Microsoft’s Your Phone app drops support for Bluetooth Low Energy connections

Smartphones have overshadowed desktops to become the primary point of interaction for a lot of people. There’s a lot happening on your phone at any given point, and it can be hard to keep track of all of it if you are using a computing machine other than your smartphone. Microsoft took a jab at solving this problem with the Your Phone app, an app that is awfully named but did get the job done. Your Phone allowed screen mirroring from your smartphone to your Windows desktop and enabled other functionalities like notification syncing and phone calls. Previously, the app expanded calling support for all Android 7+ smartphones through Bluetooth, but now, the app is rolling back on this by dropping support altogether for Bluetooth Low Energy connections.

Your Phone mirrored the screen of your Android smartphone to a Windows 10 device over Bluetooth Low Energy, which allowed for wider compatibility on Android but sometimes, it did not work as intended. Microsoft worked with Samsung to develop the Link to Windows feature which worked over WiFi and was easier to access. This expanded compatibility on the Windows end as only a few Windows devices support BLE. Microsoft appears to have vastly favored this approach, as the latest Windows 10 insider build (19013) drops support for screen mirroring over BLE, while Link to Windows is retained as the default connection option. The consequence of this move is that the Your Phone Companion app now supports only the following devices:

• Samsung Galaxy Fold
• Samsung Galaxy Note 10/ Note 10+
• Samsung Galaxy S10/S10+/S10e
• Samsung Galaxy A30s
• Samsung Galaxy A50s
• Samsung Galaxy A90

According to AndroidPolice, a software update to these devices will make Link to Windows a system setting. Microsoft does not intend to bring back BLE support, so we hope that they work on expanding Link to Windows to more devices.

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Your Phone Companion - Link to Windows (Free, Google Play) →

Source: Windows Blog
Story Via: AndroidPolice

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Honor 9X Camera Review – Mid-Ranger with Flagship Versatility

Every year Honor pushes the boundaries of what we can expect from budget devices with their X-Series phones. As we approach the holidays, Honor launches their newest addition to the family, the Honor 9X. Powered by the Kirin 710F, the Honor 9X brings a few newer features that set this phone above others in its class. A full-screen notch-less display is made possible by the motorized pop-up camera that houses the selfie sensor.

Focusing on Photography

With the 9X, Honor put a great deal of attention into the photography aspect of this phone. The device is fitted with a 48MP triple camera that includes an 8MP ultrawide lens and a 2MP depth sensor. The f/1.8 aperture is paired with the half-inch sensor to produce super clear photos. The AIS super night mode promises improve your low-light photos. Observe some of our initial sample shots below.

Sample Shots

48MP Shot [Default Mode]

16MP Selfie Shot [Default Mode]

48MP Shot

12MP Shot

48MP Shot

48MP Shot

48MP Shot

Wide Shot

Night Shot

Night Shot

 

Specifications

Honor 9X	Specs
Display	6,59″ 1080 x 2340p
Chipset	HiSilicon Kirin 710F
RAM	6GB
Storage	128GB
Main Camera	48MP/8MP (Ultrawide)/2MP (Depth Sensor)
Selfie Camera	16MP Motorized Pop-up
Battery	4000mAh
Operating System	Android 9.1.0 EMUI 9.1.0

FullView Display and Dynamic X Design

Honor has been very bold with their design choices for their X-series phones. The Honor 9X has a textured reflective back made from geometric diamond-cut tiles that creates a dynamic “X” pattern when held in the light. The back is made up of a dual 3D curved panel with an 8.8mm thick frame. The model shown in these pictures is the Sapphire Blue model. The Honor 9X also comes in Midnight Black. See the video below to see the effect in action.

The display is 6.59″ and takes up 91% of the front of the phone, thanks to the selfie camera being hidden in a pop-up mechanism. The three back cameras are stacked vertically, with the fingerprint sensor sharing the back of the phone. The power and volume buttons are located on the right side of the Honor 9X, and the sim tray is located at the top next to the pop-up camera.

Honor 9X display

Honor 9X Power and volume Buttons

Honor 9X USB Type C Charge Port and Headphone Jack

One of the biggest complaints of past X-series phones was the use of a micro-USB port for charging and data transfer. It’s great to see that we finally have USB-C on the Honor 9X. You’ll also notice that a 3.5mm headphone jack is still present at the bottom of the device.

Honor 9X Diplsay

Check out the community forums and join the discussion surrounding the Honor 9X.

Honor 9X Forums

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Xiaomi is working on its own front-facing slow-motion “Slofie” feature

Slofies are all the rage these days — or at least that’s what smartphone OEMs think. The Apple iPhone 11 boasts of slow-motion front-facing videos as one of its highlight features, with Apple calling it “slofie”, short for slow-motion selfie. Android smartphones have been capable of slow-motion video through their rear camera for some years now, but no OEM really paid attention to bringing over the feature to the front-facing camera, perhaps because no one really asked for it. But now, Samsung has begun rolling out the slofie feature to the Samsung Galaxy S10, and Xiaomi is expected to follow suit by introducing slofies to its devices.

As spotted by XDA Member kacskrz, Xiaomi is working on bringing in the slofie feature to MIUI devices. We could spot code evidence within the MIUI Camera app that suggests that Xiaomi has added a new slow-motion mode for the front camera that records videos at 1280 x 720 at 120fps. There also exist several methods to check if the phone model is defined to support this mode for the front camera, indicating that there may be a minimum hardware requirement in place to ensure a smooth experience.

As to when the feature will be released, our best guess is that Xiaomi could use this as a talking point for the upcoming Xiaomi Mi CC9 Pro. The camera already is the major talking point for the Mi CC9 Pro, with the 108MP primary camera being the main point of focus, followed by the optical zoom camera that can achieve 50x digital zoom, and then flanked by three more cameras and four LEDs. With so much attention on the rear camera setup, having this feature in place for the Mi CC9 Pro will give it something to boast about on the front too. The Mi CC9 Pro is launching in China on November 5, 2019, and the device will be launched globally as the Mi Note 10 on November 14.

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Google Assistant smart devices will soon be able to stream from SiriusXM

A recent teardown of the Google app version 10.81.6.29.arm64 revealed a number of upcoming features. Among these was the updated Collections UI, smart screenshots, and Google Podcast bookmarking. The teardown also revealed that Google was testing a new feature that will allow you to link specific radio services to the Google Assistant. Google is now finally rolling out this feature to Assistant-powered smart speakers and mobile devices.

According to a recent blog post from the company, the new feature will allow you to stream SiriumXM’s radio channels using the Google Assistant. The company has added several new commands to allow you to choose from a variety of different talk shows, commercial-free music, and sports stations with just your voice. For instance, you’ll be able to say “Hey Google, play The Beatles Channel on SiriusXM” to play hits from the band. If you’re not sure which channel to listen to, you can also say “Hey Google, play SiriusXM” and the Assistant will automatically play the last channel you listened to.

The new feature will be made available in the US and Canada starting next week. At launch, the feature will only be available in English, but the company promises to include support for Canadian French soon. You will also be able to avail up to a 3-month free trial subscription of SiriusXM, provided you have a Google Assistant account set up in the Google Home app. Additionally, Google aims to add curated video content from SiriusXM for Nest Hub and Nest Hub Max users later this year. This will give you access to exclusive in-studio performances, interviews, and more.

The post also lists down some of the most useful commands for the new feature. Here are a few ways you can tune into the radio with the Google Assistant:

• Ask for your favorite station by its channel name or frequency—say something like, “Hey Google, play KGMZ” or “play 95.7.”
• Find the local NPR station by saying “Hey Google, play NPR” or even tune into international stations such as BBC Radio with the Assistant.
• The Assistant remembers your most recent station. Just say “Hey Google, turn on the radio” to drop back into the stream.
• When you’re in the car, you can access the Assistant from your driving directions in Google Maps. Just say “Hey Google …” and ask for your favorite station, so that you don’t have to take your eyes off the road.
• Your favorite radio station will automatically play when you add it to your “good morning” or “I’m home” Routine, which allows you to get multiple things done with a single command from the Assistant.

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Source: Google

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MIUI Quick Settings provides quick access to hidden phones settings on Xiaomi devices

Xiaomi’s MIUI Android skin is a far cry from the stock Android experience we all know and love. However, it packs in some really useful customization options and features that many Xiaomi users appreciate. But did you know that the OS also packs in a few settings that are hidden from users? Accessing these hidden settings could be a bit tricky, which is why you should check out the new MIUI Quick Settings app. It’s a fairly straightforward app that lets you access all of MIUI’s hidden settings from a single location.

The app works on all MIUI ROMs based on Android 5 Lollipop and higher. With the app, you can get access to features like a complete hardware test, which will allow you to check all of your phone’s hardware components. Along with the hardware test, MIUI Quick Settings also packs in an Android Test which will quickly provide information about the Android version on your device, a network switcher, an application manager, a notifications manager, and more.

The app even allows you to choose all your default apps from the same menu without requiring you to jump into the MIUI settings. Additionally, you can use the MIUI Quick Settings app to change the power mode of your device and the display size on the fly. The app even has a dark mode built-in for those of you who prefer the darker aesthetic.

In case you own a Xiaomi device running Android 5 Lollipop or higher and want to get access to all these hidden settings on your phone, you should download the MIUI Quick Settings app from the link below. Do note that the app only works on MIUI ROMs and might cause some unwanted bugs if you accidentally change system preferences. It’s also worth noting that we’ve previously seen similar apps like Hidden Settings for MIUI that offer almost all the same features.

MQS - MIUI Quick Settings (Free, Google Play) →

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[Update: MatePad Pro] The Huawei MediaPad M7 could be the first Android tablet with a hole punch display

Update 10/31/19 @ 2:30 AM ET: Evan Blass has clarified that the upcoming Huawei tablet that was speculated to be called as the MediaPad M7 will be called the Huawei MatePad Pro. Evan has also shared a high-quality render of the device. Scroll to the bottom for more information. The article as published on October 21, 2019, is preserved as below.

Earlier this year in June, Huawei launched the MediaPad M6 in China alongside its Nova 5 series. The flagship tablet from the company packed in its top-of-the-line Kirin 980 chipset, coupled with 4GB of RAM. The 10.8-inch variant of the tablet also included some additional features like a quad-speaker setup, a 2K display, and more. Now, we have our first look at its successor – the Huawei MediaPad M7.

According to a recent report from 91mobiles, a reliable source has divulged key design information about the upcoming tablet. The tablet, which is internally being referred to as ‘Marx’, will feature a punch-hole display like the ones found on the Samsung Galaxy S10 series. If the leak stands true, Huawei will be the first manufacturer to include the punch-hole design in a tablet. Additionally, we’ve learned that the upcoming tablet will include support for the company’s smart magnetic keyboard and M-Pen stylus, which leads us to believe that it could be the successor to the MediaPad M6.

Leaked renders of the device also showcase slimmer bezels all around the screen, with no fingerprint scanner. This suggests that Huawei might also include an in-display fingerprint scanner on the tablet, much like the one found on the Galaxy Tab S6. On the back , the tablet features a dual-camera setup along with an LED flash housed within a pill shaped cutout. Down towards the bottom, the tablet has a USB Type-C port for charging and data syncing, with speaker grills on either side. The render also shows the magnetic keyboard and M-Pen stylus attached to the tablet, which suggests that it will have contact points for the keyboard on the left edge and a magnets on the right for the stylus.

While the render reveals most of the design elements, we still have no information about the tablet’s specifications or launch date. However, since it’s a flagship device, we can expect it to feature Huawei’s Kirin 990 chipset with up to 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. The tablet should also feature a large battery to support the high-resolution display and internals.

Source: 91mobiles

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Update: Huawei MatePad Pro

Evan ‘evleaks’ Blass has clarified that the upcoming Huawei tablet will be called the Huawei MatePad Pro. Evan has also shared a high-quality render of the device.

Source: Evan Blass (Private)

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Galaxy Labs is a suite of Samsung apps to manage your files and optimize performance/battery life

The Android experience on Samsung devices has come a long way since the horrid TouchWiz days. The company’s One UI skin is much lighter, less intrusive, and relatively bloat-free. On top of that, it packs in a couple of great customization options for users to personalize their device. Among these is Samsung’s Good Lock — a suite of mods that allow you to customize the UI, automate tasks, or make the most out of your phone with a single hand. Now, Samsung is adding on to its lineup of useful apps with the new Galaxy Labs suite.

As reported by SamMobile, Galaxy Labs is a collection of device optimization apps for Galaxy smartphone and tablet owners. Much like Good Lock, which acts as a one-stop-shop for mods, Galaxy Labs houses a couple of apps that will let you optimize your device’s performance from a single location. As of now, there are four apps to choose from — File Guardian, Battery Tracker, Battery Guardian, and App Booster.

 

Out of the lot, File Guardian seems to be the most useful utility as it allows you to restore permanently deleted files from your phone’s internal and external storage. This proves to be especially useful, as file recovery using a PC is impossible due to the fact that the internal storage is not mounted on Windows or Mac as a standard USB disk. The Battery Tracker app allows you to track your phone’s battery usage and offers many more details than what’s available on Android’s built-in battery menu. With the app, you’ll be able to track battery usage since the last full charge and also check your battery usage for the last seven days. While these features will be available to users on Android 10 and One UI 2.0, the Battery Tracker app enables them for users on Android Pie.

In comparison, the Battery Guardian app doesn’t do anything new and only checks for existing battery optimization features. Lastly, the App Booster aims to optimize all apps on the device and boost their performance. The app takes a long time to complete the optimization process, but we aren’t sure what exactly goes behind the scenes during the process. Galaxy Labs, along with the aforementioned apps, are available on Samsung’s Galaxy Store in the Netherlands right now. However, you can easily sideload the apps on your Galaxy device by downloading the APKs linked below. Do note that you’ll first have to download Galaxy Labs and Galaxy Labs Agent on your device before you can install the other four APKs.

Download Galaxy Labs || Download Galaxy Labs Agent || Download Battery Guardian || Download Battery Tracker || Download File Guardian || Download App Booster

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Source: SamMobile

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