Latest news with #AamirSiddiqui
Android Authority
20 hours ago
- Android Authority
Google Phone's Material 3 Expressive revamp and new call gestures are starting to roll out
Aamir Siddiqui / Android Authority TL;DR Google has started rolling out the Phone app's Material 3 Expressive redesign on the beta channel. The updated interface brings visual changes to the in-call screen and Recent tab. It also introduces two new incoming call gesture options for the incoming call screen. Google has started rolling out the Material 3 Expressive redesign of its Phone app to some users, which we first spotted in a teardown late last month. It includes visual changes for the app's Recent tab and in-call screen, along with two new interfaces for the incoming call screen. Google Phone's Expressive makeover appears to be rolling out via a server-side update on the latest beta release (version 180.0.771769344). As shown previously, the updated in-call screen features larger UI elements, including bigger pill-shaped buttons, contact names, and caller photos. The Recent tab has also received a minor change, and the recent calls list now has a contrasting background with rounded edges. Google has also rolled out the new 'Incoming call gesture' setting to the Phone app, which lets you choose one of two new incoming call screen interfaces. If you pick the 'Single tap' gesture, the incoming call interface features 'Answer' and 'Decline' buttons that you can tap to receive or end an incoming call. The 'Horizontal swipe' gesture, on the other hand, adds a pill-shaped slider to the incoming call screen. It has a phone button in the middle and options to answer or decline the call on either side. On this interface, you can swipe the phone button to the right to receive a call or to the left to decline it. These Google Phone app changes aren't widely available, but we expect Google to roll them out soon. We'll update this post when the Phone app's Material 3 Expressive makeover hits the stable channel. Got a tip? Talk to us! Email our staff at Email our staff at news@ . You can stay anonymous or get credit for the info, it's your choice.
Android Authority
a day ago
- Android Authority
Samsung may soon release One UI 8 beta builds for the Galaxy S24 series
Aamir Siddiqui / Android Authority TL;DR Samsung has begun internal testing of the One UI 8 update for the Galaxy S24 series. A tipster has spotted the first internal test build for the Galaxy S24 Ultra, suggesting that the One UI 8 beta program for the lineup could be around the corner. Samsung plans to release stable One UI 8 this summer, starting with its upcoming foldables and gradually extending the rollout to older models. Samsung has confirmed plans to release stable One UI 8 this summer. The upcoming Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Galaxy Z Flip 7 will be the first devices to ship with the update, and older models are expected to receive it shortly after their launch. In preparation for the stable release, Samsung has already started beta testing the software for the Galaxy S25 series and could soon announce the One UI 8 beta program for last year's Galaxy S24 lineup. Tipster Tarun Vats has spotted the first One UI 8 test build for the Galaxy S24 series on Samsung's servers, suggesting that the One UI 8 beta program for last year's flagship lineup may be right around the corner. Samsung is reportedly testing the firmware (build number S928BXXU4CYF7) for the European and Indian variants of the Galaxy S24 Ultra. Although we've not seen internal builds for the base Galaxy S24 and Galaxy S24 Plus, Samsung will likely offer beta builds for these devices as well. We expect the company to announce the One UI 8 beta program for the Galaxy S24 series in the coming days, and we'll update this post as soon as it goes live. Got a tip? Talk to us! Email our staff at Email our staff at news@ . You can stay anonymous or get credit for the info, it's your choice.
Android Authority
4 days ago
- Android Authority
OnePlus 15 leak teases big changes, and not everyone's going to be happy
Aamir Siddiqui / Android Authority TL;DR A new leak suggests that the upcoming OnePlus flagship, likely the OnePlus 15, will feature a flat 6.78-inch 1.5K display and the next-generation Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 2 chipset. It is expected to have a 50MP triple camera setup, with a large primary camera and a periscope zoom camera. OnePlus could also be moving away from its Hasselblad partnership in favor of launching its own 'image' brand. The OnePlus 13 ticks all the right boxes for a top-tier Android phone, and it's natural to expect the company to keep up the theme with its successor. The next flagship from the company will likely be called the OnePlus 15 and not the OnePlus 14 (as Chinese culture regards the number '4' as unlucky). Irrespective of the name, we expect a banger, and new leaks suggest it very well will be. Leaker Digital Chat Station on Weibo has shared some specifications for the next OnePlus flagship, most likely the OnePlus 15: As per Digital Chat Station, the OnePlus 15 will come with the SM8550, i.e., the successor to the Snapdragon 8 Elite (possibly called the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 2, unless Qualcomm calls it something else). This aligns with the historical trends of OnePlus flagships, so it's not surprising. The leaker's claim that the OnePlus 15 could get a 6.78-inch 1.5K resolution flat LIPO display is surprising. The OnePlus 13 comes with a larger 6.82-inch QHD+/2K display that is almost flat but with quad-curved edges (instead of the more pronounced curved edges on the older OnePlus 12), while the OnePlus 13R has a flat 6.78-inch 1.5K display. If this leak from the reliable leaker is correct, the OnePlus 15's display could be similar to the OnePlus 13R's flat display. That's not a bad change despite the downgrade on paper, as the 13R also has a very good and practical display. The bezels on the upcoming device are also said to be very thin. OnePlus 13's curved display OnePlus 13R's flat display Further, the engineering test device does not have a circular camera island. The shape is unknown, but since this is a test device, the shape of the camera island on the finalized retail units could differ. The leak also reiterates that the phone will come with a 50MP triple camera setup with a large sensor primary camera and a periscope zoom camera. The final part of the leak suggests that the OnePlus 15 could have the company's own 'image brand.' This brings into question the company's collaboration with Hasselblad, but it's too early to judge whether this will pan out or not. OnePlus has been collaborating with Hasselblad since the OnePlus 9 series in 2021. Even the OnePlus 13 features Hasselblad-branded cameras, and we've seen the results of the collaboration over the years with improved color calibration and better portrait mode on these co-branded OnePlus flagships. So if the company does part ways with Hasselblad, it has successfully reaped the benefits of the collaboration on existing devices. To sum up this OnePlus 15 leak, the processor will get an upgrade, the design language could change, the display could be downgraded from overkill to practical, and the camera could get an upgrade, but without a branding partner. All in all, there seem to be plenty of changes planned for the OnePlus 15 that could set it far apart from the OnePlus 13. Got a tip? Talk to us! Email our staff at Email our staff at news@ . You can stay anonymous or get credit for the info, it's your choice.
Android Authority
11-06-2025
- Android Authority
Missing Android 16's Pixel VIPs widget? You're not alone
Aamir Siddiqui / Android Authority TL;DR Google's new Pixel VIPs widget launched with the release of Android 16. However, some Pixel owners report that the widget is missing. An update to the Contacts app is likely needed before the widget becomes available. We've known for a while that Google has been working on a Pixel VIPs widget. This widget is one of the many features included in June's Pixel Drop, which was released yesterday. Although the update is out, the Pixel VIPs widget is nowhere to be seen for some Pixel owners. As a refresher, the Pixel VIPs widget is a Contacts app feature that allows you to put a 4×1 widget on your homescreen. You can insert up to eight of your contacts into this widget to stay connected to the most important people in your life. What makes this feature special is that it serves as a central store of various information about those people, populating details like birthday reminders, local weather, time information, and even their location if shared. VIPs can also bypass Do Not Disturb settings. Once you update to Android 16, you should get a note from Pixel Tips explaining how the feature works. Although the explainer is there, the actual feature appears to be missing for some users. One poster on Reddit states that they updated their Pixel 9 Pro to Android 16, but can't find the widget anywhere. Another Redditor claims the same thing happened to their phone after updating to Android 16. I can also confirm that the widget is missing for my Pixel 6 Pro after the update. It's important to keep in mind that this isn't the first time something like this has happened with Google's feature drops. Occasionally, some features that are supposed to be part of the main update show up later. For example, Video Boost was a promised feature for December's Pixel Drop, but it wasn't immediately available after the update was released. It's very likely that the Contacts app needs an update before the widget becomes available. You'll also need to have the Pixel VIPs app. So we're really just waiting for Google to flip the switch. Got a tip? Talk to us! Email our staff at Email our staff at news@ . You can stay anonymous or get credit for the info, it's your choice.
Android Authority
09-06-2025
- Android Authority
Pixel VIPs app makes an early appearance on the Play Store
Aamir Siddiqui / Android Authority TL;DR The Google Pixel VIPs app is now available on the Play Store for some Pixel phone owners. The app reveals more details about the upcoming Pixel VIPs home screen widget. Unfortunately, you can't access the actual Pixel VIPs widget after downloading this app. We uncovered the existence of a Pixel VIPs widget back in January. This widget centralizes all sorts of info from your preferred contacts in a home screen widget. Now, it looks like the feature is available to Pixel phone owners — well, sort of. The Pixel VIPs app listing is showing up on the Google Play Store for some Pixel owners, and we're able to see this on our own Pixel phones as well. Users can also tap the 'update' button and install it. Check out the screenshots below. 'Quickly and easily connect with the people who matter most to you. See your last call and message with them, their real-time location, activity suggestions, and more,' reads an excerpt of the app listing. 'Your VIPs can also bypass Do Not Disturb, so you never miss a moment.' We also previously uncovered evidence that the feature supports up to eight contacts, birthday reminders, and notes functionality for a contact. Furthermore, we discovered that WhatsApp integration was also in the works. So this certainly seems like a robust widget and feature. Unfortunately, updating the app doesn't actually enable the Pixel VIPs widget right now. So we'll likely have to wait for an additional update or server-side change to access the feature. Nevertheless, the app listing suggests that we won't have to wait too long. Got a tip? Talk to us! Email our staff at Email our staff at news@ . You can stay anonymous or get credit for the info, it's your choice.
