HMD Global rolls out Android 10 update for the Nokia 2.3

Nokia’s affordable smartphone portfolio continues the legacy of receiving steady software updates as the entry-level Nokia 2.3 has now started to receive stable Android 10 OTA in various regions. The phone was launched back in December 2019 with Android Pie onboard and it was originally scheduled to get the Android 10 update during Q1 of 2020 as per HMD Global’s update schedule. The COVID-19 outbreak might be the reason behind the delay, as a bunch of other Nokia phones missed the timeline as well.

The Nokia 2.3 is eligible to get two years of OS upgrades and three years of monthly security updates by virtue of the Android One program and HMD Global’s strategy. This means that this budget phone will also receive Android 11, but in due time. Talking about the current Android 10 build, it is labeled as software version V2.230 and weighs about 1.11GB. The OTA also brings in all the new features that Google rolled out with Android 10, like the system-wide dark mode, full-screen gestures, smart replies for apps, and much more. However, HMD Global decided to ship one-month-old March 2020 security patches with this build, which is quite an unsatisfactory move.

An official announcement from HMD Global’s CPO Juho Sarvikas regarding this update is not up at the time of writing this article, but we can spot a relevant discussion thread on Nokia Community forums. Once again, the company has decided to choose an incremental rollout model to avoid spreading potentially showstopper bugs. The Android 10 OTA for the Nokia 2.3 should reach 10% of the consumers across the globe as part of the initial wave, while a 100% rollout is expected by April 26. Interestingly, the current list of approved markets doesn’t include the US, albeit the phone is sold there via Best Buy and Amazon. This could change in the near future, though.

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Thanks to Twitter user @MohaHotlain for the screenshot!

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Twitter is starting to show quoted retweets on Android and iOS

Keeping track of conversations on Twitter can prove to be a nightmare, especially if you’re using your phone to access the social media platform. In order to make it easier for users to keep track of replies, the company has previously experimented with a couple of different features. Back in April last year, Twitter first tested new label tags to help users keep a track of the original author in a conversation and the people mentioned in the original tweet. Then, earlier this year in March, the company started rolling out threaded replies on Android which made browsing through replies a whole lot easier. And now, according to a recent tweet from prolific reverse engineer Jane Manchun Wong (@wongmjane), the platform is starting to show quoted retweets on Android and iOS.

It turns out Twitter is actually testing the ability to view quote tweets!

via @calcsam https://t.co/lRFELR6kxm

— Jane Manchun Wong (@wongmjane) April 21, 2020

For the unaware, Twitter currently lets you retweet both with and without a comment. However, regardless of what you do, the platform doesn’t have a way to let you see what comments people made alongside their retweet unless you click on the “Retweets” button and then check the profile for each person who retweeted the tweet. In order to simplify this process, Twitter is now testing a new UI that separates all retweets into two tabs — those with comments and those without comments.

It looks like this! pic.twitter.com/HaVoRMO6T5

— Divia contact trace presumed positive cases Eden (@diviacaroline) April 21, 2020

As you can see in the tweet above, the tabs list down all the retweets based on whether or not they have a comment and the retweets that do have a comment show the comment alongside the original tweet.

can confirm as well, but i’m seeing a slightly different UI pic.twitter.com/UCsE2AH9GL

— Mehedi Hassan (@mehedih_) April 21, 2020

Twitter is currently testing this feature with a handful of users on both Android and iOS, but the feature has a slightly different UI on each platform. As you can see in the tweet above, the Android version doesn’t have two separate tabs and only has a single button to show all retweets with comments. As of now, it isn’t clear which UI will be released when the feature finally rolls out to more users and we currently have no information on the release timeline. We’ll update the post as soon as the feature rolls out to a broader audience.

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Digital Wellbeing v1.0.3 renames Wind Down to Bedtime Mode and adds a new charging trigger

A new Digital Wellbeing beta, version 1.0.306697358.beta, is rolling out on the Google Play Store and it brings along some useful additions to the app including a name change and UI overhaul to the Wind Down mode, a new charging trigger and more.

An APK teardown can often predict features that may arrive in a future update of an application, but it is possible that any of the features we mention here may not make it in a future release. This is because these features are currently unimplemented in the live build and may be pulled at any time by the developers in a future build.

The most notable change this new beta introduces is the renaming of the Wind Down mode to the Bedtime mode — which in our opinion more aptly describes the function this mode serves. Accompanying the name change, the UI of the former Wind Down (now Bedtime mode) has been revamped while the iconography has also been updated everywhere including the Quick Setting tile and Focus Mode.

We first learned about this new UI and quick setting tile through an APK teardown of Digital Wellbeing, version 1.0.302017577.beta, that we published earlier this month. With this update, both of these changes are fully implemented and functional for users.

Besides, the update adds a new way to trigger Wind Down/Bedtime Mode: while charging at night. With this enabled, Bedtime Mode will only turn on past a certain time and when the phone is plugged in. The additional requirement will be useful for users who may want the mode to be triggered once they have reached home, and not before.

Finally, when you pause Bedtime Mode and then tap on the notification, a pretty new fullscreen activity is shown to the user. Here, the user can tap “add 30 minutes” as many times as they want to keep pushing back when Bedtime Mode starts.

Digital Wellbeing 1.0.306697358.beta is now live on the Google Play Store and you can grab the update by clicking on the link below. It’s worth noting that this update is only available in the beta channel and thus, will not show up if you haven’t joined the beta program.

Digital Wellbeing (Free, Google Play) →

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Thanks to PNF Software for providing us a license to use JEB Decompiler, a professional-grade reverse engineering tool for Android applications.

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Latest Google App beta tests a new in-app web browser for news and search results

Out of the several apps that Google offers on Android, there’s no single app that’s as versatile as the Google App. The app is one of the main components of Google Mobile Services as it contains Google Search, Google Discover, Google Podcasts, Google Assistant, and Google Lens. Despite the fact that Google has already packed in so much in the app, the company keeps adding new features to the app ever so often. Earlier this year in January, we spotted evidence that suggested that Google was working to add an incognito browser within the app. And now, the company is finally rolling out an in-app browser in the latest beta release of the Google App.

The new in-app web browser in the Google App was recently spotted by the folks over at 9to5Google in the latest beta release (v11.6.6) of the app. The report claims that the in-app browser is rolling out to some users and we’ve already received it on one of our Pixel 4’s running Android 10. As you can see in the attached video below, the browser automatically opens up as soon as you tap on any news article within the app, instead of redirecting to your default browser app. Much like the incognito browser that we’d seen previously, the new in-app browser allows you to bookmark pages by tapping on the Favorites button next to the address bar, share pages with others, and open the page in your default browser from within the three-dot contextual menu.

In case you don’t wish to use the in-app browser by default, you also get the option to toggle it off from within the settings menu. On top of that, it has its own privacy settings that allow you to clear all your browsing data for the in-app browser. As of now, the new in-app browser is only available for a handful of users on the latest beta release of the Google App, but we expect Google to roll it out to more users in the coming weeks.

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Facebook buys 9.99% stake in Reliance Jio for $5.7 billion

Reliance Jio has seen astronomical growth ever since it entered the Indian telecom sector back in September 2016. The company’s success has allowed it to diversify into various other verticals, like home broadband and e-commerce, where it has opted for the same strategy of offering services at a price point that undercuts the competition by a significant margin. Jio’s rise in popularity caught the attention of Facebook and Google, both of whom were eyeing stakes within the Indian company. One of these deals has come to fruition, as Facebook and Reliance have now announced that Facebook has bought a 9.99% stake in Reliance Jio for $5.7 billion, or ₹43,574 crore.

Reliance Industries Limited (“Reliance Industries”), Jio Platforms Limited (“Jio Platforms”) and Facebook, Inc. (“Facebook”) today announced the signing of binding agreements for an investment of ₹ 43,574 crore by Facebook into Jio Platforms. This investment by Facebook values Jio Platforms at ₹ 4.62 lakh crore pre-money enterprise value ($65.95 billion, assuming a conversion rate of ₹ 70 to a US Dollar). Facebook’s investment will translate into a 9.99% equity stake in Jio Platforms on a fully diluted basis.

This binding agreement for investment will make Facebook the largest minority shareholder in Reliance Jio. Prior to this deal, Jio was a wholly-owned subsidiary of Reliance Industries Limited (RIL), i.e. the entire 100% of shares of Jio were held by RIL. But through this deal, RIL will hold 90.01% of Jio shares, while the remaining 9.99% will be held by Facebook. The deal is a part of RIL’s plan to reduce its net debt to zero by 2021. To note, the amount that Facebook has paid for 10% of shares of Jio is more than what Facebook paid for Oculus and Instagram, combined.

Why is this deal significant?

This deal between RIL and Facebook is a coming-together of two corporate giants, both of whom command significant market shares in their varied product categories. WhatsApp, owned by Facebook, boasted of over 400 million users in India as of July 2019, and the number has only grown since then for the messaging service, while more than 270 million people use Facebook as a social network in India as of February 2020. Reliance Jio, on the other hand, has 370 million customers and is the largest Indian telecom operator with a 32% market share, as of December 2019.

Facebook’s press release mentions that the focus of the collaboration with Jio will be “creating new ways for people and businesses to operate more effectively in the growing digital economy“. An example provided for this vision is by bringing together JioMart, Jio’s small business initiative, with WhatsApp. Such a product collaboration will enable people to connect with businesses, shop, and hence, make it easy to purchase products in a seamless mobile experience.

There is further potential because of this deal. Facebook had attempted to break into India’s internet market with programs like Free Basics but hit snags on the grounds of net neutrality. With Jio on board, they have an in-road to the vast potential of the Indian market. In the same vein, Jio wishes to challenge the likes of Amazon and Flipkart in e-commerce with JioMart, and partnering with WhatsApp for its messaging platform as well as payment platform will be a tremendous growth driver.

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Vivaldi browser launches on Android with DuckDuckGo’s Tracker Radar integrated

With nearly 3 million apps on the Google Play Store, Android users are spoiled for choices across all major verticals. When it comes to web browsers, users get a myriad of options besides the pre-installed web browser or Google Chrome. Another player in this landscape is the Vivaldi Browser, which was developed by Opera Browser’s co-creator after their exit from the company. Vivaldi originally launched for desktop ecosystems in 2016 with a focus on customization, privacy, and agility. This was followed by a beta release on Android last year, which received a supplemental update in December. Now, the first stable version of Vivaldi Browser is rolling out on the Google Play Store.

Vivaldi Browser abides by the minimal design language adopted by the desktop version. Besides simplified UI including features like the desktop-style tab stack, Speed Dials with grouping support, and an inbuilt dark mode. For a cleaner look, the browser also has options such as “Swipe to Close Tabs,” “Hide Status bar,” and smaller Speed Dials for a better view.

Upholding privacy as one of its core values, Vivaldi has included with an inbuilt ad blocker into the Android browser. It also integrates a tracking blocker mechanism powered by the DuckDuckGo privacy browser’s Tracker Radar tool.  Both – the ad and the tracking blockers – are switched off by default but can be switched on by tapping the shield icon along the address bar.

Vivaldi for Android supports syncing history, bookmarks, passwords and other autofill information, and Speed Dial tabs across devices and different platforms with end-to-end encryption. This data is stored in Vivaldi’s own servers in Iceland. The browser also allows you to switch between search engines directly from the address bar.

The browser also comes with an inbuilt notes taker and a snapshot tool for more productivity. Using the latter, you can either capture a snapshot of only the visible area or the entire webpage.

The stable version of Vivaldi Browser for Android will be available starting today i.e. April 22nd on the Google Play Store. You can grab it from the link below if you’re looking for a privacy-focussed and speedy web browsing experience on Android phones, tablets, and Chromebooks.

Vivaldi Browser Beta (Free, Google Play) →

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Coronavirus affects another big tech event: IFA 2020

The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has infected over 2 million people worldwide and has brought many countries to a complete standstill. The pandemic has had an unprecedented impact on industries globally, with several companies in the technology sector being forced to delay launches indefinitely and cancel all live events, including major tech events like MWC 2020 and Google I/O 2020. Despite constant efforts from industry leaders and governments worldwide to address the situation, it doesn’t seem like the effects of the pandemic are going to wear off anytime soon. In a recent string of tweets from the official IFA Berlin Twitter handle, the event organizers have revealed that the upcoming IFA 2020 event will also be impacted by the pandemic.

#IFA20: Set for an innovative concept designed for unprecedented times.

IFA Berlin is set to go ahead in 2020, but with an innovative new concept, following the decision by the Berlin government to ban all events with more than 5,000 participants until 24 October 2020.
1/6 pic.twitter.com/MLDvamLXzf

— IFA Berlin (@IFA_Berlin) April 21, 2020

The IFA 2020 event in Berlin, which was scheduled from September 4-9, will not be going ahead as planned “following the decision by the Berlin government to ban all events with more than 5,000 participants until 24th October 2020.” In a statement on the matter, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of gfu Consumer and Home Electronics, Hans-Joachin Kamp, explained, “We expected this development given the constantly evolving pandemic and appreciate that we have now a clear regulatory framework that enables us, our partner Messe Berlin, and our exhibitors to make detailed plans for IFA 2020.” The event organizers are currently discussing a range of alternative concepts to take the event forward and will be presenting an updated concept for IFA 2020 in the near future. We will update this post as and when we receive more details from the organizers. As of now, we aren’t sure if the IFA restructuring will have any effect on the planned announcements.

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