[Update: Partially Working] Ambient Mode will bring enhanced lockscreen functionality to Chrome OS

Update (4/2/2020 @ 4:20 PM ET): Chrome OS‘ Ambient Mode feature is now partially working.

Over the last couple of months, we’ve learned about several features from Android making their way over to Chrome OS. Back in December last year, Chrome OS 79 introduced media controls on the lock screen, something that we’ve had on Android for quite a while. Then, early in January, Chrome OS 80 introduced Android 10-like gestures to the platform. Following that, Google released a new Quick Answers feature on the Chrome OS Canary channel, which works quite a lot like the contextual shortcuts on Android and provides information/relevant suggestions for highlighted texts. Now, we have reason to believe that Chrome OS could be getting Android’s new Ambient Mode soon.

Google announced the new Ambient Mode at the IFA trade show last year. The mode essentially allows you to turn any Android smartphone or tablet into a smart display. You can then use it to show information from your calendar, the current weather, notifications, reminders, music controls, and even smart home controls. Initially, the feature was only made available for a couple of devices. Just this month, however, OnePlus announced that it was also releasing the feature on all its phones starting from the OnePlus 3. Now, we’ve spotted a new commit in the Chromium Gerrit that adds a new feature flag. The flag description states “enable Ambient Mode to show an enhanced lock screen with more functions”, thus making it clear that this Ambient Mode in Chrome OS will be for more than just showing images.

Information about this new Ambient Mode was first spotted by ChromeStory on the Chromium Gerrit back in July last year. At the time, the only information that was known was that the feature would let you view your wallpapers as a slideshow on the lock screen. Following this new revelation, we can now be sure that this feature is related to the Ambient Mode on Android and might allow users to view information from their calendar, the weather app, notifications, reminders, and more right on the lock screen. Once the recently spotted commit is merged, a flag for the feature will be accessible at chrome://flags#enable-ambient-mode.

Source: Chromium Gerrit

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Update: Partially Working

Chrome OS’ Ambient Mode feature is slowly making progress. In Chrome OS 83 Canary, we were able to enable a flag to see the new Ambient Mode settings. These new settings appear in the system settings under “Personalization.” Currently, there are two options for Ambient Mode: Google Photos and Art Gallery. Neither work right now, but you can imagine how this will look.

The flag describes Ambient Mode as an “enhanced lock screen with more functions.” As we wrote in the original article above, this will eventually evolve into more than just a screensaver for images. It can essentially turn your Chromebook into a Smart Display. This feature is still in very early development, so it should be quite some time before we see it in beta and stable channels.

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Google releases Android 11 Developer Preview 2.1 to patch some issues

Google released the second developer preview for Android 11 just over two weeks ago. And just like they did with the first preview, Google is releasing a patch update. This patch addresses a number of bugs and issues that users have been experiencing while using the developer preview. The full changelog is below:

General

• Fixed an issue where a crash would occur when long pressing to select an element within the recent apps overview.
• Fixed an issue where the status bar could crash in the background if its components weren’t all initialized yet.
• Fixed an issue where too many WindowTokens were created by SystemUI causing jankiness and dropped frames when navigating and scrolling apps.

Apps

• Fixed an issue where the Wear OS app could crash when trying to pair a Wear OS device.
• Fixed an issue where the Settings app could crash after tapping the search bar in the app.

You can find the list of known issues here.

The updated Android 11 developer preview system images are available to download now for the Pixel 4, Pixel 4 XL, Pixel 3a, Pixel 3a XL, Pixel 3, Pixel 3 XL, Pixel 2, Pixel 2 XL, and GSIs. These builds can be flashed manually or using the Android Flash Tool.

Note: A few users have reported an issue when sideloading the OTA. You may want to wait for the OTA to arrive on your phone.

Download Android 11 Developer Preview 2.1 System Images for Pixel Phones

Download Android 11 Developer Preview 2.1 GSI Images for Project Treble devices

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OnePlus 7T and 7T Pro get new OxygenOS stable updates with March 2020 patches, better slow-mo video, and more

The software update mechanism maintained by OnePlus features two distinct public release tracks. While the stable version of their OxygenOS UI is meant for the regular users, the company also offers an Open Beta branch for evaluating new features before wide scale rollout. For example, the OnePlus 7T lineup received the March 2020 security patches as well as an experimental Instant Translation service a few days ago via Open Beta 2 update. While the latter couldn’t make it beyond the beta stage, OnePlus is now bringing in the same set of security patches to the stable branch of OxygenOS for the OnePlus 7T and the OnePlus 7T Pro.

OnePlus 7T Forums ||| OnePlus 7T Pro Forums

The version numbering scheme of OxygenOS is a bit complicated nowadays, as OnePlus is maintaining multiple region-specific builds. In a nutshell, the OnePlus 7T Pro owners in India are currently getting OxygenOS 10.3.2, while global/EU users should expect OxygenOS 10.0.8 as the new OTA. For the OnePlus 7T update scenario, the respective version numbers are OxygenOS 10.3.2 (India) and OxygenOS 10.0.9 (global/EU).

The regular OnePlus 7 series has recently been upgraded to March 2020 security patch level as well, and we can’t help but notice an almost identical changelog in the case of the ‘T’ variants. The stock gallery app has received plenty of bug fixes with this new build, albeit OnePlus could push those changes separately via Play Store beta channel. Nevertheless, the changelog for both phones goes as follows:

• System
  • Optimized the RAM management
  • Improved system stability and fixed known issues
  • Updated Android Security Patch to 2020.03
• Gallery
  • Improved stability for recording videos in slow-mo
  • Fixed the random disappearance of screenshots in Gallery
  • Now play videos with any lags

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Download Links

OnePlus has not yet created any new forum thread for announcing these new OxygenOS updates, but you can download the new builds using the links below and sideload manually.

OnePlus 7T India (HD65AA)

OxygenOS 10.3.1 –> 10.3.2 Incremental OTA

OxygenOS 10.3.2 Full OTA

OnePlus 7T Global (HD65AA)

OxygenOS 10.0.8 –> 10.0.9 Incremental OTA

OxygenOS 10.0.9 Full OTA

OnePlus 7T EU (HD65BA)

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OnePlus 7T Pro India (HD01AA)

OxygenOS 10.3.1 –> 10.3.2 Incremental OTA

OnePlus 7T Pro Global (HD01AA)

–

OnePlus 7T Pro EU (HD01BA)

–

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Thanks to XDA Senior Member Some_Random_Username for providing the download links!

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Facebook releases a Messenger desktop app for Windows and macOS

Now, perhaps more than ever in human history, people are relying on technology to communicate. The internet is making it possible for people to work, see their loved ones, and attend virtual events while staying at home. There are a plethora of options when it comes to online communication, but Facebook Messenger is one of the most popular. The company is now releasing a desktop client for the Messenger app.

Facebook Messenger already works on practically any platform you can imagine. That includes web browsers, of course, which many people are already using for video calls and text communication. Facebook is releasing a native desktop app for Windows and macOS to make the experience even better. The desktop app has many of the same features you would expect:

• Group video calls
• Text messaging
• Desktop notifications
• Chats synced across devices
• Dark Mode
• GIFs, stickers, emoji

If you’re one of those people who prefer a native app over a web browser, this should make your life easier. Facebook Messenger for desktop is available now in the Microsoft Store and Mac App Store.

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Source: Facebook

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Samsung Galaxy S10 and Note 10 update with the Galaxy S20 features will roll out in the U.S. tomorrow

Samsung was notorious for slow updates in the past. They would take forever to get updates released and even longer to roll them out to devices. While this is still the case for some phones like the Galaxy Fold, it isn’t the case for their flagship S and Note series of phones. Those devices have consistently been getting new security and feature updates. These feature updates have even included features that Samsung has been backporting from newer devices. In the latest update for the Samsung Galaxy S10 and Galaxy Note 10, Samsung is bringing a few features over from their Galaxy S20 line of phones.

Galaxy S10e Forums || Galaxy S10 Forums || Galaxy S10+ Forums || Galaxy Note 10 Forums || Galaxy Note 10+ Forums

This new update brings One UI 2.1 based on Android 10 and a few important features. The first, and in my opinion the best, feature is 4K 60fps and 1080p 60fps recording for the front-facing camera. Samsung was able to bring a relatively big camera feature to a year-0ld device through a software update. One UI 2.1 for the Galaxy S10 and Note 10 also includes Single Take, My Filter, Night Hyperlapse, and Pro Video. “Single Take” was one of the headlining features for the Galaxy S20. You can record a 10-second clip and the phone will automatically edit photos and videos from that clip. “My Filter” lets you make custom filters based on pictures you’ve previously taken. “Night Hyperlapse” is simply Samsung’s hyperlapse feature but for night time. “Pro Video” brings all of the switches and options from Pro mode to video recording.

Two other software features included in the update are Music Share and Quick Share. Music Share lets your friends play music through Bluetooth to a car speaker or portable speaker by connecting their phone to your phone instead of to the speaker. It brings the low-tech “passing the aux” that we all know to the age of no headphones jacks. Quick Share is like AirDrop, but between Samsung devices. Both were introduced with the Galaxy S20 and Galaxy Z Flip and will soon be available on the Galaxy S10 and Note 10 devices in the United States.

If you are in the United States and own an unlocked Galaxy S10 or Galaxy Note 10 device, you will get the update starting tomorrow, April 3rd. If you have a carrier phone, this update could take a bit longer to roll out as carriers need to approve and push updates themselves.  If you have a US Galaxy Fold and are wondering when this update will be rolled out to you, well, we have no idea, because Samsung has been neglecting this device. If you aren’t in the US, this update has slowly been rolling out to different regions already.

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Source: Samsung Newsroom

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OnePlus 8 series MEMC tech will work with YouTube, Netflix, VLC, and more

OnePlus recently announced that the company will be launching its next flagship lineup — the OnePlus 8 series — later this month on April 14th. While we’ve previously seen several leaks and rumors about the OnePlus 8 series, the company is now slowly divulging more information about the devices in the days leading up to the launch. The company’s CEO, Pete Lau, recently confirmed that the OnePlus 8 series will feature a high refresh rate 120Hz display, Qualcomm’s flagship Snapdragon 865 SoC, LPDDR5 RAM, and UFS 3.0 storage. Now, in a string of posts on Chinese social media platform Weibo, Lau has released even more information about the display technology used in the OnePlus 8 series.

Up until now, we’ve already learned that the displays on the OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro will feature a 2K resolution with a pixel density of 513ppi, peak brightness of 1300 nits, and 4096 levels of brightness adjustments. The company has also revealed that the panel will feature HDR support, and there will also be an ambient color temperature sensor to adjust the white balance under different lighting environments. In addition, Lau has now elaborated further on the MEMC technology on the OnePlus 8 series and has revealed that it will work with apps like YouTube, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hotstar, VLC, MX Player, and more.

MEMC (Motion Estimation, Motion Compensation), which OnePlus first talked about earlier this year in January, is a frame insertion technique to convert low frame rate videos to a higher frame rate. On the OnePlus 8 series, this is hardware accelerated through an independent chip. As a result, the OnePlus 8 series will be able to convert 24/30fps videos playing in supported apps to 60/120fps for significantly smoother playback. A sample video of the MEMC tech in action shows exactly what you can expect while playing videos on the OnePlus 8 series. What’s most interesting is that the feature will work with offline video players like VLC and also with videos played using the OnePlus Gallery app. However, we currently aren’t sure if the feature will be available both on the regular OnePlus 8 and the OnePlus 8 Pro.

Additionally, OnePlus has now also revealed that the displays on the OnePlus 8 series have earned DisplayMate’s highest ever A+ display performance rating. As per DisplayMate’s analysis, the OnePlus 8 series display set or matched more than 10 smartphone display performance records in virtually all key categories for the best display on the market, including color accuracy, image contrast, display brightness, and screen reflection, with 4 categories marked “Visually Indistinguishable” from Perfect.

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Peloton launches live fitness class app for Android TV

If you weren’t familiar with Peloton before last Holiday season, the company’s infamous ad probably made you aware. Peloton is a fitness company that produces exercise equipment along with a network of live fitness classes. The idea is to bring the experience of a group fitness class to your home, something that’s very appealing in these times. Peloton announced today that they’re bringing their app to Android TV.

Previously, the Peloton app was available for Android phones and tablets along with Apple and Amazon Fire devices. Starting today, you can join your fitness classes on your Android TV. The company offers a wide variety of live and on-demand classes for activities such as yoga, running, meditation, and spinning (the most popular activity).

Peloton sells its own exercise bike and treadmill with built-in large screens, but the app is a way for people to take advantage of the classes with their own equipment. You can sign up now for a free 90-day trial and try out the classes for yourself. This offer is only good until April 30th. The subscription price is normally $12.99 per month for a single person or $39 per month for a group account. If you do sign up, keep in mind you can also access the service on your phone, tablet, and browser.

Peloton - at home fitness (Free⁺, Google Play) →

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Source: Peloton | Via: Android Authority

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