Xbox Cloud Gaming and Remote Play are now available on Windows PCs

If you’ve been wanting to play Xbox games on your Windows PC, today is your day. Microsoft has announced that Xbox Cloud Gaming and Remote Play are both available starting today in the Xbox app for Windows 10 and 11.

Xbox Cloud Gaming was initially made available to Xbox Insiders about a month ago, but now, anyone should be able to get in on the fun. You can also play cloud games on the web if you prefer that. If you want to use Xbox Cloud Gaming, you’re going to need to be subscribed to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, but the good news is you get a ton of games at no additional cost. Xbox Game Pass has a huge library of games already available, and new titles are added fairly often. In addition to cloud gaming, the subscription also lets you download games to your Xbox console or PC if streaming doesn’t work for you.

That’s not all that’s new today, however. Microsoft is also adding Xbox Remote Play to the Xbox app on Windows, allowing you to stream games from your Xbox console to your PC. This doesn’t rely on the cloud as much as it depends on your own Xbox console. This way, if someone is using the TV, you can stream your games from the console to your PC and keep playing. Or you can play your home console games while you’re out and about. Not only that but Xbox Remote Play isn’t tied to Game Pass, so you can play games that aren’t included in the subscription.

Xbox Remote Play isn’t completely new for Windows users, but this launch does have some new goodies. You can now play Xbox Series X|S games this way, plus Microsoft has added support for some Xbox 360 and original Xbox games as well. And if that’s not enough good news, Microsoft has also made some improvements to the reliability of Remote Play, allowing you to play at up to 1080p and 60fps while streaming your games.

If you want to use Xbox Cloud Gaming or Remote Play on Windows, you’ll have to update the Xbox app to the latest version or download it from the Microsoft Store. These features are all available on Android and iOS (though Xbox Cloud Gaming has to be accessed through the web browser on iOS).

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TCL won’t be releasing its Galaxy Z Flip 3 competitor anytime soon

Foldable phones are all the rage these days, so it should come as no surprise that Chinese tech brand TCL is looking to join in on the craze. We’ve already seen prototypes of the company’s rollable and foldable displays, and the company announced at this year’s CES that a foldable/rollable smartphone would be launched sometime this year. Now, TCL has confirmed that it axed its plans to enter the foldable market this year and that its entry has been postponed by at least a year.

A render of the TCL Chicago foldable that the company shared with us.

Both CNET and Michael Fisher (AKA Mr. Mobile) were sent a prototype of TCL’s clamshell foldable phone, which was poised to be a more affordable alternative to the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 and the Motorola Razr 5G. However, the company scrapped it because of several commercial factors and also admitted that the lowest price the company could have achieved in pricing its foldable was $800. Given that TCL isn’t a particularly strong smartphone brand in the U.S., it was a tall order to launch the device in the hopes of swaying consumers based on a $200 price difference (the Galaxy Z Flip 3 retails for $1,000). Nevertheless, TCL told us that it is dedicated to launching a foldable smartphone in the future.

Stefan Streit, CMO of TCL Communication, offered the following statement:

“As one of the world’s largest display and smartphone manufacturers, TCL has spent decades developing products that deliver high-end technologies at affordable price points. In recent years, TCL has invested billions of dollars into the research and development of new and upcoming display technologies, including flexible displays and foldable smartphones.

Although the foldable market is growing each year, it is still a premium product category. In combination with recent component shortages, the COVID-19 pandemic and rising costs in foldable production, TCL has made the difficult decision to suspend the launch of its first commercially available foldable smartphone until the company can produce and bring it to market at a price point that’s accessible to as many consumers as possible.

TCL remains committed to investing in flexible display technologies and is closely monitoring the market to determine the best time to launch a foldable smartphone. In the meantime, we continue to focus on our “5G for All” initiative introduced at Mobile World Congress 2021, in which we work with carriers around the world to deliver 5G solutions to all consumers across a variety of price points and product categories.”

TCL’s clamshell foldable was code-named Project Chicago, and it never got an official marketing name. It was mid-development when TCL decided to put it on hold, and TCL tells us that decision was made prior to the launch of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3. The launch of Samsung’s clamshell foldable further solidified their decision, apparently. Project Chicago was equipped with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G, a 6.67-inch AMOLED Full HD resolution panel on the inside, a 3,545 mAh battery, and an outer display with dual cameras.

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Movies Anywhere is now available for Xbox consoles

Movies Anywhere is announcing today that you can now get its app for Xbox consoles, including both Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S. You can get it through the Microsoft Store now.

If you’re unfamiliar with Movies Anywhere, it’s basically a synced movie collection. You can link your accounts from Microsoft Movies & TV, Amazon Prime Video, Google Play Movies & TV, iTunes, Vudu Xfinity, Verizon FiOS, and DirecTV. Then, when you buy a movie on any of those services, it populates in your library on all of the other ones.

And yes, Microsoft Movies & TV did already work. That means that even though your Xbox didn’t have the dedicated Movies Anywhere app, the service was still working with your Microsoft account on your Xbox. Now you’ll get the app, of course, where you can consume your Movies Anywhere library, as well as purchase new movies directly from the service.

This is all a free service, of course. In fact, it used to be Disney Movies Anywhere, a way for you to keep all of your Disney movies together no matter which platform you were using. Then more partners signed on-board. But yes, in case you were wondering about it, this does only work with movies from partners.

These include Walt Disney Studios – obviously including franchises like Marvel and Star Wars – Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc., Universal Pictures, and Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.

The Movies Anywhere app on Xbox supports all of the goodies that you’re used to, like 4K resolution, HDR 10, Dolby Vision, and Dolby Atmos. Naturally, you do need supported hardware for this stuff to work, including your Xbox, your TV, and your soundbar. Remember, the original Xbox One does not support 4K or HDR video playback; you need an Xbox One S or better for that.

The Movies Anywhere app is available now in the Microsoft Store on Xbox.

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Some customers aren’t happy with how AT&T is handling their 3G shutdown

The end of 3G is coming for every carrier, but the way AT&T is handling their 3G shutdown is rubbing some people the wrong way.

AT&T has chosen to go with a specific allowlist of devices that can continue to connect to their network following the 3G shutdown. This effectively means that any device being used on AT&T’s network must be pre-approved. Unfortunately, even devices that are fully compatible with AT&T’s LTE network are being shut out because they aren’t on that list.

Customers across the web are complaining about their fully functional devices being shut out or having difficulties due to the whitelist. AT&T is automatically suspending people’s lines if the device on that line isn’t on the allowlist.

One user with an unlocked Galaxy S8+ was told they were being shipped a new phone without warning, likely via an SMS like the one shown here, only to never receive the device.

Support told them their device is fine and to not worry. However, their Galaxy S8+ eventually stopped working, and their account showed a new device had taken its place. AT&T support allegedly refused to offer them an equivalent replacement device at the time without the user paying for it. Another user says AT&T randomly shipped them a device they don’t want (likely a RADIANT Core) to an old address to replace their one-year-old fully functional device.

One user contacted us via email to say that they had their own Sony Xperia XZ Compact suddenly lose service. According to them, AT&T had sent the plan’s account holder a RADIANT Core for that line. They then had to use an alternate phone to contact AT&T, who told them their old device only supported 3G. A store rep later told them that AT&T is not supporting any unlocked phones at all, which isn’t accurate as far as we can tell. Overall confusion among customers and employees only further muddies the water when it comes to AT&T’s handling of their 3G shutdown.

Verizon and T-Mobile are also sunsetting their 3G networks. They, however, are not using such a strict allowlist system. Both carriers simply require devices to be compatible with their respective Voice over LTE technology, which most devices do. AT&T seems to be the only carrier that is actively rejecting compatible devices.

If you’re unsure if your device will continue working as expected, check out our post here containing AT&T’s allowlist.

Featured image credits: Mike Mozart via Flickr

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DotOS 5.2 adds new features inspired by Android 12, including wallpaper-based theming and more

Last month, developers behind the DotOS custom ROM project teased a new Android 12-based dynamic theming engine for their upcoming release. The much-awaited new release — DotOS 5.2 — is finally here and besides the marquee system-wide theming system, it brings along several new features and changes including the redesigned Settings dashboard, a new Gaming Mode, a new Battery Manager app, new clock widgets, and much more.

The biggest highlight of DotOS 5.2 is of course the MonteWannabe 2.2 theming system which is inspired by Android 12’s new theming engine code-named “monet”. The new theming engine is based on kdrag0n’s powerful zcam-based color generation engine and Quinny899’s MonetCompact support library and is able to apply dynamic theming to more parts of the system UI than the previous version

Next up, DotOS 5.2 is adding a dedicated Gaming Mode inspired by Android 12’s Game Dashboard. When enabled, the Gaming Mode blocks out notifications and provides in-game controls for taking screenshots and initiating screen recording.

The latest release also adds a new Battery Manager app based on Buoy and offers several battery profiles to maximize your battery life.

Finally, DotOS 5.2 is adding new Android 12-style clock widgets along with a revamped Settings page.

The DotOS 5.2 release is now rolling out for officially supported devices. To see if your device is supported, check out the DotOS downloads page.

The complete changelog for the DotOS 5.2 release is as follows:

DotOS 5.2 changelog

• September Security patches (Android11 r45)
• Fixed SystemUI crash when device is in landscape.
• Removed colored statusbar icons feature
• Added new APNs.
• Fixed OTA incompatibility issue
• Updated translations from crowdin
• UI/UX improvements
• Stability and underhood improvements
• Improved Brightness levels for Oneplus devices

MonetWannabe 2.2

• Rebased theme engine to latest kdrag0n’s ZCAM implementation (Way better color generation)
• Added Wallpaper Color picker support
• Added Theme Colorfulness control
• Added Theme Brightness control
• Added independent Palette of colors for both homescreen and lockscreen wallpapers
• Added support for global Monet support (Customizations, Settings, SystemUI, core elements etc)
• Cleaned-up code
• Moved color generation to SystemUI thread

Revamped Customizations app

• Almost completely redesigned to ensure a better UX
• Implemented Wallpaper Scheduling
• Added Monet support

Added ‘Game Dashboard’

• Implemented Gaming Mode but with a better UI and UX
• Implemented an early version of ‘Quick Control’ a floating pill with handy controls while you’re gaming

Added Battery Manager

• Initially based on Buoy – a battery saver profile customization app
• Moved here everything that’s battery related
• Added Battery Saver Profiles
• Added Battery Saver Profile customization
• Added Smart Charge
• Added Smart Cut-off

Settings

• Added Privacy Dashboard
• Added Monet support
• Redesigned Dark Mode preview
• Redesigned Dashboard icons
• Slightly improved About Device Cards
• Fixed scroll issues in some parts of the Settings

System

• Added low resolution Screen Recording option
• Added Partial screenshot
• Added Compass Quick Settings Tile
• Added Reboot, Recovery, Power Off Quick Settings Tile
• Fixed lag when using ‘Data Usage’ option in QSPanel
• Removed drag pill in QSPanel
• Implemented A12 Beta 4 Media Control Panel
• Added monet support for notifications and qs buttons
• Improved space in Collapsed QSPanel and in Customizer (add/remove/move tiles menu)
• Implemented A12 Pin/Model Lockscreen security design (+monet support)
• Implemented new A12 like default Lockscreen Clock
• Rebased FOD implementation for better stability
• Redesigned Volume Panel for monet support
• Redesigned Quick Panels for monet support

System Updates

• Added monet support
• Added device changelog support

Permission Dialogs

• Slightly improved design
• Added monet support

AOSP Calculator

• Redesigned and added monet support

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Download: ASUS ZenFone 8 gets its second Android 12 Beta update

Back in May, ASUS released the first Android 12 beta build for the ZenFone 8, allowing developers and enthusiasts to try out the new software and help weed out critical bugs. The Taiwanese OEM is now following up with the second installment that fixes many of the bugs and issues reported by the early adopters.

ASUS ZenFone 8 Forums

The update (software version 31.0803.0403.54) is now available for ASUS ZenFone 8 users enrolled in the Android 12 beta program. There are no new features included in the new build, as this is mostly a bug-fixing update. Notably, the update comes with the September 2021 Android security patches. The build ID of the firmware is SKQ3.210717.001, which indicates that the underlying Android layer is based on the Beta 4 release.

Since this is still a beta release, you may find it a bit unpolished as a daily driver. Here are the known issues present in the Beta 2 build:

• System stability issues
• Camera stability issues
• Miracast stability issues
• Outdoor mode is not supported
• Fingerprint recognition rate is lower than desirable when device screen is off
• Battery status displayed in Settings may be inaccurate
• 3rd-party apps compatibility issues

Keep in mind that the new build will not be rolling out to ZenFone 8 users running the first Android 12 beta as a regular OTA update. Since this is part of the Developer Preview Program, it’s only available as a Fastboot-flashable package. After downloading the build from the link below, you need to extract the contents of the ZIP archive and execute the flashall_AFT.cmd script on Windows to flash the Beta 2 update. Linux and macOS users, however, might have to opt for manual flashing.

Download Android 12 Beta 2 for the ASUS ZenFone 8 

There’s no official word yet on a ZenUI-based public beta, let alone a stable release. But with the current beta program moving at a swift pace, it shouldn’t take long for ASUS to open up the latest software to more users.

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Here’s a look at the Assistant weather widget in the Google App

After years of negligence, widgets will finally be getting the much-needed overhaul in Android 12. Google showed off the redesigned widgets coming to Android 12 at Google I/O 2021. Over the past couple of months, we have seen many of these widgets going live in Android 12 beta releases. The last Android 12 Beta 5 that rolled out last week brought the revamped clock widgets along with a “Paint Chips” widget and partially working “Live Space” widget. Now ahead of the Android 12 public release, we have spotted evidence of a brand new Assistant weather widget.

An APK teardown can often predict features that may arrive in a future update of an application, but it is possible that any of the features we mention here may not make it in a future release. This is because these features are currently unimplemented in the live build and may be pulled at any time by the developers in a future build.

Google App 12.36.15 beta just rolled out on the Google Play Store, and it contains strings for a new Assistant weather widget.

<string name="assistant_weather_widget_config_dialog_enable_btn">Get Started</string>

<string name="assistant_weather_widget_config_dialog_exit_btn">No Thanks</string>

<string name="assistant_weather_widget_config_dialog_location_rationale">"Please grant the location permission \"Allow all the time\" for accurate weather info.

App info > App permission > Location permission to \"Allow all the time\""</string>

<string name="assistant_weather_widget_config_dialog_title">Location Permission Required</string>

<string name="assistant_weather_widget_no_location_permission_text">Location Permission Required</string>

<string name="assistant_weather_widget_offline_text">"You're offline. Check your connection."</string>

<string name="assistant_weather_widget_oops_text">Oops, something went wrong</string>

The Assistant weather widget doesn’t seem to have rolled out yet, but we manually enabled the receiver and got it to show up in the widget picker. Here’s what it looks like:

As you can in the screenshots above, the design seems to be Material You-inspired. It doesn’t support dynamic colors yet though it does seem to respect the system-wide dark theme. The widget displays the current weather, your location, and high and low temperatures. It doesn’t quite match what was shown off at Google I/O, so there may be other forms of the widget in the works.

That’s all we know about the upcoming Assistant weather widget in Google App for now. We’ll be sure to let you know if we learn anything new about the widget in the coming weeks.

Google (Free, Google Play) →

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