Launched back in 2019, Xiaomi’s Redmi Note 7 brought 48MP camera to the masses. The company decided to use a different camera sensor on the Indian variant, but they quickly phased out the initial model in favor of the Redmi Note 7S with a 48 MP primary rear camera. There is virtually no difference between the regular Redmi Note 7 and the Note 7S except the camera. Both models share a common code-name (“lavender”), thus their firmware packages are identical as well.
The factory-installed operating system on the phone duo was MIUI 10 on top of Android 9 Pie. The MIUI 11 update kept the underlying Android layer intact for them, but the phones have received a taste of Android 10 via MIUI 12-based closed beta builds. Xiaomi is now rolling out the Android 10 update for the Redmi Note 7/7S through the stable channel of MIUI, but there are a few stumbling blocks you should be aware of.
First of all, the stable build is still based on MIUI 11, not MIUI 12. Moreover, the company treats the current update as a “stable beta”, which means an authorized Mi Account might be required to sideload the ZIP file. Once Xiaomi marks it to be stable enough, they are going to flip a server-side switch that will eventually remove the need for such authorization before flashing. Alternatively, they could also release new builds with additional bug fixes.
The software version of the new build is V11.0.2.0.QFGxxXM, and it bumps the Android security patch level (SPL) to June 2020. The OTA is rolling out in China and India as of now, while other regional variants should get their updates soon. In case the bootloader of your Redmi Note 7/7S is unlocked and you want to install the updated build right now, either pick the appropriate Recovery ROM from the following table and flash using TWRP or straightaway choose the Fastboot ROM to bypass the Mi Account authorization requirement.
The LG Velvet is one of the companies most exciting devices in a while and that largely revolves around the brand new design. While the hardware shows the most drastic change, LG has refreshed its software as well. The company has now announced that 6 older phones will be getting the updated UI as well.
Admittedly, the LG Velvet’s UI is not a super drastic change from LG UXs of the past. They’re now calling it “Velvet UI” and it includes a few new things like notification bar color customization, volume adjustment settings, and a new pop-up window during a call. This new UI will be brought to 6 of LG’s latest premium devices in Korea:
Unfortunately, LG did not share any plans to bring Velvet UI to older LG phones outside of Korea. The list of devices does include some from as far back as 2018, which is a positive sign for LG’s commitment to older devices. The company doesn’t have the best track record when it comes to supporting old devices with software updates. If you want a taste of the Velvet UI right now, check out the nice wallpapers.
It’s time for another OxygenOS Open Beta update for the OnePlus 7T series. The last beta update rolled out in early June with some nice additions. This latest update has a pretty nice list of quality of life improvements. The headliners are an optimized adaptive brightness curve, new Clock features, and some Game Space additions. The full changelog is below:
Optimized adaptive brightness curve. The backlight brightness softer, improving user experience
Fixed the issue that double tap could not wake up the screen in some settings
Fixed the automatic pull-down issue with unlock screen in ambient display
Updated Android security patch to 2020.07
Clock
Newly added “Lap time” and “Split time” title for Stopwatch, the interface looking more clear-cut
Game Space
Newly added Moments to store gaming snapshots and screen recordings, please go to three-dot menu at upper right corner>Moments>Recent/Games to find them
Messages
Fixed the bug of unable to receive wireless alarm notifications within a short time despite repetitious trials
Launcher
Fixed the abnormal color display at the top area and button of Notes
OnePlus previously tinkered with the adaptive brightness algorithm in March, so hopefully, this update will continue to improve it for the OnePlus 7T series. The company has also been adding features to Game Space, making OnePlus phones feel more like gaming devices. We’ve got the download links for OxygenOS Open Beta 6 for you below. The empty sections will be filled in as we get the download links.
The Google Play Store is the primary app distribution platform for the Android OS. Considering Android’s reach in the smartphone market and other segments, the Google Play Store occupies a very special, dominant position where even the smallest of changes can have a huge impact. So it’s important to document the changes that do happen to Google Play’s policy as they impact thousands of developers and millions of users. In a YouTube video, Mr. Joe Davis, Outreach and Policy Education Lead at Google, explains the July 2020 Policy Updates for Google Play. Notably, he talks about extended enforcement grace periods, policy violation outreach, and more.
Here are the topics covered in the video:
Updated Policy Center
New platform
Cleaner language
More examples
Updated enforcement practices
Extended time for new apps
Specific enforcement dates named
More detailed policy enforcement email
July 2020 Policy Updates
Play Console Beta
Policy-centric enhancements
Updated Policy Center
Google has migrated its Policy Center to a new Help Center Platform hosted within the Play Console Help Center. This move presented Google with an opportunity to simplify its policy language. The language is now supposed to be clearer and includes more examples and screenshots to aid in understanding the actual policy, instead of confusing developers with legalese and unclear language. The Policy Center can be found at play.google.com/policy with a redirect taking you to the updated pages.
Updated Enforcement Practices
Google will be announcing all Policy Updates on the Updates Preview page. When the changes announced in the Policy Update do go into effect, the Updates Preview page will be updated to reflect the current active policy. A new change over here is that all new apps and games, as well as older, existing apps and games, will have 30 days from the announcement of a Policy Change to ensure that their applications comply with the latest notified changes. Google also recognizes that some policy updates may take longer to adapt to, so those will come with a longer grace period as needed.
Google will also be including the specific date for the changes to come into effect, which will ensure that the message is clear and there is no room for confusion.
Further, Google has actually taken feedback from developers. A long-standing complaint from developers is the fact that its communications are rather vague and opaque. If an app is taken down, developers are left scratching their heads on the policy violation they have committed that led to the app’s removal. Apple actually showed off its move towards app-developer-friendliness at WWDC when it announced that developers could actually challenge policies. While Google isn’t allowing that just yet, it’s taking at least some step forward by being a bit more informative and transparent on the actual policy violation that an application has committed. This means that developers will now receive more details, like a screenshot of a violation or a text excerpt from the Play Store listing, or more details to make the violation clearer.
Further, guidance to correct the issue will also be attached, which should be helpful for amateur developers who may not be as well versed with the complex Play regulations. Nonetheless, transparency will be much appreciated by veterans and amateurs alike.
July 2020 Policy Updates
“News” app Policy
Google has added a new Policy section for apps that market themselves as News apps on the Play Store.
Notably, News apps must:
provide adequate information about the news publisher and its contributors including clear ownership, and
have a website or in-app page that provides valid contact information for the news publisher.
On the flip side, News apps must not:
contain significant spelling & grammar errors,
contain only static content, and
have affiliate marketing or ad revenue as its primary purpose.
News apps that require a membership must provide a content preview for users prior to purchase. For news aggregator apps, these must be transparent about the publishing source of the content in the app, and each of the sources must also meet the News policy requirements. Apps that mark themselves as “News” app and come clean on these guidelines will be permitted to be displayed on the Play Store’s News app sections.
AR Location Anchoring
Apps that rely on User-Generated Content (UGC) and feature Augmented Reality (AR) functionality placed upon such UGC must implement moderation systems that can be used to report objectionable images and images which anchor the AR object on top of a sensitive location.
Families Ads Policies
Google has clarified some ad practices that are prohibited on apps that target children. For instance, ads that interfere with normal app use or gameplay and are not closeable after 5 seconds are not allowed. But ads that do not interfere with normal app use or gameplay are allowed to persist for more than 5 seconds, provided they display a timer.
“All Files Access” Permission update
Apps targeting Android 11 (API level 30) that need to request broad access to device storage were said to require special permission from Google to keep their app on the Play Store. Google is permitting apps targeting Android 11 from a few categories, including file management, backup and restore apps, anti-virus apps, and document management apps, to have broader file access permissions. Apps falling in these categories will be permitted to use the new permission, though Google will also provide a temporary exception for apps that need broad file access as part of their core functionality and that can’t replicate the core functionality using the existing alternative APIs. Google wanted developers to submit a Declaration Form in the Play Console to be granted access to broad file management permissions in Android 11, but now, developers will have to wait a bit longer.
Because of COVID-19 and the workforce challenges the pandemic has brought along, Google is deferring allowing apps to be uploaded to Google Play with this permission until an unspecified date in early 2021. So, apps that target Android 11 (API level 30) and request All Files Access (the new “MANAGE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE” permission) cannot be uploaded to Google Play until the yet-undecided date in early 2021. This temporary uploading restriction affects new apps as well as updates to existing apps but is restricted to apps that both target Android 11 and request the MANAGE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE permission.
Google recommends that if your app needs the All Files Access permission, you should not update your target SDK level to Android 11 just yet. If your app targets Android 10 (API level 29) and has not yet been adapted for Scoped Storage, you are recommended to use the requestLegacyExternalStorage flag. If your app targets Android 10 and has been adapted for Scoped Storage, then simply have the user grant access to the directory or directories you need by calling the ACTION_OPEN_DOCUMENT_TREE intent. Keep in mind that once your app targets Android 11, you can no longer use this intent to gain access to the root directory of the external storage (/sdcard), the Download directory, the /Android/data directory, or the /Android/obb directory.
Google is ending the July 2020 update announcement with a recap on the timelines put together. In addition, here’s a slide from one of Google’s earlier videos that summarizes the situation with scoped storage:
Google Play Console Beta — Policy Centric Enhancements
Google Play Console is also getting a few Policy-centric enhancements in the Beta release track. For instance, the Beta release track will soon get an Inbox feature that will feature pertinent policy updates. The beta will also include a new Policy compliance section that will display the current status for any policy violations in your app, and it will make it easier to provide information to prove compliance.
Google mentions that these sections will be enhanced over time to ensure that they are helpful to developers and reduce their worries.
One of the most noticeable features in Android 11 is the new Media Controls. With the release of Android 11 Beta 2, the new controls became enabled by default. Besides looking nice and having their own dedicated spot in the Quick Controls panel, they have a button to switch media output between connected devices. Google Chrome may get this feature as well.
Google Chrome has had its own similar-looking media controls for a little while now. We previously wrote about the media controls gaining the ability to pop-out into a floating overlay. Recently, a new flag for Chrome’s media controls was discovered that allows for the selection of an audio output device. It’s very similar to the new Android 11 media controls feature.
The Chrome flag is called “Seamless Transfer” and the idea is basically the same as what we’re seeing in Android 11. Connected devices appear in Chrome’s media controls and users can easily switch the output between them. Screenshots show the media controls with buttons for connected headphones and Chrome itself. It’s not clear at this time if this will support casting devices as well.
It’s not super surprising to see Android features make their way over to Chrome OS/Chrome browser. Over the last couple of years, Google has brought many Android-like features over to the platform. For Google to have a cohesive ecosystem of products, it’s important that everything works well together and has a clear vision. Currently, the Seamless Transfer feature is present in the Canary build of Chrome.
Google and The Linux Foundation have been two major keystones and contributors in the open source software space. Now, the two pioneers are independently committing to help open source projects manage their trademarks effectively and judiciously. Google has announced a new foundation called Open Usage Commons along with academicians and industry partners while The Linux Foundation has reiterated its support for fair open source licensing and trademark ownership via its Project Hosting program.
The endeavors from both the innovator groups emphasize independent and neutral ownership of a trademark by a community instead of a single company or stakeholder. This is because trademarks such as a logo, badge, or even the name of the project are often hallmarks of quality and must be used wisely ad consistently. Open Usage Commons and The Linux Foundation wish to standardize the process of using – or reusing – trademarks while also partaking in conformance testing of the open source forks.
Open Usage Commons will also extent legal assistance and provide knowledge to users and distributors of the open source code. The primary objective is to educate coders that an open source license is distinct from the trademark. Open Usage Commons will also ensure that the usage of a trademark is neutral, consistent, and clearly conveys the “acceptable uses” of the licensed code. In the beginning, Angular – an online platform to build web ad mobile apps, Gerrit – an online team collaboration tool for code management, and Istio – an open platform for managing microservices – are joining the platform. If you also want your project to be maintained by the organization, you can write to info@openusage.org.
Meanwhile, The Linux Foundation is providing support for hosting open source projects, offerings services as “the neutral owner of the core assets and accounts for projects including domains, online service accounts (e.g. GitHub, Twitter, etc), and trademarks.” Contributions to the code of any open source project is owed by the contributor and licensed to The Linux Foundation under the Contributor License Agreement. The Foundation also provides admin, IT, and marketing support for projects along with helping maintainers get new training or funding. To host your project under The Linux Foundation, click on this link.
The Nest Mini (formerly known as “Google Home Mini“) has become an incredibly popular little smart speaker. However, Google’s ambitions with Assistant-enabled speakers started with the original Google Home 4 years ago. That device is long overdue for a successor and it appears one is on the way.
A new Google device recently passed through the FCC with model number GXCA6. At first, it wasn’t clear if this would be the previously leaked “Sabrina” Android TV dongle. However, new photos from the Japanese Wireless Standards website reveal a clearly different device than what was shown in the leaked promo videos. This is a new Google Nest smart speaker.
The device pictured features a similar design to previous Nest Mini speakers, but it is stretched taller and wider into an oblong cylinder. It’s covered in Google’s familiar fabric in what appears to be a gray or pink-ish “Sand” color. One side features the Google logo, a mute switch, and the power cord port. The bottom is smooth plastic with another embossed Google logo.
According to the ruler in the photos, this new Nest device is considerably taller than the original Google Home and Home Max. The documentation calls it an “interactive media streaming device” and it has the typical smart speaker features. WiFi and Bluetooth are on board and it’s powered by the proprietary 30W DC power supply.
Rumors of a successor to the original Google Home have popped up as recently as last month. It is allegedly known internally as “prince” and will feature larger speaker drivers than the original. The size of the device in the leaked photos certainly points to that being the case. Google may have announced this Nest speaker at Google I/O this year, though the timing of these filings seems to point toward a Fall release.
The featured image is a mocked-up render based on the leaked photos.
