It’s not just you: Gmail and Google Drive are having outages

Several of Google’s services have been facing server issues for the past few hours, causing problems for users around the world. Services affected at the moment include Gmail and Google Drive primarily, with users in India, Southeast Asia, and parts of Europe complaining that they are unable to upload files and attachments.

Down Detector is showing a big spike in complaints related to connectivity issues for Gmail and Google Drive. Here is the outage map for both of these services at the time of writing:

The G Suite Status Dashboard indicates that several other Google services are also facing server issues, including:

• Gmail
• Google Drive
• Google Docs
• Google Groups
• Google Chat
• Google Meet
• Google Keep
• Google Voice

The official Gmail Twitter account further confirms the service disruption as users complained about their inability to send emails (likely an extension of the inability to attach files). The G Suite Status Dashboard mentioned the following update as of 12:51 pm (IST):

Our team is continuing to investigate this issue. We will provide an update by 8/20/20, 1:51 PM with more information about this problem. Thank you for your patience.

Gmail sending issues, Meet recording issues, Creating files issues in Drive, CSV user upload issues in Admin Console, Posting message issues in Google Chat

There is currently no ETA on when the services are expected to resume normal functioning. The outages do not affect all users of these services, but a substantial number of users are affected. First reports began pouring in at about 9.40 am IST, and the issues have continued on for a few hours by now.

We’ll update the article when we get more information on this outage.

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Google Duo can now show captions for voice and video messages

Earlier this year in April, we spotted a test in Google’s popular video calling app Duo which added closed captions to video and audio messages on the app. The test revealed that the app would receive a new “CC” button in the Message Player, which would allow users to toggle captions on and off. Now, the company is finally enabling closed caption in Google Duo for all users.

As per a recent tweet from the Made by Google (@madebygoogle) Twitter handle, closed captions have now been enabled on Google Duo. The tweet includes a video demonstrating the new feature in action.

In a noisy place? No problem. Captions are now available on Google Duo, so you won’t miss a word of your video and voice messages. https://t.co/jqEvy9Vyn7 pic.twitter.com/gq5Z2ntn5P

— Made by Google (@madebygoogle) August 19, 2020

You can enable closed captions in Google Duo by tapping on the three-dot menu icon in the top right corner and then selecting the Settings option. In the Settings menu, you’ll need to tap on Message settings, where you’ll find a new “Captions for messages” option. Tapping on the toggle next to the option will enable the feature and you’ll start seeing captions on the video/audio messages you receive on the app.

As of now, the feature isn’t available for all users. I updated to Google Duo v99.0.327226226.DR99_RC10 from the Play Store and I wasn’t able to find the Captions for messages setting on my device. This leads me to believe that the feature has been enabled via a server-side switch and has only been released for a small number of users. We expect the feature to reach all Google Duo users in the coming days.

You can check if you’ve received the feature on your device by updating to the latest version of Google Duo from the Play Store link below. In case you have received the feature, make sure to let us know how well it’s able to transcribe speech in the comments section below.

Google Duo - High Quality Video Calls (Free, Google Play) →

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[Update: Complaint dismissed] Facebook is reportedly being investigated by India over WhatsApp Pay

Update 1 (08/20/2020 @ 04:44 AM ET): The Competition Commission of India has dismissed the antitrust complaint against WhatsApp Pay. Scroll to the bottom for more information. The article as published on May 18, 2020, is preserved below.

Facebook-owned WhatsApp has been trying to enter the payments space in India for quite a while now. We first found signs of a new payments feature in the app all the way back in 2017 and the feature briefly rolled out to a small number of users back in 2018. However, due to data localization issues with the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), a wider rollout was pushed back indefinitely. The company has since been in constant talks with the government, with Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg even assuring that the payments service will be launched in India soon. Despite Zuckerberg’s assurances, late last year the Reserve Bank of India directed the Supreme Court that WhatsApp Pay was still not compliant with India’s data localization norms and asked the NPCI to stop its rollout.

Earlier this year, WhatsApp finally managed to cross all the hurdles and received regulatory approval to launch its payments platform in the country. In preparation for the home stretch, the company planned to launch a pilot run to extend the payments feature to 10 million users, with a nation-wide rollout scheduled for later this year. But as a recent report from Reuters points out, WhatsApp now has another major hurdle to overcome before it can reach the finish line.

According to three people familiar with the matter, the Competition Commission of India (CCI) is currently reviewing a complaint filed in mid-March which alleges that WhatsApp is abusing its market position in the country by offering the digital payments facility within its messaging app that has a user base of around 400 million users in the country. This is expected to give WhatsApp a significant edge over the competition, like Google Pay and PayTM, which the complainant deems unfair. The CCI can now order its investigations arm to conduct a wider probe into the allegations or throw out the case if it finds no merit in it.

One of the three sources further revealed that, “The case is in initial stages…senior members of CCI are reviewing it but a final decision hasn’t been reached.” The second source added that due to the fact that WhatsApp’s messenger service and its payments feature are bundled together, it could harm competition and violate the country’s antitrust laws. It’s also worth noting that while the antitrust case has been filed against both Facebook and WhatsApp, the complainant has urged the CCI to investigate only WhatsApp. We currently have no official information from WhatsApp, Facebook, or the CCI regarding the matter.

Source: Reuters

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Update: Antitrust complaint against Facebook’s WhatsApp Pay dismissed by CCI

The Competition Commission of India has dismissed the antitrust complaint against Facebook’s WhatsApp and WhatsApp Pay, concluding that the company has not abused its dominant position to expand in India’s digital payments market.

The case had alleged that WhatsApp was bundling its digital payment facility, WhatsApp Pay, within its messaging app, for which it already has a very large user base, hence amounting to abuse of dominant position. The CCI in-turn noted that the company’s actual conduct has yet to manifest in the market as it has not yet launched the service fully. The number of users being served under the beta version of WhatsApp Pay is less than 1% of WhatsApp’s user base in India.

Source: Reuters

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A Facebook account will be required to use Oculus VR in the future

Popular VR platform Oculus has announced that the company’s VR headsets will soon require users to log in with a Facebook account, much to the dismay of Oculus users worldwide. In a blog post on the matter, the Facebook-owned company said that the change will go into effect starting October 2020 and new users will need a Facebook account to use their VR devices while existing users will have to merge their existing Oculus account with their Facebook account.

For the time being, the company is giving existing Oculus users a chance to keep their Facebook and Oculus accounts separate. However, it plans to end support for Oculus accounts by January 1, 2023, after which all Oculus VR headsets will require a Facebook account. The company also announced that all new VR devices launched in the future will require a Facebook account by default.

Today, we’re announcing some important updates to how people log into Oculus devices, while still keeping their VR profile. Starting in October 2020, everyone using an Oculus device for the first time will need to log in with a Facebook account. // https://t.co/SMeDOXgehN

— Oculus (@oculus) August 18, 2020

Oculus claims that the Facebook account integration has been put in place to provide tighter integration with the social media platform and make it easier for users to find, connect, and play with friends in VR. The integration will also unlock a host of social VR features like VR chat, user/developer created events, livestreaming, VR groups, and VR parties. It will also allow the company to unlock more social VR experiences like Facebook Horizon, which will allow users to explore, play, and create worlds in VR.

what happened to this then pic.twitter.com/ao6BnJkt56

— jasper (@zReaper42) August 19, 2020

While the Facebook account integration does unlock new possibilities for the VR platform, several Oculus users have voiced their concerns regarding intrusive data collection, targeted advertising, and data privacy. To address these concerns, the company has revealed that users will have the option to keep their VR activities separate from their Facebook activities. The company has also revealed that it will only utilize users’ data to provide an improved experience across Facebook products, promote safety and integrity on all services, and display personalized content, including ads, across Facebook products. Check out the full FAQ regarding the recent changes in the source page linked below.

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Source: Oculus blog

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Fitbit Sense, Versa 3, and Inspire 2 leaked renders reveal Fitbit’s next set of wearables

It’s been a while since Google announced its intentions to acquire Fitbit for $2.1 billion, and that is mainly due to regulatory, antitrust investigations by the USA and the EU. In the meantime, the smartwatch company has been preparing to add software features such as Google Assistant integration into its fitness bands. But that apparently is not all, as newly leaked renders indicate that Fitbit is working towards launching the new Fitbit Versa 3, Fitbit Sense, and Fitbit Inspire 2.

Winfuture.de shared renders and preliminary info on the upcoming new devices, and Evan ‘evleaks’ Blass followed up with high quality renders of the Fitbit Versa 3.

Fitbit Sense

The Fitbit Sense is speculated to be the first smartwatch-fitness tracker product from the company to launch with the ECG function, as the symbol on the back of the watch indicates; though this could also be for continuous heart rate monitoring. You are also likely to get other features such as temperature, GPS support, and water resistance. The build is expected to be of metal, so you can expect to see higher pricing on it.

Fitbit Versa 3

The Fitbit Versa 3, on the other hand, is expected to be cheaper and will come with support for voice input (and perhaps Google Assistant), GPS, and water resistance. The build is expected to be of polycarbonate, positioning it as a slightly cheaper alternative to the Sense.

Fitbit Inspire 2

The Fitbit Inspire 2 will be a fitness tracker foremost, and likely the cheapest device out of these three.

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There isn’t any more information available on these devices yet. Google Assistant integration is also not confirmed, so there remains a tiny possibility that we might see Amazon Alexan integration continue for another generation, depending on the OEM’s contract. It will also be interesting to see how Fitbit positions these products in the market, in light of the increasing competition from other smartwatch makers such as Xiaomi and Garmin, and Apple and Samsung of course.

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Early hands-on videos leak of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2

At its Galaxy Unpacked event earlier this month, Samsung officially showed off the Galaxy Z Fold 2, the second-gen model of its horizontally folding smartphone. Although we won’t get all the details about the device until Samsung’s dedicated event for the device on September 1, we’re already getting some real-world peeks at the foldable out in the wild.

A few videos have appeared online ahead of the device’s launch. One video on TikTok by user @digitalsight (h/t @yabishekhd) provides a brief look at the device in its Mystic Black color. We can see how thick the device is when it’s folded. We can also see how the dialer looks on the cover display and the main display when it’s unfolded. The video also shows the boot animation, the lockscreen, the camera app with a split view, and the refresh rate settings page that allows users to choose between 60Hz or 120Hz.

@digitalsight

♬ Laxed (Siren Beat) – Jawsh 685

Another video on YouTube by YouTuber Jimmy Is Promo highlights the device’s beautiful design, from its improved hinge to the triple camera setup. While neither video provides new information about the device, including a release date or price, they’ll help tide people over until that information is made available.

Compared to the first model, the Galaxy Z Fold 2 is a massive upgrade. It features a 6.23-inch AMOLED cover display, a 7.6-inch AMOLED folding screen, 12GB of RAM, a total battery capacity of 4,500mAh, and a Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 Plus processor. It also comes equipped with a side-mounted fingerprint sensor and 256GB of storage.

When the Galaxy Z Fold 2 becomes available, it will launch with One UI 2.5 based on Android 10, which will allow users to navigate using Android 10’s gestures with third-party launchers.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 Forums

Specification	Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2
Dimensions & Weight	Folded: 159.2 x 68 x 16.8 mm Unfolded: 159.2 x 128.2 x 6.9 mm 279g
Display	Outer Display: 6.23″ HD+ Super AMOLED 2,260 x 816 pixels 25:9 aspect ratio Infinity-O 60Hz refresh rate HDR10+ support Inner Display: 7.6″ FHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X 2,208 x 1,768 pixels 5:4 aspect ratio Infinity-O 120Hz refresh rate Dynamic refresh rate HDR10+ support
SoC	Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 Plus
RAM & Storage	12GB LPDDR5 + 256GB
Battery & Charging	4,500 mAh 25W wired fast charging 11W wireless charging Reverse wireless charging
Fingerprint sensor	Side-mounted fingerprint scanner
Rear Camera	Primary: 12MP, f/1.8, OIS Secondary: 12MP, f/2.2, ultra-wide-angle Tertiary: 12MP, f/2.4, telephoto
Front Camera	Folded: 10MP, f/2.2, fixed focus Unfolded: 10MP, f/2.2, fixed focus
Other Features	Folding design 5G: SA, NSA, mmWave
Android Version	Android 10 with One UI

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Samsung’s One UI 2.5 update lets you use navigation gestures with third-party launchers

Samsung owners patiently waiting to use Android 10’s full-screen navigation gestures in third-party launchers will be happy to know that the One UI 2.5 release adds compatibility for this feature. It’s been a long wait for Samsung device owners who are also fans of launchers like Nova Launcher, Action Launcher, Lawnchair, and others, but it’s better late than never. As of now, the Galaxy Note 20, Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, and Galaxy Z Flip 5G are the first devices to run One UI 2.5, which is based on Android 10.

Samsung isn’t the only company to delay adding Android 10 gesture nav support with third-party launchers. In fact, when Android 10 first became available for Google Pixel phones, you couldn’t set a third-party launcher as default when gesture navigation was enabled. It wasn’t until December 2019 when an update rolled out that support was added.

If you want to test out the new changes, you can download a third-party launcher like Nova Launcher or Action Launcher and then set it as the default when you’re using gesture navigation. Be wary, however, as early reports suggest the new implementation is choppy, particularly with animations, but nothing a few updates can’t fix.

It’s unclear when One UI 2.5 will be available on Samsung devices outside of the Galaxy Note 20 series, but let’s hope it’s soon with Android 11 just around the corner.

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Via: Android Police

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