Articles by Derrek Lee

Typing on Wear OS just got a lot better.

What you need to know

Google just released an update to the Gboard app on Wear OS.
The new version features enhanced suggestions, support for multiple inputs, and more.
The update is rolling out today and measures in at 12.18MB.

Google just dropped a surprise update to the Gboard app on Wear OS. The new update brings a new layout the more closely resembles Gboard on the best Android phones while also bringing a few new features and improvements to the experience.

The keyboard now comes with a black background instead of the grey-ish tone found on the previous version. It also changes some design and layout elements with larger, more pronounced buttons. You can see the difference between the two versions below:

The circular language button is no longer present and has instead been moved to the space bar. Pressing and holding the now-larger space bar will bring up language and input options similar to how the smartphone app behaves. And…

Google is going to protect you whether you like it or not.

What you need to know

Google is highlighting its password management tools on World Password Day.
Eligible accounts will be automatically enrolled into two-factor authentication.
Google hopes to stop using passwords eventually due to their insecure nature.

Google has announced that it will automatically enroll users into two-factor authentication in a move to better protect accounts. The announcement came as Google recognizes World Password Day.

In a blog post, Google stated that accounts that are “appropriately configured” will be enrolled soon, although did not elaborate on when the change will occur. With the 2FA turned on, logging into your Google account from your computer will send a prompt to any of the best Android phones that are linked to the account. You will have to confirm that it’s you trying to sign in.

Enabling two-factor authentication for everyone will ensure that there’s no unauthorized access to an …

Google Play wants to help you understand how your data is being used.

What you need to know

Google Play will introduce a safety section to bring more app transparency.
The section will inform users of the different data requirements and safety features of an app.
The timeline for the safety section indicates a rollout won’t occur until early 2022.

Google is announcing a new safety section that will live in Google Play app listings. The new section will encourage better transparency between users and app developers by including useful information about how an app uses data.

Google wants developers to indicate the kind of information that their app will use, including “approximate or precise location, contacts, personal information (e.g. name, email address), photos & videos, audio files, and storage files.”

Developers have the ability to highlight if their app includes data encryption, whether or not the app can function without sharing or using certain data if users can re…

T-Mobiel continues to gain more lines, but possibly at the literal cost of revenue.

What you need to know

T-Mobile reported net customer additions of 1.4 million for Q1 2021.
The company’s total customer base has reached 103.4 million subscribers.
Revenue grew year-over-year, although revenue growth was slower than competitors.

First-quarter earnings for T-Mobile have been released, which show that the company continues to grow as it adds more than 1.4 million subscribers to the network, including nearly 800,000 new post-paid customers. The company also managed a year-over-year increase in revenue of $19.8 billion, which was higher than analysts expected.

T-Mobile’s successful quarter was partly attributed to stimulus checks that were rolled out to many Americans last quarter, putting more money into the economy and allowing more people to spend money. It also credited the growth to the rollout of the Magenta Max 5G plan, which gives customers truly unlimited 5G data.

On the 5…

YouTube isn’t making it easy to opt-out, either.

What you need to know

YouTube is automatically opting-in videos to be sampled for Shorts.
Some see the move as problematic as there was no prior notice to creators about the option.
Not all videos can opt-out of the Shorts permission, but it’s not clear which.

Users are discovering that YouTube is automatically opting in their content without their consent to be used by others in YouTube Shorts, the platform that imitates TikTok. The permissions box found in a video edit screen reads that when checked, it “allows people to create Shorts using parts of this video.” Users are finding that this box is automatically checked:

IMPORTANT:YouTube suddenly automatically checked “Yes” on EVERY YouTube video to allow them to be re-uploaded as Shorts on OTHER channels ???Please let your YouTuber friends know that they have to go through and uncheck this setting on every video or risk stolen content… pic.twitter.com/b4rjiwmE2c— Mysticat #…

Pixel smartphones get the May update on-schedule.

What you need to know

Google Pixel smartphones are receiving the May Security Bulletin.
There aren’t any notable features or enhancements to arrive with the update.
Last month’s update brought several improvements, particularly to the Pixel 5.

The month of May is upon us and like clockwork, Google has released its latest security update for its Pixel smartphones. As usual, the update addresses a number of security vulerabilities and adds “functional improvements” to Pixel devices. There doesn’t seem to be much in the way of noteworthy improvements, though, but you can always have a look at the security bulletin if you’re curious.

That said, these updates are still incredibly important and can keep your smartphone safe, as noted in our Android Security Bulletin explainer. Last month’s security update brought several fixes, but also included a surprise GPU boost for the Google Pixel 5.

Some of the best Samsung phones have already…

If you use Bixby, Samsung’s new Good Lock module might come in handy.

What you need to know

Samsung released a new Good Lock module to add more advanced routines to Bixby.
Routine + lets users customize location-based routines or record on-screen actions to perform with certain apps.
The new module is available now for Samsung smartphones running One UI 3.1.

Samsung just released a new Good Lock module called Routine +. The module acts as an extension to Bixby Routines, which lets owners of the best Samsung phones set up certain criteria to trigger various actions. Routine + takes it to another level by giving users more control over the triggers and actions that Bixby can perform.

Location-based actions, for example, gain another dimension by setting certain buttons or keys to change their function depending on the user’s location. So a long-press of a physical button can open one app while you’re at home but will open another app while at work.

Users can also set up a record…

The Wear OS H-MR2 update for the Fossil Gen 5 was recently paused due to undisclosed bugs.

What you need to know

Some Fossil Gen 5 owners are reporting that the H-MR2 update is failing on their watches.
Users experiencing the problem have been encouraged to perform a factory reset, to no avail.
It’s not clear how widespread the problem is yet.

Fossil Gen 5 owners are experiencing issues with the latest Wear OS update. The rollout of H-MR2 recently resumed after a lengthy pause, but some users on Reddit are having issues completing the update. One video posted by a Reddit user shows the watch attempting to install the update, only to be met with an error message that can be seen below in a photo posted by another Reddit user:

Some users have contacted Fossil support in an attempt to fix the problem. They note that Fossil support recommends a factory reset on their device, but the problem persists. Some owners of the Emporio Armani smartwatch, which Fossil also builds, are also…

More people can finally take advantage of Twitter Spaces.

What you need to know

Twitter Spaces is finally rolling out to more people.
Android users now have the ability to host an audio chat if their account has reached a certain follower criterion.
Spaces was announced late last year as an alternative to Clubhouse, which remains an iOS exclusive.

After months of testing, Twitter is finally unleashing its latest feature, Spaces, upon the masses. In a blog post today, it was announced that the ability to host a group chat in Twitter Spaces is available to anyone on mobile, including the best Android phones.

As part of the announcement, Twitter has indicated that the feature still has one limitation: to host an audio chat, a user’s account must have at least 600 followers.

Based on what we’ve learned so far, these accounts are likely to have a good experience hosting live conversations because of their existing audience.

Twitter Spaces was first announced in December as an …

Android 12 is inching towards stability.

The final Android 12 developer preview is out in the wild, which means it’s only a matter of time before the update reaches beta and starts arriving on some of the best Android phones. That will most likely be around Google I/O 2021, where there will be more solid information about the features that are likely to make the final version. Until then, the developer preview has been picked apart on phones like the Google Pixel 5, and we’ve managed to get a look at surface-level features as well as those not yet ready for prime-time.

Do you like what you’ve seen in Android 12 so far?

Android 12 so far

Over the past couple of months, Google has released three developer previews and some smaller updates in-between. Each developer preview was focused on adding or building upon features that we may or may not see in the final version. There has been quite a bit to discover, but fortunately, we have a few hands-on videos to highlight some of the ne…