Google Fi’s $15/mo phone subscription program gets you a Pixel 4a, device protection, and biyearly phone upgrades

Google Fi has launched a phone subscription program that aims to make upgrading to a new device easier than ever. Subscribers today can get the Google Pixel 4a and device protection for $15 per month over a 24-month period. After that, subscribers will own the device and are free to upgrade to a new Pixel smartphone. Google said those who subscribe and get the Pixel 4a in this way can save $133 from the retail price over two years.

A cellular plan through Google Fi is separate from the $15 per month fee, so you’ll still be paying for Fi service separately. Once you receive your device as part of the subscription plan, you’ll need to activate it through the Google Fi app within 30 days to start your savings. The offer is currently available to qualified U.S. residents over the age of 18, Google said, and you must have a Google Payments account.

Device protection will allow subscribers to get a device replacement or repair damage for cracks, drops, spills, and more. There are deductibles, however, ranging in cost from $49 to $99. You can cancel your device protection at any time, but if you do, your device won’t be eligible for re-enrollment. Meanwhile, if you stop your phone subscription through Google Fi before the end of the 24 months, you’ll owe the remaining cost of the device at full price.

Google Pixel 4a Forums

The subscription program only features the Pixel 4a at the moment, and it’s unclear if the Pixel 5 and Pixel 4a 5G will be offered in the future. Those devices are scheduled to launch in the U.S. at the end of this month. Meanwhile, Google’s newest phone subscription program comes on the heels of Google Fi adding Samsung devices to its online store. It doesn’t sound like you’ll be able to get anything other than Pixel devices with the subscription program, but it’s possible that’ll change in the future.

To sign up for the phone subscription program, visit this page on Google Fi’s website.

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Apple iPhone 12, Huawei Mate 40 Pro, Lenovo Legion Phone, and OPPO Reno4 5G series forums are now open

Well, whew. Techtober is still at full steam, and we have started to see several exciting technology announcements in the last few weeks. Apple’s iPhone 12 lineup brings 5G to the mainstream and also brings several generational improvements over the previous iPhone 11 series. The Huawei Mate 40 Pro shows that the company can still manage to innovate despite the hardships they’re facing. We’ve just opened forums for the new iPhone 12 series — a first in XDA’s long history — as well as forums for the new Mate 40 Pro.

But that’s not all. We’ve also opened forums for the Lenovo Legion Duel, a gaming smartphone that’s uniquely designed to be held horizontally, and the OPPO Reno4 5G series, a trio of premium-looking, upper mid-range smartphones.

Apple iPhone 12 Series

I’ll address the elephant in the room first because I know that this will be pointed out in the comments. Yes, we now have forums for Apple devices, starting with the iPhone 12. While we’ve never been a site devoted to just Android (XDA is older than Android, after all), we’ve typically shied away from iPhone discussion because of Apple’s walled-garden approach to software and hardware. While that hasn’t changed, there is still a thriving community of iPhone jailbreakers. We’ve even seen devs boot Android on a jailbroken iPhone.

Now, flashing LineageOS on the iPhone 12 is a very long shot, but who knows what interesting developments will arise in the future? Not to mention, we’ve typically still opened forums for phones without an officially unlockable bootloader, because we feel it’s still worth providing a space for users to discuss tips, tricks, accessories, apps, and mods. There are more people browsing XDA from an iPhone than you might think, and if you’re one of them, you can check out the new iPhone 12 forums below for general device discussion.

Apple iPhone 12 Forums

Huawei Mate 40 Pro, Lenovo Legion Phone Duel, and OPPO Reno4 5G Series

As for the other devices, if you’re planning on getting a Mate 40 Pro, the Reno4 5G series, or the Lenovo Legion Duel, we have also opened forums for all of those devices. Whether you want to try and sideload Google apps on your Mate 40 Pro, potentially unlocking the bootloader of your shiny new Lenovo and modding it to hell and back, or install a Google Camera mod on your Reno4 Pro 5G, we have a space for you to talk about all of those things. Check out our forums now!

Huawei Mate 40 Pro Forums

Lenovo Legion Phone Duel Forums

OPPO Reno4/4 Pro 5G Forums ||| OPPO Reno4 Z 5G Forums

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Googlefier lets you easily install Google apps on Huawei and Honor devices

It’s no surprise that many new Huawei and Honor devices launched in the past year don’t come with Google Mobile Services (GMS) preinstalled. Take, for example, the new Mate 40 series: While Huawei once again succeeded in packing stellar camera hardware, it’s hard to recommend it to the average user since it lacks GMS. Although Huawei does provide alternatives to GMS in the form of HMS Core and its suite of Google app alternatives, the experience just isn’t the same. While there are a couple of existing ways to install GMS on Huawei and Honor devices, all the methods that have been published so far can be a bit too complicated for the average user. This is where the new Googlefier app comes in.

Googlefier is essentially an unofficial GMS installer from XDA Senior Member bender_007, known previously for his work on the AutoRec project for LG phones. It provides easy to follow step-by-step instructions for installing GMS and Google apps on your Huawei or Honor device without the need to connect to a PC. To use the app, simply download the APK from the forum thread linked below and install it on your device. Once it’s installed, grant the app all the required permissions and then follow the outlined steps to get GMS on your phone.

During the installation process, Googlefier will first replace your existing backup app and restore LZPlay. LZPlay, if you’ll recall, is the name of the GMS installation app/method that was widely circulated after the launch of the Mate 30. Once that’s done, Googlefier will install basic services on your device. For this, you’ll need to follow the instructions displayed on the screen. After you complete all five steps, you’ll then be able to install the Google Play Store and other Google apps on your device and then log into your Google account. The entire process takes about 5-7 minutes and if you follow the instructions correctly, you shouldn’t get any errors.

We tested Googlefier on a Huawei P40 Pro and Huawei MatePad Pro running EMUI 10. The video embedded below shows the installation process on TK Bay’s P40 Pro. We should note that if you’ve updated to EMUI 11, Googlefier does not work.

In case you have already tried installing Google apps on your device using a different method, we suggest resetting the device and starting afresh with Googlefier. This will ensure that you don’t encounter any errors during the installation process. It’s worth noting that the app also includes a feature that will easily let you undo all of these changes and restore your Huawei device to its pre-GMS state.

Download Googlefier from the XDA Forums

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Verizon’s 5G Nationwide service is now available on several Samsung Galaxy and LG smartphones

To coincide with the launch of Apple’s new iPhone 12 lineup, Verizon officially unveiled its 5G Nationwide service, the carrier’s low-band (sub-6GHz) 5G network. Apple’s newest devices support Verizon’s new sub-6GHz network out of the box, but the carrier’s existing 5G devices will need a software update before they can connect to it. Verizon spokesperson George Koroneos has confirmed that a software update has rolled out or is in the process of rolling out to a number of 5G-capable devices from Samsung and LG.

The full list is a venerable “who’s who” of top Android smartphones, from the unique LG Wing to the Galaxy Note 20 5G and Galaxy Note 20 5G Ultra. These devices are some of the most popular (and unique) phones on the market, and it’s great to see Verizon roll out support so quickly.

• LG V60 ThingQ 5G
• LG Velvet 5G
• LG Wing
• Samsung S20 5G
• Samsung S20 Ultra 5G
• Samsung S20 Plus 5G
• Samsung Note 20 5G
• Samsung Note 20 Ultra 5G
• Samsung A71 5G
• Samsung A51 5G

If you own one of these devices and you’re a Verizon subscriber, you’ll need to download the software update that’s pushed to your device to access Verizon’s low-band coverage.

Before Verizon’s 5G Nationwide announcement, the carrier lagged behind the competition in terms of 5G coverage as they relied on high-band (mmWave) frequencies. Millimeter-wave networks are more difficult to build out and offer short-range coverage, which is why Verizon’s is only available in parts of a few dozen cities in the U.S. On the other hand, the carrier’s 5G Nationwide sub-6GHz network is available in more than 1,800 cities across the U.S, though the speeds will be much, much slower than the mmWave network. Don’t be surprised if the speeds you’re getting right now are around the same as or only slightly higher than Verizon’s existing 4G LTE network. That’s because Verizon is using a technology called Dynamic Spectrum Sharing to expand coverage, which means the carrier is essentially refarming its existing 4G infrastructure. Once the carrier rolls out its standalone 5G network and deploys some coverage in the mid-band spectrum they recently purchased, we should see faster speeds.

We wrote up a comprehensive guide to 5G, explaining the technology that’s used and its many applications. You can check out a coverage map of Verizon’s 5G network right here.

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Chromebook users can now claim 3 months of NVIDIA GeForce NOW

Gaming on a Chromebook has usually not been a great experience. In fact, it isn’t even possible to play most PC games on a Chromebook due to the fact that few games have been ported to Chrome OS, and running Steam off of the Linux container has many limitations. Thanks to the advent of cloud gaming services, though, the only barrier to entry for gaming on a Chromebook is how good your Internet connection is (and what cloud services are available as well as what games are available on each service, of course). If you’re interested in playing PC games you’ve purchased on Steam or Epic Games through NVIDIA GeForce NOW, you can get started with a special offer for Chromebook users in the U.S.

If you have a Chromebook released from June 2017 onwards and you want to try out NVIDIA’s cloud gaming service, then you can claim 3 months of free access to the paid Founders tier. There is a catch, though, and it’s the fact that you can only claim 3 months of service if you’re a new subscriber. This perk will be available until the end of this year, so if you plan on picking up a new Chromebook this holiday shopping season, you’ll have plenty of time to sign up for a Founders membership. If you don’t know about the advantages of a GeForce NOW Founders tier subscription, you get access to rigs with RTX support, priority access, and extended session length.

This is just one of many perks available to Chromebook users, of which you can check out a list here.

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Google Shopping adds price insights to help you get the best deals online

Who doesn’t love a good deal? It’s why Black Friday and Prime Day are two of the most popular times to shop each year. But how do you know you’re really getting a good deal on that TV? With new price insights from Google, you’ll always have the tools to get the best deal online.

Google Shopping is adding a new price insight feature that will show people if the price offered for an item is high, low, or typical compared to other prices from across the web and in nearby local stores. Consumers will be able to see these insights by searching for a product, choosing the Shopping tab, and then scrolling down to see whether you’re actually getting a good deal or not.

There’s a new tool that will show whether a price is high, low or typical.

As part of the new insights, Google also highlighted its price tracking feature, which the company originally introduced last year. When activated, Google Shopping will send you deal alerts for whatever it is you want to buy. Say you’re hoping to find a good deal on a Nintendo Switch; if you turn on price tracking, you’ll know the moment the price drops. You can see all of the products you’re tracking by checking out your Google account’s My Activity page.

Google Shopping will show you online prices as well as insights about local shops, including if delivery or curbside pickup is available. With social distancing restrictions still in place in many parts of the world, having this information makes a huge difference when shopping.

Google said it’s rolling out price insights because more people this year are shopping online. In fact, the company said searches for “early deals” in the U.S. have increased significantly over the last few weeks. Black Friday will likely be much different this year, so shopping online might be your only good option.

I tried doing a quick search for Nintendo Switch on my mobile device, and I didn’t see the new price insights just yet. However, Google said the new tools should start rolling out to users today in the U.S.

Google Shopping: Discover, compare prices & buy (Free, Google Play) →

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Humax UK announces Aura 4K set-top-box DVR with Android TV and Freeview Play

Humax has announced its first set-top-box to combine Android TV and terrestrial broadcast television. Aimed at the UK market, the Humax Aura is a 4K (UHD) HDR-capable STB and PVR running Android TV, with an integrated DVB-T tuner and a full offering from Freeview Play (the UK’s terrestrial TV network).

The Aura boasts three digital tuners, allowing you to record up to four programs whilst watching a fifth. For recordings, there’s a hard drive of either 1TB or 2TB capacity and of course, there’s a cavalcade of streaming entertainment options from the likes of Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, and Britbox on top of the 9 from Freeview: BBC iPlayer, ITV Hub, All 4, My5, UKTV Play, CBS Catchup Channels UK, Horror Bites, STV Player and BBC Sounds. UK cord-cutters will be able to benefit from Now TV and BT Sport, too.

The Humax Aura, as you’d expect from an Android TV device, also acts as a Chromecast receiver and integrates Google Assistant voice controls. There’s even an accompanying app for iOS and Android which will let you watch recordings on your home network, or download them to your device to watch on the move. There’s even a “Kid Zone” safe mode, for when you want to leave the little ones unattended. It even lets you find a show that’s the right length to take them up neatly to bedtime without the age-old “just one more episode” pleas.

Although this is a UK-centric product, Humax makes products for territories across the globe including DirecTV, Google Fiber, Delta (Netherlands), and Truevisions (Thailand), so there’s a good chance the Humax Aura will appear in some form outside Blighty soon too.

The Humax Aura Set-Top-Box will be available in the UK from November, starting at £249 for the 1TB edition, and £279 for the 2TB edition. More details, including the full specifications, are available from the Humax Website.

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