Google Pixel 8 leak points to desktop mode support.

Thanks to a source inside Google, Kamila Wojciechowska (via 🔗 Android Authority) has revealed support for an alternative USB DisplayPort mode that will appear in the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro. This will allow the phone to be used as a desktop replacement using the USB-C port.

The feature is similar to Samsung's DeX technology introduced in 2017, which allows desktop mode to be launched using a USB-C cable or HDMI adapter. In addition, hints of desktop mode as well as USB-C DisplayPort Alt Mode support (via Mishaal Rahman) are also present in Android 14, on which the Pixel 8 is due out.

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New leak on Google Pixel 8: battery capacity, charging speeds, Wi-Fi 7 support and more.

Thanks to a source inside Google, Kamila Wojciechowska (via 🔗 Android Authority) has shared new info about the upcoming Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro:

• Battery capacity:
○ Pixel 8: 4,485mAh
○ Pixel 8 Pro: 4,950mAh

• Wired charging speeds:
○ Pixel 8: 24W
○ Pixel 8 Pro: 27W

• Wireless charging speeds:
○ Pixel 8: 20W (proprietary); 12W (Qi);
○ Pixel 8 Pro: 23W (proprietary); 12W (Qi);

• Wi-Fi 7 support — Pixel 8 and 8 Pro will be equipped with the updated Broadcom BCM4398 Bluetooth/Wi-Fi communications chip that supports Wi-Fi 7. The new standard is based on Wi-Fi 6 and 6E and provides improved speeds, latency and reliability, while maintaining backward compatibility with older standards.

• Ultra-wideband support remains exclusive to the Pro version of the smartphone. An upgraded module will be used.

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Google Calendar is the next app to receive Material 3 Switches.

Along with the app update to version 2023.26.0-543240418, you'll see an updated switch component from the Material Design 3 library on the settings and event/task creation pages.

Previously, new switches appeared in Google Keep and Password Manager.

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The first live shots of the Pixel 8 Pro test prototype.

A Reddit user posted on r/GooglePixel images of an engineering sample of the Pixel 8 Pro, which he says he received them “from the device team in Google for testing.” He quickly deleted his post, but Droid-Life managed to save the images.

Here, we can see the back and front sides of the smartphone. On the bootloader screen, we can notice the already known codename "husky", as well as the presence of 12GB of Samsung LPDDR5 RAM and 128GB of storage.

The Tensor G3 is known to be referred to by the codename "zuma", which is mentioned here on the back of this test device.

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Google Photos video editor now offers a new Effects tab.

When editing a video, you'll see a new tab that presents 12 effects: Dust mix, Paper tear, B&W Film, Lomo, Light leak, Film mood, Chromatic, Fish-eye, Vintage, Layouts, Retro film and Poster.

This tool starts to appear to users through the server side update.

H/T: Emad Hussien from 🔗 In Depth Tech Reviews YouTube channel.

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The July 2023 Android 13 security patch for Pixel devices goes live.

Build number: TQ3A.230705.001

Changelog:

Battery & Charging
• General improvements for charging, battery usage or thermal performance in certain conditions *[Pixel Tablet]

User Interface
• Fix for issue occasionally causing lock screen notification text to display behind unlock UI elements *[Pixel Tablet]

🔗 OTAs

🔗 Factory Images

🔗 Android Security Bulletin — July 2023

🔗 Pixel Update Bulletin — July 2023

Google News | En

Gboard will have a new undo feature.

The latest beta version introduces a hidden undo_access_point flag, which, when enabled, brings a new "undo" button to the access point bar. This will help you undo any action, including deleting part or whole word, or selecting one of the tooltip options.

The keyboard remembers the entire history of the current text field and can undo actions up to the originally blank line.

H/T: Rboard Themes

Google News | En

The Tensor G5 will be entirely designed by Google and manufactured at TSMC.

According to The Information (via 9to5Google), Google is preparing first fully custom Pixel chip codenamed "Laguna", with a release date scheduled for 2025 and likely to be called the Tensor G5. It will be based on TSMC’s 3-nanometer manufacturing process and Integrated Fan-Out for reduced thickness and increased power efficiency.

Google will still use Samsung to design and manufacture the Tensor chips next year, but keep in mind that with each generation, the company is replacing more Samsung components with its own integrated circuits.

According to a former Google executive with direct knowledge of work on the chips, the delay in releasing fully custom Tensors to market partly stems from challenges dividing and coordinating work between the U.S. and India, where the majority of its Tensor silicon engineers are based, along with high turnover inside the group.

Google News | En

🚀First look at the Android 14 easter egg!

Android 14 Beta 4* has a new easter egg that will delight all space sim fans. To activate the easter egg, open Settings > About Phone > Android Version and tap on "Android Version" several times until you see the Android 14 logo floating in space. Hold down the "Logo" button and you'll see "stars" start whizzing by, then a space travel mini-game will open.

*It looks like Android 14 Beta 4 is due out today, but Mishaal Rahman has already managed to get access to it via the launch of DSU package, which are already available for download. (Build number UPB4.230623.005)

Video Source: Mishaal Rahman

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Android 14's fourth beta is out! Pixel Tablet and Fold are joining the beta test.

This beta includes the new Android 14 easter egg. According to Google, the 4 and 5 betas (and others) will offer release candidate builds for your final testing, which means the company will now focus only on bug fixes.

The official release is expected in late August/early September.

Build: UPB3.230519.014 → UPB4.230623.005
Patch: July 2023

• OTAs
• Factory Images

🔗 Register for Android beta testing

Google News | En

Android 14 Beta 4 resolved issues:

Top:
• Fixed a system issue that caused both notifications to stop appearing and Quick Settings tiles to stop working until the device was restarted.
• Fixed system issues that sometimes caused VoIP apps to stop recording audio when the screen was locked or the app was put in the background.
• Fixed an issue where the title of the currently playing song would abruptly disappear or be replaced with other information when transitioning a device from always-on-display mode to the lockscreen.
• Fixed an issue that sometimes prevented devices from charging or allowed a device to charge but erroneously reported that there were issues with the connected charging cable or accessory.
• Fixed a system issue that sometimes caused the Android System Intelligence service to crash.

Others:
• Fixed an issue that caused the CredentialManager registry to fail when using more than one set of credentials.
• Fixed issues where the HealthConnect API returned null pointer exceptions in some cases to calling apps.
• Fixed issues that could cause boot loops and "Application not responding" messages on some devices.
• Fixed an issue where some elements on the system UI didn't retheme correctly when switching between day and night modes.
• Fixed a system issue that caused the Picture-in-Picture (PiP) window to be unresponsive when using an app (such as Google Maps) in PiP mode and then locking the screen and reopening the app by tapping the notification on the lock screen.
• Fixed an issue where the lockscreen wallpaper was sometimes reset to a blank, black screen when setting a new wallpaper for the home screen.
• Fixed issues that caused poor UI animations in the launcher.
• Fixed an issue where an intent picker dialog was incorrectly shown during work profile setup, which interfered with a user completing setup successfully.
• Fixed an issue that caused the rounded borders on notifications to display incorrectly.
• Fixed an issue where a device could sometimes become unresponsive if eSIM was disabled.
• Fixed an issue where the lock screen sometimes got stuck with a blank, black screen.
• Fixed an issue with ConnectivityService that could cause a device to crash and restart in rare cases.
• Fixed an issue that sometimes caused the system volume slider to be stuck on the screen.
• Fixed issues where the titles of some Settings pages were not announced correctly and some areas within the system Settings app couldn't be accessed when TalkBack was enabled.
• Fixed an issue that could cause fingerprint enrollment to fail if the device was rotated during enrollment.
• Fixed an issue where connected Bluetooth devices were not ranked correctly in the system audio output switcher.
• Fixed an issue where the notification shade didn't close after tapping a notification to launch an intent. Fixed an issue that sometimes caused the analog clock to fail to display when viewing wallpaper preview.
• Fixed an issue that sometimes caused only a right-side Bluetooth earbud to be paired.
• Fixed issues that prevented app launch animations from playing correctly.
• Fixed an issue where notifications from a prioritized conversation were erroneously dismissed when the group of non-prioritized notifications was dismissed.
• Fixed an issue where the sharesheet sometimes crashed after pressing the copy button.
• Fixed an issue where the UI didn't return to the sharesheet workflow if a user edited an image from the sharesheet.
• Fixed an issue that sometimes caused Face Unlock to fail.
• Fixed an issue that sometimes caused a USB headset to consume additional power when connected to a device that was making a call using Voice over LTE (VoLTE).
• Fixed a null pointer exception that sometimes caused the launcher to crash after launching an app.
• Fixed an issue where, when using a device with a work profile, the Google Play Store app in the work profile would hang or crash when launched.
• Fixed various issues that caused the system UI to crash in some cases.
• Fixed other various issues that were impacting system stability.