Google Pixel 5 sees massive GPU performance gains with April 2021 update

The latest software update for the Google Pixel lineup recently started rolling out to users. The update includes a host of connectivity, camera, and stability improvements for the entire lineup, along with performance optimizations for the Google Pixel 5 and the Pixel 4a 5G. These optimizations have significantly enhanced the gaming performance of Google’s latest flagship, as per recent reports.

When Google rolled out the first stable Android 11 release for its Pixel devices, some users noticed that the graphics benchmark numbers significantly declined following the update. As per HotHardware’s testing, the Pixel 4 XL and Pixel 4a took a major hit in graphical performance. Since the Pixel 5 and the Pixel 4a 5G launched with Android 11 pre-installed, we had no way to verify if the phones also suffered a similar issue. However, Anandtech noted that the Pixel 5 vastly underperformed similar devices featuring the Snapdragon 765G chip. This led many to believe that the Android 11 update was the culprit.

Source: Google

In the April 2021 update, the changelog mentions some “performance optimizations for certain graphics-intensive apps & games.” Andreas Proschofsky from Der Standard tested the GPU performance of the Pixel 5 following the update using 3DMark, and he found that the results are now 30-50% better than before. According to recent tweets, his Pixel 5 scored around 2278/2260 for the OpenGL/Vulkan tests in 3DMark Sling Shot Extreme before the April update. After installing the update, the phone scored 3286/3083 in the same test, which is a substantial improvement. Andrei from Anandtech has also confirmed that the update has “essentially doubled” his Pixel 5’s performance. We assume that the Pixel 4a 5G will see similar gains, given that it’s also mentioned in the official changelog.

At the moment, we don’t know the exact cause of the GPU performance regression. We aren’t sure if there’s an issue in the Android 11 update that’s specifically causing this problem or if Google messed up somewhere. We’ll make sure to let you know as soon as we find out.

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Google Pixel 5 sees massive GPU performance gains with April 2021 update

The latest software update for the Google Pixel lineup recently started rolling out to users. The update includes a host of connectivity, camera, and stability improvements for the entire lineup, along with performance optimizations for the Google Pixel 5 and the Pixel 4a 5G. These optimizations have significantly enhanced the gaming performance of Google’s latest flagship, as per recent reports.

When Google rolled out the first stable Android 11 release for its Pixel devices, some users noticed that the graphics benchmark numbers significantly declined following the update. As per HotHardware’s testing, the Pixel 4 XL and Pixel 4a took a major hit in graphical performance. Since the Pixel 5 and the Pixel 4a 5G launched with Android 11 pre-installed, we had no way to verify if the phones also suffered a similar issue. However, Anandtech noted that the Pixel 5 vastly underperformed similar devices featuring the Snapdragon 765G chip. This led many to believe that the Android 11 update was the culprit.

Source: Google

In the April 2021 update, the changelog mentions some “performance optimizations for certain graphics-intensive apps & games.” Andreas Proschofsky from Der Standard tested the GPU performance of the Pixel 5 following the update using 3DMark, and he found that the results are now 30-50% better than before. According to recent tweets, his Pixel 5 scored around 2278/2260 for the OpenGL/Vulkan tests in 3DMark Sling Shot Extreme before the April update. After installing the update, the phone scored 3286/3083 in the same test, which is a substantial improvement. Andrei from Anandtech has also confirmed that the update has “essentially doubled” his Pixel 5’s performance. We assume that the Pixel 4a 5G will see similar gains, given that it’s also mentioned in the official changelog.

At the moment, we don’t know the exact cause of the GPU performance regression. We aren’t sure if there’s an issue in the Android 11 update that’s specifically causing this problem or if Google messed up somewhere. We’ll make sure to let you know as soon as we find out.

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WhatsApp might allow chat history migration between iOS and Android

WhatsApp stores more data locally on your phone (as opposed to the cloud) than most other messaging services, which has some disadvantages. Chat histories are kept on your phone, and while the data can be easily backed up, there’s no official method for moving chats between Android and iOS devices. Thankfully, that might be changing soon.

WhatsApp has been working on multi-device support for a while now, which would allow you to send and receive messages from any of your phones, tablets, or PCs — you know, like just about every other messaging service. Moving chats between different platforms is an essential component of that functionality, and now the feature seems to be in development. WABetaInfo discovered the feature’s info page in the iOS app, but it’s not working yet.

Credit: WABetaInfo

It’s not clear yet when the functionality will become available, but it’s sure to be a popular feature for anyone looking to switch mobile ecosystems. WhatsApp has previously said that any unofficial means of moving chat histories across platforms, which usually involved third-party client apps, is against the company’s terms of service and can result in account suspensions.

WhatsApp has implemented many other features over the past few months, partially in response to the massive boom in messaging platforms (especially audio/video chatting) that occurred throughout 2020. Audio and video calls arrived in the web app in March, new wallpaper options came in December, and disappearing messages rolled out in November. Meanwhile, WhatsApp has faced heavy criticism over its proposed privacy policy changes, and the United States is suing Facebook over its acquisitions of WhatsApp and Instagram. The controversies also led many WhatsApp users to migrate to other services, causing Signal and Telegram to become some of the most downloaded mobile apps for a short time.

WhatsApp Messenger (Free, Google Play) →

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WhatsApp might allow chat history migration between iOS and Android

WhatsApp stores more data locally on your phone (as opposed to the cloud) than most other messaging services, which has some disadvantages. Chat histories are kept on your phone, and while the data can be easily backed up, there’s no official method for moving chats between Android and iOS devices. Thankfully, that might be changing soon.

WhatsApp has been working on multi-device support for a while now, which would allow you to send and receive messages from any of your phones, tablets, or PCs — you know, like just about every other messaging service. Moving chats between different platforms is an essential component of that functionality, and now the feature seems to be in development. WABetaInfo discovered the feature’s info page in the iOS app, but it’s not working yet.

Credit: WABetaInfo

It’s not clear yet when the functionality will become available, but it’s sure to be a popular feature for anyone looking to switch mobile ecosystems. WhatsApp has previously said that any unofficial means of moving chat histories across platforms, which usually involved third-party client apps, is against the company’s terms of service and can result in account suspensions.

WhatsApp has implemented many other features over the past few months, partially in response to the massive boom in messaging platforms (especially audio/video chatting) that occurred throughout 2020. Audio and video calls arrived in the web app in March, new wallpaper options came in December, and disappearing messages rolled out in November. Meanwhile, WhatsApp has faced heavy criticism over its proposed privacy policy changes, and the United States is suing Facebook over its acquisitions of WhatsApp and Instagram. The controversies also led many WhatsApp users to migrate to other services, causing Signal and Telegram to become some of the most downloaded mobile apps for a short time.

WhatsApp Messenger (Free, Google Play) →

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Sony may soon release the WH-1000XM4 headphones in a new white color

Sony has produced some of the best noise-canceling headphones in the industry. The company released the WH-1000XM4 headphones last year as a new premium ANC option, and now there could be a new color and more audio features on the way.

An APK teardown can often predict features that may arrive in a future update of an application, but it is possible that any of the features we mention here may not make it in a future release. This is because these features are currently unimplemented in the live build and may be pulled at any time by the developers in a future build.

The Sony WH-1000XM4 is currently available in three colors: Black, Blue, and Silver. The Silver option is already closer to beige than silver, but now a true white option could arrive soon. As first spotted by user @justplayinghard on Twitter, a new string added in version 7.5 of the Sony Headphones Connect app mentions a new white color of the headphones. The other colors were already present in the same code.

<string name="modelimage_wh1000xm4_white">a_device_image_wh_1000xm4_white</string>
<string name="modelimage_wh1000xm4">a_device_image_wh_1000xm4_black</string>
<string name="modelimage_wh1000xm4_black">a_device_image_wh_1000xm4_black</string>
<string name="modelimage_wh1000xm4_blue">a_device_image_wh_1000xm4_blue</string>
<string name="modelimage_wh1000xm4_silver">a_device_image_wh_1000xm4_silver</string>

The APK file also contains an image of the white style, seen below. Just like the other models, the Sony logo and USB Type-C port have a gold-colored finish.

Interestingly, the app’s code also reveals that new audio features are under development for the Sony WH-1000XM4. Some text strings mention an option that will “optimize” your smartphone using ear analysis results, so stereo tracks sound more immersive.

<string name="IASetup_Phone_Optimize_Detail">"By optimizing your smartphone using ear analysis results, you can enjoy music you regularly listen to in an optimized sound field. Optimize your smartphone?"</string>
<string name="IASetup_Phone_Optimize_Label">Optimize your smartphone</string> <string name="IASetup_Phone_Status_Done">Optimized</string>
<string name="IASetup_Phone_Status_NotOptimized">Your smartphone is not optimized yet</string>
<string name="IASetup_Phone_Welcome_Detail">"Enjoy the following music played on your headphones with spatial and immersive sound on your smartphone. - Stereo tracks (music you regularly listen to) - Content supported by 360 Reality Audio Optimize your smartphone and 360 Reality Audio supported music service app."</string>

Sony already has its own 360 Reality Audio technology for immersive music, and this feature could bring a similar experience to non-360 music. It remains to be seen how convincing the music upscaling will be, but with how great the WH-1000XM4 headphones already are, it’s great that Sony isn’t resting on its laurels.

Sony | Headphones Connect (Free, Google Play) →

Featured image: the Sony WH-1000XM4 in Silver

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Sony may soon release the WH-1000XM4 headphones in a new white color

Sony has produced some of the best noise-canceling headphones in the industry. The company released the WH-1000XM4 headphones last year as a new premium ANC option, and now there could be a new color and more audio features on the way.

An APK teardown can often predict features that may arrive in a future update of an application, but it is possible that any of the features we mention here may not make it in a future release. This is because these features are currently unimplemented in the live build and may be pulled at any time by the developers in a future build.

The Sony WH-1000XM4 is currently available in three colors: Black, Blue, and Silver. The Silver option is already closer to beige than silver, but now a true white option could arrive soon. As first spotted by user @justplayinghard on Twitter, a new string added in version 7.5 of the Sony Headphones Connect app mentions a new white color of the headphones. The other colors were already present in the same code.

<string name="modelimage_wh1000xm4_white">a_device_image_wh_1000xm4_white</string>
<string name="modelimage_wh1000xm4">a_device_image_wh_1000xm4_black</string>
<string name="modelimage_wh1000xm4_black">a_device_image_wh_1000xm4_black</string>
<string name="modelimage_wh1000xm4_blue">a_device_image_wh_1000xm4_blue</string>
<string name="modelimage_wh1000xm4_silver">a_device_image_wh_1000xm4_silver</string>

The APK file also contains an image of the white style, seen below. Just like the other models, the Sony logo and USB Type-C port have a gold-colored finish.

Interestingly, the app’s code also reveals that new audio features are under development for the Sony WH-1000XM4. Some text strings mention an option that will “optimize” your smartphone using ear analysis results, so stereo tracks sound more immersive.

<string name="IASetup_Phone_Optimize_Detail">"By optimizing your smartphone using ear analysis results, you can enjoy music you regularly listen to in an optimized sound field. Optimize your smartphone?"</string>
<string name="IASetup_Phone_Optimize_Label">Optimize your smartphone</string> <string name="IASetup_Phone_Status_Done">Optimized</string>
<string name="IASetup_Phone_Status_NotOptimized">Your smartphone is not optimized yet</string>
<string name="IASetup_Phone_Welcome_Detail">"Enjoy the following music played on your headphones with spatial and immersive sound on your smartphone. - Stereo tracks (music you regularly listen to) - Content supported by 360 Reality Audio Optimize your smartphone and 360 Reality Audio supported music service app."</string>

Sony already has its own 360 Reality Audio technology for immersive music, and this feature could bring a similar experience to non-360 music. It remains to be seen how convincing the music upscaling will be, but with how great the WH-1000XM4 headphones already are, it’s great that Sony isn’t resting on its laurels.

Sony | Headphones Connect (Free, Google Play) →

Featured image: the Sony WH-1000XM4 in Silver

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Google Chrome will soon let you reopen tab groups you previously closed

Reopening tab groups in Chrome is soon going to be a lot easier. Right now, when you close a group by right-clicking on the group header, each tab in the group will get listed as a separate entry in the recently closed tab. If you accidentally closed a group, there’s no way to restore it wholly with a single click; you have to restore each tab one by one to recreate the group. But Chrome will soon let you reopen the whole group with a single click.

As spotted by Reddit user u/Leopeva64, in the latest version of Google Chrome Canary, closed tab groups now appear as a single unit under the “recently closed” dropdown menu.

When you close a group, it will appear as a single item rather than each tab shown individually, making it possible to restore the whole group with just one click — or by pressing Ctrl + Shift + T. Check out the GIF below to understand the point better.

Essentially, you will be able to restore the tab groups the same way you can restore a closed browser window with all previously opened tabs.

The tab grouping feature was rolled out last year. As the name implies, the feature allows Chrome users to group different browser tabs together, reducing clutter and making it easier to spot relevant tabs quickly. Users can right-click on a tab to create a group and can even assign a name and color scheme to it.

The ability to quickly restore groups is available in the latest version of Google Chrome Canary for desktop. It works out of the box without having to enable any flag. If you’re interested in trying out the feature, you can download the latest build here. We don’t know when the feature will arrive in the Chrome stable channel, but we will sure to let you know when it does. Tab grouping was already a very handy feature, and with this new quality of life improvement, it’s set to become even better.

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