WhatsApp tests redesigned Storage Usage section in latest beta release

Facebook-owned popular messaging app WhatsApp has been testing a host of new features over the last couple of months. Previous beta releases of the app have shed light on some of these features, including multi-device access, search by date, better storage usage tools, expiring messages, a “Mute Always” option for chats, and more. Recently, we talked about another upcoming feature, called “Expiring Media”, which would allow users to send self-destructing images, videos, and GIFs on the platform. While most of these features are yet to make their way to the stable channel, WhatsApp has now started testing a redesigned Storage Usage section in the latest beta release.

As per a recent report from WABetaInfo, WhatsApp has started rolling out v2.20.201.9 of the app on the beta channel. The update introduces a redesigned UI for the Storage Usage section of the app, which builds upon the changes that were spotted in a previous release. As you can see in the attached screenshot, the new UI features a bar at the top to show current storage usage.

Right beneath the bar, there’s a ‘Suggested clean up’ section that shows forwarded files and large files that can be removed to save some space. And underneath that, the section shows a list of all the chats that are occupying the most storage space on your device. This section also has a search button that you can use to quickly search for chats that you wish to delete.

The redesigned Storage Usage section in WhatsApp is a significant improvement over the current design, which just shows a list of all your chats along with the storage space occupied by each chat. As mentioned earlier, the new Storage Usage UI is rolling out with WhatsApp v2.20.201.9 on the beta channel. However, it isn’t available for all users at the moment. This leads us to believe that the redesigned UI isn’t quite ready for primetime and it might be a while before WhatsApp rolls it out to the stable channel.

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Source: WABetaInfo

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Paranoid Android Quartz 5 adds support for the Xiaomi Mi A3 and Mi 6X, adds DC Dimming and other features

Over the last couple of months, the Paranoid Android team has released a couple of Android 10-based builds of the popular custom ROM. With each new build, the team has added new features to the custom ROM and extended support to more devices. With the Quartz 4 release last month, the team added support for nine new devices and introduced features like a system-wide App Locker, internal audio screen record support, and more. Now, the team has released the fifth and final Android 10-based build with support for more devices and a couple of new features.

As per a recent post on the team’s blog, Paranoid Android Quartz 5 is now rolling out for all supported devices, and it includes the following improvements and features:

• September security patchset
• App Locker version 1.1: more customization options
• DC Dimming
• Lockscreen SmartSpace
• Ringer Mode Gestures: replicates the feature set offered by the alert slider on OnePlus devices
• New FOD icon and animation
• Permissions Hub

Along with the features mentioned above, the Paranoid Android Quartz 5 release also includes a few device-specific changes that can be found in the second post of their respective XDA threads. Furthermore, the latest build brings support for two more devices — Xiaomi Mi 6X and Xiaomi Mi A3. The OTA update for the latest Paranoid Android Quartz build should start rolling out to devices running Quartz 4 in the coming days.

Download Paranoid Android Quartz 5

If you’re interested in trying out Paranoid Android Quartz 5 on your device, you can head over to your device’s XDA forums thread from the links below. Follow the instructions given in the post to install the build on your device.

• ASUS ZenFone Max Pro M2 (XDA Forums)
• ASUS ZenFone Max Pro M1 (XDA Forums)
• Essential Phone (XDA Forums)
• OnePlus 7 Pro (XDA Forums)
• OnePlus 6 (XDA Forums) and 6T (XDA Forums)
• OnePlus 3 and 3T (XDA Forums: 3, 3T)
• OnePlus 5 and 5T (XDA Forums: 5, 5T)
• OnePlus 7T Pro (XDA Forums)
• Xiaomi Redmi 5 (XDA Forums)
• Xiaomi Mi 8 (XDA Forums)
• Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro/Redmi K20 Pro (XDA Forums)
• Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 (XDA Forums)
• Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S (XDA Forums)
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 8/8T (XDA Forums)
• Xiaomi Redmi 3S (XDA Forums)
• Xiaomi Redmi 4A (XDA Forums)
• Xiaomi Redmi 6 Pro (XDA Forums)
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 and Note 5 Pro (XDA Forums: Note 5, Note 5 Pro)
• Xiaomi Mi A2 (XDA Forums)
• Xiaomi Mi 8 Pro (XDA Forums)
• Pocophone F1 (XDA Forums)
• Samsung Galaxy Note 3 (XDA Forums)
• Xiaomi Mi 9 (XDA Forums)
• Xiaomi Mi 9T / Redmi K20 (XDA Forums)
• Redmi 5 (XDA Forums)
• Redmi 7/Y3 (XDA Forums)
• Xiaomi Mi A3 (XDA Forums)
• Xiaomi Mi 6X (XDA Forums)

Note: All the aforementioned builds have Google apps included, so you don’t need to flash a separate ZIP file to get the Google Play Store after installing the ROM. However, if you’re a Galaxy Note 3 user, you will have to flash a separate Gapps package to get Google apps on your device.

As mentioned earlier, Paranoid Android Quartz 5 is the final Android 10-based build of the custom ROM. The team is stopping feature and platform development for the Quartz build to shift focus to the Android 11-based release, which will be called Paranoid Android Ruby. We expect to see the first Paranoid Android Ruby Alpha builds for select devices in the next few months.

It’s also worth noting that the Paranoid Android team had been working to release the Quartz build to a few more devices, including the OnePlus One, Sony Xperia XZ2, XZ2 Dual, Xperia XZ2 Compact, XZ2 Compact Dual, Xperia XZ3, XZ3 Dual, Google Nexus 6P, OnePlus 7, and the OnePlus 7T. But since the team has now halted platform development for the Quartz build, these devices may not receive support anytime soon.

If you’re interested in helping the Paranoid Android team with development, you can reach out to herna@paranoidandroid.co. To stay up-to-date about the custom ROM and new releases, you should consider following the team on Twitter.

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Xiaomi Mi Box 3 finally receives its stable Android Pie update

Xiaomi rolled out the long-overdue Android 9 Pie beta update for the Mi Box 3 earlier this year in August. The update, which measured in at just 620MB, brought Android Pie to the Android TV box and introduced support for the Mi Remote app. Now, Xiaomi is finally releasing a stable version of the update to the Mi Box 3, which brings Android TV 9.0 and support for the Mi Remote app to the stable channel.

The Mi Box 3 (codename once) stable Android Pie update measures in at 650MB and it includes the Android security patches for July 2020. With the update, Xiaomi has added a couple of new features to the Android TV box, including a new settings layout, a new power menu that can be accessed by pressing and holding the power button, a less intrusive volume interface, preinstalled Amazon Prime Video app, a Mi Box recommends section in the app drawer, a shortcut for the Google Play Store, and more.

As per a Reddit thread on the matter, the update has started rolling out to Mi Box 3 users worldwide and it should be available on your device. In case you haven’t received the update notification yet, you can manually download the update package from the link below. Do note that the Android Pie build (build number 2604) for the Mi Box 3 is the same as the build for the Mi Box S (codename oneday) that was released earlier this year in April. Therefore, it also includes all of the bug fixes that were previously released for the Mi Box S.

The Mi Box 3 packs in a quad-core Amlogic SoC, Mali 450 GPU, and 2GB of RAM. It supports 4K video playback at 60fps and Dolby Digital Plus audio.

Download Android 9 Pie for the Mi Box 3

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Thanks to XDA Recognized Developer yshalsager for the tip and download link!

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Samsung teases a new Good Lock module called Keys Cafe to customize the Samsung Keyboard app

Samsung’s Good Lock suite of customization tools recently received two exciting new modules — Pentastic and Wonderland. In case you missed our coverage of these modules, the new Pentastic module lets you theme the S Pen experience on your Samsung device and the Wonderland module lets you create live wallpapers from any still image of your choice. Now, Samsung is teasing yet another Good Lock module, called Keys Cafe, that will let you personalize the Samsung Keyboard app.

As per a recent press release from the company, the upcoming Keys Cafe module will let you customize the Samsung Keyboard app as per your preference. It will include support for keyboard height and width adjustment, key layout repositioning options, a wide range of themes to customize the look of the keyboard app, and dynamic effects that will bring your keyboard to life.

Additionally, the Keys Cafe module will come with a gamification feature that aims to help you minimize typos by turning typing into a game. The feature will give you a score and ranking based on your performance, which is expected to help you improve your typing accuracy over time. The Keys Cafe module will be available on Samsung devices running One UI 2.1 and above starting next month. In order to use the module, you’ll also need to update the Samsung Keyboard app to version 5.1.05.

Along with the upcoming Key Cafe module, Samsung has announced an update for the Home Up module. The update will introduce a new Share Manager feature that will let you hide specific share commands from the sharing window, manage your Direct Share contacts, and select the apps you want to see in the sharing window. The new Share Manager feature will soon be available on devices running One UI 2.5 and above.

Furthermore, Samsung is pushing an update for the MultiStar module with a new I ♡ Galaxy Tablet feature. The feature includes a Wireless Keyboard Share option that lets you connect your tablet’s physical keyboard with your Galaxy smartphone for a better typing experience. It also lets you quickly switch between the two devices at the tap of a button. This update has already started rolling out to Galaxy tablet users and it’s supported on tablets running One UI 2.5.

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Source: Samsung Newsroom

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Vivo beats Google to launching the first phone with Android 11

In a little over 12 hours from now, Google will announce the Pixel 4a 5G and Pixel 5 at its Launch Night In event. Thanks to numerous leaks, we pretty much know everything there is to know about the two phones, including the fact that they’ll both launch with the latest version of Android, Android 11, out of the box. An update to Android 11 was released for existing Pixel devices on September 8th, and we’ve seen numerous OEMs release beta updates for their own devices. But so far, no one has launched a new smartphone with the latest version out of the box. We all thought that Google would be the first one to do so, but Chinese smartphone brand Vivo has beaten them to the punch with the launch of the new Vivo V20.

In a press release, Vivo says its new V20 series “will run on the recently-launched Android 11 operating system,” which sure sounds like the 3 devices will run on the latest OS version. However, the press release also mentions that the company “has a plan to equip V20 series with Android 11 in succession” depending “on market conditions.” That’s rather vague, and left us to wonder if the Vivo V20 SE, V20, and V20 Pro really will run Android 11. It wouldn’t be the first time we’ve seen companies mention the latest OS version as a marketing tactic—HMD Global says its new Nokia 2.4 and Nokia 3.4 are “Android 11-ready,” which just means they’ll receive the actual Android 11 update whenever the company is ready to roll it out. Interestingly, the product pages for the Vivo V20 SE and V20 Pro state the two devices are running Funtouch OS 11 based on Android 10, while the product page for the Vivo V20 says it’s running Funtouch OS 11 based on Android 11.

Thankfully, it’s easy for us to confirm that the regular Vivo V20 is, in fact, running the latest Android version. The phone has already reached the hands of Indonesian YouTubers like GadgetIn, who published an unboxing of the new phone. In the video, he goes through the settings menu and shows that the device is running Android Version 11 and has the new Easter egg.

Vivo V20 running Funtouch OS 11 based on Android 11. Source: GadgetIn.

His video also confirms that the device’s model name is “V2025.” I cross-referenced that with the Google Play Console’s Device Catalog and confirmed that the device’s SDK level is indeed listed as “30” for Android 11. In fact, the Vivo V20 is the only device on the catalog to have its SDK version listed as “30” and nothing else, confirming it’s the first phone to launch with the latest Android version. All the other phones on the catalog that support SDK level 30 either upgraded to Android 11 (like the current crop of Pixel phones and the ADT-3) or are currently in beta (like the OnePlus, OPPO, Realme, and Xiaomi phones that are listed).

As for why this matters, well, there are two reasons. First, the fact that an OEM managed to beat Google to launching a phone with Android 11 is impressive considering how slow most OEMs usually are at releasing major OS updates. Second, the “shipping API level” of a phone is actually quite important to note, because it factors into how many OS updates the manufacturer is expected to deliver. When most OEMs promise “2 years” of OS upgrades, they really mean “2 letter upgrades” or “2 generations of updates.”Thus, a phone launching with Android 10 can expect to get an update to Android 11 and Android 12, while a phone launching with Android 11 can expect to get an update to Android 12 and Android 13. We’re not sure how long Vivo plans on supporting the new Vivo V20, but it’s definitely promising that the phone has launched with the latest OS version.

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[Update: Rolling Out] The new Google Assistant will soon support German, French, Spanish, and Italian on the Pixel 4a/4

Update 1 (09/29/2020 @ 1:26 PM ET): The new, faster Google Assistant now works in German, French, Spanish, and Italian. Scroll to the bottom for more information. The article as published on August 3, 2020, is preserved below.

Today, Google lifted the veil on the Pixel 4a, the company’s second-ever mid-range Pixel smartphone. They also surprisingly teased the Pixel 4a 5G and the Pixel 5 for a fall launch. But new hardware isn’t all that Google announced today. The company also announced software updates to two of its nifty AI-powered features: Live Caption and the new Google Assistant. The former can now work over voice and video calls while the latter will soon work in 4 new European languages: German, French, Spanish, and Italian.

Back at Google I/O 2019, Google demonstrated a much faster version of its Google Assistant service. According to Google, the “new Google Assistant” processes speech at nearly zero latency, offers nearly real-time transcriptions, and works without a network connection. They accomplished this by trimming down 100GB of speech recognition and language understanding machine learning models to less than 0.5GB in size. The new Google Assistant experience also supports Continued Conversations and integrates with other Google apps on your device.

At launch, the new Google Assistant was only available on the Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL in U.S. English and with personal Google accounts. However, Google has since expanded support to G Suite accounts, new English locales including Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, and Singapore, and the first foreign language: Japanese. With the Pixel 4a launch, however, Google announced that the new Google Assistant will be available in the aforementioned 4 European languages.

Introduced last year, the new Google Assistant is also available on Pixel 4a to help with multitasking across apps and getting things done quickly, like finding a photo or sending a text. You can now try out the new experience in German, French, Spanish and Italian, in addition to English, with more languages coming soon.

Google’s support page has been updated to reflect today’s announcement, with the notice that support for these 4 languages “will be available soon.” We’ll let you know when these new languages are added. Meanwhile, check out our Pixel 4a coverage to learn more about Google’s latest device.

Google Pixel 4 Forums ||| Google Pixel 4 XL Forums ||| Google Pixel 4a Forums

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Update 1: German, French, Spanish, and Italian support added

At the launch of the Pixel 4a last month, Google announced that its cleaner and faster Assistant will support 4 new European languages, including German, French, Spanish, and Italian. As reported by AndroidPolice, you can now go to Assistant’s language settings and change the language to one of these 4 languages. However, AndroidPolice notes that the experience is a bit limited right now. While it’s indeed faster than before thanks to on-device machine learning, it doesn’t support continuous conversations, doesn’t integrate with Google Chrome, and doesn’t seem to work with some of the other in-app experiences such as Google Photos, YouTube, and Gmail.

New Google Assistant in French, Italian, German, and Spanish. Screenshot credits: Rita El Khoury for AndroidPolice.

As of now, the new Assistant is still only available for the Pixel 4, Pixel 4 XL, and Pixel 4a, but the upcoming Pixel 4a 5G and Pixel 5 will almost certainly support it.

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[Update 3: Microsoft Bing Wins Big] Google adds search provider choices for Android users in the EU

Update 1 (09/29/2020 @ 1:09 PM ET): The latest set of search providers to have won Google’s auction have been announced, and Microsoft’s Bing has won big.

Update 2 (1/9/2020 @ 11:50 AM ET): The alternative search providers that will be shown at setup alongside Google have been announced.

Update 1 (10/1/2019 @ 9:50 AM ET): Google is testing showing search provider choices in Android ahead of the 2020 rollout. The article as published on August 2nd, 2019, is preserved below.[/alert]

Android users in Europe can now look forward to easily selecting between a host of search providers, as Google has just announced an upcoming change to how Android would function in the European Union. From 2020 onwards, Android smartphone and tablet users in Europe will be able to select a search provider that will power the search box on their home screen, as well as be used as the default search provider within Google Chrome, if the browser is installed. This change is part of the steps that Google has taken to comply with the European Commission’s ruling on Android.

This change is limited to all new Android phones and tablets that will be shipped into the European Economic Area (EEA) in 2020, where the Google Search app will be pre-installed. In its blog post, Google reiterates that Android users are free to customize and personalize their devices in whichever manner they deem fit, including the apps they can download and how the apps are arranged on the homescreen.

Google has also opened up the application process for search providers to be listed on the above screen. Eligible search providers will need to fill out an application form and can bid for inclusion based on an auction. Auctions will be conducted on a per-country basis and will be valid for a duration of one year. In each country, search providers will have to state the price that they are willing to pay each time a user selects them from the choice screen in the given country, and the top three bidders that exceed the minimum bid price will appear in the choice screen for that country. The auction winners, and Google, will be ordered randomly in the choice screen. If the bid process fails to get three entities that exceed the minimum bid price, the remaining slots will be filled randomly from the pool of eligible search providers (including those who applied to participate but did not submit a bid). Further details on the application process and other related questions are present on the application page.

In July 2018, the European Union found Google guilty of violating antitrust regulations, and subsequently imposed a fine of $5 Billion. The EU held that Google “imposed illegal restrictions on Android device manufacturers and mobile network operators to cement its dominant position in general internet search.” After the ruling, Google announced changes to how it did business in the EU, allowing Android partners to build forked smartphones for the European Economic Area, and introducing a new paid licensing agreement for smartphones shipped into the EEA, among other changes. Later on, Google also announced that it will present additional app options for Search and Browser on smartphones for users in Europe. This latest move from Google should further appease the conditions laid down in the European Commission’s July 2018 Android ruling.

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Update 1: In testing

Google appears to have begun testing search provider choices in Android. A new commit mentions a flag for “Search Engine Choice” in Chrome for Android, which enables showing search engine choice selection at the Android setup. It’s not currently possible to test this flag as it requires a Chrome data/factory reset, which then disables the flag. However, it does show that Google is preparing for the rollout in 2020.

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Update 2: First Set of Search Providers Announced

As mentioned in previous updates, Google will be rolling out  “Choice Screen” for Android users in Europe in March. This will allow them to choose their search engine when setting up the phone. The search app will then be installed and automatically set as default in Google Chrome. This Choice Screen will include Google Search and three alternatives, but those alternatives will vary by region. The choices were decided by an auction process that took place last August. Here is the full list of three alternatives that will be available in different countries:

Country	Winners
Austria	DuckDuckGo, GMX, Info.com
Belgium	DuckDuckGo, Info.com, Qwant
Bulgaria	DuckDuckGo, Info.com, PrivacyWall
Croatia	DuckDuckGo, Info.com, PrivacyWall
Czech Republic	DuckDuckGo, Info.com, Seznam
Denmark	DuckDuckGo, Givero, Info.com
Estonia	DuckDuckGo, Info.com, Yandex
Finland	DuckDuckGo, Info.com, Yandex
France	DuckDuckGo, Info.com, Qwant
Germany	DuckDuckGo, GMX, Info.com
Greece	DuckDuckGo, Info.com, Qwant
Hungary	DuckDuckGo, Info.com, PrivacyWall
Iceland	DuckDuckGo, Info.com, PrivacyWall
Ireland	DuckDuckGo, Info.com, PrivacyWall
Italy	DuckDuckGo, Info.com, Qwant
Latvia	DuckDuckGo, Info.com, Yandex
Liechtenstein	DuckDuckGo, Info.com, Qwant
Lithuania	DuckDuckGo, Info.com, Yandex
Luxembourg	DuckDuckGo, Info.com, Qwant
Malta	DuckDuckGo, Info.com, PrivacyWall
Netherlands	DuckDuckGo, GMX, Info.com
Norway	DuckDuckGo, Info.com, PrivacyWall
Poland	DuckDuckGo, Info.com, Yandex
Portugal	DuckDuckGo, Info.com, Qwant
Republic of Cyprus	DuckDuckGo, Info.com, PrivacyWall
Romania	DuckDuckGo, Info.com, PrivacyWall
Slovakia	DuckDuckGo, Info.com, Seznam
Slovenia	DuckDuckGo, Info.com, PrivacyWall
Spain	DuckDuckGo, Info.com, Qwant
Sweden	DuckDuckGo, Info.com, PrivacyWall
United Kingdom	Bing, DuckDuckGo, Info.com

Every time a user selects one of the alternatives, Google will receive a fee. So at the end of all this, Google Search may not be used by as many people, but the company is still making money off of every user.

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Update 3: New Search Providers Announced

As reported by Reuters, Google has updated its Android Choice Screen Winners page today to reflect the search providers that will appear in the search engine choice screen shown during setup for Android users in Europe. The following search providers, in addition to Google, will be shown in a random order to Android users in each listed country:

Country	Winners
Austria	Bing, info.com, PrivacyWall
Belgium	Bing, info.com, PrivacyWall
Bulgaria	DuckDuckGo, GMX, info.com, PrivacyWall, Yandex
Croatia	DuckDuckGo, GMX, info.com
Czech Republic	info.com, PrivacyWall, Seznam.cz
Denmark	Bing, info.com, PrivacyWall
Estonia	GMX, info.com, Yandex
Finland	Bing, info.com, PrivacyWall
France	Bing, info.com, PrivacyWall
Germany	Bing, info.com, PrivacyWall
Greece	GMX, info.com, PrivacyWall, Yandex
Hungary	GMX, info.com, PrivacyWall, Yandex
Iceland	DuckDuckGo, GMX, info.com
Ireland	Bing, info.com, PrivacyWall
Italy	Bing, info.com, PrivacyWall
Latvia	info.com, PrivacyWall, Yandex
Liechtenstein	DuckDuckGo, GMX, info.com
Lithuania	GMX, info.com, PrivacyWall
Luxembourg	GMX, info.com, Qwant
Malta	GMX, info.com, PrivacyWall
Netherlands	Bing, info.com, PrivacyWall
Norway	Bing, info.com, PrivacyWall
Poland	GMX, info.com, PrivacyWall
Portugal	GMX, info.com, Yandex
Republic of Cyprus	GMX, info.com, Yandex
Romania	GMX, info.com, PrivacyWall, Yandex
Slovakia	GMX, info.com, Seznam.cz
Slovenia	Ecosia, GMX, info.com
Spain	Bing, info.com, PrivacyWall
Sweden	Bing, info.com, PrivacyWall
United Kingdom	Bing, info.com, PrivacyWall

Microsoft was a big winner, with its Bing search engine now appearing as an option in 13 countries. The Puerto Rico-based PrivacyWall will appear in the the choice screen in 22 countries, while the U.S.-based info.com will appear in all 31 countries. Other notable winners include Russian-based Yandex and Germany-based GMX.

One search provider that is no longer as prevalent in this list is DuckDuckGo. The company published a blog post criticizing Google’s auction process, stating that it’s a “pay-to-play auction in which only the highest bidders are on the menu.” They argue that only those search providers that can recoup costs in each region can afford to place winning bids for each country; providers like DuckDuckGo, meanwhile, can’t afford to outbid their competitors because of its privacy-centric mission. In response, a Google spokeswoman told Reuters “the goal is to give all search providers equal opportunity to bid; not to give certain rivals special treatment. In developing the choice screen for Europe, we carefully balanced providing users with yet more choice while ensuring that we can continue to invest in developing and maintaining the open-source Android platform for the long-term,” she said.

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