Galaxy A51 and Galaxy A71 get new privacy features in Samsung’s AltZLife update for India

Samsung recently rolled out an update for the Galaxy A51 and Galaxy A71, which introduced some of the headline-worthy features from the Galaxy S20 series to the mid-range devices. The update included features like the Single Take camera mode, a better Pro mode, Quick Share, Music Share, and much more. Now, the company is rolling out another noteworthy update for the two devices, which introduces two privacy features for users in India under a new ‘Make in India’ innovation called AltZLife.

Samsung Galaxy A51 and A71 Hands-on: Mid-Range Smartphone Winners

The AltZLife update has already started rolling out to users and it includes two useful privacy features — Quick Switch and Content Suggestions. The Quick Switch feature will allow users to switch between two instances of the same app in order to keep their private and public data separate from each other. For instance, users will be able to quickly switch between the normal Gallery app and a private Gallery by double-clicking the power button. This will let them easily secure sensitive data on their devices.

Samsung Galaxy A51 XDA Forum || Samsung Galaxy A71 XDA Forum

To prevent unauthorized access, users will have to provide authentication after double-clicking the power button in normal mode. Interestingly, this authentication won’t be the same as the lock screen authentication method, which adds a further layer of privacy to the feature.

The Content Suggestions feature, on the other hand, is an AI-based app inside the Secure Folder that will prompt users to move their private images to the Secure Folder. To set it up, users will first have to select specific faces or a type of image they want to tag as private and store in the private gallery of the Secure Folder. Once the initial setup is complete, the on-device AI engine will kick in and identify all relevant images that should be moved to the Secure Folder. Samsung claims that since Content Suggestions makes use of an on-device AI solution, none of the information gathered by the AI leaves the device.

In a statement regarding the new AltZLife features, Manu Sharma, Senior Director, Mobile Business at Samsung India, said, “An industry first innovation, this intelligent feature has been designed keeping in mind the inherent need of consumers, especially Gen Z, for enhanced privacy when it comes to storage and access of content on their smartphones. This helps eliminate the anxiety that consumers usually face while also sharing their smartphones with someone.”

It’s also worth noting that the two ‘Make for India’ privacy solutions have been developed by engineers from Samsung’s R&D Institutes in Bangalore and Noida. As of now, Samsung hasn’t revealed any plans to offer the new AltZLife features in other regions.

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Source: Samsung Newsroom

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Download: New MIUI Gallery from MIUI 12 adds OCR, screenshot frames, and new Sky replacement filters

Xiaomi’s MIUI is one of the most popular custom UX present on Android, thanks to the wide popularity of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones. MIUI makes several changes to the base Android, so much so that the features present on Xiaomi devices are dictated more so by their MIUI version instead of their Android version. MIUI’s Gallery app is now adding in several more features to this list, as it has now gained support for OCR, device frames for screenshots, and new Sky Replacement filters.

Download: MIUI 12 stable update rolling out to several Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO devices

MIUI 12 Hands-on: 12 interesting new features added in Xiaomi’s Android OS

XDA Member and frequent Xiaomi tipster kacskrz informed us that the latest MIUI Gallery app, v2.2.16.17, in the latest MIUI 12 China beta adds several new features. Here’s the translated changelog:

1. The slide bar experience for quick preview of photos is upgraded
2. Time album revision experience upgrade
3. Upgraded experience of album free sorting function
4. Add photo to text function (OCR)
5. Add and edit night scene change
6. Add editing filters, water green, smoke green, light summer, blue dream, water blue, mojito, quiet
7. Optimized editing function experience
8. Optimized photo album scanning speed
9. Fix several bugs and improve the smooth experience of photo albums

OCR Support

There are a few things to note with this new update. One, the Gallery app now gains OCR (Optical Character Recognition) support. On images that have text previewed, you can use the OCR function to get the characters recognized as text.

Here is a quick demo of the OCR function:

The feature currently works rather slow, but that is because the image is uploaded to Xiaomi’s server for processing. The OCR function is also only supported by Xiaomi’s latest flagship smartphones running MIUI 12 China ROM.

Device Screenshot Frames

Device screenshot frames essentially add a model of a device to a screenshot, providing context and adding on to the aesthetics of the screenshot. There are plenty of external methods to add a device frame to a screenshot, and OnePlus TVs also feature similar functionality. Now, Xiaomi is baking in the functionality within the Gallery app, so you no longer have to rely on more time-consuming methods for the same.

Device screenshot frames have been added for:

• Mi 9 (cepheus)
• Mi 9 Pro 5G (crux)
• Mi 10 Pro (cmi)
• Redmi K20/Mi 9T (davinci)
• POCO X2/Redmi K30 4G (phoenix)
• Redmi K30 5G (picasso)
• Redmi K20 Pro/Mi 9T Pro (raphael)
• Mi 10 (umi)

We hope Xiaomi adds in frames for more devices in future versions.

New Sky Replacement Filters in MIUI Gallery

Sky Replacement Filters were added in last year as part of the photo editing functionality present within the MIUI Gallery app. With this feature, users can take images with a predominant sky element and swap it with a bunch of different presets depicting the sky in different scenes. The presets will not only alter the appearance of the sky but also add relevant lighting effects to the rest of the image and objects in order to better reflect the lighting condition had the sky been as it appears. A slider also lets users control this lighting effect.

In this new update to the Gallery app, Xiaomi is introducing several new sky replacement features:

Download MIUI Gallery v2.2.16.17

If you want to check out these new features, you can sideload the latest version of MIUI Gallery onto your device. Note that some of these features may be device-specific, so they are best seen on latest Xiaomi flagships.

Download MIUI Gallery v2.2.16.17 from APKMirror

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Story Via: MIUIPolska

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Google People Cards are virtual visiting cards on Google Search

About six months after the feature was first spotted, Google is officially unveiling People Cards. Google mentions that searching for famous personalities presents familiar results, but searching for not-so-famous individuals may not showcase relevant information. So, to aid individuals who are looking to build their online presence, Google is rolling out People Cards, which are like virtual visiting cards where individuals can highlight their existing website of social profiles that they want people to visit.

To create a People Card, sign in to your Google Account, then either search for your name or enter “Add me to Search” in Google Search and then tap the prompt that appears. You can add an image, your Google account, a description of yourself, links to websites and social profiles, and if you wish, a phone number or email address.

Google mentions that they have a bunch of protections and controls in place to maintain the quality of information on People Cards. Only one People Card is allowed per Google Account, and a phone number is required to authenticate the account. There are other undisclosed mechanisms to protect against abusive or spammy content. And users can also submit feedback if they spot low-quality information or a card that is believed to have been created by an impersonator. Google will also allow users to delete their People Card if they no longer want to appear in Search.

For end-users, these new People Cards will make it quick and easy to find the right person. When searching for someone’s name and there is a card available, Google Search will display a module with the name, profession, and location, and users can tap to see the full information within the card. For people who share the same name, there will be multiple modules, and the information can help end users distinguish between the different individuals and find who they are looking for.

This feature is rolling out to users in India on mobile and in English.

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POCO M2 Pro gets an unofficial LineageOS 17.1 and PitchBlack Recovery builds

The POCO M2 Pro (our review) may not feature a flagship chipset like the first-gen POCO F1 or even a high refresh rate display panel like the POCO X2, but the smartphone does offer some solid specifications for a very competitive price. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G SoC is specifically tuned for mobile gaming on a budget, while the massive 5,000 mAh battery with 33W fast charging support is capable enough to deliver a marathon battery life. Since the first POCO-branded device was quite a big hit among aftermarket development enthusiasts and custom ROM developers, we expect that this mid-ranger will continue that legacy. In fact, development on our forums has been in high gear right from the beginning, and here’s our first custom development roundup for the POCO M2 Pro.

POCO M2 Pro XDA Forums ||| Buy the POCO M2 Pro from Flipkart

Unofficial LineageOS 17.1

LineageOS is undoubtedly one of the most popular custom ROMs out there, and an unofficial build of the ROM is already available for this phone. Based on the contributions of XDA Recognized Developer erfanoabdi and Cosmin Tanislav AKA Demon000, XDA Senior Member ChaitanayaMittal has ported LineageOS 17.1, based on Android 10, to the POCO M2 Pro. Most of the features are reportedly working fine, however, it might not be ready yet to be a daily driver. If you’re a fan of the stock Android look, then head over to the thread linked below and follow the instructions to get the ROM up and running on your device.

Unofficial LineageOS 17.1 for the POCO M2 Pro

Unofficial PitchBlack Recovery

If you wish to install the aforementioned LineageOS 17.1 build, you will first need a custom recovery on your device. Thankfully, an unofficial build of the PitchBlack Recovery (a fork of TWRP) is now available for the phone, courtesy of the same developer who compiled the LineageOS build. The recovery solution is also compatible with stock MIUI OTA packages, which means you can install incremental MIUI updates without modifying the updater script.

Unofficial PitchBlack Recovery for the POCO M2 Pro

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Android TV gets Google Play Instant Apps, PIN code purchases, and more

Android TV is Google’s platform for smart TVs, boasting of more than 7,000 apps for Google Play on Android TV. The platform has seen steady success despite stiff competition from other homegrown alternatives. Android TV now boasts of 80% YoY growth in monthly active users, alongside adoption by 7 out of the top 10 smart TV OEMs around the world and over 160 TV operators. Google recently had announced the Android 11 Developer Preview for Android TV, and today, as part of its 11 Weeks of Android series, Google is highlighting the changes and improvements that the latest update to Android TV will bring to smart TVs. What’s even better is the fact that most of these features will be made available to older versions of Android TV (9 and 10) as well.

Google Play Instant on TV

Android Instant Apps were first showcased at Google I/0 2016. With Instant Apps, users could try out apps without the hassle of actually installing them. Instant Apps worked by breaking down a native app into small parts, which could be loaded faster and downloaded, then executed quickly. It displayed the UI screen for an app, and as soon as it was closed, it was removed and did not need to be uninstalled, because it hadn’t been installed in the first place.

Now, Google is bringing the Instant Apps experience to TV with Google Play Instant. Developers for Android TV apps can now allow users to try out their apps instantly on Google Play with Google Play Instant on TV. Users can choose to install the app after they have experienced it. This should come in handy as smart TVs usually come with limited storage capacities as compared to smartphones.

Android TV Emulator with Play Store support

Google is also making it easier for developers to test their apps as the official Android TV emulator now supports Google Play. Developers will now be able to test subscriptions faster through the emulator instead of needing to test on a real device all the time, which would have been fairly cumbersome on TVs.

PIN Code Purchases

Google Play on Android TV will now make it easier for users to make purchases by allowing them to input PIN code instead of a password.

Gboard TV

Gboard for Android TV is now getting new layouts and features that make better use of speech-to-text and predictive typing. This should make it easier to input data, especially through remotes that aren’t designed to be used heavily for typing.

Auto Low Latency Mode

Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM) was first spotted in June 2020 as a feature for the upcoming Google “Sabrina” Android TV dongle. Auto Low Latency Mode is a feature of the HDMI 2.1 specification that allows the device to send a signal to the connected TV to get it to disable any post-processing features that might add latency to displaying the video. A lot of televisions will market this feature as a “Game Mode” because it’s most useful for reducing lag when gaming.

As Google mentions, in Android 11 and later, a window can request that auto low latency mode or game mode be used, if available, by requesting minimal post-processing. This is particularly useful for game and videoconferencing applications, where low latency is more important than having the best possible graphics. Google also clarified to us that this is the only feature that is exclusive to Android 11 on Android TV, and it further needs to be adopted by device makers individually.

App developers can prepare their apps by including the ALLM option in their Android Manifest or branch their code by OS version (see example below), and then the OS will automatically use ALLM if it is available or operate normally if it isn’t.

if (isAndroidROrGreater()) {
pleaseEnableAllm();
} else {
Log.i("Sorry, no ALLM")
}

Leanback Library Improvements

The latest leanback library focuses on simplifying app navigation and compatibility with improvements such as simpler top tab navigation, paging through media titles and shared codebases across mobile and TV.

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As mentioned before, only Auto Low Latency Mode is an Android 11 exclusive feature. Other features will be made available to Android TV based on Android 9 and Android TV based on Android 10 as well.

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TWRP is now available for the Motorola One Zoom, Motorola One Action, and Huawei P8 Lite 2017

TWRP recently added a bunch of new devices to its build roaster, including the Moto One Vision, Realme C2, LG V20, and more. Now, three more devices have joined the list: the Motorola One Zoom, Motorola One Action, and Huawei P8 Lite 2017 making it easier for owners of these phones to try out their favorite custom ROMs, kernels and mods.

Motorola Moto One Zoom

The Motorola One Zoom was launched last year as a mid-range offering in the Moto One lineup, packing a 6.2-inch full HD+ LCD, Snapdragon 675 SoC, a 48MP primary camera and a 4,000 mAh battery. The TWRP build for the Moto One Zoom is maintained by kaneawk, the same man who brought support for the Moto One Vision earlier this week and also maintains many other Motorola phones. Assuming your Motorola One Zoom already has an unlocked bootloader, you should be able to successfully flash the TWRP recovery with a few simple fastboot commands from your PC.

Motorola One Zoom TWRP || Motorola One Zoom XDA Forums

Motorola Moto One Action

The Exynos 9609-powered Motorola One Action (review) has also received an official build of TWRP, courtesy of kaneawk. If you’re interested, download the recovery zip from the link below and also check out the device forums to see which ROMs and mods you can try out after you have flashed the recovery.

Motorola One Action TWRP || Motorola One Action XDA Forums

Huawei P8 Lite

Lastly, the Huawei P8 Lite from 2017 has also been added to the TWRP build roaster. The build is maintained by XDA Recognized Developer / Contributor DarkJoker360. If you’re still holding onto a Huawei P8 Lite and want to explore the world of custom ROMs and mods, hit the link below for step-by-step instructions on how to replace your stock recovery with TWRP. Do make sure your device has an unlocked bootloader before you attempt to flash the recovery, though.

Huawei P8 Lite TWRP || Huawei P8 Lite XDA Forums

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OnePlus’ HydrogenOS 11 comes with redesigned Weather app, Always-On Display, and more

During a live-streamed event earlier today, OnePlus unveiled the latest version of its custom Android skin for China — HydrogenOS 11. The software is based on Android 11 and it brings a ton of new features for OnePlus devices, including Always-on Display functionality, smart gallery, voice notes, multi-user Zen mode, an improved dark mode, and more.

As per a recent report from ITHome, HydrogenOS 11 adopts a new inclusive design that is expected to improve user experience. According to OnePlus’ Creative Director Zeng Xi, HydrogenOS 11 makes use of the simplest elements to create an inclusive design that will help users easily grasp information on the screen at a glance. The new wallpapers in HydrogenOS 11 also echo this design approach and serve to provide relevant information like the current weather conditions and time of day.

Official Video of OnePlus’s HydrogenOS 11 for China. Expect OxygenOS 11 to be heavily influenced by it but with Google Play Services. New Always on Display, Animations & One Hand usage. #OnePlus #HydrogenOS11 pic.twitter.com/IbdXKrj7eg

— Ishan Agarwal (@ishanagarwal24) August 10, 2020

As mentioned earlier, HydrogenOS 11 includes quite a few new features alongside the new design. The company has finally included always-on display functionality in the OS, a new smart gallery with integrated image/video editing features, voice notes with support for AI-powered speech-to-text conversion, a one-handed mode, and a multi-user Zen mode to help users disconnect with friends and family.

HydrogenOS 11 also features an improved dark mode that makes use of different shades of black to highlight important information on the screen. The dark mode also comes with a quick settings toggle and support for time-based activation. It’s also worth noting that the new dark mode has passed the WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) Double A certification, which means that it will provide a better dark mode experience to users with visual impairments.

Furthermore, HydrogenOS 11 brings a new ORM memory management system that’s expected to improve memory utilization, run more applications while using the same amount of memory, and reduce the chances of an app being killed in the background.

HydrogenOS 11 Availability

As ITHome points out, the software update will be available for all OnePlus devices launched after the OnePlus 5T. OnePlus has already started rolling out the first HydrogenOS 11 beta build for the OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro, and the first developer preview build is expected to be released sometime next month. The stable version is scheduled to reach supported devices in Q4 2020. We’ll be posting download links and flashing instructions, along with the complete changelog, for the first beta release shortly.

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Source: Weibo

Via: ITHome

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