Articles about Android

WhatsApp is a near-ubiquitous messaging app used and loved by millions of people globally. Its popularity does not mean, however, that it is perfect – there are many areas in which there is room for improvement.

Thankfully, WhatsApp developers are not inclined to rest on their laurels and add features, make changes and improvements, and respond to feedback with speed and frequency that puts other dev teams to shame. The latest addition is a welcome one: threaded messaging.

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Read receipts in WhatsApp are getting an upgrade. The two-tick system that appears below the sent message is loved and hated; yes, it lets you know that a message is sending, that it has been received, and that it has been read – but why is there no response now you know that it has been read!?

Putting aside concerns about why someone may be ignoring you, themes in WhatsApp which change the color of the messaging app can be problematic. If you’d become used to read receipts having blue check marks, the fact that some themes changed that had the potential for confusion. Now WhatsApp is addressing this.

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If you are a fan of Lite apps – those mobile apps that are light on data usage and small in size – prepare to mourn the loss of Outlook Lite. Microsoft has announced plans to kill off the lightweight email app, and will start by blocking new installations.

The company does not use the words “streamlining" or “money saving”, but says that the decision was taken so “we can focus our investments on the Outlook Mobile app, our flagship Android experience, which provides better functionality and user experience”.

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Microsoft has gone all in with its embrace of Android and its various moves towards making Windows 11 play nicely with Google’s mobile operating system.

We’ve already seen the Link to Windows app get some serious attention, and most recently Microsoft added a very Apple-like option to resume using a mobile app in Windows. An as-yet unannounced feature is clipboard sharing, and this has been unearthed in a preview build of Windows 11.

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For many people, Google Maps is absolutely indispensable, and Google is about to make the navigation tool even more useful in Android 16. Taking advantage of a new feature introduced in the latest version of its mobile operating system, Google Maps is gaining useful Live Updates support.

Live Updates are a new type of notification that are used in very specific circumstances – such as flight tracking, delivery tracking, or navigation. Google is experimenting with Google Maps integration and, if it is done correctly, it could be a game-changer.

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If you have more than one Android device, you have probably used the Google Play Store to install apps on a device other than the one in your hand. The ability to ‘remotely’ install apps in this way is a great time saver, and Google is expanding the management features available to users.

If you can install an app on not only the device in front of you but also another linked to your account, why not uninstall it in the same way? Technically, you can, but Google has made it so awkward that it puts most people off – until now.

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When you install an app, the chances are that you’re going to want to fire up straight away. To help with this, Google is in the process of rolling out a handy auto-open feature to Android users.

If this sounds familiar, that is because it is something Google was spotted working on back in the second half of last year. You would have been forgiven for thinking that the company had forgotten about it, but the auto-open toggle is back.

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Downloading apps from an official app store helps to avoid dodgy  software. The obstacles that can stand in the way of  developers getting their apps into the likes of the Google Play Store, however, means that sideloading remains incredibly popular.

Sideloaded apps – those downloaded from unofficial sources – can be safe, but it is something of a minefield. And this is why Google has announced plans to block the sideloading of apps from developers that it has not been able to verify.

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Microsoft has been slowly showing more and more love towards Android and its interoperability with Windows 11. This is something that is abundantly clear in the latest builds of Windows 11 released to Insiders on the Dev and Beta channels.

The latest feature to start rolling out is the ability to seamlessly resume apps from Android phones on PC. This is not something that works with all apps – indeed, it is not something you would want or need to work with all apps – but it is an interesting feature which has a lot of potential. For now, however, it is starting small.

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Belkin has announced a new line of wireless chargers that use the new Qi2 25W standard. The UltraCharge series includes three products designed for different use cases, all capable of charging devices faster and more efficiently than earlier Qi models.

Qi2 is the newest wireless charging standard created by the Wireless Power Consortium. It allows speeds of up to 25W, greater energy efficiency, and better compatibility across devices from multiple brands.

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Whether you have been waiting for it or not, Google Password Manager is now available as a standalone app for Android users.

Breaking the Password Manager component out of the Chrome browser is an interesting move. There is no real reason for Google doing so other than making it slightly easier to access saved passwords and usernames.

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Google has introduced a handy new way for Android users to keep on top of their emails – a Mark As Read option.

This may sound like nothing new, but this is not just any Mark As Read option. It is a new Mark As Read option that can be accessed from. The notification that appears when a new email arrives.

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Users of Microsoft Lens – originally launched several years ago as Office Lens – have just a few short weeks left to use the tool.

Microsoft has announced that the incredibly popular iOS and Android app is to be “retired” (translation: killed off). Having started life under a different name over a decade ago, the app provides a way to convert images to PDF, Word, PowerPoint, and Excel files and much more. But not for very much longer.

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Talent borrows, genius steals – or so the saying goes. In the world of software, there is certainly a lot of borrowing of ideas, and Google is no stranger to bringing influences from other browsers to Chrome.

The latest example sees Google copying an idea that was implemented by Apple some time ago. Designed to aid navigation, Chrome now has a “predictive back animation” much like the one that was introduced in Android 16 for app navigation. But just what does this latest feature mean for users – and when can you expect to see it?

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Microsoft is improving the experience for anyone using their Android phone with Windows. By updating the Link to Windows app, the company has done more than just tweak things a little, or bolt things on; this is a full reimagining of the app.

There is a lot to dig into with this refresh, but it is important to note that it is not yet something that is available to everyone. Let’s dive in and take a look at what the new version of Link to Windows has to offer.

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