Articles about Android

It's not all that long since the launch of Android 8.0 Oreo -- not that many people have it on their phones -- but Google has already pushed out a developer preview of Oreo 8.1.

As this is an early beta, there are not a huge number of changes to see in Android Oreo 8.1 developer preview -- but under the hood, there's quite a lot going on. For now, compatibility is limited to the Nexus 5X, Nexus 6P, Pixel C, Pixel, Pixel XL, Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL, but for these handsets new features include a Neural Networks API to improve machine learning, improved autofill, and Android Go optimizations.

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Despite the OnePlus 5 only having been available for a few months, there have been rumors that its successor, the OnePlus 5T, is not far away. The sudden 'out of stock' status of the OnePlus 5 served only to fuel these rumors further, and now a pre-order page for the handset has revealed much of what you might want to know.

In recent days we've seen leaks of what the upcoming phone looks like, but now we know many of the specs, the price, and an approximate release date

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I’m a big fan of e-ink Kindles -- preferring them over real books. If you do a lot of reading, they’re great. However, some people prefer the versatility of an iPad, Android tablet or smartphone, and there's a clear benefit to those. You only need to carry around the one device.

Today, Amazon launches a rebuilt Kindle app for both iOS and Android that provides easy access to the most popular Kindle features, and adds new functionality, such as built-in access to the Goodreads community.

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If you've ever wondered what happens to the data Google collects via Chrome, today's announcement gives you something of an idea. The newly unveiled Chrome User Experience Report is a collection of data from users who have opted in to usage statistic reporting, the idea being that developers will be able to see how users experience the websites they visit.

Google launched the new tool at the Chrome Dev Summit 2017 in San Francisco, and at the same time also announced Trusted Web Activity. This is essentially a way to provide app-like behavior in Chrome to create a more cohesive experience.

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As promised earlier in the year, Google has launched its payment service to streamline the checkout process for Android users. Pay with Google aims to kill the frustration that can stem from having to fill out endless forms in order to complete a purchase.

To start with, Pay with Google is supported by 15 vendors including Instacart, Kayak, iFood and GameTime, but there are plenty more big names -- like StubHub, Deliveroo, Airbnb and Just Eat -- due to join. The service is available from today, and can be used in various Android apps, or Chrome on the web.

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Tweaking tools used to be all the rage for Windows, but not so much these days. The phenomenon has, however, spread to the mobile world to a certain extent. OnePlus owners have the streamlined OxygenOS to work with for an experience that's near to pure Android; but there's always scope for tweaking.

Whether you have rooted your phone or not, JOnePlus Tools gives you the opportunity to tweak your phone to within an inch of its life (in the best possible way, of course). As well as working with rooted and non-rooted phones, it even works with the Oreo betas that are available from OnePlus at the moment.

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Calling up the Google Assistant on your Android phone takes nothing more than bellowing "OK, Google" at your handset. But you may be someone who feels that this is just too many syllables to utter.

Google Home users have a slightly easier time. As well as "OK, Google" it is also possible to say "Hey, Google" -- meaning you can start getting help in two thirds of the time! Now the same option is making its way to Android phones.

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Developers who want to sell apps or offer in-app subscriptions on Google Play have to give 30 percent of the revenue up. It's the cost of doing business on Google's popular app store -- and the same goes for the App Store and Microsoft Store as well.

However, in a move that mirrors Apple's policy change last year, Google will soon take a lower cut from developers who retain subscribers for more than a year.

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Fans of Plex will very soon be able to access their music through Android Auto. Whether you have Android Auto built into your car, or you're going to rely on the app on your phone instead, Plex can now sit alongside your travel directions.

Plex for Android Auto allows for voice-control of music playback, and the interface has been enlarged and simplified for ease of use when in your car.

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As well as unveiling a new bug bounty program for select Android apps, Google has also announced a number of changes to its Play Store. The first is the introduction of Instant Apps to Google Play, giving users the chance to try out apps without even having to install them.

The idea is to give people the opportunity to test out apps almost immediately without having to wait for them to download -- ideal for anyone with limited data or a slow connection. Instant Apps are essentially streamed to devices meaning they can be running in seconds.

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Google has announced that it is teaming up with HackerOne to bring a bug bounty program to the Play Store. Seeking to weed out problems with Android apps, the Google Play Security Reward Program pays out $1,000 for reported issues that meet certain criteria.

The program is a little different to other bug bounty programs as Google will pay out for problems that are found in third party apps, not just its own. At the moment there are a very small number of apps that are taking part, but Google is inviting developers to opt their apps into the program.

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Following the lead of Facebook Messenger and iMessage, WhatsApp is gaining a location sharing feature. It's something that was tested earlier in the year, and now it has been deemed ready for prime time.

The "Share Live Location" feature can be enabled for a fixed period of time -- you can choose between 15 minutes, an hour, or 8 hours -- or you can manually switch it on and off as required. When enabled, WhatsApp will report your location to your contacts.

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If you are a fan of Android smartphones, this is surely an exciting time to be alive. While things have been boring for the last few years, 2017 has given us many excellent flagships. There is the Google Pixel 2, Samsung Galaxy Note8, Essential Phone, LG v30, and more. It sounds crazy to say, but there is almost too much choice when it comes to wonderful Android phones!

Today, the market gets a bit more crowded (in a good way), as Huawei officially unveils the 5.9-inch Mate 10 and 6-inch Mate 10 Pro flagship Android smartphones. The company will even sell an elegant Porsche Design variant of the Mate 10 -- for a huge premium of course. Not only are these devices chock-full of top specifications, but they are very beautiful too. All models feature a glass body, a front fingerprint reader, huge 4000 mAh fast-charge battery, and the Android Oreo-based EMUI 8.0 operating system.

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Facebook's desperation to appeal to the teenage market is well known, and its latest attempt to tap into it sees the social network acquiring tbh. The anonymous feedback app has proved to be a huge hit on iOS since its launch in August. An Android version is still in the pipeline.

With tbh, despite the anonymity, there's a strong focus on positive polls -- questions like "who has the best smile?" crop up, for instance -- and over a billion pieces of feedback have been given in a matter of weeks. It's not clear whether Facebook will keep the service truly anonymous, or will make use of the data it could undoubtedly gather through the app.

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Earlier today, news broke about the KRACK vulnerability that affects the WPA2 protocol. Security researchers have warned that the problem affects millions of devices running everything from Windows to Android and Linux.

Microsoft has announced that it has already released a security patch to fix the vulnerability in Windows. Google says that a patch for affected Android devices will be released "in the coming weeks."

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