Casting video content to your Android TV device will hopefully feel more native in the near future thanks to the introduction of Cast Connect. As pointed out by Twitter user Android TV Guide, this new feature will have the benefit of making it possible to use your remote control for casted videos.
A Google developer page explains how the new Cast Connect library works. It builds on top of the Google Cast infrastructure with the Android TV device acting as the Cast Receiver. After integrating the library, Android TV apps can receive Cast messages and broadcast media status as if they were actual Google Cast devices. Google says that in addition to loading media and playback control, the Cast Connect library also features media metadata, custom messages, repeat/shuffle, and sender join/leave events. Here’s a video from Google aimed at helping developers understand how to integrate this library:
In essence, content that’s casted from, say, your phone to your Android TV will be handled by a supported app instead of being opened up in an HTML5 player. As a consequence, you’ll be able to control content using an existing remote control rather than, say, your phone. That makes the casting experience feel more integrated, and it’s also better for users since the dedicated Android TV app may support more features and codecs than the generic HTML5 player. And if a supported app isn’t detected or if there’s a mismatch in user profiles when casting, then the Cast Connect library will initiate the session using the HTML5 player as a fallback.
As of now, developers must add Cast Connect support to their Android TV apps for the new features to work. Google also notes that Assistant functionality isn’t fully supported by Cast Connect at the moment, which means you won’t be able to control casted content by voice.
Most recent OnePlus smartphones have been praised for their high performance, often also judged as the best in class. This performance is not only great for daily usage of the phone, but it also translates very well for gaming on these smartphones. OnePlus attempted to leverage the gaming prowess of its flagship with a collaboration with Fortnite that allowed the OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro to run Fortnite at 90fps. Now, OnePlus is taking another step, as it has announced that it is collaborating with PUBG Mobile to bring 90fps gameplay to the OnePlus 8, OnePlus 8 Pro, OnePlus 7T, OnePlus 7T Pro, and the OnePlus 7 Pro as a timed exclusive.
The Chinese version of PUBG Mobile, called “Game for Peace” already supports high fps gameplay on several Android devices. But the PUBG Mobile, aka the global version, limits gameplay to 60fps across all devices. With this partnership, gamers can now play PUBG Mobile at 90fps on the OnePlus 8 series, the OnePlus 7T series, and the OnePlus 7 Pro. The high fps gameplay remains exclusive to these OnePlus devices from August 6, 2020, to September 6, 2020. Another point to note, this experience is available to OnePlus users worldwide with the exception of those in Mainland China, Japan, and Korea.
It isn’t immediately clear whether this 90fps gameplay comes with its own limitation, as was present with the Fortnite 90fps gameplay. On Fortnite, choosing 90fps would set the display quality back to low. So while users did get a smoother experience, the details in the game’s landscape would only render as they moved closer to them. We wouldn’t be surprised if PUBG Mobile also included some limitations, even though the device hardware (especially on the latest flagships) is more than capable enough to handle high graphics.
In an APK teardown of the Play Store app (v15.9.21) late last month, we learned that Google was working on a way to let users review Play Store apps through an in-app dialog. At the time, we spotted a new Activity called “com.google.android.finsky.inappreviewdialog.InAppReviewActivity” that would bring up an app review dialog to help users rate an app without the need to head over to the app’s Play Store listing. Google has now launched the In-App Review API, which will allow developers to add the in-app review dialog to their apps.
According to a recent blog post from the company, the new APIwill let developers add an in-app review dialog to their app and choose when they wish to prompt users to write reviews. The API, which is part of the Play Core Library, supports both public and private reviews. As you can see in the attached image, the API will add a new dialog to apps that will let users easily leave a star rating for any app, without leaving the app.
Once a user selects a rating, the dialog will give them the option to leave a written review before the rating is submitted. To ensure that the in-app review process is seamless for users, Google has highlighted four steps for the API integration for developers:
Define the conditions and best place to ask for a review
Request the review flow to the API
Launch the review at an appropriate moment
Continue the flow after the review is completed
Google adds that the API has been designed to be self-contained and it doesn’t require additional prompting, to ensure user feedback is unbiased. Furthermore, the company has placed cap limits on the in-app reviews, so that users aren’t prompted excessively if they choose not to leave a review.
MIUI 12 is the newest big release for Xiaomi smartphones, perhaps even bigger than an Android version jump. Features on Xiaomi devices are dictated more by their MIUI versions than the underlying Android version, so a MIUI version upgrade is an exciting event. The first batch of devices to receive the MIUI 12 stable update included the Xiaomi Mi 9, Redmi K20/Mi 9T, and Redmi K20 Pro/Mi 9T Pro. As we reach the end of June 2020, Xiaomi’s first phase of MIUI 12 rollout is complete, as many more devices have been added since the initial rollout. This article will serve as the central repository of download links for all Xiaomi, Redmi, and POCO devices that have received their official MIUI 12 stable updates. We’ll update it regularly with fresh builds!
MIUI 12 brings along a cleaner UI, new animations, changes to navigation gestures, new live wallpapers, and AOD designs, privacy indicators for the microphone, camera, and location usage, improvements to multi-window, and Picture-in-Picture, an in-built sleep tracker, and many morechanges throughoutthe UX!
This article covers devices that have received a stable MIUI 12 update in any region. If you are looking for closed betas, you can follow along our dedicated coverage here:
Redmi K30 4G / POCO X2 (phoenix) — Added on 06/30/2020
Redmi K30 5G (picasso) — Added on 06/30/2020
Redmi K30i 5G (picasso48m) — Added on 07/07/2020
Mi 8 Lite (platina) — Added on 08/04/2020
Redmi K20 Pro / Mi 9T Pro (raphael) — Added on 06/30/2020
Redmi 6 Pro (sakura) — Added on 08/06/2020
Mi Note 10 / Mi CC9 Pro (tucana) — Added on 07/23/2020
Mi 10 (umi) — Added on 06/30/2020
Mi 10 Youth Edition / Mi Note 10 Lite Zoom (vangogh) — Added on 06/30/2020
Redmi Note 7 Pro (violet) — Added on 07/28/2020
Redmi S2/Redmi Y2 (ysl) — Added on 08/06/2020
Generic flashing instructions are available at the bottom of this article. However, we advise users to refer to the device forums for specific flashing instructions for their device, in case there are any variations or special instructions that need to be followed.
Another important point to note: Xiaomi follows only a thin distinction between “beta stable” update and “stable” updates. Beta stable updates are only intended for users enrolled within the Mi Pilot beta testing program, meaning that builds assigned for this group will not install on devices with Mi Accounts that do not have the requisite permission. Once the Mi Pilot beta testers give positive feedback, the same build then gets opened up as stable release, creating a lot of confusion — for instance, the same builds linked below might first fail to install, but then they will make an appearance through the official OTA. If you get the error message that the update is for closed beta testers only, you can sideload the update through TWRP.
MIUI 12: Download Links
Download links to MIUI 12 stable and beta stable releases are included below. These builds are first sorted with device codenames, and then according to their regions and release. Recovery ROMs and Fastboot ROMs are both included, wherever present.
Note that these are generic flashing instructions that should generally be applicable across Xiaomi, Redmi, and POCO devices. However, there is a possibility that there is a variation that is unique to your device, so we strongly advise visiting your device forums for device-specific instructions.
Recovery ROM Installation for MIUI 12
Recovery ROMs come with a .zip file extension and can be installed either through the Local Update method from within MIUI, or through the Xiaomi stock recovery. You can also use a custom recovery like TWRP for installing these ROMs, though do note that device-specific instructions may differ in that case.
Local Update method:
Transfer the download .zip file to your phone, and ensure you place the file in the “downloaded_rom” folder in the internal storage of your device. If no such folder exists, create one in your internal storage base directory.
Within your phone, navigate to Settings > About Phone > System Update, and then press the three-dot icon in the top-right corner, and select “Choose Update Package”.
If the “Choose Update Package” option is missing, tap on the MIUI logo 10 times to activate the option.
Choose the downloaded .zip file.
Wait for the update to install.
Recovery method:
Rename the downloaded .zip file to update.zip and transfer it to the base directory of your phone’s internal storage.
Reboot your phone into recovery mode by powering it off and then pressing both the Power and the Volume Up buttons together.
Scroll to the “Install update.zip” option using the volume keys, and select the option using the power button.
Wait for the update to install.
Choose the “Reboot” option if your phone does not reboot by itself after installation is completed.
Fastboot ROM Installation for MIUI 12
Fastboot ROMs come with a .tgz file extension and require a Windows computer for the installation, as well as a phone with an unlocked bootloader. However, despite being comparatively more complicated to install than Recovery ROMs, Fastboot ROMs are sometimes the only way to boot into a working system. For instructions on unlocking the bootloader of your phone, check your device’s subforums on XDA.
Download MiFlash Tool on your Windows computer. The latest version can be found in Step 1 of this link. Once downloaded, extract the tool and install it. It is also advisable to have ADB and Fastboot installed, just in case you need it.
Reboot your phone into Download mode by powering it off and then pressing both the Power and Volume Down buttons together.
Connect your phone to the computer using the appropriate USB cable.
Download the Fastboot ROM .tgz file and extract it. Remember the extract location, as you will need to paste the address into MiFlash Tool.
Run MiFlash Tool on your Windows Computer and in the address bar within the tool, paste the extract location from Step 4.
Click “Refresh” within MiFlash and the app should automatically recognize your device.
Click “Run” within MiFlash to flash the ROM file to the device.
The progress bar within MiFlash will turn green, which indicates that the ROM was successfully installed. Your device should boot automatically to the new version.
Thanks to XDA Recognized Developer yshalsager for providing the download links!
Update 2 (8/6/2020 @ 06:54 AM ET): Leaker Roland Quandt has shared preliminary information on the pricing and launch date of the new Nest smart speaker.
Update 1 (7/9/2020 @ 08:55 PM ET): Google just surprised us with an image and video showing off the new Nest smart speaker. See the update section below for the official teaser image and video. The original article, as published earlier today at 10:22 AM EST, is as follows.
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 (via @AndroidTV_Rumor) 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 planned to announce this Nest speaker at Google I/O this year, though the timing of these filings seems to point toward a Fall release.
Update 1: Official Teaser
A spokesperson for Google reached out to us a few minutes ago to share an official photo of the new oblong-shaped Google Nest smart speaker. They also shared a video with us, which we posted on Twitter and can be seen below.
Update 2: Preliminary pricing and availability of the new Google Nest smart speaker
Leaker Roland Quandt has shared preliminary pricing and availability of the new Google Nest smart speaker. According to them, the smart speaker may launch by the end of this month, and will cost about €100.
When it comes to automation apps on Android, Tasker is widely regarded as one of the best options out there. The app lets you create Profiles that automatically trigger based on certain conditions to execute Tasks and it offers a wide variety of plugins that can help you automate pretty much anything on your Android device. What’s even better is that the app is updated quite regularly and the developers keep releasing new features to help you achieve even more with Tasker. Over the last few months, Tasker has received a couple of significant updates on the beta channel that have introduced new features like WhatsApp call automation, Do Not Disturb customization, Sensor actions, and more. Now, the developers are rolling out a major update for the app that brings most of these features to the stable channel.
As per a recent blog post from the developers, Tasker v5.9.3 has started rolling out to users on the stable channel and it includes quite a few interesting new features. Here are some of the most noteworthy changes in the latest Tasker update:
Tasker can now read any sensor on your phone
The update brings 2 new conditions and 2 actions to that app that will help you take advantage of any sensor on your phone. This feature was first spotted in a beta release earlier this year in February and, with the latest update, it’s finally available to all users. Thanks to the feature, Tasker will now be able to scan your device for sensors and it will let you automate tasks based on the sensor states.
The Any Sensor event and state will let you monitor the sensors and react to any changes, the Test Sensor action will get the current values from your smartphone’s sensor to help you use them in tasks, and the Sensor Info action will let you get information about the sensors themselves, including things like their name, how much power they consume, their max range, etc. With this feature, you’ll be able to do things like turn on the flashlight whenever you double twist your device.
Contact Via App
Tasker will now also let you automate sending text messages or make calls via any third-party app, like WhatsApp or Telegram. Check out the video linked below to see the feature in action:
Full Do Not Disturb control
Full Do Not Disturb customization was another feature that we spotted in a beta update for Tasker earlier this year and the feature has now finally made its way to the stable release.
With the feature, you will be able to change any of the Do Not Disturb settings within Tasker and customize things like who can message or call you, what notifications are allowed on the screen, and more.
Trigger Tasker via Links
The update also includes a nifty new feature that will let you trigger events in Tasker via links. As you can see in the attached video, you will now be able to trigger an event by simply opening up a compatible URL (like tasker://secondary?text=hello&other=hi) on your phone.
Along with the features mentioned above, the latest update for Tasker includes several other changes that you can find in the changelog section below. If you’re interested in trying out these features on your device, you can download the update from the Play Store link below or you can download the latest APK by following the source link.
Tasker v5.9.3 Changelog
Added:
Added Any Sensor event and state and Test Sensor action and Sensor Info action.
Added way to fully customize Do Not Disturb mode when turning it on with Tasker.
Added List Dialog action that allows you to show a list of items, select one or multiple items from it and get the selection back to the task.
Added Text Dialog action.
Added Contact Via App: allows you to interact with your contacts via third party apps, like video-calling through Whatsapp or Skype, or navigating to them via Google Maps.
Added Local Variable Passthrough options to the “Perform Task” and “Return” actions. If enabled will make all variables available in the other task.
Allow Tasker Secondary app to be triggered by URLs like tasker://secondary?text=hello&other=hi where every parameter will be made available as a Tasker variable in the triggered task.
Added action to Control WireGuard tunnels in the Tasker Function action.
Added Event filter in File Modified event so that it can trigger only on specific file events.
Added Wait For File Event function to Tasker Function action so that you can wait for example for a file to finish writing.
Added Clear App Data, Enable/Disable App, Take Screenshot, Toggle SIM Card and Uninstall App to the ADB Wifi Helper.
Added Termux Command and “Launch Assistant” functions to the “Tasker Function” action
Added option to allow variable overwrite in Perform Task action
When using the helper in the Custom Setting action it’ll find all the settings on your specific device instead of using a generic list of settings
Added Query option to Do Not Disturb action
Added option in Test Net to get your phone’s Wifi IP Address
Allow for Secondary App Opened, Music Track Changed, BT Connected and Any Sensor events to add conditions based on their local variables right in the event configuration
Allow File Modified event to work with variables in the File Modified field
Added %evtprm() to the variable list in actions that are in a profile that has an event condition
Made moving projects left and right easier by asking how many positions you want to move the project instead of having to move 1 by 1
When importing a Task or Profile from Taskernet, Tasker will ask in which project you want to put the imported item
Added Use Cookies option in HTTP Request action which will automatically keep and use cookies for websites, allowing you to stay signed in for example
Added Continue Task On Error option to Get Voice action
Added Get Sims function to Tasker Function action
Added Stop Vibration action to Tasker Functions
Added option to continue on error in the Variable Search Replace action
Added support for 5G in Mobile Network Type action
Show Your First Project video tutorial if you have a lot of profiles/tasks and only 1 project
Added Your First Project video to Tasker menu
Added Reset Return Variable to Perform Task action so that the return variable is automatically unset before calling the child task
Make state plugin variables available in exit tasks of profiles
Added option to rename Task in the menu of the Task edit screen itself
Added advanced search for Events, States and List Dialogs (including variable select and other Tasker ones)
Added tip about List Dialog action when using the Menu action
Tell root users that they can use Run Shell instead of ADB WiFi
Changes:
When adding If or For actions, give user the option to automatically add other appropriate actions (else, end if, end for).
Automatically focus in the variable field in the If action so that you can select a variable right away without first clicking on the field
Automatically focus task entry text box when creating a new task
Changed %evtprm(1) for File Modified event from the path that is being monitored to the path of the actual file that changed
When you use the alert() function in Javascript it will now use the new Text Dialog
When a variable’s value is an empty String it’ll now be considered a not set variable by Tasker in any condition in the app
Changed how ADB Wifi is checked before running an action that needs it so it works better
Made searching Action list even easier by allowing partial matches on each word
Made Take Call action work on Android Versions prior to Oreo
Made Kill App action use ADB Wifi if available and warn users that ADB Wifi can be used
Made %evtprm(1) (file path) in File Modified event be url decoded so it can be used right away
Made cancel option in Task edit screen always visible
Changed main Tasker notification when no profiles are active to show the total number of existing and enabled profiles
Make “Input Dialog” and “Text Dialog” able to receive newlines in its configuration directly
Made Draw Over Other apps notification show current app name (instead of Tasker) on kid apps
Make dialog that shows up when exiting Tasker not dismissable
Don’t ask to grant adb wifi permissions with root
Made map that shows in Get Location v2 action when you pick your initial location to show a hybrid map
Don’t allow new task names with the ‘%’ character in their names
When inputting app factory certificate password make input field hide characters
Bugfixes:
Fixed long standing File Modified Event bug where sometimes it would break is some situations.
Fixed sending email to support with bad-formatted text in some situations
Fix situation where in the “ADB Wifi” action if you let it enable debugging sometimes the action would fail
Fixed “Follow Redirects” option in “HTTP Request” action which was always enabled independently of what was chosen
Fixed Dark Mode detection in some cases
Fixed situation where disable time based profiles were being taken into account when determining Tasker’s next wake up time
Show all activities when long clicking an app in the Launch App action instead of just some
Fixed %caller variable when enter and exit tasks of a profile would call the same task very quickly
Fixed showing maximum possible screen brightness when setting up the Display Brightness action on some devices
Fixed taking screenshots on Android 10, shouldn’t show the prompt on the screenshot anymore
Fixed HTTP Request action when a gzipped response was gotten. Now automatically unzips it
Fixed automatic redirections in HTTP Request action in some cases
Fixed issues with clipboard getting while in the background
Fixed using Launch Last App action with Tasker Secondary
Fixed Cooldown time not working for Steps event based profiles
Fixed Task rename dialog inside Task edit screen when you enter an invalid value
Fixed Tasker being blocked in some situations when using Map related scene actions
Fixed Tasker crashing if you cancel the helper dialog in “Any Sensor” conditions
Fixed bug in Javascript actions where some variable names couldn’t be used
Made easy service commands work in the Run Shell action
Correctly handle multi-SIMS where SIM cards have the same name
Fixed writing HTTP Request body in some situations
Fixed using eval(variable) in Javascript actions where variable contains some Javascript code
Fixed local variables in Get Voice action
Made Get Sims action in Tasker Function action request the READ_PHONE_STATE permission
When an online help file can’t be reached only offer to email support about it if user has a working internet connection
Added Biometric permission to kid apps if needed
Made ADB Wifi request the INTERNET permission so kid apps can work with it
Fixed bug that said that wrong type argument when editing the Calendar Insert action
Fixed bug where sometimes if you changed your phone’s orientation at the wrong time it could cause app checking to stop working
Fixed bug where converting time to seconds and back to time could result in wrong value
Fixed some variables being inadvertently changed with javascript actions
Fixed issue with JavaScript and double slashes in strings in the script
Fixed using the write function in the Keyboard action in some special cases
Fixed issue with Keyboard action sometimes getting stuck on the Tasker keyboard
Tried to make Tasker only check for root access if root actions are used
Fixed bug where if Music Play action is used without the option to continue right away and then Music Stop was used before the song was done the task would get stuck forever
Fixed bug with File Attribute Changed variables
Fixed issue when restoring backup with a Tasker lock pin present
Fixed setting animation in Show Scene action config
Amazon Prime Video counts itself as one of the top streaming choices around the world, thanks in part to the bundling with Amazon Prime, and also in part to the content available. Over the past months, the service has added in new features to retain its user base and gain more subscribers. For instance, the Watch Party feature lets you watch content together with your friends, while Profiles lets multiple users use the same account and still have segregated content feeds. Now, Amazon Prime Video is preparing to let users play a random episode, and also select an audio language for download.
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.
We spotted the following strings in Amazon Prime Video v3.0.227.35447 app for Android:
<string name="AV_MOBILE_ANDROID_ACTION_BAR_SHUFFLE_EPISODES">Shuffle episodes</string>
<string name="AV_MOBILE_ANDROID_ACTION_BAR_SHUFFLE_EPISODES_TOOLTIP">Love every episode? Shuffle the entire series for a playlist of random episodes.</string>
The Shuffle Episodes feature is similar to the Random episode option that was spotted for Netflix (but that hasn’t rolled out yet). We reckon the motivation behind this feature is to emulate some of the nostalgia of cable TV wherein users can often bump into random episodes that they can watch or revisit. This works best with lighter shows that do not follow a strict timeline, so users can simply watch something without putting in the effort in selecting content. According to the string description, the Shuffle Episode button will create a shuffled playlist, which is similar in function in just selecting a string of random episodes.
Further, the app is also working on allowing users to select the audio language for downloading content:
<string name="AV_MOBILE_ANDROID_DOWNLOAD_BOTTOM_SHEET_DIALOG_ALWAYS_ASK_CHECKBOX">Always Ask</string>
<string name="AV_MOBILE_ANDROID_DOWNLOAD_BOTTOM_SHEET_DIALOG_AUDIO_LANGUAGE_TITLE">Audio Language</string>
<string name="AV_MOBILE_ANDROID_DOWNLOAD_BOTTOM_SHEET_DIALOG_CHOOSE_AUDIO_LANGUAGE_TO_DOWNLOAD">Choose an audio language to download</string>
<string name="AV_MOBILE_ANDROID_DOWNLOAD_BOTTOM_SHEET_DIALOG_PREFERRED_LANGUAGE_UNAVAILABLE">Your preferred audio language is unavailable for this video. Choose audio language to download</string>
This upcoming feature would primarily be targeting TV shows and movies that have multiple language options available, which is very common for content released in multi-lingual regions. From the descriptions, it appears that the app will show a bottom sheet asking you which audio language you want to download.
We don’t know when these features will be rolled out to all users, but we hope to see them go live soon.
