Latest news with #AamirSiddiqui
Android Authority
3 days ago
- Business
- Android Authority
Pixel VIPs could be the Contacts app upgrade you didn't know you needed (APK teardown)
Aamir Siddiqui / Android Authority TL;DR Google is testing a new 'Pixel VIPs' home screen widget within the Contacts app that centralizes info from key contacts. The widget shows recent calls, messages (including WhatsApp), location data, birthdays, and allows notes for up to eight key people. The widget is still in its testing phase and may be released in a future update to Pixel devices. Google has been working on a new Pixel VIPs widget for the Google Contacts app. This widget could seemingly make it easier to view all your communication history with the people who matter the most to you. We also spotted that the feature could integrate third-party communication apps too, with WhatsApp being one of the first integrations. We now bring to you a comprehensive look at the Pixel VIPs widget and how it could work on your Pixel. Authority Insights story on Android Authority. Discover You're reading anstory on Android Authority. Discover Authority Insights for more exclusive reports, app teardowns, leaks, and in-depth tech coverage you won't find anywhere else. An APK teardown helps predict features that may arrive on a service in the future based on work-in-progress code. However, it is possible that such predicted features may not make it to a public release. Thanks to a source, we got access to the introduction video for the Pixel Besties feature from within the Pixel Tips app. Take a look at the video below: The presence of paw print icons indicates that this is a 'dogfood' build, i.e., a build used for internal testing. So it's likely that the feature will roll out to Pixel devices in an upcoming update, perhaps with Android 16 QPR1. As the introduction video showcases, Google Contacts' Pixel VIPs widget lets you see the last call and messages (including from WhatsApp), real-time location, birthday reminders, and more of up to eight contacts that you set as your VIPs. Once the feature is rolled out, you can set it up by opening the Contacts app, navigating to the Organize tab, and tapping Pixel VIPs. Here, you will be able to choose up to eight VIPs. You'll have to give permissions for the first-time setup. Once done, you can add the Pixel VIPs widget to your home screen. The Pixel VIPs widget is 4×1 in size on your home screen and will display the contacts you have selected as your VIPs. Clicking on a contact here will open a Google Contacts profile listing important details, such as their Birthday, last call and WhatsApp message, and location update. The location update also seems to include local weather and time information, which is a nice touch. There's also a section called 'Notes' that would let you add notes about the person. Further, there's also a 'Things to do together' section, although details on how it is populated are not available at the moment. Finally, there's a 'See all' button at the end. Also, don't miss the quick call, SMS, and WhatsApp shortcuts right at the header, alongside the three-dot menu button presumably for the Contacts app. The Pixel Besties widget is undoubtedly a neat touch, one that would put your most important relationships right on your phone's home screen. This first iteration already looks interesting, though I would love to see Google expand on the idea with a 'Feed' widget too, that could highlight upcoming birthdays and any timed notes, for instance. Right now, it looks like you have to manually pull up the contact card through the widget to learn this information. Surfacing this info right on the home screen would be pretty helpful and would save all of us a few clicks and the embarrassment of missing birthdays. Got a tip? Talk to us! Email our staff at Email our staff at news@ . You can stay anonymous or get credit for the info, it's your choice.
Android Authority
3 days ago
- Business
- Android Authority
Google's AI Overview now correctly answers it's 2025, but leaves us with major trust issues
Google TL;DR Google Search's AI Overview previously gave confident but wrong answers for the simple search query 'Is it 2025?'. This has now been fixed, and AI Overview gives the right answer. More importantly, Google no longer hides the disclaimer about possible mistakes in the AI Overview answer, which helps remind users to double-check results. Users can continue to add '-ai' to searches to turn off the AI Overview results for a cleaner, more traditional Google Search experience. Two days ago, we at Android Authority were the first to report on an embarrassing AI Overview gaffe where Google Search would incorrectly but confidently give the wrong answer for the simple query 'Is it 2025?'. At the time of reporting, we had tried multiple times to get the correct answer, but Google Search would fail differently, but fail nonetheless. Thankfully, it seems Google has now fixed the answer, as AI Overview now correctly responds that it indeed is 2025. Aamir Siddiqui / Android Authority We had reached out to Google, but the company hasn't yet responded with a statement or comments. Nonetheless, Google Search finally returns the right answer, although the source cited for the answer keeps changing. More notably, the disclaimer text 'AI responses may include mistakes' remains visible right in the answer snippet, which was previously hidden behind a 'Show more' tag. This is important as it highlights that users shouldn't entirely rely on the AI-generated response and should ideally double-check the AI Overview answer. Most of us obviously know the answer for such a simple search query, but it's a good example to showcase that we shouldn't rely on AI Overview with blind faith, especially on more complex queries where we may not be able to distinguish the right from the wrong. AI Overview has previously been spotted giving people confident but wrong answers for gibberish idioms, so this mistrust is warranted. If you are frustrated by the lack of credible information in such search results, you can consider turning off AI Overviews for a cleaner, more conventional Google Search experience. If you want to do it on a single query, you can add -ai to your search terms to disable the AI Overview response for that query. Got a tip? Talk to us! Email our staff at Email our staff at news@ . You can stay anonymous or get credit for the info, it's your choice.
Android Authority
3 days ago
- Business
- Android Authority
Google Phone's incoming call screen could get a facelift you can choose (APK teardown)
Aamir Siddiqui / Android Authority TL;DR Google is testing two interfaces for the incoming call screen in the Phone app. Users may be able to choose between a pill-based horizontal swipe UI or an iPhone-like single-tap UI for answering/declining calls. However, users may not have the choice to retain the current vertical swipe UI, which is a shame. Google has been testing a redesign of the Phone app for a while now, primarily focusing on how users answer or decline calls. Back in September 2024, we spotted Google working to abandon the swipe actions for incoming calls in favor of dedicated accept and decline buttons, similar to the iPhone. More recently, in March 2025, we spotted Google testing yet another new pill-based UI for left-right swipe gestures. Google doesn't seem to have made up its mind on which UI to go with, and that's great for users, as it seems it could give them a choice between the two. Interestingly, this choice could co-exist alongside the Phone app's Material 3 Expressive redesign. Authority Insights story on Android Authority. Discover You're reading anstory on Android Authority. Discover Authority Insights for more exclusive reports, app teardowns, leaks, and in-depth tech coverage you won't find anywhere else. An APK teardown helps predict features that may arrive on a service in the future based on work-in-progress code. However, it is possible that such predicted features may not make it to a public release. In the latest Phone by Google app v177.0.763181107 beta release, strings indicate that users can choose between the horizontal swipe gesture and the single-tap buttons on the incoming call screen. Code Copy Text answer_method_preference_list_key Incoming call gesture Horizontal swipe Single tap While we couldn't activate the current iteration of the new UIs right away, we have previously seen both of them. For a recap, this is what the current incoming call UI looks like in the Google Phone app: For incoming calls, you get a single button, which you can swipe up to answer the call or swipe down to reject the call. The upcoming single-tap button layout for the incoming call UI will possibly look like this: This layout is similar to the incoming calls UI on the Phone app on iPhones currently on iOS 18, but OEMs like Samsung swap the button position on Galaxy phones running One UI. You can see both in the images below: Incoming calls UI on the iOS 18.1 Phone app on Apple iPhones Incoming calls UI on the Samsung Phone app on Samsung Galaxy phones The second choice that users could get is this pill-based UI for the left and right swipe gestures: When the call arrives, the Decline text is colored red and the Answer text is colored green, while the phone button in the centre animates to showcase a phone ring. The text changes to black color in a second once the animation is done, but the colors can be transitioned back into once again when you swipe right to answer the call or swipe left to reject the call. You can see the animation in this video below: Either option will require retraining muscle memory for Google Phone app users, though users switching from iPhone to Android will welcome the iPhone-like single-tap UI. Since Google seems to be giving users the choice, nothing is stopping the company from keeping the existing vertical swipe and offering it as a choice, too. We hope the company considers this if it indeed is going ahead with the incoming call UI refresh. We don't know if Google will do so, and we'll keep you updated when we learn more. Got a tip? Talk to us! Email our staff at Email our staff at news@ . You can stay anonymous or get credit for the info, it's your choice.
Android Authority
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Android Authority
Spotify is trying out a new way to help you find fresh music
Aamir Siddiqui / Android Authority TL;DR Spotify is testing sub-genre and 'More Discovery' chips within genre-based playlists. Selecting a chip revamps the entire playlist with fresh tracks, rather than filtering existing ones. For now, this feature appears limited to some users only, suggesting a controlled experiment or limited rollout. Many of us have a love-hate relationship with Spotify. On the one hand, I absolutely love the Spotify Jam feature for social listening, and I use it practically every week to schedule music sessions with my partner and friends. On the other hand, Spotify's discovery mechanisms have felt off to me over the years, regurgitating the same few popular songs. The company is clearly listening to the discovery issue, as users are now seeing sub-genre chips to help them discover new music. Reddit user kwabb spotted genre-related chips in their Spotify-generated R&B Mix playlist. Such playlists are already tailored around a user's preference but may not align well with the user's active mood and preference, which can be a mismatch. Seemingly to counter this, the company has introduced chips such as 'More Discovery' and sub-genre chips like 'Alternative R&B,' 'Neo Soul,' and 'Pop R&B.' Presumably and logically, the sub-genre chips would be different according to the playlist. The user says that selecting any of these chips updates the whole playlist with new content rather than merely filtering out the existing list. These chips have so far appeared only in Spotify's genre mix playlists, but the user's experience has been positive, as it has surfaced new music instead of cycling through the 'same old' recommendations. I haven't yet received these chips on my devices, so it's possibly a controlled test or rollout. We've contacted Spotify to learn more about these sub-genre chips in genre playlists. We'll keep you updated when we do. In the interim, if you'd like to improve Spotify's music discovery, you can try to completely disable the Smart Shuffle option from the app. Got a tip? Talk to us! Email our staff at Email our staff at news@ . You can stay anonymous or get credit for the info, it's your choice.
Android Authority
18-05-2025
- Android Authority
Circle to Search has a hidden trick every color lover should know about
Aamir Siddiqui / Android Authority I'll admit: long-pressing the home button to trigger a visual search was a genius move by Google. I use Circle to Search more often than I ever thought, whether it's to identify plants, bugs, or famous landmarks in TV shows. Surprisingly, it also has a hidden talent for identifying colors. Many web pages and apps help identify colors, providing all the details you might need, and sometimes even more, like additional codes and values. The problem with these tools is that you must upload an image, describe the color, or use a color wheel or slider. They're not immediately accessible. With Circle to Search, long-pressing the home button beneath my thumb is all that's needed. Have you found a use case for Circle to Search? 0 votes Yes, I use it for almost everything! NaN % Yes, I use it in specific instances. NaN % I tried, but I never did find a good use for it. NaN % I've never used it, and don't believe it's useful for me. NaN % Color is all about perception. One person might see a gold dress, while another sees a blue one. To clarify this ambiguity, we assign specific names or values to colors. For instance, Aquamarine, Cerulean, and Navy Blue are all specific tints and shades of blue but vastly different. Whether ordering paint for your kitchen wall based on your Pinterest mood board or selecting complementary colors for a DIY Android widget, having a tool that can accurately identify colors is useful. What color is that couch? Circle to Search has an answer Andy Walker / Android Authority I hilariously stumbled upon this Circle to Search feature when trying to identify something else entirely, but I was interested to see how good it is when specifically targeting solid colors. I triggered the tool to test these capabilities and highlighted small splotches of solid colors on my home screen and various web pages. This activates a Google search with an AI Overview blurb, a list of related results, and specific hex or color codes in some cases. Below, I've included a few examples of this feature in action using Samsung's wallpapers. Sometimes, AI Overview provides a hex code. Alternatively, it offers context about that specific color, be it another identifier, like RGB or CMYK, or a few 'facts' about it. For instance, the dark blue (second image) represents 'depth, stability, and calmness' according to the search tool. This information may not be helpful to everyone, but it's just the type of description I'd need when choosing paint for a specific room. It still offers valuable information even if it doesn't have much to say about a color. This salmon shade I ran through it (third image) suggested a paint color available at my local hardware store! After seeing these results, I wanted to test how well Google knew Pantone colors. I pulled up a palette detailing the year's hues and got to work. It accurately identified Olive Green and provided an RAL code — a color identification system used for varnish, powder coatings, and plastics. Oddly, it struggles with more generic colors. It identified Pantone's Orange Peel as simply 'Pantone Orange' and offered a separate product using that shade. That's useful, I guess, but hundreds of Pantone orange varieties are available. Notably, if you're not using a solid color taken directly from the web, Circle to Search is easily influenced by textures, shadows, and the quality of your camera. The same couch will look different in direct sunlight and fluorescent light. Be aware of this when walking around with your camera, snapping products, and hoping to pinpoint their color later. It does a pretty good job with fabrics, though, offering more information on my couch cushion. A shade of gray paint on canvas. A cushion on a couch. A skein of Orange yarn. Just don't use it for professional work, OK? A more embarrassing miss occurred with a particularly fetching blue from Samsung's default wallpaper set. AI Overview identified it not as a color, but as a sanitary product. I'm unsure how AI Overview arrived at this answer, but it seemed pretty convinced! I also focused on the yellow dot in the image, which the tool believed was a part of a banana. This one did get a chuckle out ot me. That conviction becomes a problem in other ways, too. Take this accent color we use across Android Authority. Circle to Search mentions that the color is a 'mix of blue and green' and offers descriptions like Ocean Green, Dark Sea Green, and Sea Blue, which are in the ballpark but aren't home runs. Only when I scroll down to the related search results do I find a hex code that matches the color almost exactly. A more accurate answer exists, but AI Overview prioritizes the less precise information first. These errors are rare, but they affect the reliability of all the results I receive. I can't expect Circle to Search to be a perfect color identifier, but I'm surprised that it did so well in my tests. Look, I can't expect Circle to Search to be a perfect color identifier, especially compared to more specialized tools. Color science requires precision, and Circle to Search is designed as a general visual search tool. As I've mentioned, the results also depend on the source you're using. As a result, there's a degree of variability that's involved. Your phone's camera or screen might not capture or present a color-accurate image of a couch, cushion, wall, or plant pot, particularly when filters are applied or lighting conditions vary. It's also easily thrown by textures and shadows. In short, Circle to Search isn't for mission-critical work. You shouldn't use it for professional purposes, but for everyone else, it makes snapshot color identification more accessible. It's a great way to learn about colors or garner inspiration. I certainly learned plenty. Nevertheless, despite its flaws, I'm still surprised it did so well in my tests. With a little more work, Google could have a surprisingly reliable Circle to Search use case. I already use the tool to identify structures, dog breeds, flowers, and actors. I can now add colors to this rather odd list.
