Samsung adds 3D face unlock on the Galaxy S10 5G with One UI 2.0

When Samsung announced the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G, they didn’t make a big deal out of the TOF (Time-of-Flight) cameras included in the phone. This was because even though they could be used for a lot of cool features, Samsung didn’t really invest in it on the software side. With One UI 2.0, Samsung is finally getting around to it by adding 3D facial recognition. They had the hardware, now they have the software.

This comes from Twitter user @TEQHNIKACROSS  who realized that Samsung had enabled the TOF camera for face unlock after installing the latest One UI beta on his Korean Galaxy S10 5G. While this won’t change the face unlock experience a lot, it does make it more secure. Before this update, the phone would use the front-facing camera only for face unlock. This is by no means secure. While it was fast and accurate, it still left the phone open to unlocking by using a photo of the owner. The Galaxy S10 5G should no longer have this issue.

갤럭시S10 5G 최신 베타 펌웨어에서 ToF 센서를 이용한 3D 안면인식 기능이 추가되었습니다.

이 기능을 이용한다면 iPhone 시리즈의 페이스 언락과 거의 동일하게 작동합니다. pic.twitter.com/9JvChO85OM

— plasmapulse (@TEQHNIKACROSS) November 8, 2019

While the software doesn’t say it specifically has it, TEQHNIKACROSS actually posted a picture of the 3D scanner working. While a normal camera uses light-sensitive diodes on the sensor to absorb light, a TOF sensor both sends out an IR blast and collects the light and depth data based on that blast. The red beam you see below is that IR blast being sent out of the Galaxy S10 5G by the TOF camera.

here is photo pic.twitter.com/aPB9rVPi4p

— plasmapulse (@TEQHNIKACROSS) November 8, 2019

3D facial recognition is by no means new. Apple has long had it on the iPhone, for example. There have even been a few Android phones with 3D facial recognition before Samsung enabled it on the Galaxy S10 5G. The Huawei Mate 30 Pro and LG G8 ThinQ both use TOF sensors on the front for secure facial recognition, while the Huawei Mate 20 Pro and Pixel 4 use a more Apple-like approach with their sensors.

Samsung Galaxy S10 5G XDA Forums

If you have a Galaxy S10 5G and want this update, you’ll need to wait for One UI 2.0. The S10 5G is currently available in Korea for the One UI beta and could expand to other regions soon. If you have an S10 series phone running the One UI 2.0 beta, One UI 2.0 beta 3 is rolling out to devices right now.

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Prep to Earn Your Cisco Collaboration Certificate with This $39 Bundle

In the world of networking, Cisco is the biggest name around. The company supplies hardware to thousands of businesses around the world. For obvious reasons, just about every network engineer is expected to know the systems inside out. The Complete Cisco CCNA Collaboration Bundle helps you become a certificated expert, with 36 hours of video training and exam prep. You can pick up the bundle now for just $19 via the XDA Developers Depot.

Cisco Certified Network Associate, or CCNA, is a certificate that carries weight around the world. To pass the exam, you need to have a complete understanding of how networks operate. This bundle helps you acquire this valuable knowledge, with lifetime access to two premium courses.

The bundle focuses on the CCNA Collaboration track, which is all about video and VOIP. Through video tutorials, you learn how Cisco systems work and how to implement the technology. The training also looks at specific products, including Cisco Business Video.

The courses prepare you for two big Cisco exams, leading to certification. These skills are essential for any aspiring network engineer, and CCNA certificates are valuable in any branch of IT.

Order now for $19 to get lifetime access to all 36 hours of training, worth $598.

Prices subject to change.

 

The Complete Cisco CCNA Collaboration Bundle – $19

See Deal

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Prep to Earn Your Cisco Collaboration Certificate with This $39 Bundle

In the world of networking, Cisco is the biggest name around. The company supplies hardware to thousands of businesses around the world. For obvious reasons, just about every network engineer is expected to know the systems inside out. The Complete Cisco CCNA Collaboration Bundle helps you become a certificated expert, with 36 hours of video training and exam prep. You can pick up the bundle now for just $19 via the XDA Developers Depot.

Cisco Certified Network Associate, or CCNA, is a certificate that carries weight around the world. To pass the exam, you need to have a complete understanding of how networks operate. This bundle helps you acquire this valuable knowledge, with lifetime access to two premium courses.

The bundle focuses on the CCNA Collaboration track, which is all about video and VOIP. Through video tutorials, you learn how Cisco systems work and how to implement the technology. The training also looks at specific products, including Cisco Business Video.

The courses prepare you for two big Cisco exams, leading to certification. These skills are essential for any aspiring network engineer, and CCNA certificates are valuable in any branch of IT.

Order now for $19 to get lifetime access to all 36 hours of training, worth $598.

Prices subject to change.

 

The Complete Cisco CCNA Collaboration Bundle – $19

See Deal

The post Prep to Earn Your Cisco Collaboration Certificate with This $39 Bundle appeared first on xda-developers.

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Android 10 lets developers ask users if they want to retain app data before uninstalling

Android 10 is the latest update to Android from Google, bringing along a fair few improvements to the mature OS. Most changes and new features on the newest update either get highlighted by Google themselves during Google I/O or are found shortly after public source release. But some notable changes do tend to slip under the radar, surfacing months later when someone accidentally stumbles upon them. That is what is happening in this case because as it turns out, Android 10 allows developers to ask their users if they want to retain app data before their app is uninstalled.

A recent report from AndroidPolice highlighted this functionality. Apps like WhatsApp and ASR Voice Recorder have begun offering Android 10 users an option to retain the data of an app that is about to be uninstalled.

Checking the box shown above retains the app data on the phone despite the app being uninstalled. When you reinstall the app, you will be back to the same state within the app as if you had never uninstalled it in the first place.

Mishaal did a little investigating on what is happening behind the scenes. To understand that, you need to understand first how apps on Android can store files on your device, and there are three main locations for storing files:

• App-specific Directory in the internal (user-inaccessible without root) storage: These folders are located at /data/data and are not accessible to other apps, or when the user ordinarily plugs their phone into a PC. Apps do not need permission to write files to their own app-specific directory in this location.
• App-specific Directory in the external (user-accessible) storage: These folders are located at /data/media/{user}/Android/data and are accessible to other apps with the right permission, and to the user when they ordinarily plug in their phone to a computer. Apps do not need permission to write files to their own app-specific directory in this location, but they do need permission to access data from other apps, as mentioned previously.
• Any directory in the external (user-accessible) storage: Apps can request permission to access the external storage, allowing the app to create whatever folder it needs to on the external storage to store whatever it wants to store here.

Extending WhatsApp’s example, WhatsApp’s app-specific directory in internal storage resides at /data/data/com.whatsapp; its app-specific directory in external storage resides at /data/media/{user}/Android/data/com.whatsapp; and its custom directory in external storage resides at /data/media/{user}/WhatsApp.

Prior to Android 10 and prior to developers enabling this for their apps, when a user uninstalls an app, its app-specific directories in both internal (/data/data) and external (/data/media) storage are deleted by default. The extra directories on external storage are not deleted, and you need to manually get rid of them or use an app like SD Maid to do it for you.

With Android 10, app developers can add a special flag to their Manifest called “hasFragileUserData” that allows them to ask the user if they want to retain the app’s data upon app uninstallation, which is what you see above in the screenshot. When you do uninstall an app with the checkbox toggled to retain the app data, Android will retain and not delete the app-specific directories in the internal and external storage. We confirmed this by checking the directories for apps that have not added the Manifest flag, and those like WhatsApp that have added the Manifest flag.

---

On the surface, having the option makes sense as users can temporarily uninstall apps and still go back to their previous state upon re-installation, which should save some hassles of backing up and restoring the app on the same device. But, keep in mind that /data/data is not accessible without root, so you as a user cannot use this process for root-free backup and restore across devices. It is also not possible for users to delete the files left behind in /data/data without root; so if you do want to clear the files in the future, you would need to reinstall the app, and then uninstall it without ticking the checkbox. Use this option for too many apps, and you’ll likely forget which apps you as a user had chosen. Since this is optional for developers to include, and then optional for users to choose, we do feel this is an overall positive change that gives more power to the end user.

The post Android 10 lets developers ask users if they want to retain app data before uninstalling appeared first on xda-developers.

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Android 10 lets developers ask users if they want to retain app data before uninstalling

Android 10 is the latest update to Android from Google, bringing along a fair few improvements to the mature OS. Most changes and new features on the newest update either get highlighted by Google themselves during Google I/O or are found shortly after public source release. But some notable changes do tend to slip under the radar, surfacing months later when someone accidentally stumbles upon them. That is what is happening in this case because as it turns out, Android 10 allows developers to ask their users if they want to retain app data before their app is uninstalled.

A recent report from AndroidPolice highlighted this functionality. Apps like WhatsApp and ASR Voice Recorder have begun offering Android 10 users an option to retain the data of an app that is about to be uninstalled.

Checking the box shown above retains the app data on the phone despite the app being uninstalled. When you reinstall the app, you will be back to the same state within the app as if you had never uninstalled it in the first place.

Mishaal did a little investigating on what is happening behind the scenes. To understand that, you need to understand first how apps on Android can store files on your device, and there are three main locations for storing files:

• App-specific Directory in the internal (user-inaccessible without root) storage: These folders are located at /data/data and are not accessible to other apps, or when the user ordinarily plugs their phone into a PC. Apps do not need permission to write files to their own app-specific directory in this location.
• App-specific Directory in the external (user-accessible) storage: These folders are located at /data/media/{user}/Android/data and are accessible to other apps with the right permission, and to the user when they ordinarily plug in their phone to a computer. Apps do not need permission to write files to their own app-specific directory in this location, but they do need permission to access data from other apps, as mentioned previously.
• Any directory in the external (user-accessible) storage: Apps can request permission to access the external storage, allowing the app to create whatever folder it needs to on the external storage to store whatever it wants to store here.

Extending WhatsApp’s example, WhatsApp’s app-specific directory in internal storage resides at /data/data/com.whatsapp; its app-specific directory in external storage resides at /data/media/{user}/Android/data/com.whatsapp; and its custom directory in external storage resides at /data/media/{user}/WhatsApp.

Prior to Android 10 and prior to developers enabling this for their apps, when a user uninstalls an app, its app-specific directories in both internal (/data/data) and external (/data/media) storage are deleted by default. The extra directories on external storage are not deleted, and you need to manually get rid of them or use an app like SD Maid to do it for you.

With Android 10, app developers can add a special flag to their Manifest called “hasFragileUserData” that allows them to ask the user if they want to retain the app’s data upon app uninstallation, which is what you see above in the screenshot. When you do uninstall an app with the checkbox toggled to retain the app data, Android will retain and not delete the app-specific directories in the internal and external storage. We confirmed this by checking the directories for apps that have not added the Manifest flag, and those like WhatsApp that have added the Manifest flag.

---

On the surface, having the option makes sense as users can temporarily uninstall apps and still go back to their previous state upon re-installation, which should save some hassles of backing up and restoring the app on the same device. But, keep in mind that /data/data is not accessible without root, so you as a user cannot use this process for root-free backup and restore across devices. It is also not possible for users to delete the files left behind in /data/data without root; so if you do want to clear the files in the future, you would need to reinstall the app, and then uninstall it without ticking the checkbox. Use this option for too many apps, and you’ll likely forget which apps you as a user had chosen. Since this is optional for developers to include, and then optional for users to choose, we do feel this is an overall positive change that gives more power to the end user.

The post Android 10 lets developers ask users if they want to retain app data before uninstalling appeared first on xda-developers.

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Xiaomi Redmi 8 and Redmi 8A Forums are now open

While Xiaomi does offer flagship smartphones in a few markets, its entry-level and mid-range devices are what it’s known for. In fact, the company’s Redmi brand is so popular that it now even offers affordable flagships like the Redmi K20 Pro. Recently, the company launched the Redmi 8 and Redmi 8A in the budget-segment, offering great hardware specifications for the price. In order to provide users with a common platform for discussions related to these devices, we’ve now opened forums for the Redmi 8 and Redmi 8A.

Redmi 8

The Redmi 8 was launched in India early last month at a price of ₹7,999. The device features a 6.22-inch HD+ LCD display with a waterdrop notch that houses the 8MP front-facing camera. On the back, you get a dual-camera setup with a 12MP primary lens and a 2MP lens for depth perception. The smartphone is powered by a Snapdragon 439 chip, coupled with up to 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. It’s backed by a massive 5,000mAh battery with 18-watt fast charging support over USB Type-C.

Redmi 8 XDA Forums

Redmi 8A

The Redmi 8A, on the other hand, was launched earlier this year in September and offers similar specifications as the Redmi 8. It also has a 6.22-inch HD+ LCD display with a waterdrop notch on the front that houses the 8MP selfie shooter. On the back, however, it features a single 12MP f/1.8 camera. The Snapdragon 439 chip can also be found on this device, with up to 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage. Powering the device is a 5,000mAh battery which also has 18-watt fast charging support over USB Type-C, but you only get a 10-watt charger in the box.

Redmi 8A XDA Forums

The post Xiaomi Redmi 8 and Redmi 8A Forums are now open appeared first on xda-developers.

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Xiaomi Redmi 8 and Redmi 8A Forums are now open

While Xiaomi does offer flagship smartphones in a few markets, its entry-level and mid-range devices are what it’s known for. In fact, the company’s Redmi brand is so popular that it now even offers affordable flagships like the Redmi K20 Pro. Recently, the company launched the Redmi 8 and Redmi 8A in the budget-segment, offering great hardware specifications for the price. In order to provide users with a common platform for discussions related to these devices, we’ve now opened forums for the Redmi 8 and Redmi 8A.

Redmi 8

The Redmi 8 was launched in India early last month at a price of ₹7,999. The device features a 6.22-inch HD+ LCD display with a waterdrop notch that houses the 8MP front-facing camera. On the back, you get a dual-camera setup with a 12MP primary lens and a 2MP lens for depth perception. The smartphone is powered by a Snapdragon 439 chip, coupled with up to 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. It’s backed by a massive 5,000mAh battery with 18-watt fast charging support over USB Type-C.

Redmi 8 XDA Forums

Redmi 8A

The Redmi 8A, on the other hand, was launched earlier this year in September and offers similar specifications as the Redmi 8. It also has a 6.22-inch HD+ LCD display with a waterdrop notch on the front that houses the 8MP selfie shooter. On the back, however, it features a single 12MP f/1.8 camera. The Snapdragon 439 chip can also be found on this device, with up to 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage. Powering the device is a 5,000mAh battery which also has 18-watt fast charging support over USB Type-C, but you only get a 10-watt charger in the box.

Redmi 8A XDA Forums

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