Google no longer stores audio recordings by default for all users of Assistant

Starting today, Google has opted out all users from having their audio stored by the company. The move is the result of Google reimplementing a program that will use humans to analyze and rate audio snippets.

If you do want the search giant to store your audio recordings, you’ll actually have to opt in to the program by enabling the Voice & Audio Activity (VAA) setting.

Google is reportedly sending out emails to anyone who has interacted with Google Assistant, whether it was through a smart speaker or via an application such as Google Maps. The Verge shared a copy of the email, which explains that Google uses saved recordings to improve the search giant’s audio recognition technologies.

Email sent to some users. Via: The Verge

If you do opt in to Google’s program, you’ll be able to delete them at any time through your Web & App Activity dashboard. The company said it will also delete audio recordings when they aren’t needed to develop products and technologies.

As The Verge points out, your audio recordings will at first be associated with your account, and Google will use these snippets to improve voice matching. Following that, your audio will be “anonymized” and reviewed by human reviewers, some of whom will from third-party vendors.

Google’s new policy changes come after the search giant and other large tech companies were revealed to be storing and reviewing audio recordings. The practice became a big scandal last year, causing companies to be much more transparent about their practices. Google made significant changes to its audio retention policies last year, saying it wouldn’t allow humans to review recordings without user permission. Today’s new program appears to be these new policies being put into action.

You should get an email in the coming days that will explain the new program and provide information on how to delete your audio recordings.

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Via: The Verge

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These are the full specs of the Galaxy Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra

Samsung just unveiled its 10th-gen Galaxy Note lineup at the recently concluded Galaxy Unpacked launch event. As part of the new Galaxy Note 20 series, the company has launched two devices — the regular Galaxy Note 20 and the high-end Galaxy Note 20 Ultra. The latest Galaxy Note flagships from Samsung feature top-of-the-line hardware, including Qualcomm’s flagship Snapdragon 865 Plus SoC or Samsung’s Exynos 990 chip (depending on your region), up to 12GB of fast LPDDR5 RAM, and up to 512GB of high-speed UFS 3.x storage.

Much like previous devices in the Galaxy Note lineup, the new Galaxy Note 20 series offers two of the most feature-rich Android smartphones out there. Not only do the smartphones pack in some impressive hardware, but Samsung has also introduced a host of new software features with the devices. We’ve already taken a look at some of the new software features in our announcement post for the Galaxy Note 20 series, and here we’ll be taking a look at their complete hardware specifications.

Samsung Galaxy Note 20 and Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra: Specifications

Specification	Samsung Galaxy Note 20	Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra
Dimensions & Weight	161.6 x 75.2 x 8.3 mm 194g	164.8 x 77.2 x 8.1 mm 213g
Display	6.7-inch FHD+ Super AMOLED 2400 x 1080 Flat display 60Hz refresh rate HDR10+ support Gorilla Glass 5 Infinity-O Display	6.9-inch QHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X 3088 x 1440 Curved display 120Hz refresh rate Adaptive refresh rate support HDR10+ support Gorilla Glass 7/Victus Infinity-O Display
SoC	Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 Plus, or Exynos 990	Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 Plus, or Exynos 990
RAM & Storage	8GB LPDDR5 + 128GB UFS 3.0 No microSD card expansion slot	12GB LPDDR5 + 128GB UFS 3.1 12GB + 512GB Dedicated microSD card slot for expansion up to 1TB
Battery & Charging	4,300mAh 25W wired fast charging support 15W wireless charging support Reverse wireless charging support	4,500mAh 25W wired fast charging support 15W wireless charging support Reverse wireless charging support
Rear Camera	Primary: 12MP, f/1.8, Dual Pixel AF, OIS, 1/1.76″ sensor Secondary: 12MP, f/2.2, ultra-wide-angle, 120° FoV Tertiary: 64MP, f/2.0, telephoto, 3x Hybrid Optic Zoom	Primary: 108MP, f/1.8, PDAF, Laser AF, OIS, 1/33″ sensor Secondary: 12MP, f/2.2, ultra-wide-angle, 120° FoV Tertiary: 12MP, f/3.0, telephoto camera, 5x Optical zoom
Front Camera	10MP, f/2.2, 1.22µm	10MP, f/2.2, 1.22µm
Connectivity	5G: NSA, SA, Sub6/mmWave LTE: Enhanced 4×4 MIMO, Up to 7CA, LTE Cat.20 – Up to 2Gbps Download / Up to 200Mbps Upload Wi-Fi: Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax 2.4GHz + 5GHz, HE80, MIMO, 1024-QAM Bluetooth 5.0 USB Type-C NFC MST GNSS: GPS, Galileo, Glonass, Beidou	5G: NSA, SA, Sub6/mmWave LTE: Enhanced 4×4 MIMO, Up to 7CA, LTE Cat.20 – Up to 2Gbps Download / Up to 200Mbps Upload Wi-Fi: Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax 2.4GHz + 5GHz, HE80, MIMO, 1024-QAM Bluetooth 5.0 USB Type-C NFC MST GNSS: GPS, Galileo, Glonass, Beidou
Other Features	S Pen: 5.8 x 4.35 x 105.08 mm 3.04g Bluetooth enabled Up to 24 hrs of battery standby 4096 pressure levels 0.7mm pen tip diameter IP68 IP68 dust and water resistance In-display ultrasonic fingerprint sensor Wireless DeX support	S Pen: 5.8 x 4.35 x 105.08 mm 3.04g Bluetooth enabled Up to 24 hrs of battery standby 4096 pressure levels 0.7mm pen tip diameter IP68 IP68 dust and water resistance In-display ultrasonic fingerprint sensor Wireless DeX support Ultra Wide Band (UWB) chip for device-to-device connections and fast file transfers
Android Version	One UI 2.5 based on Android 10	OneUI 2.5 based on Android 10
Colors	Mystic Green Mystic Bronze Mystic Gray	Mystic Bronze (matte) Mystic Black (glossy) Mystic White (glossy)

What do you think of the Galaxy Note 20? Let us know in the comments below!

Samsung Galaxy Note 20

A true flagship, the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra features a lot of premium specifications. The Galaxy Note 20 definitely feels like a compromise, but the smaller size and lower price may appeal to you. Whichever one you buy, you likely won't regret it!

From $999 at Samsung

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Google adds link previews, Smart Compose, and more to Docs, Sheets, and Slides for Android

Google on Wednesday introduced a slew of new features for Docs, Sheets, and Slides on Android. The new features, which include Smart Compose and link previews, were previously made available for G Suite users on the web.

Smart Compose aims to save you time by providing Docs users with suggestions for what to type next. Google says the feature will help users write faster and with more confidence. It will be on or off depending on your setting on the web, and it will only be available to G Suite customers.

Links previews will let you click on a link and preview it in a card without leaving the document you’re editing. In Docs, dynamic information about the content will appear, such as title, description, and thumbnail images. This feature will be enabled by default and cannot be disabled, and it will be available for both G Suite customers and users with personal accounts.

Google is also adding vertical navigation in Slides, so a presentation is much easier to view on a mobile device. You no longer need to swipe to view slides one-by-one. While vertically scrolling through slides, users can pinch to zoom and easily switch to editing, presenting, and casting content. This feature is gradually rolling out and will be available for both G Suite customers and users with personal accounts.

Additionally, Google is making it easier to edit Microsoft Office documents in Docs, Sheets, and Slides, while users can now see a unified interface for comments, rather than having to tap through them individually.

These improvements make the G Suite experience on Android much more in-line with what’s already available on the web. They also improve the reading experience following the introduction of a dark mode last month. You can download the latest version of the Sheets, Slides, and Docs apps from the Google Play Store links embedded below.

Google Docs (Free, Google Play) →

Google Sheets (Free, Google Play) →

Google Slides (Free, Google Play) →

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Source: Google (1), Google (2)

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Best Galaxy Note 20 wireless chargers you can get right now

Over the last couple of years, Samsung has made some significant improvements to its Galaxy Note lineup, especially in the battery capacity and charging departments. And this year’s Galaxy Note 20 lineup is no different. The new Galaxy Note 20 and Galaxy Note 20 Ultra pack in large 4,300mAh and 4,500mAh batteries, and include support for 25W fast wired charging and 15W fast wireless charging.

While the devices do ship with a fast wired charger in the box, if you wish to make use of the fast wireless charging support, you’ll need to purchase a supported charger separately. However, since all wireless chargers aren’t made the same, choosing the best wireless charger for your Galaxy Note 20 could prove to be a bit of a hassle. In order to make the process simpler, we’ve shortlisted some of the best Galaxy Note 20 wireless chargers in this post. The wireless chargers mentioned below have been selected after a careful assessment of various parameters, including charging speed, price-to-value ratio, design, and the unique features they bring to the table.

Samsung 15W Wireless Charger Stand

15W fast charging support

The Samsung 15W Wireless Charger Stand is one of the best wireless chargers that you can get for your Galaxy Note 20 as it supports the Fast Wireless Charging 2.0 standard and is capable of charging the device at 15W. The charger is convenient to use, comes with a supported AC adapter and USB Type-C cable. The charger also features a built-in cooling fan to prevent your device from overheating.

View at Amazon

Samsung Wireless Charger DUO pad

Charge two devices at once!

In case you are planning on getting the Galaxy Watch 3 or the Galaxy Buds Live with your Galaxy Note 20, then the Samsung Wireless Charger DUO pad is the best option for you. The device features a Fast Wireless Charging 2.0 capable pad that you can use to charge your Galaxy Note 20 at 15W, along with a second wireless charging pad that you can use to charge your supported accessories.

View at Amazon

Samsung Wireless Portable Battery

Wireless charging on the go!

Unlike other wireless chargers on this list, the Samsung Wireless Portable Battery is a 10,000 mAh power bank that supports 25W fast wired charging and 7.5W wireless charging to help you charge your devices while you are on the move. The power bank can charge 3 devices at the same time and has enough juice to charge your Galaxy Note 20 two times over. This charger is highly recommended by one of our team!

View at Amazon

Anker PowerWave Pad Alloy

Best budget pick

In case you are on a tight budget, the Anker PowerWave Pad Alloy is a decent pick, even though it does not support the Fast Wireless Charging 2.0 standard. The wireless charger only supports 10W output for the Galaxy Note 20, but it can be used to charge a supported Google Pixel or LG device at 15W. Do note that the charger does not ship with a wall adapter and you'll need to purchase a supported adapter separately to charge your Galaxy Note 20 at 10W.

View at Amazon

Anker PowerWave 10 Stand

Charge multiple devices simultaneously!

If you are looking for a versatile wireless charging solution that can charge multiple devices at the same time, then the Anker PowerWave 10 Stand is the one for you. The wireless charger can charge your Galaxy Note 20 at 10W and it features two USB Type-A ports that you can use to charge two more devices at the same time. The charger comes with a supported 36W wall adapter and a 5ft power cord.

View at Amazon

Belkin Dual Wireless Charger

Charge two devices at once without breaking the bank!

The Belkin Dual Wireless Charger is an affordable alternative to the Samsung Wireless Charger DUO Pad and offers two charging surfaces that support 10W output each. This should be fast enough for a lot of devices, but won't match the top 15W speed of the Note 20 series. The charger comes with a supported wall adapter and it is capable of charging your smartphone through most lightweight cases.

View at Amazon

Out of all the wireless chargers mentioned above, the Samsung 15W Wireless Charger Stand and Samsung Wireless Charger DUO Pad are our top picks. This is due to the fact that both these wireless chargers are capable of charging the Galaxy Note 20 and Galaxy Note 20 Ultra at 15W, which is significantly faster than any other wireless charger on this list.

If you had to choose between the two, I’d recommend the Wireless Charger DUO Pad as it’s a bit more versatile and lets you charge another device at the same time. However, if you’re looking for a wireless charger for your desk at work, the Samsung Wireless Charger Stand would be a better bet as it doubles up as a stand and lets you easily use the device while it’s charging.

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Samsung says they just got U.S. FDA approval for the Galaxy Watch 3’s ECG monitoring app

Samsung just announced its latest smartwatch, the Galaxy Watch 3, at its second Galaxy Unpacked event of the year. Once again, Samsung made the best smartwatch for Android users, and it doesn’t even run Google’s Wear OS. The Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 packs loads of fitness features, but three of its best health monitoring features won’t be available in every country at launch. That’s because they require approval from the regulatory agencies of every country, and in a surprise announcement on stage, Samsung says that they just got clearance from the U.S. FDA for the Galaxy Watch 3 and Galaxy Watch Active 2’s ECG monitoring app.

“And I’m excited to announce that we have just received the U.S. FDA clearance for [the] Samsung ECG monitor[ing] app,” said Federico Casalegno, SVP of Experience Planning and SDIC. ECG monitoring will allow users to monitor their heart rhythm for irregularities such as atrial fibrillation (Afib), which is one of the leading causes of strokes. Meanwhile, blood pressure monitoring allows users to check for irregularities such as high blood pressure (hypertension) or low blood pressure (hypotension), which are precursors to many other diseases.

Samsung previously announced that they had received clearance from South Korea’s MFDS for blood pressure and ECG monitoring in the country, but the company today repeatedly showed disclaimers that these two features will not be available in the U.S. until they received clearance from the FDA. Apparently, Samsung just managed to receive that clearance for at least ECG monitoring, so we can expect to see that feature roll out soon for the Galaxy Watch Active 2 and Galaxy Watch 3. We don’t know how far along the FDA approval process Samsung is for blood pressure monitoring, though.

Lastly, one of the other health monitoring features of the new Galaxy Watch 3, blood oxygen monitoring, will not be available in every country. Samsung says that the feature is not supported in Japan, Angola, South Africa, Thailand, Iran, Libya, France, Algeria, or Canada. Sp02 monitoring may be available in the other countries where the Galaxy Watch 3 is sold, though we’re not entirely sure of the full regional availability of this feature.

Specifications	Samsung Galaxy Watch 3
Dimensions & Weight	41mm: 41.0 x 42.5 x 11.3 mm, 48g 45mm: 45.0 x 46.2 x 11.1mm, 53g
Display	41mm: 1.2″ Super AMOLED Corning Gorilla Glass DX 45mm: 1.4″ Super AMOLED Corning Gorilla Glass DX
Watchband size	Large: 22.0 x 130.0 x 9.4mm Small: 20.0 x 115.0 x 9.4mm
Memory	1GB RAM, 8GB internal storage
Connectivity	LTE Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, 2.4GHz Bluetooth v5.0
Other features	2 physical buttons Rotating bezel Mic Linear Motor Speaker
Sensors	8 LED photoplethysmography (PPG) Electrocardiogram (ECG) Accelerometer (up to 32G) Gyroscope Barometer Ambient light
NFC Payments	Yes, Samsung Pay
Battery	41mm: 247mAh 45mm: 340mAh
Durability	5ATM + IP68/ MIL-STD-810G
OS	Tizen Based Wearable OS 5.5
Colors	41mm: Mystic Bronze, Mystic Silver 45mm: Mystic Silver, Mystic Black Band: Black Leather, Pink Leather (41mm only)

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The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 is the first smartphone with Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2 support

At Galaxy Unpacked, Samsung unveiled the second-gen model of its horizontally folding smartphone, the Galaxy Fold. The new Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 features substantial improvements over the first-gen model, with fixes for the display peeling issue, a thin layer of Ultra-Thin Glass for protection, an improved hinge design with support for Samsung’s “Flex Mode”, a full-screen cover display, a more immersive foldable display with a hole-punch cutout rather than a notch, and 120Hz refresh rate support. The Galaxy Z Fold 2 is a marvel of smartphone engineering, but it’s not just impressive externally. The new foldable is also the first device to feature a new piece of hardware: Qualcomm’s FastConnect 6900.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 Forums

Announced back in May, the Qualcomm FastConnect 6900 is Qualcomm’s latest mobile connectivity solution for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on mobile devices. It’s the first FastConnect chip to support Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2. Wi-Fi 6E is an extension of Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) into the 6GHz band that aims to solve congestion issues in 2.4GHz and 5GHz ranges; in the U.S., the FCC has allocated almost 1200MHz of unlicensed spectrum in the 6GHz band for Wi-Fi 6. Of course, few people have Wi-Fi 6-compatible routers at home, and nobody has a Wi-Fi 6E-compatible router yet, so it’ll take a while for this technology to actually become usable by consumers.

In addition, the FastConnect 6900 enables support for Bluetooth LE Audio which includes features like multi-point audio sharing and broadcasting audio, it also has a second Bluetooth antenna with intelligent switching capabilities to overcome signal shadowing issues.

We were initially expecting devices with the Qualcomm FastConnect 6900 to launch in early 2021, but it seems that Samsung has managed to include it in the 2020 Galaxy Z Fold 2. We don’t have a release date for the device, but Samsung will hold a separate event on September 1st to provide more details. That’s also when pre-orders will begin. At the very least, we can expect the Z Fold 2 to launch before the end of 2020, which means it’ll support next-gen Bluetooth and Wi-Fi technologies before any other commercial device.

Specification	Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2
Dimensions & Weight	Folded: 159.2 x 68 x 16.8 mm Unfolded: 159.2 x 128.2 x 6.9 mm 279g
Display	Outer Display: 6.23″ HD+ Super AMOLED 2,260 x 816 pixels 25:9 aspect ratio Infinity-O 60Hz refresh rate HDR10+ support Inner Display: 7.6″ FHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X 2,208 x 1,768 pixels 5:4 aspect ratio Infinity-O 120Hz refresh rate Dynamic refresh rate HDR10+ support
SoC	Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 Plus
RAM & Storage	12GB LPDDR5 + 256GB
Battery & Charging	4,500 mAh 25W wired fast charging 11W wireless charging Reverse wireless charging
Fingerprint sensor	Side-mounted fingerprint scanner
Rear Camera	Primary: 12MP, f/1.8, OIS Secondary: 12MP, f/2.2, ultra-wide-angle Tertiary: 12MP, f/2.4, telephoto
Front Camera	Folded: 10MP, f/2.2, fixed focus Unfolded: 10MP, f/2.2, fixed focus
Other Features	Folding design 5G: SA, NSA, mmWave
Android Version	Android 10 with One UI

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Samsung commits to delivering 3 years of Android OS updates with the Galaxy Note 20

Samsung just wrapped up its second Galaxy Unpacked event of the year, where the Korean technology company unveiled 5 news devices: the Galaxy Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra, the Galaxy Tab S7 and Tab S7+, the Galaxy Z Fold 2, the Galaxy Buds Live, and the Galaxy Watch 3. One of the most exciting announcements (at least for us) came at the end of the event when Samsung said they are committing to delivering OS updates for “up to 3 generations” from release. That means that Samsung will finally offer the same level of software support as Google offers for its Pixel phones.

The Galaxy Note 20, Galaxy Tab S7, and Galaxy Z Fold 2 will all ship with Samsung’s One UI 2.5 software based on Android 10. Before today’s announcement, we would expect Samsung to upgrade each of these devices to Android 11 and then Android 12. Now, we can expect Samsung to provide updates all the way to Android 13. Samsung didn’t explicitly name which devices this policy applies to, but we can assume they mean all the new mobile Android devices they announced today. The fine print text in the bottom right-hand corner mentions that this policy applies to flagship models from the Galaxy S10 onward, so that means it’ll include the Galaxy S10 series, Galaxy Note 10 series, Galaxy S20 series, the new Galaxy Z Flip 5G, and likely the first-generation Galaxy Z Flip and Galaxy Fold, too.

Google is expected to release the stable version of Android 11 for its Pixel smartphones on September 8th, but we don’t know exactly when Samsung will release its own version of Android 11. Samsung makes a ton of UI changes and adds a lot of features on top of Google’s Android release, so it’s expected for them to take some time to get their next version of One UI ready. At least for security updates, though, Samsung has become pretty quick at delivering the latest Security Patch Level for its most recent flagship and mid-range smartphones.

We praise Samsung for this decision because they now stand out among Android device makers for their level of software support. Hopefully, this will compel other device makers to offer a similar level of support. There’s no reason we should pay over $1,000 for a new smartphone and expect anything less.

Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Forums ||| Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra Forums

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 Forums ||| Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 / Tab S7+ Forums

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