Facebook merges Messenger and Instagram chats on Android and iOS

Back in January last year, we learned that Facebook’s co-founder and CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, planned to unify the infrastructure of all three of the company’s messaging services — WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook Messenger. Even though reports from late last year suggested that the US Federal Trade Commission was planning on an injunction against Facebook’s interoperability rules, the company has now gone ahead and merged Instagram and Messenger chats.

According to a recent report from The Verge, several Instagram users in the US have noticed a new update pop-up on the app with the message “There’s a New Way to Message on Instagram” and a list of features including a “new colorful look for your chats,” additional emoji reactions, swipe-to-reply, and a feature that will allow users to “Chat with friends who use Facebook.”

Tapping on the update button at the bottom replaces Instagram’s DM icon with the Messenger logo and the chats are given a new look. However, for now, the update doesn’t allow Instagram users to message people on Facebook.

As of now, it isn’t clear when Facebook will allow Instagram users to contact people on Facebook. But since the feature has already been announced, the company may enable it via a server-side update any time soon. It’s also worth noting that when we first learned about the company’s plans to integrate its messaging platforms, sources familiar with the matter had revealed that Zuckerberg also planned on incorporating end-to-end encryption on all three apps. However, Facebook hasn’t revealed any information regarding that yet.

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Via: The Verge

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[Update: More renders] This is our first look at the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE (Fan Edition)

Update 1 (08/17/2020 @ 02:04 AM ET): More renders of the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE have leaked. Scroll to the bottom for more information. The article as published on August 3, 2020, is preserved below.

The Samsung Galaxy S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra launched earlier this year right before COVID-19 shut everything down, and Samsung is about to follow-up with the new Galaxy Note 20 and Galaxy Note 20 Ultra in just 2 days from now. A few weeks before the big Galaxy S20 announcement in February, Samsung launched the Galaxy S10 Lite and the Galaxy Note10 Lite, two devices that were oddities in Samsung’s typical launch cycle. The S10 Lite and Note 10 Lite were both more affordable versions of their flagship counterparts, and it seems that Samsung may be set to repeat this strategy with the Galaxy S20. Thanks to renowned leaker Evan Blass, we now have our first look at the Galaxy S20 “Fan Edition”.

Credits: Evan Blass.

Samsung has previously used the Fan Edition (or FE) moniker with the Galaxy Note FE, a re-release of the disastrous Galaxy Note7 but with a fixed battery. This time, though, the Galaxy S20 wasn’t an exploding disaster that got recalled twice, so as you might guess, this is a different situation. The render that was posted on Evan Blass’s Patreon shows the Galaxy S20 Fan Edition looks pretty similar to Samsung’s vanilla Galaxy S20, with the same wallpaper and a centered hole-punch cutout for the front-facing camera. But the display is completely flat this time around, and the bezels are noticeably bigger than those on the flagship Galaxy S20.

We previously heard of a Galaxy S20 Fan Edition back in June thanks to a report from SamMobile. The publication reported that Samsung is developing a Galaxy S20 variant with model number SM-G780 (for global markets) and SM-G781 (for U.S. markets). The global model will apparently be available with and without 5G while the U.S. model will only be available in a 5G model. SamMobile did not share detailed specifications of the device but believes it should offer at least 128GB of internal storage and Android 10 on board with One UI 2.5. Notable Samsung leaker Ice Universe believes the device will have a 120Hz refresh rate display like the rest of the Galaxy S20 lineup, the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 processor, an IP68 dust and water resistance certification, and a small hole-punch cutout measuring 3.3mm in diameter. Korean publication The Elec reported that the Galaxy S20 Fan Edition will have a triple camera configuration consisting of a 12MP wide-angle (Ice Universe reports it’s the Sony IMX555), 12MP ultra wide-angle, and 8MP telephoto camera with 3X optical zoom; they also report the device will have a 32MP selfie camera, a screen size between 6.5-6.7 inches, and a price at about 900,000 won (~$753) when it goes on sale in October. Finally, GalaxyClub reports that the phone’s battery capacity will be 4,500mAh and the color variants will be green, orange, red, and white in Europe.

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Update: More renders of the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE leak

More renders of the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE have leaked, this time from @OnLeaks.

The report states that the Galaxy S20 FE will look very similar to the standard Galaxy S20. It will have a flat display with a very slight curve on the sides. The frame of the device will be metallic, but the back panel will likely be plastic. The phone will also skip out on the 3.5mm headphone jack.

The post [Update: More renders] This is our first look at the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE (Fan Edition) appeared first on xda-developers.

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[Update: More renders] This is our first look at the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE (Fan Edition)

Update 1 (08/17/2020 @ 02:04 AM ET): More renders of the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE have leaked. Scroll to the bottom for more information. The article as published on August 3, 2020, is preserved below.

The Samsung Galaxy S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra launched earlier this year right before COVID-19 shut everything down, and Samsung is about to follow-up with the new Galaxy Note 20 and Galaxy Note 20 Ultra in just 2 days from now. A few weeks before the big Galaxy S20 announcement in February, Samsung launched the Galaxy S10 Lite and the Galaxy Note10 Lite, two devices that were oddities in Samsung’s typical launch cycle. The S10 Lite and Note 10 Lite were both more affordable versions of their flagship counterparts, and it seems that Samsung may be set to repeat this strategy with the Galaxy S20. Thanks to renowned leaker Evan Blass, we now have our first look at the Galaxy S20 “Fan Edition”.

Credits: Evan Blass.

Samsung has previously used the Fan Edition (or FE) moniker with the Galaxy Note FE, a re-release of the disastrous Galaxy Note7 but with a fixed battery. This time, though, the Galaxy S20 wasn’t an exploding disaster that got recalled twice, so as you might guess, this is a different situation. The render that was posted on Evan Blass’s Patreon shows the Galaxy S20 Fan Edition looks pretty similar to Samsung’s vanilla Galaxy S20, with the same wallpaper and a centered hole-punch cutout for the front-facing camera. But the display is completely flat this time around, and the bezels are noticeably bigger than those on the flagship Galaxy S20.

We previously heard of a Galaxy S20 Fan Edition back in June thanks to a report from SamMobile. The publication reported that Samsung is developing a Galaxy S20 variant with model number SM-G780 (for global markets) and SM-G781 (for U.S. markets). The global model will apparently be available with and without 5G while the U.S. model will only be available in a 5G model. SamMobile did not share detailed specifications of the device but believes it should offer at least 128GB of internal storage and Android 10 on board with One UI 2.5. Notable Samsung leaker Ice Universe believes the device will have a 120Hz refresh rate display like the rest of the Galaxy S20 lineup, the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 processor, an IP68 dust and water resistance certification, and a small hole-punch cutout measuring 3.3mm in diameter. Korean publication The Elec reported that the Galaxy S20 Fan Edition will have a triple camera configuration consisting of a 12MP wide-angle (Ice Universe reports it’s the Sony IMX555), 12MP ultra wide-angle, and 8MP telephoto camera with 3X optical zoom; they also report the device will have a 32MP selfie camera, a screen size between 6.5-6.7 inches, and a price at about 900,000 won (~$753) when it goes on sale in October. Finally, GalaxyClub reports that the phone’s battery capacity will be 4,500mAh and the color variants will be green, orange, red, and white in Europe.

---

Update: More renders of the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE leak

More renders of the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE have leaked, this time from @OnLeaks.

The report states that the Galaxy S20 FE will look very similar to the standard Galaxy S20. It will have a flat display with a very slight curve on the sides. The frame of the device will be metallic, but the back panel will likely be plastic. The phone will also skip out on the 3.5mm headphone jack.

The post [Update: More renders] This is our first look at the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE (Fan Edition) appeared first on xda-developers.

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Developer brings Dark Sky for Android back from the dead

Earlier this year, Apple acquired Dark Sky, a popular hyperlocal weather app available on iOS and Android. With the acquisition, the Dark Sky app for Android was shut down earlier this month on August 1st. The Android app is no longer available on the Google Play Store, and users who try to open the app will notice that it no longer shows weather data. However, one developer on XDA wasn’t satisfied with any of the alternative weather apps on Android, so they set out to reverse engineer the last version of the Dark Sky app to see if they could get it up and running again. Meet Darker Sky for Android—a likely short-lived revival of the beloved weather app that Apple killed off for Android users.

Below are screenshots from my current daily-driver Android phone, the ASUS ROG Phone 3, running the first release of Darker Sky. As you can see, most of the basic features work, including the full weather forecast, the time machine feature, the radar, the precipitation forecast, and the temperature forecast. The only features that don’t work are weather report submissions, weather notifications/alerts, and widgets. The developer has no intention of enabling the paid features, for obvious reasons.

 

 

Darker Sky was made by a prolific developer and reverse engineer who wishes to remain anonymous since this modification was done on shaky grounds. The developer in question is well-known by us for their work on reverse engineering other popular applications, but they decided a low-profile release was more appropriate this time around. The developer says they got the app working on Android by decompiling the iOS app’s IPA file and retrieving the API key. If our word doesn’t instill any confidence, then I would advise against installing this mod. If, however, you still want to use Dark Sky for Android once again, then give Darker Sky a shot.

You can download Darker Sky from the Telegram channel linked below. The developer aims to post updates in this channel but won’t be signing their name on new messages so they can remain anonymous. I’m told the developer is the only one with posting privileges on this channel, though, so new releases won’t be coming from any other source. Lastly, since Darker Sky is a newly signed app that hasn’t been submitted to the Google Play Store yet (…and it obviously will never be submitted), Google Play Protect may warn against installing it. That’s a normal message that Play Protect throws up to warn against installing unknown apps from unknown sources, so don’t be surprised if you see it.

Download Darker Sky for Android

What’s unclear is how long this mod will continue to work once Apple takes notice. After all, Apple seems to be integrating part of the app’s features into iOS 14, and the app itself is still available on the Apple App Store.

The post Developer brings Dark Sky for Android back from the dead appeared first on xda-developers.

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Developer brings Dark Sky for Android back from the dead

Earlier this year, Apple acquired Dark Sky, a popular hyperlocal weather app available on iOS and Android. With the acquisition, the Dark Sky app for Android was shut down earlier this month on August 1st. The Android app is no longer available on the Google Play Store, and users who try to open the app will notice that it no longer shows weather data. However, one developer on XDA wasn’t satisfied with any of the alternative weather apps on Android, so they set out to reverse engineer the last version of the Dark Sky app to see if they could get it up and running again. Meet Darker Sky for Android—a likely short-lived revival of the beloved weather app that Apple killed off for Android users.

Below are screenshots from my current daily-driver Android phone, the ASUS ROG Phone 3, running the first release of Darker Sky. As you can see, most of the basic features work, including the full weather forecast, the time machine feature, the radar, the precipitation forecast, and the temperature forecast. The only features that don’t work are weather report submissions, weather notifications/alerts, and widgets. The developer has no intention of enabling the paid features, for obvious reasons.

 

 

Darker Sky was made by a prolific developer and reverse engineer who wishes to remain anonymous since this modification was done on shaky grounds. The developer in question is well-known by us for their work on reverse engineering other popular applications, but they decided a low-profile release was more appropriate this time around. We were told by the developer how they managed to get the app working again, but we were asked not to disclose this knowledge since it might hasten how quickly it gets shut down, if at all. If our word doesn’t instill any confidence, then I would advise against installing this mod. If, however, you still want to use Dark Sky for Android once again, then give Darker Sky a shot.

You can download Darker Sky from the Telegram channel linked below. The developer aims to post updates in this channel but won’t be signing their name on new messages so they can remain anonymous. I’m told the developer is the only one with posting privileges on this channel, though, so new releases won’t be coming from any other source. Lastly, since Darker Sky is a newly signed app that hasn’t been submitted to the Google Play Store yet (…and it obviously will never be submitted), Google Play Protect may warn against installing it. That’s a normal message that Play Protect throws up to warn against installing unknown apps from unknown sources, so don’t be surprised if you see it.

Download Darker Sky for Android

What’s unclear is how long this mod will continue to work once Apple takes notice. After all, Apple seems to be integrating part of the app’s features into iOS 14, and the app itself is still available on the Apple App Store.

The post Developer brings Dark Sky for Android back from the dead appeared first on xda-developers.

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Sony Xperia 1 and Xperia 5 get temp root access on a locked bootloader with an exploit

When it comes to bootloader unlocking and custom development, Sony is undeniably one of the most developer-friendly OEMs out there. The company maintains an initiative called the Open Devices program through which they provide tools and guides to the development community to help them compile Android Open Source Project (AOSP) builds on select Xperia devices. Moreover, Sony offers a dedicated online portal for bootloader unlocking, but there is a catch.

Unlocking the bootloader of any Sony Xperia device simultaneously wipes out a certain portion of a partition named the “trim area” (TA). That particular segment holds a bunch of DRM keys that are used by Sony’s proprietary audio and video features (e.g. X-Reality Video Enhancement, DSEE HX, ClearAudio+, etc.) on the stock ROM. Those unique keys can only be backed up before unlocking the bootloader when you already have root access. (You normally need an unlocked bootloader to be able to get root access in the first place.) Now, finding a privilege escalation exploit that can give you stable root access without unlocking the bootloader can be tricky, but XDA Recognized Developer j4nn is here to help. Together with XDA Junior Member bb-qq, he has worked on using an existing exploit that is capable of spawning a root shell—albeit temporary—on the Sony Xperia 1 and the Xperia 5.

Sony Xperia 1 XDA Forums ||| Sony Xperia 5 XDA Forums

The developer duo decided to reuse CVE-2020-0041, which was originally discovered on the Google Pixel 3 running Linux kernel 4.9. As a matter of interest, j4nn did utilize the same exploit to achieve temporary root access on bootloader locked LG V50 ThinQ units. All the modifications needed to make the exploit compatible with the LG V50 ThinQ are more-or-less useful to port it to the Sony Xperia 1 and Xperia 5 as well, partly because these phones are based on the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 chipset and run on Linux kernel 4.14.

The newest iteration of the exploit also supports calling Magisk Manager from the temporary root shell, which is a big plus for inexperienced users. For those of you interested in how to get root on your Sony Xperia 1 or Xperia 5 without unlocking the bootloader, head on over to the thread linked below. Read everything carefully, make sure you are running a compatible version of the stock ROM, and execute the scripts as detailed.

Sony Xperia 1/5 Temp Root Exploit — XDA Download and Discussion Thread

It is worth mentioning that access to a root shell using this exploit does give you the ability to make a full dump of the TA partition on the Xperia 1 and Xperia 5. However, we have yet to see a confirmed report of getting all the DRM keys back by restoring such a dump on these phones. For the more technically interested people, there is an ongoing discussion on this topic you may like to take a look at and participate in.

The post Sony Xperia 1 and Xperia 5 get temp root access on a locked bootloader with an exploit appeared first on xda-developers.

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Sony Xperia 1 and Xperia 5 get temp root access on a locked bootloader with an exploit

When it comes to bootloader unlocking and custom development, Sony is undeniably one of the most developer-friendly OEMs out there. The company maintains an initiative called the Open Devices program through which they provide tools and guides to the development community to help them compile Android Open Source Project (AOSP) builds on select Xperia devices. Moreover, Sony offers a dedicated online portal for bootloader unlocking, but there is a catch.

Unlocking the bootloader of any Sony Xperia device simultaneously wipes out a certain portion of a partition named the “trim area” (TA). That particular segment holds a bunch of DRM keys that are used by Sony’s proprietary audio and video features (e.g. X-Reality Video Enhancement, DSEE HX, ClearAudio+, etc.) on the stock ROM. Those unique keys can only be backed up before unlocking the bootloader when you already have root access. (You normally need an unlocked bootloader to be able to get root access in the first place.) Now, finding a privilege escalation exploit that can give you stable root access without unlocking the bootloader can be tricky, but XDA Recognized Developer j4nn is here to help. Together with XDA Junior Member bb-qq, he has worked on using an existing exploit that is capable of spawning a root shell—albeit temporary—on the Sony Xperia 1 and the Xperia 5.

Sony Xperia 1 XDA Forums ||| Sony Xperia 5 XDA Forums

The developer duo decided to reuse CVE-2020-0041, which was originally discovered on the Google Pixel 3 running Linux kernel 4.9. As a matter of interest, j4nn did utilize the same exploit to achieve temporary root access on bootloader locked LG V50 ThinQ units. All the modifications needed to make the exploit compatible with the LG V50 ThinQ are more-or-less useful to port it to the Sony Xperia 1 and Xperia 5 as well, partly because these phones are based on the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 chipset and run on Linux kernel 4.14.

The newest iteration of the exploit also supports calling Magisk Manager from the temporary root shell, which is a big plus for inexperienced users. For those of you interested in how to get root on your Sony Xperia 1 or Xperia 5 without unlocking the bootloader, head on over to the thread linked below. Read everything carefully, make sure you are running a compatible version of the stock ROM, and execute the scripts as detailed.

Sony Xperia 1/5 Temp Root Exploit — XDA Download and Discussion Thread

It is worth mentioning that access to a root shell using this exploit does give you the ability to make a full dump of the TA partition on the Xperia 1 and Xperia 5. However, we have yet to see a confirmed report of getting all the DRM keys back by restoring such a dump on these phones. For the more technically interested people, there is an ongoing discussion on this topic you may like to take a look at and participate in.

The post Sony Xperia 1 and Xperia 5 get temp root access on a locked bootloader with an exploit appeared first on xda-developers.

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