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jeudi 25 février 2021

It’s not just you, Xbox Live is down and you can’t play games

Did you just try to sign in to Xbox Live or fire up a game on your Xbox and found that you can’t? Nope, you’re not crazy, and no, it’s not something on your end. Xbox Live is down right now. Microsoft’s online service is currently facing a major outage for players on the Xbox Series X, the Xbox Series S, the Xbox One, and even Windows, and this outage affects everything from sign-in, online multiplayer, and even the ability to even start locally downloaded games. And it has actually dragged on for a surprisingly long amount of time.

The outage started a few hours ago and was reported to initially only affect sign-in. However, the issue has since spread to most other parts of Xbox Live, to the point where it has actually become impossible to even access games that you bought online, since the system actually performs a license check before starting the game. The outage has been ongoing for hours, with Xbox users from around the world being affected.

Xbox Live Xbox Live

During the outage, you may have issues with sign-in and even firing up games.

The silver lining here, though, is that Microsoft has already been made aware of the issue, and they’re actively working on a fix. The Xbox Support account on Twitter acknowledged the issue and stated that their teams are currently investigating to fix the issue. They also provided another update 2 hours later, indicating that the issue is affecting other parts of the Xbox Live service too, not just sign-in. However, as of the time of writing, the service is still down, with Microsoft promising to post any further updates both on their support account as well as their official Xbox Live Status website.

So, what should we do now? Sadly, we don’t have any timeframes as to when Xbox Live will come back online and when you will gain back access to your game library, so all we have to do now is to sit around and wait for Microsoft to fix this.

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Google TV’s basic mode strips away apps and other smart features

The first smart TVs that launch with Google TV will offer a “Basic TV” mode, which will strip the smart features away for a more barebones experience.

According to 9to5Google, the Basic TV option will appear as you set up a new TV running on Google TV.

“The idea behind this version of Google TV is to strip away essentially all of the features that make a smart TV… smart,” 9to5Google said. “It goes beyond the ‘apps-only’ mode we saw on Chromecast with Google TV too.”

You’ll be met with five core features of your TV during setup, including apps, content recommendations, Google Assistant, live TV, and external inputs (HDMI). Apps, content recommendations, and the Google Assistant are core pillars of the Google TV experience, so you’re essentially stripping away what makes the platform great.

google_tv_basic_mode_2

Image via 9to5Google

With everything stripped away, you’ll be left with access to HDMI inputs and live TV if you have an antenna attached to your TV. You’re essentially exchanging the conveniences and benefits of a platform like Google TV for one that harkens back to the olden days.

If you’re purchasing a TV equipped with Google TV, you probably intend to use that platform. But there’s a Basic TV mode if you want to use a different set-top box or turn the features off due to privacy concerns. Google told 9to5Google the feature is for those who lack internet.

9to5Google notes that when Basic TV mode is enabled, it can just as easily be switched off. “There’s a constant shortcut on the home screen as well as a prominent button in the settings menu,” 9to5Google said. “You can’t easily go in the other direction, though. That process requires a full reset.”

The feature is apparently part of Google TV, not Android TV 12. Expect Basic TV mode to be available on the previously announced Sony and TCL models coming later this year.

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Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 gets major new S Pen features with an update

Update 1 (02/25/2021 @ 02:40 PM ET): Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 owners in Europe are starting to get the big S Pen feature update. Click here for more information. The article, as published on February 19, 2021, is preserved below.

When it comes to Android tablets, Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S7 is inarguably one of the best experiences you can get. Just a month ago, the Korean OEM rolled out the latest iteration of its custom Android skin to the flagship tablet in the form of One UI 3.1, which brought in a bunch of new productivity capabilities. Well, it seems that Samsung has more to offer to the Tab S7 community, as the company is now gearing up to release another major software update to further enhance the S Pen experience.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 Series Forums

One of the biggest new features in the upcoming update is the expansion of the S Pen’s handwriting feature to more text boxes that are otherwise limited to the on-screen keyboard. For instance, Galaxy Tab S7 owners should be able to utilize the S Pen for handwriting in address boxes once the new build is installed. The underlying algorithm will allow to digitize punctuation marks as well. There’s also a handy gesture mechanism, e.g. drawing a ‘v’ between words will leave a space, while ‘⌒’ will connect separate words.

In order to use the ‘Pen to text’ functionality, users first need to enable it either by going to Settings > Advanced Feature > S Pen > S Pen to text, or to Settings > General management > Samsung Keyboard settings > S Pen to text. What’s more interesting is that the same feature is coming to Samsung Notes, which should come in handy for people who actively use the Galaxy Tab S7 for note-taking.

The tablets are also gaining new camera capabilities related to document scanning. You can now tap the ‘Attach’ icon in the Samsung Notes app, choose the ‘Scan’ option, and boom! The document becomes readily available to make notes on it. It might not be as big of a change as the S Pen to text feature, but Samsung has indeed streamlined the process of note-taking by building the feature right into the Notes app.

The aforementioned features will roll out to the Tab S7 and Tab S7+ by the end of February. As soon as Samsung releases the update, we’ll be sure to let you know.


Update 1: S Pen Update Arrives in Europe

As reported by SamMobile, Samsung’s promised S Pen functional update is rolling out to Galaxy Tab S7 users in Germany. Firmware version T975BXXU1BUBB is rolling out for Tab S7+ users, and it also brings along the March 2021 security patch level. The update also brings Samsung Free, Dolby support in DeX mode, and possibly other changes alongside the new S Pen features. If you’ve received the update, let us know in the comments below!

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Here are the countries using Google and Apple’s COVID-19 Contact Tracing API

SARS-CoV-2, also known colloquially as just the coronavirus, has wreaked havoc across the world. Many countries shut down large parts of the economy in order to contain the spread of the virus. As countries reopen their economies, many health experts fear a “second wave”, ie. resurgence, of COVID-19. To prevent a second wave, public health experts are advocating that nations adopt contact tracing, ie. tracing all the people who have recently come into contact with a person who has tested positive for COVID-19 and then undertaking steps to isolate those individuals. Contact tracing is difficult to implement correctly without violating an individual’s privacy. The threat to personal privacy was severe enough for Google and Apple to collaborate on an API that developers of public health agencies can use to implement app-based contact tracing solutions. This contact tracing API, which Google and Apple call the Exposure Notification API, is designed to respect user privacy and security.

Once a user downloads an app that uses the Exposure Notification API and opts in to contact tracing, their device starts generating “proximity identifiers” that are changed every 15 minutes (on average). Via Bluetooth Low Energy, these “proximity identifiers” are periodically shared with nearby devices whose users have also opted into contact tracing. The proximity identifier is then processed on-device and does not reveal information about a user’s location or other personally identifiable information. Once a user confirms a positive diagnosis of COVID-19, they can share their diagnosis with the app they installed, which will then inform other users who have come into close contact with them in the last 14 days. For more information on how the Exposure Notification API works, we recommend reading our initial coverage.

Google first rolled out the Exposure Notification API for Android devices on May 20, 2020, as part of an update to Google Play Services, but its use is restricted to apps that have been developed by official public health agencies (for obvious reasons). However, neither Google nor Apple has made details public about the list of apps that have been whitelisted for using this API, so unless you’re constantly keeping up with the news, it’s hard to know which countries have adopted the API. We’ve previously covered some of the countries that have adopted the Exposure Notification API when we talked about the various open-source contact tracing projects that are out there. In this article, we have compiled a list of official contact tracing apps from designated health agencies from various countries that are using Google and Apple’s Exposure Notification API. Our list contains COVID-19 contact tracing apps that have been released or are currently in development.

We discovered Google’s hidden whitelist of application package names for the API. Subsequently, these package names were traced back to apps, their listing, and the countries they belong to. The information is compiled below in a table for easy reference. We have also added Google Play Store and Apple App Store links, if the app has been publicly released, as well as the source code and the official website link, wherever available. We will update the following tables as more countries/regions adopt the API.

Table Changelog

  • June 26, 2020
    • Added: Brazil, Ghana, Ecuador, Spain, Estonia, Egypt, Portugal, Croatia, MIT’s PathCheck SafePlaces
    • Package names updated: Canada, Alabama
  • June 29, 2020
    • Updated Ireland’s listing to include the source code
    • Added the name and package name of Spain’s app.
    • Google has updated the package name “eg.nc.moh.bruhealthtrace” to “egnc.moh.bruhealthtrace.” This matches the “BruHealth” contact tracing app from the government of “Brunei.” We have updated the table accordingly.
  • June 30, 2020
    • Added Spain’s Radar COVID app
  • July 1, 2020
    • Fixed Japan’s listing to reflect that COCOA – COVID-19 Contact App has already been released.
    • Added a separate table for open contact tracing implementations based on Google and Apple’s Exposure Notification API. PathCheck SafePlaces was moved to this table and COVID Shield and Common Circle were added.
  • July 6, 2020
    • Ireland’s COVID Tracker app has been released on Google Play and the Apple App Store, so the listing in the table has been updated with links to reflect that.
  • July 8, 2020
    • Added: North Ireland, the Netherlands (second app), Finland, and MITRE’s COVID Aware app
  • July 15, 2020
    • Added: Arizona, CV Key
    • Updated: New Canadian app, package names for UK apps, Mexican app, updated Ghana –> Gibraltar
  • July 22, 2020
    • Added: Nevada (?) pending verification
  • August 5, 2020
    • Added: Belgium (In-Development), New York (In-Development)
    • Updated: Virginia (Released), North Dakota (In-Development), Canada (Released), Croatia (Released), Ecuador (Released), Northern Ireland (Released)
  • August 10, 2020
    • Added: Slovenia, Arizona, South Africa (?) pending verification
    • Re-verified that released apps are using COVID-19 ENS.
  • August 13, 2020
    • Updated: United Kingdom (Released)
  • August 24, 2020
    • Added: Czech Republic (In-Development), Michigan (In-Development), North Carolina (In-Development), Pennsylvania (In-Development), Scotland (In-Development), Kazakhstan (In-Development)
    • Updated: Spain (now using ENS), Estonia (Released), Netherlands (Released), Slovenia (Released), Alabama (Released), Nevada (Released), North Dakota & Wyoming (Released)
  • August 28, 2020
    • Added: Guam (Released)
    • Updated: Portugal (Released), South Africa (Released)
  • August 31, 2020
    • Updated: Finland (Released)
  • September 1, 2020
    • Added: Puerto Rico (Released)
    • Updated: Czech Republic (now using ENS)
  • September 9, 2020
    • Updated: Scotland (Released), Spain (source code)
  • September 14, 2020
    • Added: Delaware (Released)
  • September 21, 2020
    • Added: California (Released)
    • Updated: North Carolina (Released), Belgium (Released), Kazakhstan (Released), Malta (Released), Pennsylvania (Released)
  • September 29, 2020
    • Added: New Jersey (Released)
  • September 30, 2020
    • Updated: New York (Released)
  • October 7, 2020
    • Added: Greece (Released)
  • October 14, 2020
    • Added: Jersey (Released)
  • October 15, 2020
    • Added: Michigan (Released)
  • October 19, 2020
    • Added: District of Columbia (Released)
  • October 23, 2020
    • Added: Colorado (Released)
  • October 29, 2020
    • Added: Cyprus (Released)
  • October 30, 2020
    • Added: Washington (Released)
    • Removed: Mexico, Philippines (Abandoned ENS)
  • November 2, 2020
    • Added: Lithuania
  • November 5, 2020
    • Added: Connecticut (Released)
  • November 9, 2020
    • Added: Oregon (Released)
  • November 10, 2020
    • Added: Maryland (Released)
  • November 12, 2020
    • Added: Hawaii (Released)
  • November 16, 2020
    • Added: South Carolina (Released)
  • November 23, 2020
    • Added: Minnesota (Released), Bermuda (Released), Russia (Released)
  • December 1, 2020
    • Added: NZ Covid Tracer (now using ENS)
  • December 22, 2020
    • Added: Norway (Released)
  • December 28, 2020
    • Added: Wisconsin (Released)
  • February 1, 2021
    • Added: Louisiana (Released)
    • Removed: Australia, Brunei, Kenya (pending confirmation they’re still in development)
  • February 25, 2021
    • Added: Utah (Released), Panama (now using ENS)

Regions with COVID-19 contact tracing apps based on the Exposure Notifications System (ENS)

Region App Name Android Package Name Status Useful Links
Austria Stopp Corona at.roteskreuz.stopcorona Released
Belgium Coronalert be.sciensano.coronalert Released
Brazil Coronavirus – SUS br.gov.datasus.guardioes Released
Canada COVID Alert ca.gc.hcsc.canada.stopcovid Released
Croatia Stop COVID-19 hr.miz.evidencijakontakata Released
Cyprus CovTracer-EN cy.gov.dmrid.covtracer Released
Czech Republic eRouška cz.covid19cz.erouska Released
Denmark Smittestop com.netcompany.smittestop_exposure_notification Released
Ecuador ASI ec.gob.asi.android Released
Estonia Hoia ee.tehik.hoia Released
Finland Koronavilkku fi.thl.koronahaavi Released
Germany Corona-Warn-App de.rki.coronawarnapp Released
Gibraltar Beat Covid Gibraltar com.gha.covid.tracker Released
Greece Exo com.pathcheck.gr.bt Released
Ireland Covid Tracker com.covidtracker.hse Released
Italy Immuni it.ministerodellasalute.immuni Released
Japan COCOA – COVID-19 Contact App jp.go.mhlw.covid19radar Released
Kazakhstan Saqbol kz.nitec.bizbirgemiz Released
Latvia Apturi Covid Latvia lv.spkc.gov.apturicovid Released
Lithuania Korona Stop LT lt.nvsc.coronawarnapp Released
Malta COVID Alert Malta mt.gov.dp3t Released
Netherlands CoronaMelder nl.rijksoverheid.en Released
New Zealand NZ COVID Tracer nz.govt.health.covidtracer Released
Northern Ireland StopCOVID NI net.hscni.covidtracker Released
Norway Smittestopp no.fhi.smittestopp_exposure_notification Released
Panamá Protégete Panamá pa.gob.protegete Released
Poland ProteGO Safe pl.gov.mc.protegosafe Released
Portugal STAYAWAY COVID fct.inesctec.stayaway Released
Russia Госуслуги.COVID трекер com.minsvyaz.gosuslugi.exposurenotificationdroid Released
Saudi Arabia Tabaud sa.gov.nic.tabaud Released
Scotland Protect Scotland gov.scot.covidtracker Released
Slovenia OstaniZdrav si.gov.ostanizdrav Released
South Africa COVIDConnect za.gov.health.covidconnect Released
Spain Radar COVID es.gob.radarcovid Released
Switzerland SwissCovid ch.admin.bag.dp3t Released
United Kingdom NHS COVID-19 uk.nhs.covid19.production Released
United Kingdom – Bermuda WeHealth Bermuda org.wehealth.exposure Released
United Kingdom – Jersey Jersey COVID Alert com.governmentofjersey.jerseycovidalert Released
Uruguay Coronavirus UY uy.gub.salud.plancovid19uy Released
USA – Alabama GuideSafe gov.adph.exposurenotifications Released
USA – Arizona Covid Watch gov.azdhs.covidwatch.android Released
USA – California California COVID Notify gov.ca.covid19.exposurenotifications Released
USA – Colorado CO Exposure Notifications gov.co.cdphe.exposurenotifications Released
USA – Connecticut COVID Alert CT gov.ct.covid19.exposurenotifications Released
USA – Delaware Covid Alert DE gov.de.covidtracker Released
USA – District of Columbia DC CAN gov.dc.covid19.exposurenotifications Released
USA – Guam Guam Covid Alert org.pathcheck.guam.bt Released
USA – Hawaii AlohaSafe Alert org.alohasafe.alert Released
USA – Louisiana COVID Defense org.pathcheck.la.bt Released
USA – Maryland MD COVID Alert gov.md.covid19.exposurenotifications Released
USA – Michigan MI COVID Alert gov.michigan.MiCovidExposure Released
USA – Minnesota COVIDaware MN org.pathcheck.covidsafepathsBt.mn Released
USA – Nevada Covid Trace Nevada gov.nv.dhhs.en Released
USA – New Jersey COVID Alert NJ com.nj.gov.covidalert Released
USA – New York COVID Alert NY gov.ny.health.proximity Released
USA – North Carolina SlowCOVIDNC gov.nc.dhhs.exposurenotification Released
USA – Oregon Oregon Exposure Notifications gov.or.covid19.exposurenotifications Released
USA – Pennsylvania COVID Alert PA gov.pa.covidtracker Released
USA – Puerto Rico Rastrea el Virus BT org.pathcheck.pr.bt Released
USA – South Carolina South Carolina Safer Together musc.exposurenotification Released
USA – North Dakota & Wyoming Care19 Alert com.proudcrowd.exposure Released
USA – Utah UT Exposure Notifications gov.ut.covid19.exposurenotifications Released
USA – Virginia COVIDWise gov.vdh.exposurenotification Released
USA – Washington Washington gov.wa.doh.exposurenotifications Released
USA – Wisconsin Wisconsin gov.wi.covid19.exposurenotifications Released

Thanks to PNF Software for providing us a license to use JEB Decompiler, a professional-grade reverse engineering tool for Android applications.

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AMD expected to launch new Radeon RX 6700 series GPUs next week

AMD will be making some new announcements next week as it has scheduled a special event called “Where Gaming Begins: Episode 3” on March 3. The company is expected to launch new GPU models under its RDNA 2-based Radeon RX 6000 series, and if rumors are anything to go by, it could very well be the Radeon RX 6700 and the Radeon RX 6700 XT.

A reference card render of the upcoming GPU has been shared by AMD, which suggests that it could include some of the design queues as seen on the previously announced RX 6900 XT, RX 6800 XT, and the RX 6800 graphics cards. This one, however, will be smaller with a smaller cooling system with dual-fans and a dual-slot design. The card also seems to have three DisplayPorts and a single HDMI connection but is notably missing a USB Type-C port seen on the existing Big Navi GPUs. The upcoming GPU is also expected to share the same Navi 22 architecture as before.

As per some leaked information, the AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT will feature 40-compute units and 2560-stream processors with 12GB GDDR6 memory along with a 192-bit bus interface. It is expected to feature 16Gbps dies capable of a total bandwidth of 384GB/s. There is also a rumor that the 6700 XT could be offered with a 200W TDP while the RX 6700 might arrive with a rated TDP of 150W.

The new GPU announcement from AMD is scheduled for March 3 at 11 AM EST. It is expected that the RX 6700 series will go head to head with NVIDIA’s new RTX 3060, which officially hit markets today. Can AMD finally deliver a solid mid-range GPU to oust team green? Let us know what you think. Also, if you are planning to get your hands on the new RTX 3060, make sure you go through our stocks guide.

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Amazon Music comes to Google TV and all Android TV devices

Amazon Music is making its way to Google TV and all devices running Android TV. The new addition arrives shortly after Google TV added the Apple TV app, along with the service’s many original movies and TV shows.

Of course, Amazon’s music streaming service is an alternative to the many other music streaming services on the market, including Google’s own YouTube Music. Amazon Music subscribers will be able to access the app on Chromecast with Google TV and other devices that support Android TV.

Amazon Music looks great on a large display, with a clean design, bold artwork, and UI that’s easy to understand and navigate. The interface displays playlists and stations for you, along with your own library of liked songs, playlists, and more. It’ll be a nice service to thrown on the next time you have guests over.

If you haven’t been keeping up with the latest developments to Amazon’s streaming service, the platform has added plenty of new features over the last several months. Recently, the company introduced an X-Ray feature that offers a behind-the-scenes look at song information, artists, and albums. The feature also includes fun trivia for song credits, related content, and more.

As 9to5Google points out, the Amazon Music app has been on the Play Store for Android TV for months now, but only for NVIDIA Shield devices. Today’s news makes the app available to all devices that run Android TV, plus the Chromecast with Google TV.

You can subscribe to Amazon Music Unlimited for $7.99 per month with a Prime membership or $9.99 per month without Prime. There’s also an ad-supported free tier, which was recently expanded to iOS, Android, and Fire TV. The new Amazon Music app is available today in the U.S., UK, Canada, Brazil, Mexico, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, India, Japan, and Australia.

Amazon Music: Stream and Discover Songs & Podcasts (Free, Google Play) →

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LineageOS 18.1 unofficially lands on the Exynos Samsung Galaxy S20 series

Ever since the official arrival of Android 11, developers from all over the world have been hammering away at bugs on their build machines in order to shoehorn the Android OS onto our devices in the form of custom ROMs. As is customary, we have seen unofficial builds of the major releases, including LineageOS 18.1, surface across a wide variety of devices, the latest of which is the Samsung Galaxy S20.

Samsung Galaxy S20 / S20+ / S20 Ultra XDA Forums

The ROM at hand is a port of LineageOS 18.1 for the Exynos Galaxy S20, S20 Plus, and the S20 Ultra, brought to you by XDA Senior Member DeHuMaNiZeD and Linux4 on behalf of Team Exynoobs. The build may not be official yet, but work continues to be done on it and an official build could be coming in the near future. It is worth mentioning that SELinux in the ROM is set as enforcing, which is a big plus in terms of security. There are some non-functional features, though. The most prevalent one is Wi-Fi Display, which has been a thorn on the side of many developers working on custom ROMs that are based on Android 11.

Having said that, the main bits that you would need to at least use this port as a daily driver are working. If you have either the 4G or the 5G Exynos variant of the Galaxy S20 running the official One UI 3.0/3.1 firmware, then you should be able to install and boot the unofficial LineageOS 18.1 ROM without any issues. There’s no official TWRP build you can use, but the developer has put together a specially-tuned unofficial build that you can install on your device to flash the ROM.

Download Unofficial LineageOS 18.1 for Exynos Samsung Galaxy S20

It’s great to see that development for a flagship Exynos device like the Galaxy S20 is slowly but steadily overcoming the odds. There’s a lot to love about the hardware, but Samsung’s One UI might not be everyone’s cup of tea. Thankfully, users of the phones can now get a taste of vanilla Android 11 with a ton of useful features by installing this build. If you feel like helping out the developer to test for more bugs or even to work on the ROM itself, feel free to download the build and take it for a spin.

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