Reliance Jio delays the JioPhone Next launch at the last minute

Indian telecom giant Reliance Jio unveiled the JioPhone Next — an ultra-affordable Android phone developed in collaboration with Google — at its 44th Annual General Meeting in June. At the time, the company revealed a few details about the device and said that it would go on sale today, i.e., September 10th. But Reliance Jio has now delayed the sale, citing two reasons — the global semiconductor shortage and “advanced testing.”

In a joint statement released yesterday (via LiveMint), Jio and Google said, “Both companies have begun testing JioPhone Next with a limited set of users for further refinement and are actively working to make it available more widely in time for the Diwali festive season. This additional time will also help mitigate the current industry-wide, global semiconductor shortages.” The Indian festival of Diwali is on November 4th this year, so we expect Reliance Jio to share more details by late October.

For the unaware, the JioPhone Next is an ultra-affordable Android smartphone that will run an optimized version of Android. The device will give first-time smartphone owners access to features like a voice assistance, text-to-speech capabilities, language translation, a smart camera with AR filters, and more. While Reliance Jio is yet to share details about its hardware, the company has revealed that it will offer 4G connectivity.

It’s worth noting that, unlike older Jio phones, Reliance Jio plans to bring the JioPhone Next to international markets. However, given the current delay, we don’t think the phone will make its way to other regions before the end of this year.

Reliance Jio is yet to reveal the JioPhone Next’s price. We expect the company to make an announcement with more details in the days leading up to the first sale later this year. We’ll make sure to let you know as soon as we have more information about the device.

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Epic asks Apple to reinstate Fortnite on iOS to abide by new Korean law

Following the passage of a new law in South Korea that forces Apple and Google to accept alternative payment options, Epic Games has asked Apple to allow Fortnite to be reinstated on the App Store in Korea. Should Apple allow Fortnite to be re-released on iOS in Korea, Epic Games intends to let users choose between paying through Epic or Apple.

Epic has asked Apple to restore our Fortnite developer account. Epic intends to re-release Fortnite on iOS in Korea offering both Epic payment and Apple payment side-by-side in compliance with the new Korean law.

— Fortnite (@FortniteGame) September 9, 2021

The new South Korean law, nicknamed the “Google power-abuse-prevention law”, amends the country’s Telecommunications Business Act, the law that regulates all telecommunications business in Korea, to prohibit large app marker operators from requiring the use of their own in-app purchasing option. The law also prohibits these app market operators — such as Apple and Google — from delaying the approval of apps or unfairly banning them from their marketplace; these provisions are intended to prevent retaliation from the operator, and failure to comply with this new law can result in a fine of up to 3% of the company’s revenue in South Korea being levied.

In a statement to reporters, Apple has signaled its intent to deny Epic’s request. Apple’s denial was to be expected, given that the law is so new and thus the company needs time to evaluate what actions it must take to be in compliance.

Apple: “Epic has admitted to breach of contract and as of now, there’s no legitimate basis for the reinstatement of their developer account.” https://t.co/gZZIxcTsZL

— Mark Gurman (@markgurman) September 10, 2021

Epic Games has thus far not asked the same of Google. Despite Google’s own attempts at maintaining a stranglehold over the Play Store, most of the problems Epic has highlighted have been with Apple. Fortnite was removed from the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store in August 2020, which was the impetus Epic Games needed to sue both companies.

The original #FreeFortnite campaign was marked by the release of a commercial titled “Nineteen Eighty-Fortnite” spoofing Apple’s iconic 1984 Super Bowl commercial. It was timed to play within Fortnite shortly after the game was taken down from the App Store. During the video, Epic Games said the following: “Epic Games has defied the App Store Monopoly. In retaliation, Apple is blocking Fortnite from a billion devices. Join the fight to stop 2020 from becoming “1984.” #FreeFortnite”

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Vivo’s flagship X70 series sports upgraded cameras, bigger batteries, and newer chips

Vivo’s new flagship series is here, and it includes three feature-packed devices — the Vivo X70, the Vivo X70 Pro, and the Vivo X70 Pro Plus. While we’ve seen all three devices in leaked renders over the last few weeks, we now have concrete information about their hardware.

As expected, the Vivo X70 Pro Plus is the most feature-rich device out of the lot, featuring the most powerful chip, the best display, fastest charging capabilities, and more. The other two models are slightly less powerful, and they offer the same hardware, with a few exceptions. Check out the table below for the complete specifications.

Vivo X70 series: Specifications

Specification	Vivo X70	Vivo X70 Pro	Vivo X70 Pro Plus
Dimensions & Weight	160.1 x 75.39 x 7.55mm 181g	158.3 x 73.21 x 7.99mm 185g	164.54 x 75.21 x 8.89mm 209g
Display	6.56-inch FHD+ AMOLED 2376 x 1080 19.8:9 aspect ratio 120Hz refresh rate 240Hz touch sampling rate 92.76% screen-to-body ratio	6.56-inch FHD+ AMOLED 2376 x 1080 19.8:9 aspect ratio 120Hz refresh rate 240Hz touch sampling rate 92.76% screen-to-body ratio	6.78-inch WQHD AMOLED 3200 x 1440 20:9 aspect ratio 120Hz refresh rate 240Hz touch sampling rate 92.22% screen-to-body ratio
SoC	MediaTek Dimensity 1200	MediaTek Dimensity 1200	Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 Plus Imaging Chip V1
RAM & Storage	8GB LPDDR4X + 128GB UFS 3.1 8GB + 256GB 12GB + 256GB	8GB LPDDR4X + 128GB UFS 3.1 8GB + 256GB 12GB + 256GB 12GB + 512GB	8GB LPDDR5 + 256GB UFS 3.1 12GB + 256GB 12GB + 512GB
Battery & Charging	4,400mAh 44W wired fast charging	4,450mAh 44W wired fast charging	4,500mAh 55W wired fast charging 50W wireless fast charging
Security	In-display fingerprint scanner	In-display fingerprint scanner	In-display fingerprint scanner
Rear Camera(s)	Primary: 40MP Secondary: 12MP Tertiary: 12MP	Primary: 50MP Secondary: 12MP Tertiary: 12MP Quaternary: 8MP	Primary: 50MP ISOCELL GN1 Secondary: 48MP IMX598 ultra-wide gimbal Tertiary: 12MP Quaternary: 8MP
Front Camera(s)	32MP	32MP	32MP
Port(s)	USB Type-C	USB Type-C	USB Type-C
Connectivity	5G Wi-Fi Bluetooth	5G Wi-Fi Bluetooth	5G Wi-Fi Bluetooth
Software	Funtouch OS 12 based on Android 11	Funtouch OS 12 based on Android 11	Funtouch OS 12 based on Android 11
Other Features	–	–	IP68 certification

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As you can probably tell by looking at the spec sheet above, the new Vivo X70 series brings minor improvements over the Vivo X60 series. The top-of-the-line Vivo X70 Pro Plus features a larger and higher resolution display, the Snapdragon 888 Plus chipset, a new design, and 50W fast wireless charging support. The other two models now feature the MediaTek Dimensity 1200 chipset instead of the Snapdragon 870, and they come with faster wired charging support.

Although all three devices still feature a 32MP selfie camera, Vivo has made some changes to the rear-facing cameras on all three devices. For instance, the Vivo X70 now comes with a 40MP primary camera, and the X70 Pro features a 50MP primary camera, as opposed to the 48MP sensor on the older models. For wide-angle and portrait shots, both phones now feature 12MP cameras instead of 13MP sensors. In addition, Vivo has included a fourth 8MP sensor on the Vivo X70 Pro. On the flagship model, Vivo has offered the same 50MP primary and 48MP wide-angle sensor as the older model, but the device now features a 12MP portrait sensor. The fourth 8MP sensor remains unchanged.

(L to R: Vivo X70, X70 Pro, X70 Pro Plus)

Along with improvements to the camera hardware, Vivo has also packed bigger batteries on the Vivo X70 series. The vanilla X70 now features a 4,400mAh battery with 44W wired fast charging support. The Vivo X70 Pro features a 4,450mAh battery with the same fast charging capabilities. And the Vivo X70 Pro Plus features a 4,500mAh battery with 55W wired fast charging support and 50W wireless fast charging support.

Vivo X70 series: Pricing and availability

Currently, Vivo hasn’t shared pricing and availability details for the X70 series. But the company has revealed that the devices will make their way to India, Thailand, Malaysia, Taiwan, the UAE, and other regions soon. We’ll update this post as soon as we have more details about the new devices.

Vivo unveils Imaging Chip V1

Last week, Vivo unveiled its first self-designed IC for imaging and video, called the Imaging Chip V1. Vivo says this chip “employs an AI system to apply NR (noise reduction) and MEMC (motion estimation, motion compensation) effects across the board.” This chip is only available in the top-end Vivo X70 Pro+, which also has a “High-Transmittance Glass Lens” to “ensure extra-low dispersion for improved image quality.”

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Google Search on desktop is officially getting a dark theme

Update 2 (09/09/2021 @ 7:56 PM ET): Google has finally announced that the dark theme in Google Search Desktop is rolling out, though you may have had it already. Click here for more information. The article, as published on February 11, 2021, is preserved below.

Previous updates

Update 1 (05/12/2021 @ 07:10 AM ET): Google is rolling out the native dark theme in Google Search on desktop to more users. Click here for more information.

Google has begun testing a dark mode for Google Search on Windows 10 and macOS. As is usually the case with Google’s feature rollouts, this one too seems to be part of an A/B test, and as such, it’s not available for everyone just yet.

Many users on Windows and macOS are receiving a notification (via Windows Latest) inviting them to try out a new dark theme, which, once enabled, turns the Google Search pages to dark gray for a comfortable nighttime reading experience. Users will have the option to set the theme to Light, Dark, and System Default. Setting the option to System Default will match the current theme of your operating system. Notably, the dark mode has been available on Google Search for Android for months now, but it’s only now that Google is bringing it to desktop users.

Google has been testing the dark theme on Search since late last year, with many users reporting to have their Search pages turned dark gray out of nowhere. At the time, Google experimented with the new dark theme with a tiny subset of users and even reverted it in a few days. But this time around, the testing seems to be broader. I received the dark theme notification in Microsoft Edge last evening, but I accidentally clicked on “No thanks” and couldn’t trigger it again.

If it’s not available on your desktop yet, you always have the option to use force dark mode (if you’re using a Chromium-based browser) or use an extension like Dark Reader, which lets you apply a dark theme to any website.

The dark theme for Google Search on desktop comes as part of Google’s broader push to add a dark mode to its every app and service. Over the last year, we have seen many Google products gaining a native dark mode, including the Google Pay app, Google Translate, Google Docs, Google Chrome on desktop, and many more.

---

Update 1: Google Search’s new dark theme is rolling out widely on the desktop

Google Search on the desktop is finally receiving the much-awaited dark theme which has been in the works since last year. Similar to earlier rollouts, users are seeing a notification inviting them to try out the dark theme. This time Google is also adding a toggle in the top right corner to let users quickly turn on or off the dark theme.

Google Dark Theme: ON pic.twitter.com/fjSxnt1fcx

— Matt Navarra (@MattNavarra) May 12, 2021

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Update 2: Dark theme now available for all users

Hung F., a Product Support Manager on Google Search, announced today that the dark theme in Google Search Desktop is rolling out for all users this week. The dark theme applies to the Google homepage, search results page, Search settings, and more. The Product Support Manager also provided instructions on how to turn on the dark theme, which we’ve reproduced below.

Here’s how it works:

1. At the top right, click Settings   Search settings.
2. On the left, click Appearance.
3. Choose Device default, Dark, or Light,
   • Device default: Automatically match the color scheme of your current device
   • Dark: Light text on a dark background
   • Light: Dark text on a light background
4. At the bottom, click Save.

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Developer ports YouTube Music to Wear OS 2.0 smartwatches

After shutting down Google Play Music last year, Google was criticized for failing to have its replacement — YouTube Music — ready for Wear OS, Google’s smartwatch platform. We only learned about Google’s plans to launch YouTube Music on Wear OS this May, but sadly, the app requires the latest version of Wear OS — Wear OS 3.0. Only Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 4 series meets that criterion, leaving existing Wear OS 2.0 smartwatches without a YouTube Music app. Fortunately, one developer has stepped up to port YouTube Music to Wear OS 2.0.

A developer by the name of Alexandru Pop on Twitter has managed to port the smartphone version of YouTube Music to Wear OS. The smartphone version of the app doesn’t scale properly to fit the screens of most smartwatches, so the developer had to tweak the app’s UI to fit within the confines of a tiny smartwatch screen. The result is a UI that’s still incredibly clunky and unoptimized, but it works.

If you can stomach the poorly optimized UI, there’s another caveat you should be aware of: This port is based on YouTube Music Vanced, a modified version of the YTM app. This is necessary to bypass the restrictions of the original app, which prevents account sign-ins if the app has been tampered with. By sideloading YTM Vanced and its companion app — Vanced microG Settings — you’re able to log into your Google account in the modified app. You might be wondering if it’s safe to login to your Google account, and unfortunately, I can’t verify if it’s safe or that Google won’t ban your account for violating their terms of service. All I can tell you is that it works, so if you’re worried, I recommend using this modded app with a secondary Google account.

For step-by-step instructions on how to install this modified YouTube Music app on your Wear OS 2 smartwatch, visit Alexandru’s forum thread on XDA.

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Windows 11 Update Tracker: Download and Install the latest Windows 11 update

The wait is finally over — Windows 11 is here as Microsoft has officially kicked off the Insider Preview program for the next generation of Windows. The company is also rolling out several updates on top of the base Windows 11 build in preparation for an eventual rollout via the stable channel. This article will serve as the central repository of knowledge base (KB) articles and download links for all updates related to Windows 11, including both the Insider Preview and the stable builds.

Table of Contents:

• Glossary
• Windows 11 Build Index
• How to install
• Verification

Glossary

Windows updates are compressed in a special archive file format called Microsoft Cabinet (CAB) that supports embedded digital certificates used for maintaining archive integrity. When published via Microsoft Update Catalog, Microsoft often wraps them into the MSU (Microsoft Update) format.

The internal structure of a MSU package

The primary focus of this index is centered around the Cumulative Updates (also known as Monthly Rollups), which include both security and reliability updates that are packaged together. Since they’re cumulative in nature, the latest rollup package has the ability to update the target Windows version to the most recent build, regardless of what the previous build number was.

In some cases, one may need to apply a Servicing Stack Update (SSU) before installing the newest Cumulative Update (CU). The servicing stack is the code that installs other operating system updates, hence Microsoft usually bundles them with CUs before publishing a standalone MSU package. Power users or system admins may still prefer to deal with the CAB variant for ease of deployment. In that case, always install/integrate the SSU before engaging with the CU.

Microsoft also provides CUs for the .NET Framework portion of the Windows OS. Unlike the SSU, they’re distributed separately from the regular CUs.

Windows Feature Experience Pack is yet another type of update that delivers new feature improvements to customers outside of major Windows feature updates.

Then comes the Dynamic Updates (DU) that are meant for the Windows setup engine. They are being automatically downloaded and applied on the fly in order to fix the Windows recovery environment (WinRE), setup binaries, or any files that the Windows setup uses for feature updates. However, we decided not to include them in this index for the sake of avoiding clutters.

To have a clear idea about Windows update terminology, see the article about the types of Windows updates. Keep in mind that an inter-OS (e.g. from Windows 10 to Windows 11) or an inter-build (e.g. from Windows 10 November 2019 Update/Build 18363 to May 2020 Update/Build 19041) update is a way more complex scenario. Microsoft handles such upgrade paths using the Unified Update Platform (UUP), the details of which are not part of this tutorial.

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Windows 11 Build Index

Build Number 22000

Build	Changelog and known issues	Download
22000.184 [Integrated with Insider Preview 10]	KB5005642	x86-64 ARM64
22000.176 [Integrated with Insider Preview 9]	KB5006050	x86-64 ARM64
22000.168 [Integrated with Insider Preview 8]	KB5005191	x86-64 ARM64
22000.160 [Integrated with Insider Preview 7]	KB5005189	x86-64 ARM64
22000.132 [Integrated with Insider Preview 6]	KB5005190	x86-64 ARM64
22000.120 [Integrated with Insider Preview 5]	KB5005188	x86-64 ARM64
22000.100 [Integrated with Insider Preview 4]	KB5004300	x86-64 ARM64
22000.71 [Integrated with Insider Preview 3]	KB5004252	x86-64 ARM64
22000.65 [Integrated with Insider Preview 2]	KB5004745	x86-64 ARM64
22000.51 [Integrated with Insider Preview 1]	KB5004564	x86-64 ARM64

Cumulative Update for .NET Framework 3.5 and 4.8

Build	Changelog and known issues	Download
10.0.4400.3 [Available since Insider Preview 4]	KB5004342	x86-64 ARM64
10.0.4395.3 [Available since Insider Preview 1]	KB5004034	x86-64 ARM64

How to Install these Windows 11 builds

CAB packages

To install a CAB update package, you need to use a built-in system utility called Deployment Image Servicing and Management (DISM). The command-line syntax should be as follows:

dism /online /add-package /packagepath:<path_to_cabfile>

CAB and PSF packages

Since Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 21382, Microsoft has made a significant change in the Latest Cumulative Update (LCU) format. As a result, the end user can’t use the CAB file directly. To perform the installation using the built-in update module, the corresponding Patch Storage Files (PSF) package must be present. This is the exact reason one can find PSF files corresponding to each LCU in the Windows 11 UUP Dump. In case of an online installation, Windows Update only downloads and generates missing PSFX (PSF Express) payloads, while the CAB package only contain the manifests.

However, DISM alone can’t handle the PSF packages, which means we need to somehow combine the PSF and CAB files manually before trying to install them offline. Fortunately, there exists an open source tool named PSFX Repack for this job.

• Extract the archive of the PSFX Repack tool to a folder with a short path (like “D:\PSFX_Repack\”).
• Download both CAB and PSF files corresponding to the LCU and move them to the aforementioned folder.
• Run repack_psfx.cmd to generate the combined CAB file.

• Use DISM to install the latest SSU CAB first, then the resultant LCU CAB file.

MSU packages

The MSU variant, on the other hand, is somewhat standalone in nature due to the fact that one can simply double-click on it to install the package. Note that DISM can also install MSU files.

After the installation finishes, you will be prompted to restart the PC for the changes to take effect.

Verification

The Settings app in Windows 11 has an option to view the list of updates installed on your PC. Here’s how to access it.

• Open Settings and click Windows Update.
• Click/tap on “Update history”.

The good old “Programs and Features” applet in the classic Control Panel can also show you the list of installed updates.

• Right-click Start, click Run.
• Type appwiz.cpl and click OK. This opens the Programs and Features in the classic Control Panel.
• Click View installed updates link on the left side. This shows you the list of updates along with the installation date column.

If command-line is your thing, then you can opt for DISM or Windows Management Instrumentation (WMIC) as well. You need to execute the command from an elevated instance of Windows Terminal.

• Using DISM:

dism /online /get-packages /format:table | findstr "Package_for"

• Using WMIC:

wmic qfe

We hope this article not only serves as a common update index for Windows 11 but also provides general installation instructions that can be useful for other Windows builds as well. We’ll be updating this guide with links to newer Windows builds, so check back again in the future!

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New Windows 11 build in the Beta channel is all about fixes

As tends to be the case every week, Microsoft has released a new build of Windows 11 for Insiders to try. In fact, there are two new updates today, since Microsoft split the Dev channel into a different branch last week. So, while Windows Insiders in the Dev channel are getting Windows 11 build 22454, the Beta channel gets build 22000.184.

There isn’t much that’s new in today’s build for the Beta channel, and that’s to be expected. We now know Windows 11 is coming on October 5, and it’s too late for big new features to be added. Right now, Microsoft is focused on ironing out any issues before the official release. If you want more exciting news, you’ll need to switch to the Dev channel, but the builds you get won’t be as stable.

Even in terms of fixes, Windows 11 build 22000.184 doesn’t bring much. There are a couple of fixes for non-English translation of the OS, where users may have seen English text instead. Here’s the full list:

• Fixed an issue where the new learn more info in OOBE about Windows Hello wasn’t translated for non-English languages.
• Fixed an issue where a small set of languages were missing translations across the UI in Windows 11.

Comparatively, the list of known issues in this build is still very long. With less than one month to go before the general release, hopefully Microsoft can get around to fixing most of these problems soon. Here’s what you still need to be aware of:

Known issues in Windows 11 build 22000.184

[General]

• We’re investigating reports from Insiders in the Beta Channel where after upgrading to Windows 11, they are not seeing the new Taskbar and the Start menu doesn’t work. To workaround this if you are impacted, please try going to Windows Update > Update history, uninstalling the latest cumulative update for Windows, and the reinstall it by checking for updates.
• We’re working on a fix for an issue that is causing some Surface Pro X’s to bugcheck with a WHEA_UNCORRECTABLE_ERROR.

[Start]

• In some cases, you might be unable to enter text when using Search from Start or the Taskbar. If you experience the issue, press WIN + R on the keyboard to launch the Run dialog box, then close it.
• System and Windows Terminal is missing when right-clicking on the Start button (WIN + X).

[Taskbar]

• The Taskbar will sometimes flicker when switching input methods.

[Search]

• After clicking the Search icon on the Taskbar, the Search panel may not open. If this occurs, restart the “Windows Explorer” process, and open the search panel again.
• Search panel might appear as black and not display any content below the search box.

[Widgets]

• The widgets board may appear empty. To work around the issue, you can sign out and then sign back in again.
• Widgets may be displayed in the wrong size on external monitors. If you encounter this, you can launch the widgets via touch or WIN + W shortcut on your actual PC display first and then launch on your secondary monitors.

[Microsoft Store]

• We continue to work to improve search relevance in the Store.

[Windows Sandbox]

• Within Windows Sandbox, the language input switcher does not launch after clicking the switcher icon on the Taskbar. As a workaround, users can switch their input language via any of the following hardware keyboard shortcuts: Alt + Shift, Ctrl + Shift, or Win + Space (the third option is available only if Sandbox is full-screened).
• Within Windows Sandbox, the IME context menu does not launch after clicking the IME icon in the Taskbar. As workarounds, users can access the functionalities of the IME context menu with either of following methods:
  • Accessing the IME settings via Settings > Time & language >  Language & region > (e.g., Japanese) three dots > Language options > (e.g., Microsoft IME) three dots > Keyboard options.
    • Optionally, you may also enable the IME toolbar, an alternative UI, to quickly invoke specific IME functions. Continuing from above, navigate to Keyboard options > Appearance > Use IME toolbar.
  • Using the unique set of hardware keyboard shortcuts associated with each IME-supported language. (See: Japanese IME Shortcuts, Traditional Chinese IME Shortcuts).

There are a few features missing in build 22000.184 that won’t, or may not make it to the initial Windows 11 release on October 5. The most notable example is Android app support, which Microsoft has officially delayed without a set date. But we’re also waiting on a new Paint app that was shown off weeks ago, as well as a new Photos app teased earlier this week. Of course, these being apps, they may just be rolled out through the Microsoft Store instead of requiring a big Windows 11 update.

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