature on a Redmi Note 8, but did not provide additional details.

The post on Reddit also includes a list of other languages and regions where Pixel Call Screening might soon be available. These include English (Singapore), French (Belgium and Switzerland), German (Belgium, Austria, Switzerland), Italian (Switzerland and Italy), Portuguese (Brazil), and Spanish (US/ EE.UU).

It’s worth noting that while the user managed to use a rooted smartphone to enable the feature and the languages were available, the company is yet to make an announcement related to the expansion of call screening in other languages and regions. It is likely to arrive in the form of a Pixel Feature Drop — the next one is anticipated to land in March, and we can expect to find out more details in the coming weeks.

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iPhone to Get New AI Features as Part of iOS 18 at WWDC 2024: Report

Since the launch of ChatGPT, OpenAI’s wildly successful AI chatbot in November 2022, technology companies have rushed to integrate artificial intelligence tools to their hardware and software offerings. Microsoft, which is also an OpenAI backer, moved early last year to launch its own generative AI chatbot, Bing Chat (now renamed as Copilot), in addition to bringing the new technology to its wide range of applications and services. Google, too, rushed out Bard through the gates and has since added a host of AI features to its products after a wobbly start. And Samsung is getting ready to launch its next lineup of flagship Galaxy S series smartphones packed with AI features later this month. Apple, on the hand, has lagged far behind its competitors in the AI race, even as it remains hard at work on its own generative AI offerings. The company is reportedly planning to announce the same at its Worldwide Developers Conference later this year.

In his Power On newsletter for Bloomberg on Monday, Mark Gurman said that Apple’s generative AI push will come packaged as part of iOS 18. The iPhone maker is working on its own large language model (LLM), internally known as Ajax, and will likely announce its AI offerings at WWDC in June, the newsletter added. Gurman claimed that Apple had been testing its AI model since early 2023.

While Google has already released its AI-ready Pixel 8 series of phones and Samsung is set to bring Galaxy AI on its upcoming smartphones, offering a host of on-device AI-powered features, Apple is readying AI services for iPhone in its efforts to catch up to its rivals. Gurman’s newsletter mentioned some of the likely offerings on the way. “Apple is eyeing adding features like auto-summarizing and auto-complete to its core apps and productivity software such as Pages and Keynote,” it said.

Additionally, the Cupertino, California-based company also plans to bring AI to Apple Music for better playlists and recommendations. According to the newsletter, Apple’s on-device assistant Siri is also set for an AI overhaul as advanced chatbots like ChatGPT and Copilot pull ahead in the space. While the company will likely roll out its AI offerings later this year, Gurman said that the company would only be able to fully scale its generative AI vision by at least next year.

Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, too, had said in December that upcoming iPhone 16 models would be equipped with an upgraded microphone designed to significantly boost the Siri experience and voice input. According to Kuo, the Siri team at Apple has been working on LLMs and other AI features since Q3 2023.

Last month, it was reported that Apple is negotiating deals with publishers to train its generative AI systems on news content. The company had reportedly pitched multiyear deals worth at least $50 million (roughly Rs. 420 crore) to license the news article archives from publishers like Condé Nast, the New Yorker, NBC News and more.

Apple launched the iPad Pro (2022) and the iPad (2022) alongside the new Apple TV this week. We discuss the company’s latest products, along with our review of the iPhone 14 Pro on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.
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Google Bard Advanced Tipped to Arrive as Paid Subscription, Might Be Linked to Google One

Google’s Bard Advanced chatbot — a more powerful version of the service that competes with Microsoft’s Copilot and OpenAI’s ChatGPT — might not be free to use, according to details spotted by a developer. Google does not have a very good record when it comes to keeping details of its upcoming products a secret, and now some additional details related the advanced version of its Bard AI chatbot have surfaced online that suggest users will have to eventually pay to access Bard Advanced.

Spotted by developer Bedros Pamboukian (via Android Authority) on X (formerly known as Twitter), the code on the Google Bard website contains references to Bard Advanced. The first sentence states “Try Bard Advanced for 3 months, on us.” A second sentence reads, ” Get more capable large language models with advanced math and reasoning skills with Bard Advanced for 3 months on us.”

These lines of code state that Bard Advanced will be offered as part of a three-month trial, suggesting that users will have to pay to continue using Bard Advanced after the free trial period. It is currently unclear when the company will roll out the most advanced version of Bard — it announced an “early 2024” launch date for the service back in December.

Pamboukian also points out in a subsequent tweet that Bard Advanced could also be linked to the company’s Google One subscription. Upon inspecting Bard’s source code from a browser, a Google One URL — currently broken at the time of publishing this story — suggests that Bard Advanced could either be included as part of a Google One subscription or be available as a separate purchase.

Bard Advanced was announced last month by the company when it unveiled Gemini AI, the company’s most powerful AI model to date. Recent reports suggested that Google would use Gemini Nano to provide Pixie, an AI assistant exclusive to Pixel smartphones, while Bard and Bard Advanced will be powered by Gemini Pro and Gemini Ultra, respectively. The latter is expected to arrive in the coming weeks, in line with Google’s “early 2024” release window.

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ChatGPT App Could Soon Be Set as the Default Assistant on Android Phones: Report

The rise of generative AI applications like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Microsoft’s Copilot have made existing standard AI voice assistants like Siri and Google Assistant feel obsolete. Where advanced chatbots can hold human-like conversations, respond to queries on multiple topics, and can now even pull real-time information from the Internet, AI assistants on phones can do limited tasks. The ChatGPT app on both iOS and Android goes a long way in substituting the default assistant on the device. But now, OpenAI’s wildly successful chatbot, could likely properly replace Google Assistant on Android smartphones.

A report by Android Authority says that a code within the latest version of the ChatGPT Android app suggests that it could be set as the default assistant on an Android device..

According to the report, ChatGPT version 1.2023.352, which released last month, included a new activity named ‘com.openai.voice.assistant.AssistantActivity.’ The activity remains disabled by default, but can be manually enabled and launched. Once launched, it shows up on the device screen as an overlay with the same animation as ChatGPT app’s voice chat mode, the report claims. “This overlay appears over other apps and doesn’t take up the entire screen like the in-app voice chat mode. So, presumably, you could talk to ChatGPT from any screen by invoking this assistant,” it adds.

It’s clear, however, that assistant mode is a work in progress. The animation that plays when launching the activity reportedly doesn’t finish and the activity shuts down before you can interact with the chatbot. The report also says that the code required for the ChatGPT app to work as a “default digital assistant app” exists only partially. The ChatGPT app also seems to be missing necessary declarations and metadata tags that would allow it to be set as the default assistant on a device.

The AI assistant wars on mobile phones are about to kick off, with Google Assistant and Siri scrambling to catch up to modern chatbots. The ChatGPT app rolled out its voice chat feature for all free users on Android and iOS in November, effectively allowing the app to act as a voice assistant. Bear in mind, however, that free ChatGPT users cannot access real-time information from the Web on the app, so you can’t ask the chatbot about the latest sports scores or the weather forecast in your city, for example. You can, however, do that on the GPT-4 powered Bing app or the new standalone Copilot app from Microsoft, which launched on both Android and iOS last week.

While Android users don’t yet have a way to bring up the ChatGPT app easily with a gesture, like they would bring up the Google Assistant, iPhone 15 Pro users can simply bind the app with the dedicated Action Button, to bring it up and start conversing with the press of a single button. Google, meanwhile, is hard at work to bring Bard, its own generative AI chatbot, to Google Assistant. The company also recently announced Gemini, its most powerful AI model to date that would compete with OpenAI’s GPT-4 model.

Apple, on the other hand, seems to the one lagging behind in the AI assistant race. The iPhone maker is reportedly working on an AI-infused iOS 18 that will likely power its next lineup of smartphones. The default voice assistant on the upcoming iPhone 16 is said to get a major AI update, with the Siri team reportedly rejigged in Q3 2023 to work on including large language models (LLMs) and artificial intelligence-generated content (AIGC).

Will the Nothing Phone 2 serve as the successor to the Phone 1, or will the two co-exist? We discuss the company’s recently launched handset and more on the latest episode of Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.
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OnePlus 9R, OnePlus 8T Stable Android 14-Based OxygenOS 14 Update Rolling Out in India

OnePlus started rolling out the stable version of the Android 14-based OxygenOS 14 to compatible phones globally over the past few weeks. Several OnePlus models in India have also received the update. Now, the company has confirmed that the stable OS update is available for OnePlus 8T and OnePlus 9R users in the country. The OxygenOS 14 update, announced in September 2023, includes the Trinity Engine that is said to enhance the performance and introduces the updated Aquamorphic Design 2.0 which refreshes the look of the UI.

In two separate community posts, OnePlus announced that the stable version of the OxygenOS 14 update is rolling out to OnePlus 8T and OnePlus 9R users in India. The update should be available to users in a phased manner. Users can also head to Settings > About device > Check for Updates in order to manually check for the update. OnePlus notes that users must make sure that their phones have a minimum of 5GB storage and at least 30 percent battery available while downloading and installing the update.

The official changelog states that the stable OxygenOS 14 update brings the File Dock feature to both the OnePlus 8T and OnePlus 9R that allows users to drag and drop content to transfer them between applications and/or devices. It also brings Content Extraction, which can recognise and extract text and visual content from the screen with a single tap.

This update also enhances photo and video-related permission management to increase security and privacy for OnePlus 8T and OnePlus 9R users in India. The Shelf feature is upgraded with more widget recommendations in this version. The OxygenOS 14 update also optimises the performance of the handsets, increases system stability and launch speed of applications, and further smoothens on-device animations. It also adds app-specific refresh rate support. The Aquamorphic Design 2.0 with this update introduces clearer, refreshed colours to the UI and adds Aquamorphic ringtones and notification sounds. 

Notably, both the OnePlus 8T and OnePlus 9R shipped with Android 11-based OxygenOS 11. 

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Microsoft Copilot Now Available for Android Users as a Standalone App; May Come to iOS Soon

Microsoft Copilot appears to have been quietly rolled out to Android users. Copilot, driven by the latest OpenAI models GPT-4 and DALL-E 3, is capable of generating content and creating visuals from basic text descriptions and requests. It is Microsoft’s Bing Chat AI chatbot and other existing AI features rebranded and bundled together as a generative AI assistant. Although the company has not announced the release officially, Microsoft Copilot is currently listed on Google’s Play Store and is available for download to all Android users.

The Play Store listing (first spotted by Neowin) of Microsoft Copilot lists the app as free-to-use, suggesting there could be in-app purchases. As per the listing on the Play Store, the app was last updated on December 19. Microsoft rebranded its Bing Chat AI to Copilot in September this year. However, unlike Bing Chat, the new app is completely dedicated to providing access to Microsoft’s AI conversation helper. There is no distraction from Bing’s search engine or rewards, but advertisements will show up occasionally in this new app.

Copilot, as suggested by the listing, offers free access to OpenAI’s GPT-4 and DALL-E 3 artificial intelligence models, which are claimed to help offer users “fast, complex, and precise responses, as well as the ability to create breathtaking visuals” from simple text cues. 

The Microsoft Copilot app for Android does not require users to sign in to a Microsoft account. However, the company explains that signing in using a Microsoft email ID would allow “more questions” and “longer conversations” with the chatbot. The app also asks for an approximate location permission but it is not mandatory to share. A toggle within the Microsoft Copilot application enables users to turn on GPT-4 access, which the app also warns will be “slower while being creative.”

Meanwhile, a report by Windows Latest citing internal sources suggests that Microsoft is working on an iOS version of Copilot. The report claims that it is “nearly ready” and could launch soon although it does not detail a timeline. For the time being, iOS users can access Microsoft Copilot via the Bing Chat app.

Is the iQoo Neo 7 Pro the best smartphone you can buy under Rs. 40,000 in India? We discuss the company’s recently launched handset and what it has to offer on the latest episode of Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.
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