Latest news with #RyanHaines
Android Authority
a day ago
- Android Authority
Samsung's next foldable might drop a premium material but regain a fan-favorite feature
Ryan Haines / Android Authority TL;DR Samsung is considering switching from titanium to carbon fiber in the Galaxy Z Fold 8 due to supply chain concerns. Using carbon fiber could also enable the return of S Pen support, which isn't as compatible with titanium. Samsung is working on thinner stylus technology but hasn't confirmed whether the S Pen will return next year. The Galaxy Z Fold 7 hasn't even shipped yet, but Samsung already appears to be rethinking some key design elements for its 2026 follow-up. While it might sound like a technical decision, the choice could have big implications for S Pen support. According to Korean outlet The Elec, Samsung is considering two materials for the Galaxy Z Fold 8's backplate: titanium and carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP). Titanium is what you'll find in the Z Fold 7 and the Z Fold SE, both of which dropped S Pen support in favor of a thinner, sleeker design. However, sourcing the metal could become tricky as much of the global supply comes from China, and Samsung is reportedly concerned about the risk of ongoing trade tensions. CFRP is less flashy, but Samsung used it in the Z Fold 3 through Z Fold 6 precisely because it worked better with the EMR digitizer layer needed for S Pen input. And while Samsung's latest foldable dropped stylus support entirely, the company hasn't closed the door on the feature just yet. Last week, a Samsung executive confirmed the company is developing thinner and more innovative S Pen tech, and may reconsider stylus support if the new approach is ready and consumer demand is strong. One potential solution would mimic Apple's AES-based stylus input, which doesn't require a digitizer layer at all. Whatever your views on the tariff tensions, if they lead to the return of the S Pen on the Galaxy Z Fold 8, a particular subset of the Samsung fanbase will be pleased. 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
a day ago
- Android Authority
Google Maps just made controlling your music a navigation nightmare
Ryan Haines / Android Authority TL;DR Google Maps v25.28 stable and v25.29 beta have removed in-app media playback controls. The removed feature allowed easy access to play, browse suggestions, or open the default music app. It's unclear if the removal was intentional or just a bug, as the functionality still exists on iOS. Google Maps remains one of the best apps for Android devices, but it's not perfect. There are plenty of ways Google can improve the Maps experience, and a good starting step is to keep features that users use and not remove them, especially if replacement functionality isn't available. The latest change to Google Maps makes it significantly difficult to control your music while navigating, and it's pretty infuriating. As spotted by 9to5Google, Google Maps v25.28 stable as well as Maps v25.29 beta has removed the media playback controls that appeared at the bottom of the app when navigating. The media controls were a swipe away at the bottom, and you could easily control playback from here. Users could also tap the Browse button for nine quick suggestions to switch to quickly. If you needed more options, there was a handy shortcut to quickly open the music app. If you needed more screen real estate, you could swipe down the controls to move them out of the way again. These handy media control shortcuts had to be enabled within Google Maps' Settings > Navigation > Show media playback controls. This feature worked with YouTube Music and Spotify, and you could also select your default media app. However, the new Google Maps update on both stable and beta channels has removed all of this. This feature was my default way to control music playback while navigating. While there are other external ways to control playback, having the control right on the navigation screen was super convenient as it minimized distractions and taps needed to simply change a song. Now, you have to swap out to your music player app or use the active media player notification in the notification panel to control playback, meaning you have to navigate away from the Maps screen and, worse, be distracted for a few more seconds while driving. It's not immediately clear if this removal is intentional or just a bug, but the feature remains present on Google Maps for iOS, for what it's worth. We've contacted Google to learn more about the removal of media playback controls from Google Maps. 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
2 days ago
- Android Authority
The best colors we've seen on Google Pixel phones
Ryan Haines / Android Authority Google will finally launch the Pixel 10 series next month, and leakers have apparently already revealed all the colors. These shades include Obsidian and Porcelain, with Lemongrass and Indigo adding a much-needed splash of color. So we thought now would be a good time to choose our favorite Google Pixel phone colors ever. I asked the Android Authority team to choose their favorite shades, tallied their choices, and created this list. Do note that we excluded the Pixel-A series and Pixel Fold line. Do you agree with our choices? Let us know your favorite Pixel colors in the comments! What's your favorite Pixel phone color? 0 votes Kinda Coral NaN % Sorta Seafoam NaN % Wintergreen NaN % Really Blue NaN % Black and White NaN % Sorta Sage NaN % Bay NaN % Oh So Orange NaN % Other (leave a comment) NaN % 5) Really Blue (Pixel 1) You can't accuse us of recency bias; several team members chose the original Pixel's Really Blue hue as one of their favorite Pixel colors. Google has subsequently released blue Pixel phones (more on that in a bit), but none have matched the deep shade seen here. The Really Blue color scheme was available on both the standard and XL models and was accompanied by the more conventional Very Silver and Quite Black shades. I also like how each color scheme, including the blue model, unabashedly extends to the phone's frame. 4) Black and White (Pixel 2 XL) Ah, the Panda or Penguin Pixel. Several Android Authority team members, including yours truly, chose the Black and White Pixel 2 XL as one of the best Pixel colors. This was restricted to the XL model and delivered a white rear cover with a black camera window. Look a little closer, and you'll also find a delightful little orange power button. Pixel 3 phones retained this camera window element, but there isn't a stark color contrast between it and the rest of the rear cover. Side note: I think of the Black and White Pixel 2 XL whenever I'm driving behind a black-and-white Volkswagen Up. 3) Sorta Sage (Pixel 5) David Imel / Android Authority It's actually a tie between our third and second most popular colors. In any event, plenty of colleagues chose the Sorta Sage Pixel 5 as their top Pixel shade. Seriously, it got some love in our Slack channel, too. The Sorta Sage color is quite pale, but was still a welcome addition for people who wanted to quietly step away from the usual greys, blacks, and whites. It's not like you have any other choice, though, as Just Black was the only alternative. 2) Bay (Pixel 8 Pro) Paul Jones / Android Authority The Pixel 8 Pro arrived with a Bay color option, and it's tied with the Sorta Sage Pixel 5 in our vote. Bay is a very pleasant light shade of blue compared to the Pixel 2 XL's saturated dark blue hue. Google's 2023 flagship Android phones are also available in Rose, Hazel, Obsidian, and Porcelain. However, Obsidian and Porcelain were the only other Pixel 8 series colors that got any votes from the team. 1) Oh So Orange (Pixel 4) This is it. Our favorite Google Pixel color debuted on 2019's Google Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL. This was the first shade I thought of when writing down my personal list of the best Pixel colors. The Oh So Orange model has an unabashedly orange rear cover that seems to vary in intensity depending on your ambient lighting. It also has a black camera housing, a black frame, and a pale orange power button. All of this came together to make one of the more enduring smartphone variants. I spent plenty of time with the Oh So Orange Pixel 4 back in the day, and had several complaints about the phone itself. But I really wish Google would revive this color scheme for future Pixel phones. It seems like many Android Authority team members feel the same way. Honorable mentions Jimmy Westenberg / Android Authority Honestly, there are so many nice Pixel colors, so I have three more honorable mentions that all achieved the same number of votes. The first color is Kinda Coral, which debuted on the Pixel 6. In fact, I still think of this color option today when I think of the Pixel 6 line. This consists of a pinkish rear cover and a red strip above the black camera bar. It's a shame we haven't seen this on subsequent models. Sorta Seafoam (seen above) is another Pixel 6 color that made the list. This is a greenish shade tinged with blue, complete with a light yellow strip above the black camera bar. Our final honorable mention is the Pixel 9's Wintergreen color scheme, which is a very pale green. It's not as vibrant as something like the Galaxy Note 20's Mystic Green, but it's still a refreshing change from typical hues.
Android Authority
3 days ago
- Android Authority
Android 16 is a mess right now
Joe Maring / Android Authority If you're reading this article, chances are you love Android. Or, at the very least, have a fairly high interest in the OS. You probably like staying up-to-date with the latest features, new platform releases, and other happenings with Google's operating system. Unfortunately for people like us, trying to keep up with new Android developments has never been more complicated. And this past week, Google just made it all the more obscure with the release of Android Canary. Stable Android 16? Android 16 QPR1 Beta? Android 16 Developer Preview, which is now Android Canary, which is neither Android 16 nor Android 17? There's no other way around it. Android 16 is currently a mess. What do you think about Android Canary? 0 votes I like it! It seems like a cool way to test new Android features. NaN % Developer Previews were fine, Google should have kept them. NaN % I don't care either way. NaN % Other (let us know in the comments). NaN % The current state of Android 16 Ryan Haines / Android Authority Even before the arrival of Android Canary (which I'll get to soon), Google's entire strategy for Android 16 has been one of the most convoluted ones I've ever seen. Android 16 is a very different release from previous versions, as Google started development much sooner than it typically does. After Android 15 launched in October 2024, the first Android 16 Developer Preview dropped a month later in November, with the stable release arriving on Pixels this past June. This was a dramatically faster development timeline than we typically see, and to Google's credit, it made sense. By fast-tracking Android 16 like this, Google ensured its latest Android version would be ready to ship on the Pixel 10 next month, avoiding the awkward launch of the Pixel 9 series last year, where the phones shipped with Android 14 and didn't receive Android 15 until several months later. Joe Maring / Android Authority However, this also created a rift in Android 16. Despite being a full OS upgrade, the version of Android 16 that launched in June is barely distinguishable from Android 15. That's because all of Android 16's most significant new features — such as Material 3 Expressive, Live Updates, 90:10 split-screen multitasking, and more — aren't in the update. Instead, they won't be available until at least Android 16 QPR1. Android 16 QPR1 is currently in beta, with the full release expected sometime in September. And in a lot of ways, it's the 'real' Android 16 update we're all waiting for. So, while Android 16 may have technically had its stable launch last month, the big changes won't be ready for a couple more months still. Got it? Good, because you won't in a minute. The Android Canary of it all Joe Maring / Android Authority On Thursday, Google announced a brand new release track for Android called 'Android Canary.' And it's … weird. Traditionally, Google has had two pre-release versions of Android for people to dabble with ahead of a stable build: Developer Previews and Betas. With Android 16, for example, Google first launched Android 16 Developer Previews for developers to begin working with the new software, followed by the Android 16 Beta, allowing the general public to get an early taste of the update. Android Canary is set to replace Android Developer Previews, serving as the new home of Android's latest and most bleeding-edge features. Simple enough, right? Well, not really. Determining the release timeline for features in Android Canary is impossible. Android Developer Previews are very clearly tied to a specific Android version. Features seen in an Android 16 Developer Preview, for example, are almost certain to be found in the Android 16 Beta and public release. But Android Canary doesn't work that way. Google classifies Android Canary as its own version of Android. Android Canary isn't technically a preview of Android 16 or Android 17. It's not tied to any numbered Android build; it's just Android Canary. Mishaal Rahman / Android Authority As such, it makes determining the release timeline for features in Android Canary impossible. Some Android Canary features may be available as soon as Android 16 QPR1, but others might not be ready until Android 16 QPR2. Furthermore, it's entirely possible that parts of Android Canary won't be seen in a public release until Android 17 or later. Since Android Canary isn't beholden to any other Android version and is now its own thing, we have no idea about the cadence in which features will go from Canary -> Beta -> Public release. And if you think that sounds annoying, I'm right there with you. Not an issue for everyone, but a mess nonetheless Robert Triggs / Android Authority Google's stark split between Android 16 and Android 16 QPR1 had already made this specific Android version fairly confusing, and going forward with Android Canary, that confusion is bound to deepen. With Developer Previews, we at least had a decent idea of when new features would trickle down from those to Betas and stable releases. But with Android Canary, that's all out the window. Canary has only been around for a few days and is already complicating the release timeline for new Android features — and I can only imagine what things will look like six months or a year from now. The counterargument to all of this is that none of it matters to 'normal' people. For the average person who doesn't care about Developer Previews or Betas and only updates their phone when a stable release is ready, they probably won't notice any difference at all. And, at the end of the day, that's who Google cares about most. Joe Maring / Android Authority However, for those of us who do like following the latest Android happenings, Google has created an utterly chaotic way forward. Maybe this focus on earlier development and the switch to Android Canary will all work out in the end, but right now, all I see is a cluttered and messy cycle that feels like it'll only get worse. Google will continue to develop new Android features, and we'll ultimately receive them in stable releases, just as we always have. But this new path to getting there has never been more complicated, and it's one I'm not looking forward to.
Android Authority
4 days ago
- Android Authority
Garmin's Morning and Evening Reports are so good that Fitbit should steal them
Kaitlyn Cimino / Android Authority I've always believed that more is better when it comes to health-tracking metrics. If I'm wearing a GPS watch all day and all night, I want to know what it's picking up and how I can best use that to my advantage. And when I always have a Garmin on my wrist, I know exactly how much data I have to look forward to. I know that I can tap into a Morning and an Evening Report on my Forerunner 970, and I've noticed that it's made a few of my colleagues jealous. They have to watch as I check in on my steps, recovery, and upcoming workouts while they try to find their Morning Briefs that may or may not have populated. Since I know they're not about to go out and buy Garmin watches themselves, I guess it's time for Google to play copycat, and here's why. Garmin's strength is in its consistency Ryan Haines / Android Authority I know my colleagues love their Fitbits and their Pixel Watches — I like the Pixel Watch an awful lot, too. If I could get Garmin-level battery life out of its smooth, pebble-like design, I'd probably strap it on as my day-to-day wearable whenever I'm not running. However, I've also listened to them lament the same few issues over and over, usually surrounding the Morning Brief. Whether it's a lack of data or a brief that's flat-out missing in action, it always seems like something's not quite right. With Garmin, though, I know that my Morning and Evening reports are coming, whether I've been wearing my watch or not. Yes, they're much more detailed if I've been wearing my Forerunner 970, adding a breakdown of my sleep and my recovery from a previous workout, but I still get a look at the weather, my upcoming workouts, and any calendar appointments I have to be on top of. If I've been wearing my watch, it'll offer a much more detailed look at my HRV from the night before, a better recap of my training readiness, and might modify my recommended workout to account for residual fatigue. My dual Garmin reports wake me up and send me to bed with a better idea of my day. Then, when it's almost time for bed, it's a case of same, same but different in the evening report. Instead of forecasting your day, it summarizes your activities and an estimate of just how much sleep you might need to get your Body Battery back on schedule. The evening report can also give you workout suggestions for the next day, including runs and bike rides, but if you're in the middle of a Connect Plus-powered training plan (like I am), it will default to what's on your schedule instead. Perhaps what I like best about Garmin's pair of reports is what I've hinted at already — like death, taxes, and the mailman, the reports always come in. As far as I've noticed, the Morning Report is ready a little bit before your scheduled wake-up time (in my case, around 7:00 AM), and it sticks around for about two hours after you've rolled out of bed. You can miss it if you're not careful, but it's much easier to check than I've heard about Fitbit's Morning Brief. Ryan Haines / Android Authority The Evening Report gives you a similar window, popping up on your wrist about 90 minutes before your scheduled bedtime. Typically, that means I'm getting a reminder around 9:30 PM, which is also a pretty good reminder to wind down from my phone (or TV) for the night — even if I don't actually listen. I'd be slightly curious to see whether Garmin's Evening Report would change if it knew I was spending the night out with friends or staying up late watching a movie, but that's usually reflected in the next day's morning report anyway. I know Google could do this, but, weirdly, it hasn't Kaitlyn Cimino / Android Authority Yes, I know that Google has its Fitbit-powered Morning Brief. I've heard about it plenty from my colleagues, and they've said over and over again how much they'd like to use it, but that it's just not consistent enough. That's the part of this whole thing that I don't understand. I trust my set of Nest Hubs and speakers to manage routines like the lights and temperature of my apartment, I trust my Pixel 9 Pro to know when I get home, and I trust my Pixel Buds Pro to connect to the correct device, why can't I trust my watch to give me a morning report at a consistent time? Timing aside, I'm just as surprised by the information that Google's Morning Brief doesn't include. As Kaitlyn pointed out, it doesn't include calendar appointments or a detailed weather forecast, which are odd considering I trust Google Calendar with my life (basically) and Pixel Weather with my well-being (keeping me dry when I set off for a run). It feels like Google could add — or rather expand — both metrics within its Morning Brief without too much work and offer a much more complete look at my day. Google has my data, now if only it would give some back to me in an easily digestible way. Maybe it's just me, and perhaps I'm too data-happy regarding Google, but I can't say the current Morning Brief makes much sense. It's being outdone by a Morning Report from a fitness company in terms of both regularity and detail, and Garmin's Evening Report is just the icing on top. Unfortunately, it's currently limited to just the Forerunner 570 and Forerunner 970, but I can easily see Garmin expanding its access shortly since neither wearable has any special hardware to support the brief. Right now, my money is on Garmin rolling its Evening Report out to its entire lineup before Google bulks up its Brief, but that's just my guess. For my colleagues' sake, I hope I'm wrong.
