Latest news with #technews
Android Authority
14 hours ago
- General
- Android Authority
Android 16 QPR1 beta's background blur issue has a simple fix
Joe Maring / Android Authority TL;DR Android 16 QPR1 Beta 1 introduces a background blur effect in the app drawer, keyguard, and other areas. Activating Battery Saver will disable the background blur effect. Background blur consumes more power, so the setting turns the feature off. Google rolled out the much-anticipated first public beta for Android 16 last week. The update introduces some big changes, like physics-based animations, upgraded app components, and new themes. A new background blur effect has also been applied across the system. If you've installed the beta and this blur effect doesn't seem to be working for you, we now know the reason. One of the more visually appealing changes brought on by Android 16 is the new background blur effect. This effect appears when you're on the recent screen, Quick Settings panel, app drawer, and keyguard. It gives the background a frosted look that feels more expressive than what you get with Android 15. However, some users have recently noticed that this feature doesn't seem to always work. If this is the case for you, then you may want to check your battery settings. Like turning on Smooth display or raising your screen brightness, this background blur effect can drain your battery. It's a feature that's run by the GPU, so it consumes extra power. As a result, if your phone enters Battery Saver mode, it will turn the effect off to maximize the amount of power left in your device. Battery Saver off Battery Saver on Battery Saver off Battery Saver on In the screenshots above, you can see examples of the blur effect working and not working in the app drawer and Quick Settings. We have confirmed on our own devices that turning on Battery Saver does indeed turn background blur off. The answer is as simple as that. If you turn on battery saving mode, you're also turning off background blur. Although we think the effect looks nice, it's not exactly worth the power drain if your battery is low on juice. 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.
The Sun
2 days ago
- General
- The Sun
Major app used by 2 BILLION people is draining mobile batteries – check now for important update to instantly fix it
POWER UP Looking for other ways to boost your battery? Read our tips below GOOGLE has revealed a major app used by 2billion people across the world is the culprit behind a battery drain issue affecting some mobiles. But fortunately there's an update now available to fix it. 2 The issue seems to impact Google Pixel smartphones specifically. It's not clear whether other Android phones suffered the same issue. The app that's inadvertently sucking up people's battery power is none other than Instagram. Writing on the Android support forum, a Google rep said Instagram has put out an update that should fix the problem. "Starting today, Instagram is rolling out an updated app that should fix a battery drain issue on Android devices," Community Manager Aadil Shaikh said. "Please make sure you have the latest version of the Instagram app (build 382.0.0.49.84) to resolve this issue." To check you have the latest version of Instagram, go to the Google Play Store and search the app there. TIPS TO BOOST YOUR BATTERY If you're having troubles with your phone's battery there are ways to improve it. Things like the screen can have an impact on power consumption due to their brightness. The brighter your screen is, the faster your battery will go. Samsung insider reveals top tricks every user needs to know about to save battery and storage You can manually turn the brightness down. Or you can set up automatic screen brightness, so your phone adjusts to the best brightness for the ambient lighting around you. You can go a step further by activating dark mode too. Elsewhere, switching off mobile data can also help preserve battery. You could deactivate it when you're home and rely on Wi-Fi instead, or simply set your phone to flight mode to block off all connections. Then there's the adaptive battery and battery optimisation options. "To have apps use your phone's battery only when you need them to, keep Adaptive Battery and battery optimisation on," Google explains. "The Pixel battery continuously learns your behaviors and optimizes itself based on your most recent app usage. "When you set up a new device or after a factory reset, optimization may take up a few weeks to take full effect. "For best results keep Adaptive Battery and Battery Optimisation on."
Android Authority
2 days ago
- Business
- Android Authority
One UI 8 finally expands support for an Android 15 feature sorely missed on One UI 7
Paul Jones / Android Authority TL;DR One UI 8 finally lets you use Android 15's predictive back gesture on stock Samsung apps. One UI 7 restricted the usage of the predictive back gesture to Google apps. The feature is now enabled by default on the latest One UI 8 beta update. The One UI 8 beta has arrived for the Galaxy S25 series, and we've been digging into it to see what's new. One sweet improvement we've found is that Samsung is finally adding support for Android 15's predictive back gesture in its stock apps, a feature that was (and is) notably missing from the One UI 7 update. Predictive back was introduced with Android 15 and is enabled by default. It enhances gesture navigation by letting users preview the screen they'll return to before the back gesture is completed. In One UI 7, this feature works mostly only with Google apps. But with the One UI 8 beta, the predictive back gesture now works across several of Samsung's own apps, such as: Clock Calculator Weather Settings Voice Recorder Contacts However, the gesture still doesn't function in some Samsung apps, like Calendar and Reminders. Another noteworthy change is that the toggle for predictive back animations is now visible in the Developer Options menu. In One UI 7, this setting could be found through the Settings search bar, but would not appear when tapped, almost as if it were hidden. That inconsistency has been fixed in One UI 8 beta, where the setting is now fully accessible. That said, we didn't need to enable the toggle to get predictive back working on the Samsung apps. Zac Kew-Denniss / Android Authority One thing you need to know is that to use the expanded predictive back gesture in One UI 8 beta (or the older version in One UI 7), you must disable the One Hand Operation+ Good Lock module. If it's enabled, predictive back won't work. Of course, you also need to enable gesture navigation to use the feature. However, as we previously discovered, Google is also working to bring predictive back support to three-button navigation in Android 16. 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.
CNET
2 days ago
- Business
- CNET
Apple Reportedly Renaming iOS 18 to iOS 26 as Part of a New, Year-Based System
Apple may be on the verge of a big change in the way the company names its software updates -- and it's an approach that may seem familiar to anyone who's familiar with Windows 95, or a '57 Chevy. On Wednesday, Bloomberg reported that Apple is rebranding its operating systems by using the two last digits of the upcoming year. So the current iOS 18 will be replaced by iOS 26, not iOS 19, when it arrives in the fall of 2025. A representative for Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Bloomberg story cites unnamed sources, who say that the additional updates will take the names iPadOS 26, macOS 26, watchOS 26, tvOS 26 and visionOS 26. According to the sources, the hope is to bring consistency to Apple's branding and remove confusion. Bloomberg notes that current operating systems, including iOS 18, watchOS 12, macOS 15 and visionOS 2, use different numbers since they didn't debut at the same time.
The Verge
2 days ago
- Business
- The Verge
Apple is reportedly going to rename all of its operating systems
Apple is going to switch up how it names its next set of major operating systems, Bloomberg reports. Instead of just notching up the version number, Apple will instead switch to marking them by year. However, the years will apparently align with the year after the one the update is actually released in, similar to cars. That means that the next big iOS update will be iOS 26 instead of iOS 19. Bloomberg says that other upcoming name changes include iPadOS 26, macOS 26, watchOS 26, tvOS 26, and visionOS 26. Apple plans to announce the change at its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), which kicks off on June 9th. The idea is to make Apple's software version numbers more consistent. Right now, the version numbers are all over the place; the current naming schemes include things like iOS 18, watchOS 12, and visionOS 2.
