Android fans are looking forward to Android 12 when it launches, and some details on features for the coming operating system have been surfacing. One feature that was discovered in an APK teardown for Android 12 is an app hibernation feature. The hibernation feature is designed to automatically hibernate unused apps to free up space on the smartphone.
Fancy and interesting as they were, Samsung foldable phones raised many questions about their durability, especially after the first Galaxy Fold failed spectacularly in just a few weeks. Since then, Samsung has spared no effort to inspired confidence in the Galaxy Z Fold and Z Flip lines by improving the mechanisms and protections used on the devices. There is still, however, some doubt about how well they'd fair with a bit of a splash or an attack of dust but those doubts might finally be dispelled in this year's generation of foldables. the first of their kind to get an IP rating.
Ever since Apex Legends released, we've been hearing whispers and rather nebulous statements about the game coming to mobile. We're finally closing in on that launch, with Respawn and Electronic Arts today announcing details about the game's upcoming mobile test. Unfortunately, most of us aren't going to get to participate in the test right when it launches, as it'll be a fairly limited affair to start.
A Google Photos update this week added a Documents tab to assist in the process of finding documents in one's photo collection. This might not seem all that important if you believe you've never used your smartphone or smart device camera to "scan" a document before. Why would you? As some users are finding out, they've captured far more personal, private, or otherwise important information via casual smartphone snap than they initially believed.
It would appear that Google has a new way to share files in the mix with Android. Per the latest version of Google Play Services and some creative work looking at the code for the system, Nearby Share with "everyone mode" is nearly ready for the pubic. This update would add "Everyone" to device visibility right next to "Contacts" and "Hidden" in Nearby Share.
When it comes to using Facebook on Android devices, lots of people out there don't use the Facebook app. For many they prefer the interface offered by so-called wrapper apps such as Swipe and Simple Social. However, both of those apps recently disappeared from the Play Store.
Despite cleaning it up, Samsung's One UI still adds a lot of changes on top of what is commonly known as the "stock Android" experience. For some Android users, that's already too much but others still crave more ways they can tweak their devices. Samsung's suite of Good Lock modules tries to offer those optional tweaks and power features and, now that Good Luck is compatible with Android 11 devices, owners of the Galaxy Tab S7 and Galaxy Tab S7+ can enjoy those options as well to increase their productivity.
Samsung seems to be at a stage where it's rapidly playing around with its camera systems, quickly changing the formula based on what works and what doesn't. One of the puzzle pieces that has changed since last year has been its use of a 3D Time-of-Flight sensor or ToF which was present until the Galaxy S20 last year. Since then, however, the tech has been missing and it seems that next year's Galaxy S22 will miss out on it again, hinting at the end of its use at least for the time being.
Thanks to its history, lineage, and convention, the Android mobile platform is closer to desktop operating systems compared to something like iOS or even the augmented iPadOS. Many of the conventions and features people enjoy on desktops are sometimes available on Android, though it often requires OEMs or third-party apps to implement them. Sometimes, however, Google itself eventually gives in and makes those features available for all Android users, like two that may be coming in Android 12 that will give users access to a "Recycle Bin" and get apps translated even if the developers didn't provide any translations themselves.
Tablets have been trying to overpower laptops since their very inception and Apple iPads have been at the helm of this desirous change. Leading from the front, iPad Pro has been the go-to device for most of us seeking work and play balance with portability. Now as foldable phones venture into the realm of tablets – with their extending form factor – this niche is somewhat diluting. Yet, if you’re into a large slate silhouette, which offers the comfort of a laptop and finesse in creative flow (with the stylus) there are some intriguing Android-based options on the market.
Even with Huawei's, Motorola's, and now even Xiaomi's presence, it's hard to deny that, at least for the moment, Samsung has cornered the foldable phone market that it also created itself. It is close to launching third-generation models of its Galaxy Z Fold and Galaxy Z Flip phones but there are indicators that it isn't going to stop there. Aside from future rollable phones, the company has been known to be toying around with ideas for more foldable devices, one of which might even be arriving as early as next year's first quarter.
Although perhaps most notorious for turning the mobile market into a dumping ground for dozens of models, the old Nokia was also famous for some iconic phones as well as some innovations that were far too ahead of their time. Even before mobile gaming became the lucrative industry it is today, Nokia was actually the first to put out a proper gaming phone way before smartphones became the reigning device category. For those old enough to remember or those who want to see what the fuss was all about, a Symbian/S60 emulator now lets you turn your Android phone into the modern version of the Nokia N-Gage.