Turn the OnePlus Nord’s hole punch into a battery indicator with Energy Ring

Energy Ring is a great app on Android that adds a configurable ring around your device’s front-facing hole-punch camera. It allows users to quickly see their phone’s remaining battery life, making it a nice quality-of-life improvement. We’ve covered it several times in the past, and that’s because the developer keeps updating the app with support for new devices. Following the release of the OnePlus Nord, Energy Ring now supports the new mid-range device.

OnePlus Nord Forums

Some of Energy Ring’s out of box features include the ability to change the ring’s thickness, configurable ring direction, ability to choose colors, and a fun animation when your device is plugged into a power source.

According to the app’s developer, Energy Ring has virtually no effect on battery life. As explained by the developer, the app consumes almost 0 CPU load and is only briefly active when the battery level changes. The app has been in active development for several months, with the developer adding support for many devices from brands like Realme, Xiaomi, Honor, Motorola, OPPO, Huawei, Samsung, and others. You can read more about Energy Ring’s performance and features on the app’s forum thread linked below or download the app from the Google Play Store link embedded below.

Energy Ring for OnePlus Nord — XDA Thread

Energy Ring - General Edition! (Free⁺, Google Play) →

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Xiaomi is rebuilding MIUI for India without any of its banned apps

In case you’re out of the loop with what’s going on with India and China relations right now, the two countries are not on the best of terms right now due to a border dispute. While tensions are high, the Indian government made a move to initially ban 59 Chinese apps and services followed by 47 more apps from being used in the country, citing national security and privacy concerns. Since some of the apps that have been banned are made by Xiaomi, the company has scrambled to update its MIUI software to comply with the ban.

Some of the Xiaomi-made apps that have been banned by the Indian government include Mi Browser Pro, Mi Community, and Mi Video Call. Xiaomi has now announced that the company will roll out new MIUI updates for its devices sold in India to remove these apps. In a statement posted on Twitter, the company says that a new version of MIUI which doesn’t come with any banned apps pre-installed is in development and will be rolled out to existing and future devices in a phased manner during the next few weeks.

IMPORTANT news about #Xiaomi phones in #India:

1) None of the blocked apps will be available
2) MIUI Cleaner app is not using Clean Master app banned by Indian Govt.
3) 100% of Indian user data stays in India

A new version of MIUI coming soon.
Please read & spread the news. pic.twitter.com/I1WPAkXVWi

— Mi India (@XiaomiIndia) August 7, 2020

Xiaomi also clarified a few details regarding its MIUI software, such as that its Cleaner app is not related to Cheetah Mobile’s Clean Master, another app banned by the Indian government. They also stated that all of their Indian customers’ personal information is stored in local servers and is not shared with anyone outside of India. Xiaomi says they are willing to comply with local Indian laws amid escalating tensions between India and China.

We’ll keep you in the loop on any new developments in this regard.

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Power Shade brings Android 11’s new media controls UI to any Android device

The first stable Android 11 release is just around the corner, and I’m sure a lot of you are looking forward to trying out all the new features included in the update. However, you might have to wait a while before the update lands on your device and, even then, there’s a good chance you won’t get to experience all the new features. Thankfully, a couple of third-party apps have already started introducing some of these features for devices running older versions of Android. For instance, the developers behind Nova Launcher recently added new adaptive icon shapes inspired by Android 11 to the app, giving you the chance to customize your device to look like its running Android 11 even before the official release. Similarly, a notifications panel customization app called Power Shade has now introduced a new feature that brings Android 11’s new media controls UI to any Android device.

Power Shade is a total notifications and Quick Settings panel replacement app that packs in a ton of customization options that will let you easily personalize the notifications shade on your device. The app offers color customization, advanced notifications controls, quick reply support, auto grouping of notifications, custom backgrounds, notification card themes, and advanced quick settings customizations. With the latest update, the app will now also let you use Android 11’s new media controls UI on any Android device, with support for all music player apps.

As you can see in the attached screenshots, the Power Shade app lets you add a dedicated media controls UI to the notifications shade. The UI lets you easily control media playback on your device and it also includes a button to let you easily switch the output device. However, it doesn’t offer all the features that will be available in the stable Android 11 release. The Power Shade media controls UI doesn’t store previous media sessions like the real deal and it doesn’t include the changes that were introduced in the Android 11 beta 3 update. Regardless, the media controls UI is a great addition to the app, and it’s especially useful for those of you who won’t be getting the Android 11 update on your device.

If you’re interested in trying out Android 11’s media controls UI before the official stable release, you can download the Power Shade app on your device from the Play Store link below. The app uses Android’s Notification Listener and Accessibility Service APIs to replicate the notifications and Quick Settings panel functionality, so you’ll need to grant both permissions to make use of the app.

Power Shade XDA Discussion Thread

Power Shade: Notification Panel & Quick Settings (Free⁺, Google Play) →

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Download the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 wallpapers!

Samsung this week announced the Galaxy Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra, both of which you can pre-order now ahead of an official release on Friday, August 21. As you’d expect, Samsung’s new flagships feature high-end specs, S Pen stylus support, and a handful of new wallpapers, which you can download now.

XDA Forums: Samsung Galaxy Note 20 ||| Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra

XDA Senior Member yakapa40 extracted the wallpapers from the Note 20 (SM-N981B) firmware and published them on our forums. The wallpapers include a total of 14 live and static images, ranging from calming blues to peaceful purples. There’s a very organic feel to all of them, and they’re a nice taste of Samsung’s serene aesthetic for the Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra. Below are a few of the wallpapers, and you can see the rest at the link below.

The Galaxy Note 20 and Ultra 20 are exciting additions to Samsung’s lineup, especially the latter. The Note 20 features a 6.7-inch FHD+ display, 8GB of RAM, 128GB of internal storage, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 Plus or Exynos 990 processor, 4,300mAh battery, and a triple camera setup, including a primary 12MP sensor with Dual Pixel AF and OIS. The Note 20 Ultra, on the other hand, has a larger 6.9-inch QHD+ OLED display with an adaptive refresh rate display (up to 120Hz), 8GB of RAM, up to 512GB of internal storage, a microSD card slot, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 Plus or Exynos 990 processor, a larger 4,500mAh battery, an Ultra Wide Band chip, and a triple camera setup, including a primary 108MP sensor.

Download the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 wallpapers

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The Huawei Mate 40 may be the last smartphone with a HiSilicon Kirin chip

The Huawei Mate 40 is just around the corner. Leaked renders have shown what could potentially be the next smartphone camera powerhouse, even though it won’t pack Google Mobile Services. At an event in China, however, Richard Yu, President of the Huawei Consumer Business Group, told attendees that the Huawei Mate 40 will be equipped with a HiSilicon Kirin chipset. However, it may end up being the last Huawei-branded smartphone to do so.

Richard Yu says this is because HiSilicon will no longer be able to fabricate Kirin chipsets after September 15, 2020. This comes as a result of contract chipmakers being barred from using U.S.-developed tech to fabricate chips for Huawei, thus effectively barring TSMC from fabricating Kirin chipsets. TSMC produces all of HiSilicon’s high-end Kirin chips for Huawei’s flagship phones as well as their networking processors for 5G base stations, their AI chips, and their server chips. China-based SMIC has fabricated HiSilicon’s 14nm Kirin 710A chip, but the Chinese chip fabricator is far behind the likes of TSMC and Samsung when it comes to the manufacturing process. Come September 15th, Huawei may end up being unable to even compete with other smartphone makers in China.

As previously reported, though, the next generation of Kirin chipsets designed for the Huawei Mate 40 has already been fabricated and Huawei has already stocked up on them. What this means for future Huawei devices, though, is uncertain. Huawei does not seem to have any plans to purchase Samsung Exynos chipsets, for starters. Eric Zu, Huawei’s rotating chairman, said in late March that the company could still buy chips from MediaTek and Unisoc, which does imply that Exynos isn’t even really an option for them. They are already experimenting with high-end MediaTek Dimensity chipsets in a few devices, but the U.S. may find a way to intervene and prevent Huawei from continuing to use MediaTek’s chips.

The Huawei Mate 40 will be powered by whatever the latest Kirin chipset is, but then after that, we may not see any new HiSilicon Kirin chipsets. This is currently a fast-evolving story, though, and without a significant u-turn by the U.S. government, this could have dire consequences for Huawei.

Source: ITHome | Via: AndroidAuthority

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Samsung’s first Galaxy Watch 3 update brings blood oxygen monitoring and other features

After announcing the Galaxy Watch 3 earlier this week, Samsung has already rolled out the first major update for the new smartwatch. The new update enables blood oxygen monitoring among other new features.

According to SamMobile, the OTA update, which is roughly 80MB in size and can be installed through the Galaxy Wearable app, is among the many updates promised to bring new health features to Samsung’s new smartwatch.

The arrival of blood oxygen monitoring follows the launch of ECG monitoring in South Korea, which also recently received approval from the U.S. FDA.

Unfortunately, blood oxygen monitoring isn’t available in every country you can buy the Galaxy Watch 3. The countries where it won’t be available include Algeria, Angola, Canada, France, Iran, Japan, Libya, South Africa, and Thailand.

In addition to the arrival of blood oxygen monitoring, the update also includes advanced running analytics, sleep score, and VO2max; the latter feature will check the maximum amount of oxygen you utilize during exercise to improve your endurance.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 Forums

The Galaxy Watch 3 was officially unveiled earlier this week and was quickly made available for $399. The smartwatch comes in two sizes, 41mm and 45mm, and runs Samsung’s Tizen platform.

Galaxy Wearable (Samsung Gear) (Free, Google Play) →

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Google Pixel 4a is one of the best selling unlocked smartphones on Amazon and Best Buy in the U.S.

The Google Pixel 4a’s launch may have come later than expected due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the late launch doesn’t seem to have diminished excitement for the new mid-range Pixel phone. In the last 24 hours, Google’s new smartphone has shuffled between the #1 and #2 spot for the best-selling unlocked smartphone on both Amazon and Best Buy in the U.S.

In fact, due to its apparent popularity, the Pixel 4a is currently sold out on Amazon. The device is still available at Best Buy, however, and you can also find it on the Google Store. There’s no shortage of options to buy the phone, is what I’m trying to say.

Best Pixel 4a Deals: How to pre-order Google’s new budget beast

Last year’s Pixel 3a was also a hit among consumers, so it’s no surprise Google’s latest mid-range smartphone is already selling well. It also underscores how important affordable devices like the Pixel 4a are for the market. Not everyone can afford upwards of $999 for a flagship device.

The Pixel 4a offers a high-end experience at an affordable price. You get a 5.81-inch OLED display, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 730G processor, 6GB of RAM, 3,140mAh battery, 128GB of storage, and Google’s industry-leading camera software.

Google Pixel 4a Forums

With Google discontinuing the Pixel 4, the Pixel 4a is currently the only smartphone the search giant offers. But it won’t stay that way for long. Google has already said the Pixel 5 will arrive this fall along with a 5G version of the 4a.

Via: Daniel Bader, AndroidPolice

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