Google Pixel 6a kernel source code and factory images are now available

The Google Pixel 6a is the company’s latest foray into the mid-range territory. As usual, the phone undercuts its competitors with a flagship-grade camera and the clean software experience. With both officially out today and shipments for pre-orders underway, Google has uploaded all the tools, files, and documentation needed by aftermarket developers interested in running custom software on the Pixel 6a.

Google Pixel 6a XDA Forums

Factory Images

If you’ve already bought a Pixel 6a (code-name: “bluejay”) and started experimenting with it, the stock software is now available for download, in the event you mess something up and need to go back to square one. Right now, you can download the day-one update build with June 2022 security patches, but only for the Japanese and the Verizon variants. Nonetheless, we’ll be seeing new images and OTA updates arrive each month as Google gets started with the phone’s regular security patches.

Factory Images ||| Full OTA Images

Factory images can be installed over any prior version, but you need an unlocked bootloader. The OTA packages, on the other hand, can upgrade your device from a previous official build, and the bootloader can be locked.

What about Android 13 Beta?

Unfortunately, Google has yet to declare the Pixel 6a eligible for the Android 13 beta program. You can, however, unlock the bootloader and flash an official GSI build to get an early taste of Android 13.

Kernel Source Code and Device Tree

The kernel source code and device tree sources are up for grabs, so developers can soon start building TWRP and custom kernels for the phone. If you want to build a fresh system image from scratch, or like to kickstart the porting job for AOSP-based custom ROMs, you don’t need to wait much, because Google has released the driver binaries corresponding to the factory images as well.

Pixel 6a: Kernel Source Code || Device Tree || SEPolicy || Driver Binaries

Google Pixel 6a

The Google Pixel 6a is a mid-range smartphone with Google Tensor and a high-end camera.

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Instagram caves to pressure, will reverse course on recent changes

This week, the audience simply had enough of Instagram, demanding the platform reverse course on recent changes. The feedback was so intense that Instagram boss Adam Mosseri had to make a public statement (on Twitter, no less) to address the outcry and explain why the changes were happening. Now it looks like Instagram has finally caved to the pressure.

Speaker with Platformer, Instagram stated that they would make changes over the coming weeks, removing fullscreen photos and videos from the app. Instagram will also reduce the number of recommendations being pushed to its users. While app users had been watching more videos before the full-screen update, Instagram’s data showed that people were not fans of the new feed design. During an earnings call this week, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerburg shared that recommended posts on Instagram are currently sitting above 15 percent. He also suggested that recommendations on the platform would be close to double by the end of 2023. Looking at Instagram’s current situation, it’s hard to imagine what 2023 will be like.

Mosseri stated:

“When you discover something in your field that you didn’t follow before, there should be a high bar — it should just be great. You should be delighted to see it. And I don’t think that’s happening enough right now. So I think we need to take a step back, in terms of the percentage of feed that are recommendations, get better at ranking and recommendations, and then — if and when we do — we can start to grow again.”

While the reversion is undoubtedly welcome, Mosseri clarified that the changes wouldn’t be permanent, which could mean that Zuckerburg’s vision for the future is still on course. Instagram will need to continue to move forward and make changes in some manner as it tries to combat competitors like TikTok. TikTok has been aggressive in its expansion, introducing a subscription service for content creators, safety tools for users, and APIs to add more transparency. These are only a small handful of additions introduced to the platform over the past few months.

In the future, Instagram will have some deep questions to answer if it wants to try to grow its user base. While it has borrowed many ideas from other apps, it’s clear that some aren’t what users are looking for.

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Source: Platformer

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Samsung Galaxy S22, Galaxy S21, and Galaxy S20 get August 2022 security update ahead of schedule

The gap between Google’s publication of a monthly Android security bulletin and the update rolling out can vary, but Samsung is typically way ahead of the curve when it comes to this. In keeping up with that trend, the Korean OEM has already started seeding the August 2022 patches to its flagship Galaxy S22 series. The Galaxy S21 and Galaxy S20 have also picked up the August patches in select regions.

Galaxy S22

The version number of the new software is S90xBXXU2AVG6, and it is meant for the Exynos 2200-powered European variants of the Galaxy S22, S22 Plus, and the S22 Ultra. The size of the incremental update package is a little more than 400MB, which indicates that there are several under-the-hood changes besides the new SPL. The new build is currently rolling out in Russia, Georgia, and several European countries.

Notably, the release doesn’t increment the underlying bootloader version. As a result, power users still have the option to perform a downgrade and revert back to an older build with bootloader version 2 — even after installing this update on their Galaxy S22 units.

XDA Forums: Samsung Galaxy S22 || Galaxy S22 Plus || Galaxy S22 Ultra

Galaxy S21

In a similar manner, the Exynos 2100-powered global edition of the Galaxy S21 is now receiving the August 2022 patches. The software version is G99xBXXU5CVGB, and it is up for grabs in Germany.

XDA Forums: Samsung Galaxy S21 || Galaxy S21 Plus || Galaxy S21 Ultra

Galaxy S20

For the Galaxy S20, the August 2022 security update is rolling out in the form of software version G98xxXXUEFVG5. Once again, the Exynos variants (both the LTE and 5G models) are the first to get the new release, that too starting with Germany.

Samsung Galaxy S20 Series XDA Forums

The update should be making its way to more markets in the coming days. In case you haven’t received the OTA notification on your phone so far, you can manually check for it by heading over the Software update section in the Settings app.

Keep in mind that Samsung will roll out any new update in a staged fashion, and it may be a while before it shows up on your device. You can, however, skip the waiting queue and install the new release right now by flashing it manually on your Galaxy device.

While it appears that Samsung has “beaten” Google at their own game, Google always waits until the bulletin is public at the start of the month before rolling out the update. Furthermore, the Mountain View tech giant also shares the details of the security bulletin with OEMs like Samsung a month or more in advance to give them time to merge the changes. Still, Samsung has been very good at rolling out security patches in a timely manner, and pushing them out even before the new month begins is something that the company has been doing for a while now.

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Source: XDA Forums (1, 2), Samsung Update Server

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Latest PS5 Beta introduces 1440p support, new audio, and organization features

PS5 owners that use a 1440p gaming display will be pleased to hear about this latest Beta. Sony is pushing out the latest bits to “invited participants in selected countries” and support for 1440p resolutions is the headline feature. The PS5 already supports 4K displays and 1080p displays, the new option allows output at the step between.

The key here is that your display has to support a 1440p output for it to work. In the case of a number of TVs, this won’t be the case, but gaming monitors will probably be more friendly towards it. Sony has included a new Test 1440p Output option in the Video Output settings menu that will help you figure out if it works for you.

Here’s Sony’s full breakdown of how it works:

• The PS5 beta introduces support for 1440p HDMI video output, enabling players to choose an additional visual setting on compatible PC monitors and TVs.
• If the game you’re playing supports 1440p rendering you can experience native 1440p output on your display.
• Or, if you’re playing a game with a higher native resolution like 4K, then you may benefit from improved anti-aliasing through supersampling down to 1440p output.
• You can check if your HDMI device is compatible by selecting “Test 1440p Output” under “Screen and Video” options within system settings.

What else is new in the PS5 Beta

Next up is the new Gamelist feature which seems to be a little like the groups feature found on Xbox. It’s basically a way to group together games into easy-to-browse sections, versus going through your whole library.

Each Gamelist can house 100 games and each PS5 can handle up to 15 Gamelists. This is particularly useful because it also includes streaming titles from PlayStation Plus. These can be mixed together with games you own physically and digitally on the same Gamelist.

There’s also a new feature that allows you to compare stereo audio and 3D audio. It’s not a huge change, but 3D audio isn’t for everyone and Sony is going to make it easier to choose between the two.

The features list doesn’t stop there, though. Here’s a quick breakdown of what else can be found in the latest beta.

• Easier access to in-progress activities.
• Request party members to turn on Share Screen to watch their gameplay.
• Joinable game notifications for party members.
• View new friends’ profiles.
• Sending voice notes and stickers in Game Base.

The supported countries for the latest beta are the U.S., Canada, Japan, the U.K., Germany, and France. If you’re in one of those locations and not already part of the program, hit the PS5 beta sign-up page for a chance to test out these features before anyone else.

Sony PlayStation 5

The PS5 is still hard to get hold of but it's undeniably one of the best ways to game right now. Sony's library continues to impress and has some big hitters on the way.

See at Amazon (Invitation required)

Source: Sony

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New Google Maps update will benefit tourists, cyclists, friends and family

Just in time for summer, Google Maps is getting a new update that will bring aerial views of the world’s most popular destinations, improved biking directions with enhanced details about routes, and a safer way to stay connected with friends and family.

Aerial View

Google Maps will now have close to 100 aerial views of popular landmark destinations. That means you’ll be able to check out Tokyo Tower ahead of your trip to Japan or even Lady Liberty before going to New York. While this looks good, Google has plans to make it even better with “immersion view,” but still has some work to do before it can reach that goal. If you want to check out the new aerial view, be sure to head to the photo section to see the detailed landmark.

Aerial view, enhanced bike routing, and location sharing notifications.

Biking directions

In addition to popular landmarks, biking directions are getting upgraded, with Google Maps set to introduce more details like elevation, car traffic, stairs, and whether you’ll be biking on an incline or decline. The new update will also show you whether you will bike on a main or local road. Google has curated this data using AI, city data, trusted partners, and feedback from Google Maps users. This seems like perfect timing considering rising gas prices have forced some to commute using bikes. But be sure to check the air quality before heading out.

Share with people who care

The final update coming to Google Maps is notification settings for friends and family. By sharing your location, friends and family will now be able to see when you’ve arrived and when you’ve left a location. This feature will only be available to those who have shared a location with a specific user. The invited user will then be able to set check-in and check-out points. Users can choose to stop sharing their location whenever they choose. This is to ensure that privacy is still maintained.

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Aerial views and landmarks and location-sharing notifications are rolling out globally to Google Maps on iOS, Android, and PC. If your city currently has cycling directions, the improved cycling route update should roll out in the coming weeks.

Source: Google

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Intel adds support for Windows 11 version 22H2 with latest graphics drivers

Windows 11 version 22H2 is going to be available in the coming months, and driver updates are starting to reflect that. AMD has already released its first driver with official support for this version of Windows, and now Intel is doing the same. The latest Intel Graphics drivers for Iris Xe processors – versions 31.0.101.3222 and 31.0.101.2111 – add official support for Windows 11 version 22H2, meaning they should now work better with this update, and any issues that arise with the drivers on that version of Windows are up to Intel to fix.

However, as you might be able to tell from the version numbers above, that’s not the only piece of news here. With this release of its Intel Graphics drivers, the company is also splitting up support for older processors, specifically products that are part of the 6th through 10th generations of Intel processors. These models will now be on a legacy support model, meaning they’ll only get critical fixes and security updates, and usually on a quarterly cadence.

Starting with this release, each driver package contains two sets of driver files. One set (in this case, version 31.0.101.2111) is aimed at these legacy products, and the other (31.0.101.3222) is meant for the more modern models. All the products being dropped predate the Iris Xe graphics architecture, which debuted with the 11th-generation of Intel mobile processors and brought along significant performance improvements for integrated graphics. Both 11th- and 12th-generation Intel processors have Intel Iris Xe graphics, and there’s also the discrete Intel Iris Xe Max GPU, all of which are still on the mainstream support cycle. As for Intel Arc A-series graphics, which are starting to slowly make their way to the market, those get updates separately, and they don’t actually have support for Windows 11 version 22H2 just yet, but presumably, a new driver update is coming soon.

Aside from that change in the support plan, the latest Intel drivers don’t include a whole lot that’s new. Both versions include a fix for a crash in Watch Dogs: Legion when starting the game, while version 31.0.101.3222 also includes a fix for an error message shown when starting up Call Of Duty: Vanguard as well as a fix for an issue where some Intel NUC models may go into a sleep state instead of shutting down.

If you’re interested, you can download the latest Intel Graphics drivers here, and read more about the legacy support model for older Intel processors here.

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Samsung details big plans ahead of Galaxy Unpacked in August

Samsung is pulling out all of the stops with the promotion of its Galaxy Unpacked event that will take place on August 10. The company started small with a cryptic message, then began with little tidbits, before launching its official event trailer. While generally, this wouldn’t be too exciting, the video not only gave us a glimpse of the Galaxy Z Flip 4 but also of the Galaxy Z Fold 4. Along with the new trailer, the company has outlined special events that will take place leading up to the main event, some even taking place in the real world.

During its initial announcement, Samsung stated that its Galaxy Unpacked event would take place virtually. While this is mostly true, the firm is going to have physical spaces where people will get to physically experience the phones. The events will take place in London’s Piccadilly Circus and New York’s Meatpacking District. The event will not only be for journalists, but it will also be for fans and partners.

Samsung is going all out

Samsung is once again partnering with BTS to promote its handsets. The group will release a special music video for its song “Yet to Come” which will be broadcast to iconic video screens across the world like the ones found in New York’s Times Square. Of course, this isn’t everything that’s coming down the pipeline, but just a small sample. Like any Galaxy handset release, Samsung is making sure to take the world by storm.

If interested in either of the handsets that will be announced, be sure to put in your reservation prior to the start of the event to get special bonus incentives. You can be eligible for up to $200 in credits.

Reserve your Galaxy Z Fold 4 or Galaxy Z Flip 4 by following this link

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Source: Samsung

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