Google Phone app has received the promised updated icon.

You can get the change by upgrading to beta version 92.0.484272277-publicbeta. So the new icon joins the already updated Google Contacts and Messages (in beta version).

Google News | En

Google Play launched the Users' Choice voting for best apps and games of 2022.

There are nine nominees in each category. The Users' Choice App category includes:

・Dream by WOMBO – AI Art Tool
・Sleep Tracker – Sleep Recorder
・DanceFitme: Fun Weight Loss
・BeReal. Your friends for real.
・Breathwrk: Breathing Exercises
・noteit widget – get it now
・Daily Diary: Journal with Lock
・Ukulele by Yousician
・PicCollage: Grid & Story Maker

And in the Users' Choice Game the company collected the following candidates:

・MY HERO ULTRA IMPACT
・Dislyte
・Rocket League Sideswipe
・Ni no Kuni: Cross Worlds
・Gun & Dungeons
・Diablo Immortal
・Kingdom Maker
・Apex Legends Mobile
・Tower of Fantasy

Voting will last two weeks, and the winners in each category will be announced on November 30, 2022.

Google News | En

Google Play's target API level requirements have been updated.

・ Starting today, if an app is not targeting API level 30 (Android 11) or higher, new users with newer versions of the Android OS will not be able to find or install the app in Google Play. And those who have used the app before will still have access to it.

・ For new apps not yet published on Google Play, however, there has been a requirement to target API level 31 (Android 12.0) since August.

・ Updates for existing apps must also target API level 31 (Android 12.0) or higher, otherwise developers will not be able to upload them.

・ Wear OS apps should now be targeted at API 30

🔗 Play Console Help (via Mishaal Rahman)

Google has intentionally turned off the light Assistant theme on phones.

Back during the beta test of Android 13, many people noticed that Google Assistant now always has a dark theme regardless of system settings. In a comment on Issue Tracker, Google said that this was done intentionally:

"Google Assistant regularly tries new ideas to see what works and what could work better. This includes ways to make our products look and feel consistent throughout our product ecosystem. To offer a more helpful visual experience across all your devices, including Pixel Watch and Google TV, when you engage with Assistant on mobile Light mode is no longer available - it will now have a dark appearance, even if you have Dark theme turned off in your phone settings."

Google News | En

Google will shut down its dedicated Street View app next year.

In the latest app update, Google prepared some pop-up notifications about the imminent shutdown of the Street View app, specifically on March 21, 2023.

However, the service itself will continue to work. Users are encouraged to use the Street View Studio web app, as well as street view and upload their own photo spheres to Google Maps.

However, Google will still turn off one feature, namely "Photo Paths." It allowed taking simple two-dimensional photos of a road or path that has not yet been documented in Street View.

🔗 9to5Google

Google Contacts will soon get a new 'Single Contact' widget.

The 'Single Contact' widget appears in the list of available widgets after updating to version 3.80.24.484030026, but it has a low-quality preview, and when trying to place it on the Pixel Launcher home screen, it crashes.

Judging by the preview, it will be similar to the YouTube Music widget, and has two shortcuts: Calling a contact and opening a dialog in Messages. Perhaps when you click in the middle, it will open the contact's page in the app.

Most likely, it's just not finished yet.

Google News | En

Google Play Games on PC beta is now available in 8 more countries.

Previously, it was only available to players in Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand, and Australia.

And as of today, the list has been expanded to 8 new countries: the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Singapore.

🔗 Download

🔗 Minimum spec requirements

🔗 Android Developers Blog

Google News | En

Google Photos will soon allow you to select the default app for editing RAW files.

Right now, when you try to edit RAW files in Google Photos, you'll see a pop-up menu asking you to choose a RAW editing app or find one on Play Store.

Now there will be a separate "RAW Editing" settings page in the app, allowing you to enable editing in default app. Thus, when you press the "edit" button, you will immediately open the pre-selected app.

This page appeared inside app version 6.13 and is not yet listed in the settings.

Google News | En || Google News | Ru

Google Phone app has fixed the black statusbar on devices with a display cutouts on the In Call screen!

Happy day for everyone who has a display cutout and uses the Google Phone app! Google is rolling out a fix that eliminates the black status bar on the call screen. So now it's colored all over the page!

The first Google device with a display cutout was the Pixel 3 XL, which was released in 2018, and after the Pixel 4a the notch was in every device. It could be said that's how long it took the company to notice this issue. And not without our help.

Another credit to @gn_issues!

Google News | En

Google Contacts will soon get a redesigned tablet UI.

The bottom navigation bar will now be replaced with navigation rail on the left, where the floating action button has also moved.

The entire interface will be implemented on the principle of two panels: on the left list of contacts, on the right either information about the selected contact, or a stub "select a contact from the list to see details".

This change is not yet available to users and was discovered by Mishaal Rahman, which he shared on his Telegram channel.

🔗 Mishaal Android News

Google News | En

Android's new system Photo Picker arrives even on Android 4.4 KitKat.

Previously, the company promised support for this feature only on Android 11 and higher through an update of the MediaProvider component in Google Play System updates . But now it has found a way to Enable photo picker support back to Android 4.4 thanks to the Google Play Services update version 22.43.

As a reminder, this tool is designed to give apps access only to the media files you select.

🔗 November 2022 Google Play system updates changelog

Google News | En

Android 13 November security patch is out!

Build numbers:

• Pixel 4a - 6 Pro: TP1A.221105.002;
• Pixel 7/Pro: TD1A.221105.001
• Pixel 7/Pro Verizon: TD1A.221105.003

Yes, there is no update on the Pixel 4, support for the device ended last month.

🔗 Pixel Phone Help

🔗 Android Security Bulletin

🔗 Pixel Update Bulletin

🔗 OTA images

🔗 Factory Images

Google News | En

Android 13 QPR1 Beta 3.1 with November patch is out!

Security patch level: November 7, 2022
Build: T1B3.221003.008

🔗 Android Beta

• OTA images

• Factory Images

Google News | En

The November Android security patch fixed a vulnerability that allowed you to unlock your phone using your SIM card.

Developer David Schütz was able to discover a vulnerability that allowed him to bypass the lock screen on his Pixel 5 and 6 by resetting the SIM card's PIN using the PUK code by next scenario:

1. Lock the device
2. Get the biometric authentication turned off (so that the device asks for the lock screen key only)
3. Pull out the SIM card tray and insert it with the SIM card. (The SIM card PIN entry screen appears)
4. Perform the process of resetting the SIM card PIN using the PUK code. Enter a new PIN code.
5. Your device is unlocked without entering the lock screen key!

David Schütz received $70,000 from Google for discovering the problem.

The fix for CVE-2022-20465 vulnerability has already been uploaded to AOSP Android 10-13, and was rolled out with the November security patch.

The detailed story from David Schütz is at the link below:

🔗 bugs.xdavidhu.me

Health Connect app has moved into beta testing with support for more apps.

At the Google I/O 2022, the company unveiled Health Connect, a service for synchronizing health and sports activity data across apps. Since then, the app has been available in "early access" and has now entered the beta-testing stage.

Google Play now features a separate page, where you can find apps that support synchronization with the health Connect, which currently contains 13 apps.

Also, with the latest update, the tile in the quick settings now shows the number of applications that have access to data.

🔗 Android Developers Blog