Phone Hacks | Android | iOS | Tech News

[Update: Samsung Denies Adding Dolby Atmos] New Leaked Android Oreo Build for the Snapdragon Samsung Galaxy S8 Adds Dolby Atmos Update 1/8/2018: A member of Samsung’s UK Beta team said that there are “no plans” to add Dolby Atmos support to the Galaxy S8 ‘s Oreo firmware. That might change in the future, but for now, it seems as though Hi-Fi audio fans are out of luck. Samsung has been rolling out  incremental beta updates to Android Oreo for the Galaxy S8, Galaxy S8+, and Note 8 smartphone models over the past few weeks, and just today, a Reddit user named /u/Child_Kicker_16 noticed a new official OTA update  is starting to roll out for the Snapdragon Samsung Galaxy S8. This update includes the January Android security patch update, which notably provides protection against the potentially nasty exploits caused by CPU speculative execution. We’ll post another article on that vulnerability and how it may affect your devices, but according to Google , th...

LG Announces Multiple Audio Devices for 2018, Including a Google Assistant-Enabled Speaker The smart speaker market is booming, and  Amazon’s dominating the field with its Echo lineup of devices. But that hasn’t stopped companies such as Google, Microsoft, Samsung, and Sony from trying for a piece of the pie. Case in point: LG, which previously worked with Google to integrate the Google Assistant into some of its smart appliances , this week the announced a  lineup of speakers for 2018. Source: LG First up is the SK10Y soundbar, a television system that delivers up to 550W of 40kHz sound, supports 5.1.2 channels via Dolby Atmos technology, and has built-in Chromecast features. Next is the portable PK speaker series, which stuff 24-bit Apt-X HD Bluetooth and mood lightning in packages small enough to stow in a bookbag. Finally, there’s the ThinQ,  a new speaker that supports Google Assistant. It looks a little like an Amazon Echo , and it offers LG’s lossless Me...

Google Camera Mod Updated with Portrait Mode/Lens Blur Toggle and 4K Video Support for Some Devices For those on the OnePlus 3 and OnePlus 3T , you cannot use portrait mode on the front-facing camera, due to lack of RAW camera support. When we first reported on the Google Camera HDR+ port , it had very few options and ran on only a handful of devices. It was unstable in many environments, which led to device-specific variants being released . Since then, it has flourished with a wide range of options for users to avail of and tweak their photos to their liking, providing the option to emulate the processing of certain other Google devices to get the best possible quality from your device. Since then, we’ve seen other advancements take place in the form of the Google Pixel 2- exclusive portrait mode being ported to other devices , meaning anyone can now take a  bokeh style shot from your own phone. Now, a new update to that very same mod includes the addition of 4K video reco...

Tweak the Always On Display, Status Bar, and Nav Bar on the Samsung Galaxy S8 with Substratum Theming your Android device is one of the primary reasons why people still root their devices, though recently several rootless theme solutions have cropped up. OEMs have started to implement Sony’s RRO implementation, and Google officially incorporated RRO’s successor, called OMS, into the source code for Android Oreo . Samsung’s smartphones have a theme manager powered by RRO that can be hooked into in order to use custom themes, and that is exactly what the Substratum theme engine with its Sungstratum plugin does. A new theme for the Samsung Galaxy S8 /S8+ allows you to tweak the always on display, status bar, and nav bar. XDA Senior Member tytydraco released a handful of mods for the Samsung Galaxy S8 which require Substratum in order to work. The following tweaks are available Always on Display Hide the battery icon Hide the battery percentage Hide notification  icons ...

LineageOS 15.1 Brings Android 8.1 to OnePlus 5 Last week, an alpha of LineageOS 15.1 was released by XDA Senior Recognized Developer codeworkx for the OnePlus 5 , bringing Android 8.1 Oreo to the OnePlus 5. It’s a little unstable, and a clear upgrade path from the 14.1 official to the 15.1 build has yet to be established. But a data wipe followed by a clean flash is enough to upgrade from 14.1 to the latest version. codeworkx hinted that he might release a unified package for the 5 and the 5T sometime in the future, once the current alpha build enters stable. Right now, though, not all of LineageOS’s applications and features have made it into the alpha build. A word of caution: If you have set a PIN or password, custom recoveries such as TWRP might not be able to decrypt your phone’s data. We suggest reading the flashing guide carefully before proceeding. Get LineageOS 15.1 for the OnePlus 5 tags : android auto, android wear, android device ma...

Report: MediaTek’s Flagship Helio X SoC Line May Return in the Second Half of 2018 At one time, MediaTek was a rising star. Despite issues with abiding by the GPL for the release of kernel sources, its processors became more and more popular for smartphones made in China. This was because MediaTek’s system-on-chips were cheaper than Qualcomm’s and in the low-end and mid-range price ranges, MediaTek’s chips had competitive performance as well. However, the situation has since changed. The Taiwan-based chip maker has found it increasingly difficult to cope with competition from Qualcomm, and in recent years, its chipsets haven’t been competitive in terms of performance and power efficiency against Qualcomm’s chipsets. As Qualcomm has bounced back from its issues, MediaTek has struggled, and accordingly, its market share of smartphone processors has decreased. The problem came to a head when MediaTek launched its flagship Helio X30 SoC in the market. T...

Android Oreo Beta Program Launched for the International Huawei P10 and P10 Plus By now, quite a few smartphone vendors have launched beta programs for the Android Oreo update for their smartphones. The growing list of vendors include  Samsung , Essential , HMD Global , OnePlus , Xiaomi , LG , and Huawei. Up until now, we have seen Huawei launch the Android 8.0 Oreo beta program for the Mate 9 , Honor 9, and Honor V9 . The company has rolled-out the stable Android Oreo update to the Mate 9 as well as the Huawei P10 and P10 Plus in China, but the international variants of these devices haven’t received the stable updates so far. Now, the international Huawei P10 and P10 Plus are being added to the list of devices which have an Android Oreo beta program. Huawei Mobile Romania has announced that the beta program for both devices (that were launched in February 2017) is now live, and the company is looking for beta testers for the Android Oreo update. The beta program targets the ...

Magisk Mod Brings Pixel 2 HDR+, Portrait Mode, and AR Stickers to the Essential Phone Those of you following our recent articles about updates to the Google Camera app will notice that there has been a huge amount of new features ported to other devices, but sadly on the Essential Phone , there are many problems. These include the sound cutting out and breaking the stock camera on the device when used which makes the app unusable as a daily driver camera replacement. This is a problem as previously it was shown that the Google Camera port actually does a lot for the Essential Phone’s camera quality . However, thanks to XDA Senior Member  aer0zer0  those on the Essential Phone can enjoy the latest Google Camera port from the Pixel 2 , which includes full support for HDR+, portrait mode, and AR stickers. It comes in the form of a Magisk module too, so all you need to do is install it and your Essential Phone can support the Google Camera app and make use of all of its features. T...

Android & iOS App Revenue Increased by 35 Percent in 2017, Totaling $60 Billion Apps on both Android and iOS have taken a more “freemium” model in recent years, giving users the option to use an application or play a game and then pay extra for certain features or in-game items. This has led to a boom in app revenue for app developers, with microtransactions becoming ever more popular in some of the most popular games. Apple recently new disclosure requirements on applications with in-game loot boxes  due to the increasing trend. It is thus unsurprising to hear that overall app revenue has only increased in recent years according to a new report from SensorTower , growing by 35 percent year-on-year to $60 billion in 2017. Firstly, that shows that mobile app freemium models are just not going anywhere. With the industry booming, it is seemingly the most profitable form of monetizing apps for many app developers. With 82% of all app revenue being from games, it’s r...

Nokia 6 (First Gen) Receives Android Oreo Beta – Download & Install with Nokia Beta Labs Last month, HMD Global rolled out an Oreo beta for the Nokia 5 and promised that the Oreo beta for the mid-range Nokia 6 would soon follow suit. Making good on its promise, the company announced on Saturday that a beta version of Android Oreo is now available for the Nokia 6, adding that owners residing in India can now enroll their device in the Nokia Beta Labs to get a taste of Android Oreo. HMD Global Chief Product Officer, Juho Sarvikas, took to Twitter to announce the news: https://twitter.com/sarvikas/status/949595526000971777 The beta update, which carries build number (V5.140), is based on Android 8.0 and weighs in at 1799.3MB in size. If you have got a Nokia 6 and are interested in trying out an early version of Android Oreo, you can register your device in the beta program at Nokia’s “Beta Labs” . You will need to provider details like the IMEI number and ...

Essential Phone Gets January 2018 Security Patch with Fixes for Meltdown/Spectre The Essential Phone , also known as the Essential PH-1 , was released in August 2017, and although it has faced its fair share of issues, its user experience has steadily improved with software updates . The Android Oreo beta program is underway , and pain points such as the camera quality have also been mitigated . With price cuts and deals , the phone’s value proposition has improved, even as newer flagship smartphones arrive in the market. Now, it has started receiving the January 2018 security patch update. Google published the January 2018 security patch a few days ago, and included a number of fixes for critical or high-security vulnerabilities. The patch has now started rolling-out to the first and second-generation Google Pixel devices, as well as the Nexus 5X and the Nexus 6P , and the company has also published factory images for the aforementioned devices. The January patch is signifi...

Google Pixel & Pixel 2 Users Reporting Issues with Swipe Gestures on the Lock Screen The Google Pixel line of devices launched in 2017 and has replaced the Nexus line in receiving Android version upgrades first. With Android 8.1 Oreo releasing recently , it came with a number of improvements and bug fixes over the initial release of Android Oreo . However, it seems to have also brought some new problems when it comes to using the lock screen according to multiple reports from users on Reddit and Google’s Product Forums. Apparently, both generations of Pixel devices running Android 8.1 Oreo appear to be affected. The main complaints relate to the difficulty of using the lock screen, with swipe gestures requiring a full device-wide swipe. This includes swiping away notifications, accessing quick toggles, swipe to unlock the device and even answering phone calls. To answer a phone call, one reportedly has to swipe directly from the bottom of the screen to the top. Swiping awa...

One Samsung Galaxy Note 8 (Exynos) Owner Receives Android Oreo Update The Galaxy Note 8 hasn’t gotten a stable version of Android Oreo yet, but Samsung launched a beta program in select markets last year. Since then, it’s issued updates with fixes for the KRACK Wi-Fi exploit and Google’s December Android security patches , and new evidence suggests a broader release is forthcoming. On Friday, a redditor  claiming to work for Samsung published pictures of a Galaxy Note 8 model (SM-N950F) that recently received an update to Oreo. The software (version N950FXXU2CRA1.DM) is an internal test build, according to  SamMobile , and reportedly contains the January 2018 Android security patch. Source: SamMobile Interestingly, the redditor’s phone is an Exynos model of Galaxy Note 8. The Note 8 comes in two variants — one with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor that’s sold in China and the US, and one with Samsung’s Exynos 8895 processor that’s ...

HTC Edge Launcher Updated with Support for HTC U11 and Customization Options The HTC U11 and U11+ are departures from their predecessor, the HTC 10 . Both drop the aluminum unibody construction in favor of a 3D glass back and a metal frame, and have another unique feature, Edge Sense , which actives shortcuts when you squeeze the phones’ sides. Unlike the  Active Edge functionality on the Google Pixel 2, HTC’s Edge Sense is highly customizable, and  it’s only gotten better since its release . On Friday, HTC updated the Edge Launcher — the small menu of apps and quick settings that triggers when you squeeze the sides of the HTC U11+ — with support for the HTC U11. It’s optional — you can choose not to enable the Edge Launcher on the HTC U11 if you prefer the default Edge Sense behavior. The core functionality of the Launcher hasn’t changed — squeezing the sides of the HTC U11 and HTC U11+ brings up apps, contacts, and quick setti...

Alcatel’s upcoming flagship, the Alcatel 5, gets leaked in new renders Alcatel Mobile hasn’t achieved the popularity its China-based competitors Huawei and Xiaomi have, but that isn’t stopping the Nokia-owned company from releasing new phones. In November, Evan Blass published a series of renders for upcoming Alcatel smartphones , including the Alcatel 1X, Alcatel 3, Alcatel 3C, Alcatel 3V, Alcatel 3X and the Alcatel 5, and a new leak sheds more light on the highest-end of the bunch: The Alcatel 5. The Alcatel 5 is said to be the flagship of Alcatel Mobile’s series, the spiritual successor to last year’s Idol series. It received FCC certification in December , and on Friday Mr. Blass posted a render of the device’s final design. They show a metal (or a polycarbonate body with a metallic coating) and a single rear camera. Final design of the upcoming Alcatel 5 flagship. pic.twitter.com/2D3kgyXlMI — Evan Blass (@evleaks) January 4, 2018 Judging by the ...

Amazon Alexa coming to Wearables & Headphones with Alexa Mobile Accessory Kit We’ve seen wearables with Amazon  Alexa integration, but they’ve been few and far between. That’s because the software development kit wasn’t built with portable devices in mind, but that’s changing. To help usher in a new wave of Amazon Alexa-enabled devices, Amazon on Friday announced the Alexa Mobile Accessory Kit. The Alexa Mobile Accessory Kit is designed for portable, on-the-go gadgets such as wearables, headphones, smartwatches, and fitness devices. The goal, Amazon says, is to make it easier for developers to add Alexa to devices — particularly lightweight devices which don’t have that much processing power — with “minimum investment in hardware or integration efforts.” Alexa Mobile Accessory Kit works by sending voice requests from a wearable or activity tracker to the cloud-based  Alexa Voice Service  (AVS) via the Alexa app on a pair...

Nokia 6 (2018) Official with Snapdragon 630 SoC, Bothie Camera Mode and OZO Audio After weeks of leaks and rumors , HMD Global on Friday finally took the wraps off the Nokia 6 (2018) , its latest mid-range smartphone for 2018. It’s the successor to the last year’s Nokia 6 , which was announced in China around the same time a year ago, and it improves upon its predecessor while offering a more competitive package all-around. At first glance, the new Nokia 6 (2018) looks just like the old Nokia 6, but there are a couple of key differences worth noting. For instance, the fingerprint scanner has moved to the back, and the capacitive navigation buttons have been replaced by standard Android software navigation keys. In addition, the stereo speakers found on the original Nokia 6 have been replaced by a single bottom-firing speaker. Source: Nokia   The Nokia 6 (2018) sports a metal unibody design made out of 6000-series aluminum with chamfered edges and rounded corners, which...

Substratum Theme Manager Gets a UI Revamp & Performance Improvements Substratum , a mainstay in Android system theming since the Marshmallow days, received a major design revamp this week along with some security improvements and a new default theme compiler to improve performance. The new design, first teased last month , has been long-anticipated and has finally arrived. The improvements to the user interface (UI) are designed to make the app more user-friendly, and include the ability to show your installed themes in a multi-column grid to save some scrolling and the ability to return to the theme list by simply swiping down on whichever theme you currently have open. Below is a screenshot gallery of the new UI in action. Here you can find basic information about the Substratum app among other things. Tapping on the “substratum version” (currently at version 930) will send you to Github where you can see all the latest changes. You can also set the number of columns...

Qeexo and STMicroelectronics partner to bring Smarter Touch Gestures to Smartphones Since the arrival of touchscreen smartphones, smartphone vendors have been experimenting with touch gestures to replace physical buttons. webOS, Ubuntu Touch, and MeeGo have all used touch gestures in the past, and last year, Apple adopted touch gestures in iOS to replace the home button on the iPhone X. In the Android world, we are starting to see the adoption of touch gestures on a larger scale, with companies like Huawei  and  Xiaomi  all aboard the bandwagon. It’s important to know that smartphone OEMs can only integrate touch gestures if they are sourced from the right suppliers. Most people probably haven’t heard of Qeexo, but the company’s FingerSense platform powers the Knuckle Gestures which are seen on Huawei/Honor phones. Qeexo is a developer of machine learning and AI solutions for sensor data, and today, the company announced a collaboration with STMicroelectronics (a semi...