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mercredi 1 décembre 2021

Android TV 12 is officially out, but you can’t try it yourself just yet

Following multiple developer previews and beta releases, the final release of Android 12 for Android TV/Google TV is finally here. Although this is the final version, it’s still aimed at developers. That means you can’t just download it on your Chromebox or an Android TV streaming stick.

To try out Android 12 for Android TV, you’ll need a device called ADT-3, an Android TV dongle for developers. The public for Chromecast with Google TV and other compatible Android TV devices will likely arrive in early 2022.

With the official release of Android 12, we are also making the most recent platform release available for TV. Take this opportunity to start building and testing your apps to make it compatible with the latest Android release on the new Google TV experience

Android TV 12 is a big step up from the previous version and offers several exciting new features and improvements. It brings a redesigned UI with support for 4K UI rendering, dynamic refresh rate switching, background blurs, improved support for HDR formats and surround sound formats, Android 12-style microphone and camera indicators for enhanced privacy, and much more.

The full changelog for Android TV 12 is as follows:

  • Media
    • Avoid motion judder during playback using refresh rate switching
    • Certified API-accuracy for reporting display modes, HDR formats, and surround sound formats
  • User Interface
    • Background blurs using RenderEffect and in WindowManager
    • 4K UI support
    • Accessibility settings for font sizes
  • Privacy & Security
    • Microphone and camera indicators
    • Microphone and camera toggles
    • Device attestation via Android KeyStore API
  • HDMI & Tuner
    • Support for HDMI CEC 2.0
    • Tuner HAL 1.1 with DTMB support and performance improvements
    • Better protection model with Tuner Service

Google says those with an existing ADT-3 developer device will automatically receive an OTA to Android TV 12. If you haven’t received the update yet, you can also update your device manually by flashing the system image on your test device.

Android TV 12 comes about a month after Google officially released Android 12. The update has so far rolled out to the Pixel phones and Samsung’s Galaxy S21 series, with more smartphones to follow suit in the coming months.

The post Android TV 12 is officially out, but you can’t try it yourself just yet appeared first on xda-developers.



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mardi 30 novembre 2021

Google Messages’ new “nudges” feature goes live for some

In September we uncovered hints of a new “nudges” feature in the Google Messages app. The strings that we found within the APK revealed that the feature would help you stay on top of important conversations by sending reply reminders. While the feature wasn’t accessible to end-users at the time, Google has finally started rolling it out to users.

As spotted by Mishaal Rahman, the latest Google Message update has begun rolling out the nudges feature for some users.

Users can activate the feature by going to Settings > General > Suggestions > Nudges. There are two settings: “suggest reply reminders” and “suggest follow-up reminders.” The first option, when enabled, automatically displays “messages you might have forgotten to respond to” at the top of your inbox. Meanwhile, the second option will draw your attention to ”messages you might need to follow up on.”

Suggestions page in Google Messages

The nudges feature appears to be rolling out with Google Messages version 10.8.260 beta. However, it’s most likely a server-side rollout as some users are seeing the feature appearing on version 10.6.240 as well. In any case, if you want to try out nudges, download the latest beta version of Google Message from the Play Store. If you’re not a beta tester, you can sign up here. Alternatively, you can also grab the latest beta APK from APKMirror.

Google Messages is one of the best text messaging apps for Android. Over the past months, it has picked up several new features and improvements, including the ability to star important messages, AI-powered message sorting, auto OTP deletion, and more. It also received a Material You makeover a couple of months back, which adds a new pill-shaped search bar, a rounded rectangle floating action button, and support for Android 12’s dynamic wallpaper-based theming.

Messages (Free, Google Play) →

The post Google Messages’ new “nudges” feature goes live for some appeared first on xda-developers.



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Google Messages’ new “nudges” feature goes live for some

In September we uncovered hints of a new “nudges” feature in the Google Messages app. The strings that we found within the APK revealed that the feature would help you stay on top of important conversations by sending reply reminders. While the feature wasn’t accessible to end-users at the time, Google has finally started rolling it out to users.

As spotted by Mishaal Rahman, the latest Google Message update has begun rolling out the nudges feature for some users.

Users can activate the feature by going to Settings > General > Suggestions > Nudges. There are two settings: “suggest reply reminders” and “suggest follow-up reminders.” The first option, when enabled, automatically displays “messages you might have forgotten to respond to” at the top of your inbox. Meanwhile, the second option will draw your attention to ”messages you might need to follow up on.”

Suggestions page in Google Messages

The nudges feature appears to be rolling out with Google Messages version 10.8.260 beta. However, it’s most likely a server-side rollout as some users are seeing the feature appearing on version 10.6.240 as well. In any case, if you want to try out nudges, download the latest beta version of Google Message from the Play Store. If you’re not a beta tester, you can sign up here. Alternatively, you can also grab the latest beta APK from APKMirror.

Google Messages is one of the best text messaging apps for Android. Over the past months, it has picked up several new features and improvements, including the ability to star important messages, AI-powered message sorting, auto OTP deletion, and more. It also received a Material You makeover a couple of months back, which adds a new pill-shaped search bar, a rounded rectangle floating action button, and support for Android 12’s dynamic wallpaper-based theming.

Messages (Free, Google Play) →

The post Google Messages’ new “nudges” feature goes live for some appeared first on xda-developers.



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Xiaomi reveals the first Snapdragon 8 powered smartphone

Today on the Big Island in Hawaii, Qualcomm announced the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, its next-generation flagship mobile chipset. As usual, the company is also unveiling partners that will be using the new product, but it went a step further this time. Xiaomi actually announced a new device, the Xiaomi 12 Series, and it’s going to be the first to use Snapdragon 8 Gen 1.

Xiaomi Snapdragon 8 Gen 1

The company didn’t say anything else about the device. That includes what the Xiaomi 12 Series will actually look like, or even which features of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 it will include. Remember, not all OEMs use all of the features that are available on the chipset.

The Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 does have an entire host of new features. It has a brand-new triple ISP that can do things like record 8K video in HDR. It’s also got a fourth ISP that’s on all the time. This allows for things like always-on facial recognition, so you wouldn’t have to wake the device to use it. Other camera features include better portrait mode video that uses AI and more.

Of course, AI is a theme, something that we’ve been seeing more and more of over the last several years. Qualcomm touted its seventh-generation AI Engine, and that should work to improve the rest of the experience. Vice President of Product Management for Snapdragon Roadmap & Application Processor Technologies Ziad Asghar told me that AI is a horizontal feature, meaning that it works across the full range of features rather than being one thing that you can pinpoint.

While the Xiaomi 12 Series is going to be the first with the Snapdragon 8 Series, there will be plenty more to come, and soon. We usually see these devices start arriving in the spring, and we’re expecting to see them from Realme, Samsung, OnePlus, and a number of other smartphone OEMs.

Disclaimer: Qualcomm sponsored my trip to Kona, Hawaii, to attend the Snapdragon Tech Summit. The company paid for my flight and hotel. However, they did not have any input regarding the content of this article.

The post Xiaomi reveals the first Snapdragon 8 powered smartphone appeared first on xda-developers.



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Xiaomi reveals the first Snapdragon 8 powered smartphone

Today on the Big Island in Hawaii, Qualcomm announced the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, its next-generation flagship mobile chipset. As usual, the company is also unveiling partners that will be using the new product, but it went a step further this time. Xiaomi actually announced a new device, the Xiaomi 12 Series, and it’s going to be the first to use Snapdragon 8 Gen 1.

The company didn’t say anything else about the device. That includes what the Xiaomi 12 Series will actually look like, or even which features of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 it will include. Remember, not all OEMs use all of the features that are available on the chipset.

The Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 does have an entire host of new features. It has a brand-new triple ISP that can do things like record 8K video in HDR. It’s also got a fourth ISP that’s on all the time. This allows for things like always-on facial recognition, so you wouldn’t have to wake the device to use it. Other camera features include better portrait mode video that uses AI and more.

Of course, AI is a theme, something that we’ve been seeing more and more of over the last several years. Qualcomm touted its seventh-generation AI Engine, and that should work to improve the rest of the experience. Vice President of Product Management for Snapdragon Roadmap & Application Processor Technologies Ziad Asghar told me that AI is a horizontal feature, meaning that it works across the full range of features rather than being one thing that you can pinpoint.

While the Xiaomi 12 Series is going to be the first with the Snapdragon 8 Series, there will be plenty more to come, and soon. We usually see these devices start arriving in the spring, and we’re expecting to see them from Realme, Samsung, OnePlus, and a number of other smartphone OEMs.

Disclaimer: Qualcomm sponsored my trip to Kona, Hawaii, to attend the Snapdragon Tech Summit. The company paid for my flight and hotel. However, they did not have any input regarding the content of this article.

The post Xiaomi reveals the first Snapdragon 8 powered smartphone appeared first on xda-developers.



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The Realme GT 2 Pro will be one of the first phones to launch with the new Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip

We recently got our first look at leaked renders of the Realme GT 2 Pro — the “ultra-premium flagship” that Madhav Sheth talked about in an interview last month. The renders gave us a good look at its unique design and also highlighted some of its specifications. Soon after the renders popped up online, Realme’s founder and CEO Sky Li confirmed the Realme GT 2 Pro moniker. Now, the company has officially announced that it will feature Qualcomm’s latest flagship SoC.

Qualcomm unveiled the new Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 mobile platform at its annual Snapdragon Tech Summit earlier today. Right after Qualcomm’s keynote, Realme’s VP Chase Xu has announced that the upcoming Realme GT 2 Pro will be one of the first phones to launch with the new SoC. While Realme hasn’t shared any other details about the Realme GT 2 Pro so far, previous leaks suggest that it will pack a massive 6.8-inch WQHD+ flat OLED display with a 120Hz peak refresh rate, 12GB RAM, and 256GB UFS 3.1 storage.

Realme GT 2 Pro Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 announcement poster

In addition, the device will reportedly feature a 50MP primary camera, a 50MP ultra-wide camera, an 8MP telephoto camera, and a 32MP selfie shooter. On the software front, the Realme GT 2 Pro will likely run Realme UI 3.0 based on Android 12 out of the box. Rumors suggest that the phone might make it to the market by early next year. But Realme is yet to share any details on that front. We’ll make sure to let you know as soon as we learn more.

Since the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 is now finally official, more OEMs will likely come forward with information about their next-gen flagships. Xiaomi was one of the first OEMs to launch a phone with the Snapdragon 888 last year, and we’re expecting the company to announce the upcoming Xiaomi 12 series in the coming days. Samsung and OnePlus might also make announcements about the Galaxy S22 series and the OnePlus 10 Pro, but we haven’t heard anything from the companies so far.

The post The Realme GT 2 Pro will be one of the first phones to launch with the new Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip appeared first on xda-developers.



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The Realme GT 2 Pro will be one of the first phones to launch with the new Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip

We recently got our first look at leaked renders of the Realme GT 2 Pro — the “ultra-premium flagship” that Madhav Sheth talked about in an interview last month. The renders gave us a good look at its unique design and also highlighted some of its specifications. Soon after the renders popped up online, Realme’s founder and CEO Sky Li confirmed the Realme GT 2 Pro moniker. Now, the company has officially announced that it will feature Qualcomm’s latest flagship SoC.

Qualcomm unveiled the new Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 mobile platform at its annual Snapdragon Tech Summit earlier today. Right after Qualcomm’s keynote, Realme’s VP Chase Xu has announced that the upcoming Realme GT 2 Pro will be one of the first phones to launch with the new SoC. While Realme hasn’t shared any other details about the Realme GT 2 Pro so far, previous leaks suggest that it will pack a massive 6.8-inch WQHD+ flat OLED display with a 120Hz peak refresh rate, 12GB RAM, and 256GB UFS 3.1 storage.

Realme GT 2 Pro Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 announcement poster

In addition, the device will reportedly feature a 50MP primary camera, a 50MP ultra-wide camera, an 8MP telephoto camera, and a 32MP selfie shooter. On the software front, the Realme GT 2 Pro will likely run Realme UI 3.0 based on Android 12 out of the box. Rumors suggest that the phone might make it to the market by early next year. But Realme is yet to share any details on that front. We’ll make sure to let you know as soon as we learn more.

Since the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 is now finally official, more OEMs will likely come forward with information about their next-gen flagships. Xiaomi was one of the first OEMs to launch a phone with the Snapdragon 888 last year, and we’re expecting the company to announce the upcoming Xiaomi 12 series in the coming days. Samsung and OnePlus might also make announcements about the Galaxy S22 series and the OnePlus 10 Pro, but we haven’t heard anything from the companies so far.

The post The Realme GT 2 Pro will be one of the first phones to launch with the new Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip appeared first on xda-developers.



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