Unofficial LineageOS 17 brings Android 10 to the Xiaomi Mi CC9/Mi 9 Lite

Xiaomi has been busy rolling out Android 10 to a range of Redmi and Mi lineup of smartphones, starting from the Redmi K20 Pro which received the update on the very first day Google released Android 10 to the more recent Redmi Note 8 Pro, Redmi K20, Mi 8, Mi MIX 3, and Mi 9 SE which received Android 10 just yesterday. The long list of devices means there are still many smartphones waiting for their turn to taste the sweet Android treat. One such Xiaomi device which has yet to receive official Android 10 is the Mi 9 Lite (aka Mi CC9 in China), launching first in China in July last year and subsequently arriving in the European markets a few months later. The device did receive the stable MIUI‌ 11 update around November but it was still based on Android 9 Pie — as opposed to Android 10 that many were hoping for.

While we don’t know when Xiaomi will release the Android 10 update to your Mi 9 Lite, the good news is you can skip the waiting period and try out Android 10 right now on your phone through this unofficial port of LineageOS 17. The port comes courtesy of XDA‌ Recognized Developer coderzs and is the first full-fledged Android 10-based ROM for the Mi 9 Lite that’s not simply a GSI. The ROM‌ is only tested with MIUI firmware version 9.12.26 and therefore it may or may not work with other firmware versions. There doesn’t appear to be a long list of known issues listed in the thread, but the developer does mention occasional freezing of SystemUI which he intends to fix in a future update.

If you want to take this unofficial port of LineageOS‌ 17. for a spin on your Mi 9 Lite, head right over to the linked thread below where you will find the required files along with step-by-step flashing instructions. Just make sure you have an unlocked bootloader and TWRP installed before you proceed.

Download Unofficial LineageOS 17.1 for Mi 9 Lite/Mi CC9

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LG will try to make its mobile business profitable by next year

LG’s smartphone division has been a thorn in their side for years, hemorrhaging money seemingly no matter what the company tries to do. Gimmick after gimmick hasn’t saved them, and even a desperate attempt at launching a software update center in order to roll out frequent updates proved fruitless. At CES, however, the company feels that the tide is turning and has vowed to make its business profitable by 2021. Speaking at CES, the company’s new CEO, Kwon Bong-seok, said “LG Electronics mobile business is going to be profitable by 2021. I can say we can make that happen as LG Electronics will expand our mobile lineup and steadily release new ones attached with some wow factors to woo consumers.” This isn’t the first time that the company has attempted to rethink their strategy when it comes to mobile.

Kwon never elaborated as to how the company intends to do that but reiterated its commitment to expanding its smartphone lineup even further. The company has struggled massively in recent years, even earning only a third of the expected operating profit that analysts had projected for the fourth quarter, ending on December 31st of 2019. LG said it expected to generate 98.6 billion won, while market analysts had previously pegged the company for a much higher figure of 270 billion won. Kwon didn’t really dwell on the company’s undercutting of expected operating profitability. Earlier in the year, LG had even moved its smartphone production from South Korea to Vietnam, in a bid to cut costs.

Regardless, the company should soon publish its financial reports for 2019, and it will be possible to see just how realistic of a goal that may be. LG also talked about the impracticality of 8K TVs and talked more about its rollable TV that is expected to launch later this year.

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Source: The Korea Times | Via: Android Police

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LG will try to make its mobile business profitable by next year

LG’s smartphone division has been a thorn in their side for years, hemorrhaging money seemingly no matter what the company tries to do. Gimmick after gimmick hasn’t saved them, and even a desperate attempt at launching a software update center in order to roll out frequent updates proved fruitless. At CES, however, the company feels that the tide is turning and has vowed to make its business profitable by 2021. Speaking at CES, the company’s new CEO, Kwon Bong-seok, said “LG Electronics mobile business is going to be profitable by 2021. I can say we can make that happen as LG Electronics will expand our mobile lineup and steadily release new ones attached with some wow factors to woo consumers.” This isn’t the first time that the company has attempted to rethink their strategy when it comes to mobile.

Kwon never elaborated as to how the company intends to do that but reiterated its commitment to expanding its smartphone lineup even further. The company has struggled massively in recent years, even earning only a third of the expected operating profit that analysts had projected for the fourth quarter, ending on December 31st of 2019. LG said it expected to generate 98.6 billion won, while market analysts had previously pegged the company for a much higher figure of 270 billion won. Kwon didn’t really dwell on the company’s undercutting of expected operating profitability. Earlier in the year, LG had even moved its smartphone production from South Korea to Vietnam, in a bid to cut costs.

Regardless, the company should soon publish its financial reports for 2019, and it will be possible to see just how realistic of a goal that may be. LG also talked about the impracticality of 8K TVs and talked more about its rollable TV that is expected to launch later this year.

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Source: The Korea Times | Via: Android Police

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[Update 2: Search Providers Announced] Google to add search provider choices in Android to comply with EU ruling

Update 2 (1/9/20 @ 11:50 AM ET): The alternative search providers that will be shown at setup alongside Google have been announced.

Update 1 (10/1/19 @ 9:50 AM ET): Google is testing showing search provider choices in Android ahead of the 2020 rollout.

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.

Source: Google Keyword Blog, Android Choicescreen

---

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.

Source: Chromium Gerrit

---

Update 2: 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.

Source: Google

The post [Update 2: Search Providers Announced] Google to add search provider choices in Android to comply with EU ruling appeared first on xda-developers.

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[Update 2: Search Providers Announced] Google to add search provider choices in Android to comply with EU ruling

Update 2 (1/9/20 @ 11:50 AM ET): The alternative search providers that will be shown at setup alongside Google have been announced.

Update 1 (10/1/19 @ 9:50 AM ET): Google is testing showing search provider choices in Android ahead of the 2020 rollout.

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.

Source: Google Keyword Blog, Android Choicescreen

---

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.

Source: Chromium Gerrit

---

Update 2: 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.

Source: Google

The post [Update 2: Search Providers Announced] Google to add search provider choices in Android to comply with EU ruling appeared first on xda-developers.

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YouTube Music update hints at upcoming support for your uploaded library

Google Play Music never got the popularity Google hoped it would. Due to delayed redesign and lack of features when compared to its competitors, the service was not appealing to a lot of users. It still attracted some enthusiasts thanks to some of its unique features, though. One of those features was uploading your own content to listen to it anywhere. Google never added this feature to YouTube Music – yet another streaming service that aims to replace Google Play Music one day. However, this could change very soon.

Google promised to bring back this feature almost two years ago. We haven’t heard about this matter ever since. Today, 9to5Google noticed in the APK teardown that library upload is returning. New strings found in the YouTube Music v3.47 suggest that the app will soon let users browse through the manually uploaded content. The category will most likely be added to Songs, Artists, Albums, and Playlists sections in the app. There is also a “Manage library” string in the settings. From the looks of it, YouTube Music will let you easily view common artists from your uploaded content, as well as all your songs in one place. You can see the corresponding strings below.

<string name=”library_artists_introducer_title”>Artists at a glance</string>
<string name=”library_artists_introducer_message”>Primary artists on albums and songs in your library will show up here. Artists you subscribe to are listed under subscriptions.</string>
<string name=”library_songs_introducer_title”>All your songs in one place</string>
<string name=”library_songs_introducer_message”>Songs from your albums will now show up here along with your added & liked songs – shuffle them all!</string>

Google Play Music limited the number of uploaded songs to 50,000 per user. It is unclear if YouTube Music will have the same limitation or not. Keep in mind that none of the mentioned features are confirmed just yet. As I already mentioned, these strings are found in the latest version of YouTube Music, but they’re not enabled. The date of the general availability of these features is currently unknown.

---

YouTube Music - Stream Songs & Music Videos (Free, Google Play) →

Source: 9to5Google

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YouTube Music update hints at upcoming support for your uploaded library

Google Play Music never got the popularity Google hoped it would. Due to delayed redesign and lack of features when compared to its competitors, the service was not appealing to a lot of users. It still attracted some enthusiasts thanks to some of its unique features, though. One of those features was uploading your own content to listen to it anywhere. Google never added this feature to YouTube Music – yet another streaming service that aims to replace Google Play Music one day. However, this could change very soon.

Google promised to bring back this feature almost two years ago. We haven’t heard about this matter ever since. Today, 9to5Google noticed in the APK teardown that library upload is returning. New strings found in the YouTube Music v3.47 suggest that the app will soon let users browse through the manually uploaded content. The category will most likely be added to Songs, Artists, Albums, and Playlists sections in the app. There is also a “Manage library” string in the settings. From the looks of it, YouTube Music will let you easily view common artists from your uploaded content, as well as all your songs in one place. You can see the corresponding strings below.

<string name=”library_artists_introducer_title”>Artists at a glance</string>
<string name=”library_artists_introducer_message”>Primary artists on albums and songs in your library will show up here. Artists you subscribe to are listed under subscriptions.</string>
<string name=”library_songs_introducer_title”>All your songs in one place</string>
<string name=”library_songs_introducer_message”>Songs from your albums will now show up here along with your added & liked songs – shuffle them all!</string>

Google Play Music limited the number of uploaded songs to 50,000 per user. It is unclear if YouTube Music will have the same limitation or not. Keep in mind that none of the mentioned features are confirmed just yet. As I already mentioned, these strings are found in the latest version of YouTube Music, but they’re not enabled. The date of the general availability of these features is currently unknown.

---

YouTube Music - Stream Songs & Music Videos (Free, Google Play) →

Source: 9to5Google

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