Chrome OS Phone Hub will keep your phone and Chromebook in sync

Back in September of last year, we revealed details for a new Phone Hub feature coming to Chrome OS. The feature, we found out, is meant to build on the integration Chrome OS already offers with Android devices by introducing new capabilities.

While the feature was initially spotted in a Chromium Gerritt, a user in the Chrome OS subreddit is now reporting that the in-development Phone Hub feature is fully functional for them.

Chrome OS already offers easy integration with your Android phone for things like messages, Smart Lock, and automatic WiFi hotspot. Phone Hub expands the existing phone-to-Chromebook sync features by adding a new UI in the taskbar and adding notification mirroring.

However, according to comments from other users in the thread, Phone Hub is only working for them on the Chrome OS Beta and Dev channels. It seems like Google is now testing the feature via server side flags and is almost ready to roll it out to everyone.

For what it’s worth, our Chromebook is running Chrome OS 90 in the Canary channel and even with the Phone Hub flag enabled and Google Play Services beta installed, we haven’t had any luck seeing the feature. Which quite honestly isn’t a surprise—that’s how these things go with server side changes.

The user on Reddit said that while Phone Hub is functional for them, they have run into a few early issues. The notifications are apparently a little buggy, but outside of that “everything seems to work pretty well.”

“Enable hotspot works, silence phone puts the phone on DND, and Locate Phone makes the phone ring,” the Reddit user said. “And then ofc, the most recent Chrome tabs, well, are the most recent I’ve seen on my phone. Oh and another thing, replying through the notifications on my Chromebook works perfectly so far for me.”

We’ll keep an eye out for a more official rollout of Chrome OS Phone Hub down the road.

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TikTok comes to Android TV to entertain the whole family

Millions of people are already hooked on the TikTok mobile app. Now, the social media sensation is making its way to Google’s Android TV—but there’s a catch.

The app is currently on the Google Play Store, but it apparently isn’t accessible in all regions around the world. So, yes, technically TikTok is available on Android TV, but not everyone can access it just yet.

TikTok on the big screen is essentially the same experience you’d get on a mobile device. Videos play vertically and can be scrolled through in the main feed, just like you would on your phone. Since TikTok content was made with vertical video in mind, however, viewing videos might look a little funky.

TikTok’s shortform videos are fun, genuine and creative. And now, we’re bringing that fun content to your television. Whether you’re a sports fanatic, a pet enthusiast, or just looking for a laugh, there’s something for everyone on TikTok. All you have to do is watch, engage with what you like, skip what you don’t, and you’ll find an endless stream of short videos that feel personalized just for you. All from the comfort of your couch.

For those located in the U.S., there are reports the app can’t be installed on Android TV devices. 9to5Google reports they were unable to install it on a Chromecast with Google TV. However, Android Police reported success installing it on a Chromecast—but in the U.K.

It’s unclear what TikTok’s approach is right now to a wider rollout. People are reported varying levels of success downloading it for their Android TV, so it might just be we have to wait a few days before it’s completely available in every region.

TikTok previously made its way to the big screen on Samsung TVs in December of last year. The experience coming to Android TV looks pretty much identical.

TikTok (To be announced, Google Play) →

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Google Contacts now lets you change your Google Account profile picture

We’re always on the lookout for new features big and small in Google services, and this one qualifies as small. But that doesn’t make it any less useful. Google Contacts appears to be rolling out a new feature that will let users change their Google Account profile picture.

The feature is straightforward and will allow Google Contacts users to tap on their photo and then pick a new image. Simple. Changing your Google Account profile picture is what’s reflected across Google products, including Photos, Gmail, and more. This allows contacts to know who is emailing them, and it also reminds you when you’re signed into your account.

Before, you could only change your photo through your Google Account. This streamlines the process and makes it much more convenient. Google actually added the same functionality to the Google Photos apps, allowing users the ability to set up a Google Account profile picture from within the app.

We previously spotted this functionality when it was being tested in Google Contacts 3.31, but it’s now generally available in Google Contacts 3.38. Changing your profile picture might not be something you do everyday, but we’re not complaining that Google has made it easier to do. And it’s always good practice to have a more current profile picture, especially if you’re sending out a lot of business emails.

When we first spotted this new feature, we also spotted strings of code that suggested Google Contacts for Android was testing a new trash feature. The feature was previously launched on Google Contacts for the web back in July of 2020, and it works similarly to the trash feature in Google Photos.

Once you delete a contact, they’ll be put in the trash instead of disappearing permanently. You can then choose to restore the contact or just leave them there.

The new feature to let you change your Google Account picture should be available now in the newest Google Contacts app for Android.

Contacts (Free, Google Play) →

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Nokia 1.4 debuts with a giant screen and small price

HMD Global this week announced the Nokia 1.4, which the company is touting as “family-friendly.” That’s because not only is the device’s display nice and big, but the price is low—the perfect combo for a good starter phone.

The Nokia 1.4 features a 6.51-inch HD+ display with a teardrop design, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 215 processor, and a big 4,000mAh battery that supports 5W charging. The device also includes a dual-camera setup and up to 3GB of RAM (depending on the region).

The device is very much designed to cater to the entry-level market, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t worth checking out. The Nokia 1.4 offers a durable design and high-end photography features, include Portrait Mode and Night Mode.

“As a father of two myself, I can relate to the challenges many families are facing with having to fit in so many activities at home,” said Juho Sarvikas, Chief Product Officer and Vice President of North America, HMD Global. “With these needs continuing to grow, we wanted to create a reliable and enjoyable experience that truly benefits all family members without adding to any household financial pressures.”

HMD Global is launching the Nokia 1.4 with Android 10 Go, but said it’s ready for Android 11 Go “and beyond” and will receive at least three years of security updates. The device also features built-in parental controls, which will allow users to manage content downloaded from the Google Play store.

“Be it managing work emails, paying bills or keeping the kids busy with online extracurricular activities, our designers addressed the fact that millions of families around the world are spending more time at home,” Sarvikas said.

The Nokia 1.4 is available today in three different colors (Fjord, Charcoal, and Dusk), and will retail for €99. HMD Global didn’t specify which countries the device is available in, but said you can find it “globally.”

 

Specification	Nokia 1.4
Dimensions & Weight	166.42mm × 76.72mm × 8.7mm 178g
Display	6.51-inch LCD panel, HD+, notch display
SoC	Qualcomm Snapdragon 215 SoC
RAM & Storage	1/2/3GB (depending on the region)
Battery & Charging	4,000mAh 5W charging
Security	Rear capacitive fingerprint scanner
Rear Camera(s)	8MP wide + 2MP macro
Front Camera(s)	5MP
Port(s)	microUSB 3.5mm headphone jack
Connectivity	Single/Dual-SIM (depending on the region) Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n Bluetooth 4.2 GPS/AGPS
Software	Android 10 Go Edition

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Apple’s macOS is also vulnerable to the root exploit affecting Linux

Over the years, we’ve seen a number of scary Linux-based exploits make the spotlight. Just a few days ago, when the researchers over at Qualys disclosed a privilege escalation vulnerability in the “Sudo” program, they predicted that the bug might impact other operating systems of the Unix family. Well, they were right: security researcher Matthew Hickey has confirmed that the CVE-2021-3156 vulnerability (AKA “Baron Samedit”) can easily be adapted to gain root access on Apple macOS.

CVE-2021-3156 also impacts @apple MacOS Big Sur (unpatched at present), you can enable exploitation of the issue by symlinking sudo to sudoedit and then triggering the heap overflow to escalate one’s privileges to 1337 uid=0. Fun for @p0sixninja pic.twitter.com/tyXFB3odxE

— Hacker Fantastic (@hackerfantastic) February 2, 2021

The underlying foundation of macOS is based on Darwin, which itself uses various elements of the FreeBSD operating system. Therein lies the problem, as common Unix utilities such as sudo and sudoedit are consequently present out-of-the-box in a vanilla macOS installation. What’s problematic about this revelation is that an official fix is not yet available from Apple. That means even the new ARM-based M1 Macs are vulnerable to the attack vector.

Can confirm with macOS Big Sur on both x86_64 and aarch64. pic.twitter.com/nQqQ8rskv7

— Will Dormann (@wdormann) February 2, 2021

Unlike regular Linux distributions, there is no straightforward way for macOS users to replace the system’s sudo binary with a patched one because of Apple’s System Integrity Protection feature. Keep in mind that even applying Apple’s latest security update (released on February 1), which consists of macOS Big Sur 11.2, Security Update 2021-001 Catalina, and Security Update 2021-001 Mojave, isn’t enough to remediate the vulnerability. As a result, the whole macOS ecosystem still remains vulnerable to Baron Samedit.

We hope Apple publicly acknowledges the serious issue and is transparent in its plans to fix it. Apart from macOS, CVE-2021-3156 also impacts the latest version of IBM AIX and Solaris, making it one of the most catastrophic local privilege escalation vulnerabilities discovered to date.

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Google Maps is testing a new, cleaner look for the route option screen

You probably don’t do as much driving these days thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic. But the next time you use Google Maps to navigate, you might see a refreshed UI that looks a little cleaner.

The new layout, which appears to be in testing at the moment, tweaks the route option screen to be a little easier to understand.

Instead of a large white bar at the top, the new Google Maps route option screen now features a top bar that only includes your starting point and destination. The different modes of travel—driving, biking, walking, public transportation—are no longer attached to the destination box.

The modes of transportation are now featured in a scrollable list on the bottom half of the display, with travel information for each. There’s also an options button, where you can presumably set the directions to avoid highways, tolls, and more.

New UI (left) vs. current UI (right)

With people driving less, perhaps Google thought it was better to make other modes of transportation more prominent in Google Maps. Before, it was pretty easy to see travel times and other information for different modes of transportation, but if you didn’t know where to look, that information could be easy to miss.

The refreshed route option screen in Google Maps appears to be in testing at the moment, and it’s unclear if it’ll rollout to everyone down the road. This isn’t the only new feature Google is testing in Maps. Just this week, we discovered a new split-screen UI for navigation in Street View that is slowly rolling out to users on Android.

Meanwhile, the service has introduced a community feed and Go tab for accessing frequently visited places. Critically, the service is also set to show COVID-19 vaccine locations, so you know exactly where to go to get a vaccine.

The screenshot of the new UI comes courtesy of XDA Recognized Developer luca020400.

Google Maps - Navigate & Explore (Free, Google Play) →

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Your Android TV is getting an update to show personalized TV show and movie recommendations

Google is rolling out an update for the Android TV interface that will help you easily discover new content on the platform. The updated interface resembles the UI on the Google Chromecast with Google TV, but it features fewer tabs on the home screen.

As you can see in the attached screenshot, the new Android TV home screen has three new tabs at the top —Home, Discover, and Apps — next to the Search option. In contrast, the Google TV interface has six tabs — For You, Live, Movies, Shows, Apps, and Library.

The Home tab on the updated Android TV interface offers a familiar home screen that gives you quick access to your favorite apps and channels. The tab is divided into a couple of sections, including Favorite Apps, Play Next, YouTube, and more. As you’d expect, the Apps tab is home to all your installed apps. However, unlike its Google TV equivalent, it doesn’t show recommended apps from the Google Play Store.

The new Discover tab is the only major change in the updated interface, and it works a lot like the For You tab on Google TV. The tab features personalized content recommendations based on your activity, along with trending content from Google. Much like the Home tab, the Discover tab includes a couple of sections that show movie, show and live TV recommendations from all your apps and subscriptions. It has a ‘Top picks for you’ section that shows personalized recommendations, a ‘Trending TV Shows’ section, and a ‘New movies and shows’ section.

Google has already started rolling out the new Android TV interface, and it should show up for users in the US, Australia, Canada, Germany, and France in the next few days. Users in other regions will have to wait a few weeks to receive the update on their devices.

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