Articles by Derrek Lee

Android Auto has entered public testing for its new Coolwalk redesign. Have you tried it out yet?

Samsung is rumored to have a few improvements in store for the Galaxy Z Flip 5, including a larger external display and reduced crease on the main display.
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Sony has discounts on many of its Xperia smartphones, like the brand-new Xperia 1 IV of the Xperia Pro-I with the 1-inch camera sensor.

Here are some of our favorite Cyber Monday deals on wireless headphones and earbuds from Sony, Jabra, Beats, and more.

Still rocking the October security update, though.

What you need to know

Verizon updates the Galaxy Note 20 series with eSIM support.
The update allows Galaxy Note 20 devices to work on two networks at once.
The update follows T-Mobile’s rollout of eSIM support earlier this year.

Carriers in the United States continue to provide eSIM support for more of the best Android phones, with Verizon adding support for the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 series phones.

The update brings support for Dual SIM Dual Standby (DSDS), which allows the phone to work on two separate carriers at once using a physical SIM and eSIM. Using this will enable calls and messages to be received using both numbers, although only one can be assigned at a time for data.

The update also brings support for Verizon’s BYOD, meaning Galaxy Note 20 owners on other U.S. networks can easily switch to the countries largest carrier by subscribers. Just pop in a Verizon SIM, and the phone will adapt to the network.

T-Mobile w…

Spotify is on its way to becoming an all-encompassing audio platform.

What you need to know

Spotify announced that it is acquiring Findaway.
Spotify plans to “supercharge” its audiobook distribution platform to “revolutionize the audiobook space.”
The acquisition is expected to close by the end of the year.

Spotify is expanding its audio prowess with the purchase of Findaway, a leading audiobook platform. The platform is used for both audiobook distribution and self-publishing for independent authors.

The move represents the first significant step into a new endeavor for Spotify, which has dominated the audio space with music and podcasts on the best Android phones. Spotify’s Chief Research & Development Officer, Gustav Söderström, said on Thursday that the acquisition will help accelerate Spotify’s plans to break into audiobooks.

“We’re excited to combine Findaway’s team, best-in-class technology platform, and robust audiobook catalog with Spotify’s expertise to revolut…

OnePlus is ramping up its beta program.

What you need to know

OnePlus has begun recruiting OnePlus 8 owners for the OxygenOS 12 beta.
The closed beta will only accept 200 people with the OnePlus 8/8 Pro and 200 8T owners.
The beta program will be short-term ahead of the stable Android 12 release for OnePlus 8 devices.

OnePlus has begun recruiting more beta testers for its OxygenOS 12 update. This time, the company focuses on the OnePlus 8 series devices.

The company announced the closed beta program on Friday, stating that it will be a short-term program as opposed to previous long-term beta programs that the company has conducted. This suggests that the company may plan to release the update sooner rather than later for anyone still rocking some of 2020’s best Android phones.

The closed beta is limited to only 400 OnePlus 8 owners; specifically, the company wants 200 OnePlus 8/OnePlus 8 Pro owners and 200 OnePlus 8T owners to participate.

To participate, you obviously need a…

There’s one company noticeably absent from the list.

What you need to know

A new commit suggests that Material You dynamic theming will arrive on more devices.
Each manufacturer may implement dynamic colors in their own way.
Samsung is notably not on the list and will likely stick to its own system.

Love it or hate it, Material You in Android 12 brings a major visual overhaul to Android thanks in part to its dynamic color system. Now there appears to be evidence that the color system will arrive on more Android devices.

Mishaal Rahman noticed a code commit listed as “Add supporting manufacturer list of dynamic colors” that lists many Android OEMs that will support dynamic colors on some of the best Android phones. Among these manufacturers are OnePlus, Xiaomi, Nokia (by way of HMD Global), Sony, Oppo, and several more.

This is interesting. The source code for Monet (Android 12’s wallpaper-based theme system) will be released with Android 12L, but based on this code change for …

This is one way to avoid people you don’t like.

What you need to know

A new WhatsApp beta update is rolling out with a new privacy option.
The update adds the ability to hide your profile photo, About information, and “Last seen” status from only certain contacts.
Previously, users could choose to show these to everyone, all of their contacts, or no one.

A new WhatsApp beta update is rolling out, with a new privacy feature that will make it easier to avoid certain contacts or hide your information from specific users.

Spotted by WABetaInfo, the update adds a new option to the Last seen privacy setting. Previously, this gave users the option to show their status to Everyone, their contacts, or no one. The additional “My contacts except…” option lets users specify certain contacts that they don’t want to see their Last seen status.

This will give users more control over who can see when they were last online, and maybe a good way to avoid certain contacts, giving you the appea…

It’s only available on iOS for now.

What you need to know

Amazon introduces a new sharing feature for the Prime Video app.
It lets users edit and share clips from Amazon Original movies and shows.
The took is only available on iOS at the moment, with no word on Android availability.

Amazon announced a new feature for its Prime Video app that allows users to share moments from their favorite movies and TV shows.

The new sharing tool is only available on select Amazon Originals and takes a 30-second clip that users can share on social media or via a message.

When viewing an eligible movie or show, you will notice a share button. Clicking it will pause the content and bring you to an editor with 30 seconds of a clip that can be trimmed down to your liking and previewed before sharing.

It’s a handy way of showing off your favorite clip from a show, especially if it’s a particular part you might not be able to find elsewhere, like on YouTube. It’s also a pretty uncommon feature …