Android is Google’s open-source mobile operating system; think of it like a public park compared to Apple’s walled garden. It dates back to 2007, and though its dessert-inspired version names were retired in 2019 for a straightforward numbering system, there will always be a special place in our hearts for an OS called “Oreo” and “Ice Cream Sandwich.
The super simple gadget trying to replace your phone
Plus, in this week’s Installer: a music history doc you’ll love, the surprisingly great new Yahoo News app, Apple’s new Passwords app, and much more.
Looks like Motorola will be the next company to get into the tracker tag game. MySmartPrice spotted the Moto Tag on a UAE certification site, and seems to be an extremely likely candidate to join Google’s Find My Device network.
There’s no information about a potential launch date, but the sooner the better — tracking tags from Chipolo and Pebblebee are both on backorder.
Phone Link already lets you share files from PC to certain Android phones — a new Windows Insider Preview now adds your phone directly to the Windows Share menu, too. Also, you can quickly summon jump lists by right-clicking an app pinned to the Start Menu. More here.
Next, can I get phone mirroring without needing to unlock my Samsung, pretty please?
Android Authority reports that the latest APK for Google Messages contains a new fab that allows users to chat with Gemini directly instead of tapping the button at the bottom of the messages list.
It's a slightly more streamlined process, but given this isn’t even available to beta testers yet there’s no word on when it could be generally available.
The Light Phone 3 is a little less light — but a lot more useful
Striking the right balance for a minimalist phone is hard, and sometimes a couple of new features can go a long way.
Earlier this year Motorola launched a trio of Edge phones internationally. Now, the budget-friendliest of the bunch will be making its way to the US as the Motorola Edge 2024. It’ll cost $549 unlocked when it goes on sale June 20th.
Fingers crossed that the Edge 50 Ultra makes it to the US later this year — I’m ready for a wooden phone revival.
A better way to take video on your phone
Plus, in this week’s Installer: a Fitbit for kids, a MoviePass documentary, a better AirTag for your wallet, and much more.
The Apple TV app is available in Apple’s ecosystem, Windows, and some smart TV platforms, and that’s about it.
But now Apple is seeking an Android engineer to “help build an application used by millions to watch and discover tv and sports.” Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman believes company is preparing to bring Apple TV Plus to Android phones.
Last week, Google announced that it’s bringing Gemini to the Gmail mobile app, and now we have a glimpse at how it might work. Android Authority contributor AssembleDebug found references to the new Gemini button in the Gmail app on Android, and showed off how you can ask for help summarizing emails and writing responses.
The Daylight DC1 is a $729 attempt to build a calmer computer
Daylight Computer’s first gadget is a little Kindle, a little iPad, and a lot of high-minded ideas about our relationship with technology.
The Unicode Consortium has proposed adding these seven additional emoji to the standardized catalog referenced by iOS, Android, and other devices.
The beta review period for Unicode 16.0 lasts until July 2nd, after which the new emoji should be officially approved. It can, however, take several months for companies like Apple, Microsoft, and Google to make their own designs so don’t expect to see them immediately.
Android Police spotted that as of the April 30th Hue Android app update, you can change what all the lights in a zone or room do after they regain power by tapping the three dots menu for that room or zone, then Edit Room > select all > Edit.
You can also just tap “Move to” and move them somewhere else. The iOS app works the same way.
As promised, owners of older Pixels are starting to see Magic Editor features unlocked and free to use in Google Photos. Other Androids and iPhones will get them, too, but you’ll need a $9.99 Google One subscription to save more than 10 edits per month.
The editor lets you make complex photo adjustments automatically, such as removing people from scenes.
Android 15’s second public beta introduced customizable vibrations for notifications for different apps.
9to5Google notes Pixel phones go a step further, using the phone’s microphones and sensors to adjust vibration intensity based on your surroundings. Pixel phones are particularly noisy when they vibrate on a hard surface like a table, and this feature seems to address that problem. Now that’s what I call a good vibe.
Google I/O 2024: all the news from the developer conference
It’s Google’s most AI-focused developer conference yet, presenting a faster Gemini, more capable Search, and a scam call detector.