Author: Anna Galvez

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Tech

Google Forces Android Smartphone Manufacturers To Release Security Updates

Google has become severe about mobile manufacturers that use Android. In addition to charging them for including the Google Play Store, the company wants their handsets to be up to date with the latest security updates and the newest versions of Android. However, if the manufacturers don’t accept that, they will lose the advantages offered by Google.

Google launches security patches, monthly, to fix the security vulnerabilities in Android. The majority of smartphone manufacturers usually include these updates a few days after they roll out, but many are typically sending updates quarterly.

As for the system updates that Google launches annually, manufacturers are usually at least half a year late.

Smartphone manufacturers usually offer up to 2 years of support and then they stop releasing new updates with the latest security patches or new versions of Android. Google, however, is now going to force all manufacturers to launch at least four security updates a year within the first year after they launch a mobile model. In the second year, they also have to continue to send updates and patches.

Google Forces Android Smartphone Manufacturers To Release Security Updates For At Least 2 Years After Launch

These measures apply to any device launched from January 31st, 2018, that totals more than 100,000 customers. From July 31st, the action was already employed by 75% of manufacturers, and as of January 31st, 2019, it will be mandatory for all smartphone producers.

If a manufacturer does not meet the criteria set by Google, the giant Internet company could stop approving future devices from the respective manufacturer, which would prevent producers from launching smartphones with Google apps included.

The measures that Google has started to implement this year are already showing the first results. The majority of the more than 200 Android mobiles from 30 different manufacturers already have security updates launched. Additionally, Android One phones receive updates every month.

Google is also working on making Android more straightforward to update by smartphone manufacturers, as the update process has many steps to follow and is too slow.

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Games

Pokemon: Let’s Go Presents “Melmetal,” The Legendary Evolution of Meltan

As revealed by the latest video from Professor Oak and Professor Willow, which paves the way to the rollout of Pokemon: Let’s Go, the adorable-looking Meltan appears as a very powerful Pokemon monster, known as Melmetal, which is the legendary evolution of the before-mentioned Melta and represents the latest Legendary Pokemon evolution to come to the popular franchise.

However, you can only grab Melmetal, the legendary evolution of Meltan, by transferring Meltan between Pokemon Go and Pokemon: Let’s Go. Also, the legendary growth requires 400 Meltan candies which can only be acquired by grabbing Meltan in Pokemon Go and sending the Pocket Monster to professor Willow in Pokemon: Let’s Go.

You can also obtain additional Meltan candies by transferring the Pokemon character from Pokémon Go to the Pokemon: Let’s Go, Pikachu or Pokemon: Let’s Go, Eevee Switch games, as reported by MobileSyrup.

Pokemon: Let’s Go Presents “Melmetal,” The Legendary Evolution of Meltan

As you can see from above, Meltan can only be captured in Pokemon Go. However, the Legendary Pokemon can be transferred to Pokemon: Let’s Go games on Switch consoles. In other details revealed by the video, the Melmetal Pokemon is eight-feet tall and weighs about 907kg (2,000lbs).

In other news, Pokemon: Let’s Go, Pikachu and Pokemon: Let’s Go, Eevee would come out on November 16th for Nintendo Switch consoles. Accordingly, both these games can sync with Pokemon Go games, so you’ll be able to transfer Pokemon characters from the Pokemon Go game to the upcoming Pokemon: Let’s Go, Pikachu and Pokemon: Let’s Go, Eevee.

Below, you can watch the video released yesterday by the Official Pokemon YouTube Channel and which reveals the new Melmetal Legendary Evolution of the Meltan Pokemon monster from the Pokemon Go game which is still one of the most popular games of the moment, totaling more than 100 million downloads on Android alone.

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Tech

Galaxy A6 Is The First “Samsung Non-Samsung” Smartphone

The Samsung Galaxy A series is an essential one in the South Korean company’s lineup. Galaxy A7 and A9 are two mid-range smartphones that focus on innovation and performance, outperforming other devices in this range. However, recently, Samsung launched the new Galaxy A6 in China, and this handset is unique since it is the first “Samsung non-Samsung” smartphone.

Yes, that’s correct! Galaxy A6 in China is licensed by Samsung but is not manufactured by the South Korean tech company. In reality, Galaxy A6 is a so-called ODM (Original Device Manufacturer) which is a smartphone that holds Samsung’s name but is not made by Samsung. Accordingly, the Galaxy A6 phones are made by Chinese company Wintech which is also the producer of Xiaomi smartphones.

That’s no something unusual in the smartphone industry. For instance, BlackBerry handsets are made by TCL, and the new Nokia smartphones are now made by HMD Global, also a Chinese phone manufacturer.

Galaxy A6 Is The First “Samsung Non-Samsung” Smartphone

Samsung Galaxy A6 boasts a Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 chipset, 6 Gb of RAM, and either 64 Gb or 128 Gb of internal storage space. It also comes with a 6-inch display with a 2160×1080 resolution and an 18:9 aspect ratio.

Besides, this mid-range handset boasts a dual camera system on its back with one sensor of 12 megapixels and another one of 5 megapixels. It also runs Android 8.1 Oreo. Additionally, the new Galaxy A6 is available at the affordable price of $260.

But, on the other hand, the new “Samsung non-Samsung” smartphone, a so-called ODM phone, raised some concerns among the Chinese smartphone customers. On the one hand, many believe that the Galaxy A6 for China will be significantly different than other phones of the Galaxy A series, especially as regarding its performance. On the other hand, others believe that this is just the first Samsung-branded handset produced by Wintech from a series of such smartphones which would roll out for the Chinese market.

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Tech

Italian Authorities Fined Apple And Samsung For Slowing Down Old Phones

Italian antitrust organization “Autorità Garante della Concorrenza e del Mercato” (AGCM) fined both Apple and Samsung with 5 million Euros each for slowing down old phones, on purpose, to force customers to buy new devices.

As reported by AGCM, Apple and Samsung violated a series of consumer codes. For the Italian market authority, that is unacceptable and, in consequence, it fined both companies with 5 million Euros each.

Apple was fined for the issues caused by iOS 10 update on iPhone 6

The iOS 10 version, which came out by default on iPhone 7, also came to iPhone 6 as an update. However, iOS 10 came with greater energy demands, forcing older iPhone smartphones to shut down unexpectedly, according to MobileSyrup. Apple tried to tackle this issue with the iOS 10.2.1 update which throttled CPUs on older iPhones.

Also, Apple throttled iPhone smartphones with degraded batteries to avoid them from shutting down. But, the company did not inform its clients about the possible consequences of the update, such as slower performance.

Italian market authorities also fined Samsung with 5 million Euros for the Android Marshmallow 6.0.1 update

Apple was not the only giant company fined by the “Autorità Garante della Concorrenza e del Mercato” (AGCM), the Italian market authority. AGCM also fined Samsung with 5 million Euros for the Android Marshmallow 6.0.1 update the South Korean tech company released for Galaxy Note 4.

Allegedly, the update was too demanding for the before-mentioned smartphones, causing the devices to malfunction, making people pay out-of-pocket repair costs to fix the issues or replace the phone, MobileSyrup reported. According to the AGCM press release, Samsung did not inform its customers about the potential negative consequences of the update. However, it’s not clear whether the South Korean company could have predicted such issues.

In short, “Autorità Garante della Concorrenza e del Mercato” (AGCM), the Italian market authority, fined Apple and Samsung for slowing down old phones.

Categories
Tech

Google Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL Problems And Their Solutions

The new Google Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL are among the top five Android smartphones to date. They have top-end specifications, robust software, excellent camera features, and, of course, the artificial intelligence that Google included in them. However, the devices are not perfect. Since the launch of these phones there have been some problems related to some of their functions, and if you bought one of them, you could be experiencing one of these annoying situations as well.

In case you have any inconvenience related to your Google Pixel 3 or Pixel 3 XL, we have made this guide where you will find everything you need to know about the most common problems of the Pixel 3 line, and how to solve them.

Google Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL Photos Are Not Automatically Saved

Several users have reported that after taking a photo with the camera application, those photos are not saved, which means that the image could disappear forever. That is a significant problem and one that seems to be quite widespread, as you can see a lot of complaints on social networks and sites like Reddit.

The problem seems to be related to the way Pixel 3, and Pixel 3 XL handle the internal storage, and it occurs specifically when users exit the camera app before HDR processing is complete. Fortunately, this means it can be fixed with a software update.

For now, the only way to avoid losing a photo is to keep the camera application open for a few seconds after the picture is taken until it is saved.

The Music App Shuts Down When You Open Google Camera App

Some other users have reported that opening the Google Camera app while listening to music causes the Music app to close in the background, stopping the playback of what you were listening to. That is another error that seems to be related to memory management in Google Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL. In the same way that they are the previous problem, the only real solution right now is to wait for a software update. To look for an update, go to Settings -> System -> System Update and make sure you have the latest version of Android.

Your Google Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL Is Locked With The Verizon Network

That is a situation that makes many shake their heads wondering how this is possible. What happens is that Google Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL are exclusive Verizon phones, which basically means that Verizon is the only operator in the United States with the right to sell these devices.

However, some users reported that when they bought the Pixel 3 from Best Buy, in order not to have to deal with this problem, they found that it was also locked to work only on the Verizon network, which means that users who bought the phone could not activate it on another network.

Fortunately, it appears that Verizon, at least temporarily, has fully unlocked Pixel 3. The unlock was sent to Pixel 3 phones via an OTA software update, so you should be able to set up your phone without a SIM card, then update and activate it on the network of your choice.

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