Big announcement from Google today about how they'll be using more and more parts of the Android stack, like Android's Linux kernel fork and various frameworks, as part of the foundation for ChromeOS!
Google says bringing the Android-based tech stack into ChromeOS will allow them to "accelerate the pace of AI innovation at the core of ChromeOS, simplify engineering efforts, and help different devices like phones and accessories work better together with Chromebooks."
These improvements are starting now but "won't be ready for consumers and organizations for quite some time." Google will "provide a seamless transition to the updated experience" when they're ready.
The first of these changes is actually already live as of ChromeOS 122, with the platform shifting from the standard Linux BlueZ stack to Android's Fluoride stack for Linux (Floss).
Google has been testing this since 2021, and as I mentioned last year, switching to Floss expands codec availability to include AAC, aptX, aptX HD, and LDAC (previously only SBC was supported.) Switching to Floss also brings better interoperability testing, a simplified technical architecture, improved security (as Google rewrites the Bluetooth stack in Rust), and also will bring LE Audio support.
Sources: [1] [2]. Via.
Google says bringing the Android-based tech stack into ChromeOS will allow them to "accelerate the pace of AI innovation at the core of ChromeOS, simplify engineering efforts, and help different devices like phones and accessories work better together with Chromebooks."
These improvements are starting now but "won't be ready for consumers and organizations for quite some time." Google will "provide a seamless transition to the updated experience" when they're ready.
The first of these changes is actually already live as of ChromeOS 122, with the platform shifting from the standard Linux BlueZ stack to Android's Fluoride stack for Linux (Floss).
Google has been testing this since 2021, and as I mentioned last year, switching to Floss expands codec availability to include AAC, aptX, aptX HD, and LDAC (previously only SBC was supported.) Switching to Floss also brings better interoperability testing, a simplified technical architecture, improved security (as Google rewrites the Bluetooth stack in Rust), and also will bring LE Audio support.
Sources: [1] [2]. Via.
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Multi Control is one of those features I didn't know I needed until I saw a demo of it last week.
If you don't know, it's a feature on Samsung laptops, smart monitors, and mobile devices that lets you wirelessly share your keyboard and mouse across devices.
I use a simple, wired KVM switch to change inputs between my desktop and laptop, but having this built-in to my monitor would take a lot of wiring out of my current setup (plus let me use a tablet as a side monitor).
I'm getting more and more tempted to buy into Samsung's ecosystem; a shame I have no need to replace any of my existing devices anytime soon!
Samsung ecosystem users: What other cross-device features do you think are underappreciated? As someone who uses a mix of devices from a variety of brands, I'd love to know!
(Here's the demo of Multi Control I mentioned, by the way.)
If you don't know, it's a feature on Samsung laptops, smart monitors, and mobile devices that lets you wirelessly share your keyboard and mouse across devices.
I use a simple, wired KVM switch to change inputs between my desktop and laptop, but having this built-in to my monitor would take a lot of wiring out of my current setup (plus let me use a tablet as a side monitor).
I'm getting more and more tempted to buy into Samsung's ecosystem; a shame I have no need to replace any of my existing devices anytime soon!
Samsung ecosystem users: What other cross-device features do you think are underappreciated? As someone who uses a mix of devices from a variety of brands, I'd love to know!
(Here's the demo of Multi Control I mentioned, by the way.)
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Mishaal's Android News Feed
Android in the streets, Chrome OS in the sheets. Here's Chrome OS running in a virtual machine on Google's Pixel Tablet. Stylus, keyboard, and mouse input work, according to the person who shared this photo (skiman10). If you're wondering how, this person…
If, instead of Chrome OS, you want to run Debian in a VM on your Pixel device, Google now has instructions on how to do that too.
Also, Google is working on enabling network support in the VM out of the box. Audio support, including microphone input, are also being worked on.
Also, Google is working on enabling network support in the VM out of the box. Audio support, including microphone input, are also being worked on.
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Mishaal's Android News Feed
Android in the streets, Chrome OS in the sheets. Here's Chrome OS running in a virtual machine on Google's Pixel Tablet. Stylus, keyboard, and mouse input work, according to the person who shared this photo (skiman10). If you're wondering how, this person…
Google is testing a 1-click solution to run Chrome OS in a virtual machine on Pixel devices.
They're making a new app called "Ferrochrome launcher" that automatically downloads, configures, and launches an ARM64 build of Chromium OS using the VM launcher app.
Currently, you have to manually compile and configure everything yourself. Plus, currently doing this requires rooting your device, but that might not be fully necessary soon (will need to test this though).
(Ferrochrome is the code-name for the project to run Chrome OS in a VM on Android)
They're making a new app called "Ferrochrome launcher" that automatically downloads, configures, and launches an ARM64 build of Chromium OS using the VM launcher app.
Currently, you have to manually compile and configure everything yourself. Plus, currently doing this requires rooting your device, but that might not be fully necessary soon (will need to test this though).
(Ferrochrome is the code-name for the project to run Chrome OS in a VM on Android)
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Android 15 will soon automatically delete your face or fingerprint unlock when they aren’t working well so you can re-enroll them and (hopefully) fix authentication issues.
More details on this change can be found in my latest article for Android Authority.
More details on this change can be found in my latest article for Android Authority.
Android Authority
Android 15 can automatically delete your face or fingerprint unlock if they aren't working well
Android 15 can delete your face or fingerprint unlock when they aren’t working well and then prompt you to set them up again.
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Did you know that the threshold for Android to show "charging rapidly" on the lock screen is a mere 7.5W?
Yes, Android currently thinks any charger that delivers at least 7.5W of power is fast, but Android 15 could change that.
More details can be found in this article I wrote for Android Authority.
Yes, Android currently thinks any charger that delivers at least 7.5W of power is fast, but Android 15 could change that.
More details can be found in this article I wrote for Android Authority.
Android Authority
Android 15 might finally stop treating slow 7.5W chargers as fast
Android 15 is preparing to tweak the threshold that determines whether a charger is seen as fast, from 7.5W to a more reasonable 20W.
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Android 15 Beta 3 is here! With Beta 3, Android 15 has now reached Platform Stability. Follow me to see my coverage of what's new in Beta 3, but you can catch a rundown of what Google announced over on Android Faithful.
The latest beta should start rolling out very soon to the Pixel 6 and later. The GSI went live last night, which is how I've already been posting about the update.
Build number: AP31.240517.022
Security patch level: June 2024
The latest beta should start rolling out very soon to the Pixel 6 and later. The GSI went live last night, which is how I've already been posting about the update.
Build number: AP31.240517.022
Security patch level: June 2024
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The new "Google Home Controls" screen saver that I first revealed back in April is now live in Android 15 Beta 3!
Android Authority
Android 15 adds a new screensaver that makes it easier to control your smart home
Android 15 is preparing to add a screensaver called “Home Controls” that lets you more easily control your Google Home devices.
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Android 15 Beta 3 finally lets you trigger Circle to Search with Android's action key, meaning you can finally use CtS on both taskbars on the Pixel Fold & Pixel Tablet!
More details + a video can be found in this article.
More details + a video can be found in this article.
Android Authority
You can finally use Circle to Search with Android 15's action key
With the Android 15 Beta 3 update, Google’s Circle to Search feature now works when the persistent taskbar is showing on tablets.
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Android 15 Beta 3 suggests that Google is working on a "Creative Assistant" app that could use generative AI to create custom stickers. The app isn't available yet, but it could be something we'll see on the Pixel 9.
More details can be found in this article.
More details can be found in this article.
Android Authority
The Pixel 9 could let you create your own stickers with generative AI
Google is working on a new app called Creative Assistant that could use generative AI to create custom stickers, among other things.
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Android 15 Beta 3 has added the "show long app names" toggle that I previously found back in April. This toggle lets you decide whether to truncate app names in the app list and search results of the Pixel Launcher.
Android Authority
Pixel Launcher will soon let you choose whether to truncate app names
Instead of always truncating app names, Android 15 could introduce a new toggle to “show long app names” in the Pixel Launcher.
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The Adaptive Timeout feature that I discovered back in April is here in Android 15 Beta 3, at least on my Pixel 8 Pro! It doesn't seem to work for me, though.
Adaptive Timeout "automatically turns off your screen if you're not using your device."
UPDATE: Okay, I think I figured out how Adaptive Timeout works: It checks your proximity sensor to see if anything is in front of it (like the inside of your pocket). If so, it shortens the screen timeout and turns the screen off early.
This'll be useful for people who like to have longer screen timeouts but who forget to turn the screen off manually.
Adaptive Timeout "automatically turns off your screen if you're not using your device."
UPDATE: Okay, I think I figured out how Adaptive Timeout works: It checks your proximity sensor to see if anything is in front of it (like the inside of your pocket). If so, it shortens the screen timeout and turns the screen off early.
This'll be useful for people who like to have longer screen timeouts but who forget to turn the screen off manually.
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Here's a sneak peek at the revamped top-level settings homepage that Google is working on. This isn't live yet in Android 15 Beta 3, but I've created a mockup based on what the code suggests it'll look like.
Details on the new layout plus screenshots can be found in this article on Android Authority.
Details on the new layout plus screenshots can be found in this article on Android Authority.
Android Authority
Google is preparing to make the Settings app in Android 15 more organized (APK teardown)
Google is preparing to revamp the Settings app in Android 15 to be more organized. Here's what the new top-level settings might look like.
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Android 15 is preparing to add a dedicated "device diagnostics" menu that not only lets you test your phone's display and touchscreen but also shows you some battery and storage health information.
More details plus screenshots can be found in my latest article for Android Authority.
More details plus screenshots can be found in my latest article for Android Authority.
Android Authority
Android 15 may let you perform some device diagnostics without going to a repair center
Android 15 prepares to add a Device Diagnostics menu that lets you run some manual tests and see your device’s battery and storage health.
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Pixel phones will soon proactively alert their users to take action to cool them down when they're overheating. This alert is part of a new "Adaptive Thermal" feature that's in testing.
This hasn't rolled out yet, but you can find more details in this article.
This hasn't rolled out yet, but you can find more details in this article.
Android Authority
Upcoming 'Adaptive Thermal' feature for Pixels will teach you to prevent overheating (APK teardown)
With Adaptive Thermal, a Pixel phone will soon proactively enlist the user’s help in cooling it down when it's overheating.
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Mishaal's Android News Feed
Photo
Food for thought: Since the upcoming update to Google's Gemini Nano model will support image processing, Google could very well build something like Windows' Recall into Android.
Android already takes snapshots of your screen whenever you switch apps (they're stored in
Plus, Android's app security model makes it less likely for the database to be exfiltrated even if unencrypted (you can't access other apps' private data directories in the internal storage without superuser [which isn't available to apps by default] or an exploit), at least compared to Windows, though it should still be encrypted due to the possibility of exploits like CVE-2024-31317 existing.
Although, rather than have screenshots be taken periodically, perhaps only those screenshots manually taken by the user should be processed. That would remove a lot of the perceived scary bits of the feature.
The idea behind Recall is really neat. It's just the initial implementation wasn't.
Android already takes snapshots of your screen whenever you switch apps (they're stored in
/data/system_ce/{user}/snapshots and are used for the recents screen previews), so extending this to have snapshots be taken periodically and then having Nano process these screenshots to build a searchable database is feasible. Plus, Android's app security model makes it less likely for the database to be exfiltrated even if unencrypted (you can't access other apps' private data directories in the internal storage without superuser [which isn't available to apps by default] or an exploit), at least compared to Windows, though it should still be encrypted due to the possibility of exploits like CVE-2024-31317 existing.
Although, rather than have screenshots be taken periodically, perhaps only those screenshots manually taken by the user should be processed. That would remove a lot of the perceived scary bits of the feature.
The idea behind Recall is really neat. It's just the initial implementation wasn't.
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