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Your old Android phone is getting better about keeping you safe from barely-used apps

‘Those permissions granted to you? Yeah, we’re gonna need them back. ‘

Google is alerting app developers to some big coding changes ahead of the planned expansion of Android’s permission auto-reset policy. This means more users will have permissions they’ve granted to apps automatically revoked starting in December. Here’s what you need to know as a consumer.

Phone Hub for Chrome OS won’t destroy your phone’s battery in a future update

Phone Hub is great, but not when it ruins your Android phone’s battery life

Phone Hub was a big deal when Google launched it with Chrome OS 89 a few months back. The feature finally brought the cross-device synergy that Android and Chromebook fans have been waiting for, with the ability to respond to your phone’s messages, view its status, and more. The launch didn’t go smoothly at all, however, with many reporting bugs like severe Android battery drain that outweighs any reason to use it. That may soon change, though, as Google is finally working on a fix to prevent it from killing your phone’s battery.

You can now sync your Google Autofill settings across your devices

As you use your phone to sign in to apps and sites and make purchases, your details can be saved to your Google account so they’re easily accessible from another device. Last year, Google added a security layer on top of these autofill prompts, to make sure only you can use your payment info and credentials. Now, a new setting allows you to sync those preferences across your devices.

Future Google Play Services updates may improve Snapdragon performance

Qualcomm’s Neural Network API updates will be included in Google Play Services

Do you know what the Neural Networks API is? If you don’t, it’s fine, it’s one of those surprisingly complex things that makes a lot of different parts of Android better without ever being very visible to the end user. Long story short: it allows developers to apply some of the extremely complicated parts of neural network processing to local Android hardware, getting a boost in performance in the background. And starting soon, it’ll benefit from the same kind of regular driver updates that Qualcomm has been using for its GPU driver updates.

Googlefier is the simplest route to Google apps on Huawei and Honor phones

Because let’s be real, Android phones without Google apps are severely limited

Huawei just announced the Mate 40, but like any other recent phone from the company, it’s crippled by the lack of Google apps. It’s possible to install these applications and the corresponding services on Huawei and Honor phones, but until now, the process was tedious and involved dozens of steps. The aptly called app Googlefier is looking to change that — it doesn’t offer a one-step solution, but it makes the process much more approachable with limited automation and step-by-step guidance.

Google Pay’s redesigned UI with no bottom tab is rolling out widely

It’s the same design that’s available through the power menu wallet on Pixel phones

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A while ago, we covered a hidden new look for Google Pay, accessible through the overflow menu in the power button wallet on Pixel phones. It looks like Google is now making that look the new standard interface for Pay, and it’s currently rolling out to many people. The new design likely triggered by a server-side update to the Play Services.

Google Autofill on Android can require biometric authentication now

Just like most other autofill providers

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It’s been a couple of years since the Autofill API was added to Android and you’ve been able to use Google or other password managers to fill in your credentials and log in to apps. However, while most third-party password apps require you to verify your identity before releasing your details to another app, Google’s autofill just surrendered those details willy-nilly as long as your phone was unlocked. That’s not so secure. A recent change to Play Services fixes that by letting you require an on-the-spot authentication before Google autofills the data fields.

Google’s AirDrop clone Nearby Share is back and rolling out more widely

Following a short hiatus yesterday

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After a short hiatus yesterday, it looks like Nearby Share has returned for many again, and it seems like it’s rolled out much more widely this time around. The Apple AirDrop competitor, currently still under development and not 100% officially announced, started surfacing about a month ago in beta, and began hitting stable users around a week later, but the feature disappeared for many yesterday, July 29.

Google Play services is the first Android app to hit 10 billion installs

Google Play services have been installed more than 10 billion times.

Nearby Share is starting to roll out more widely on Android

Even for users running the stable release of Play Services

Nearby Share, Android’s AirDrop equivalent, had been teased and leaked for over a year before it finally made its shy debut at the end of June. In its limited rollout, the feature was restricted to devices running Google Play Services beta, and was also governed by a server-side test. Only a small percentage of users got it, but it now appears to be rolling out widely and coming out of beta too.

Huawei hangs onto Google apps with second P30 Pro re-release

Should we expect another one of these in 6 months?

As the U.S. continues to shun Huawei away from using any of its suppliers, the Chinese manufacturer is keen on retaining its foreign audience who are fans of their hardware but won’t use an Android phone without Google apps. Enter the Huawei P30 Pro New Edition, the second reboot of the P30 Pro launched a year after the original P30 Pro came about.

OnePlus 8 phones join the club supporting 3D objects and animals in Google Search

4 other devices are in the mix with this update

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There are a lot of fun 3D objects like skeletons, cars, planets, and animals you can view in Google Search, which might be perfect to pass the time while you and your kids are stuck at home. The underlying technology enabling this is called Google Play Services for AR, formerly known as ARCore. It’s an engine that powers most games and applications on Android that use augmented reality effects. However, since the framework has to be tuned for each device, Google has to periodically update Play Services to support new phones and tablets. Since the last time we covered the library, 42 more devices have been added to the roster.

Google seeks trade ban exemption from US government to continue working with Huawei

Google isn’t ready to give up on one of its biggest partners just yet

A month ago, Austrian Huawei manager Fred Wangfei said the company wouldn’t return to Google’s apps and services even if the US trade ban lifted. The Chinese conglomerate tried to backtrack on that statement, but it would still make sense for it to work on its independence in case it finds itself caught in the middle of another trade skirmish. For Google, this isn’t the best situation as it could lose a lot of revenue if Huawei succeeds. That’s why it has made a formal application to the US government seeking permission to trade with Huawei, as reported by the dpa via Heise.

Huawei says it won’t return to Google services even if trade ban lifts (Update: Statement)

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Huawei got caught in the middle of the US/China trade war and has been cut off from Google’s apps and services for more than half a year now. That forced the company to quickly create a Google-less Android variant to ensure phones like the Mate 30 Pro could ship. Even though it looks like the US and China are coming to terms with each other and Huawei’s ban might be lifted soon, the manufacturer has told Austrian newspaper Der Standard that it still won’t return to Google’s services.

Android Beam’s replacement will be called Nearby Sharing (Updated)

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If you’re already missing Android Beam and the way it allowed you to share links or files from your device to another easily, there’s some good news and bad news all rolled up into one item: Google is planning on rolling out a new «Fast Share» protocol through a Play services updates that will allow Android devices to share assets to other devices, primarily using Bluetooth and Wi-Fi Direct connections.

[Update: Nope] CEO says Huawei Mate 30 bootloader is unlockable, opening easy pathway to Google apps

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Huawei might have been able to deploy Android 10 just in time for its Mate 30 and Mate 30 Pro releases, but, thanks to a looming U.S. imports ban, Western markets will not be able to use Google apps and services on those phones. at least out of the box. We’ve been expecting a couple of twists to come out of the company in order to accommodate those Google-dependent customers and they have certainly come — right out of the CEO’s mouth.

Trusted Face smart unlock method has been removed from Android devices

Face unlock is more widely available on smartphones nowadays, but many of us seem to forget that Android has always had a barebones — albeit easily fooled — equivalent of the feature for years. Android Smart Lock’s Trusted face was added in 2014 and has been accessible to users on all Android devices until recently. Now, it’s completely gone from stock and OEM devices, running Android 10 or below.

Heads up: Play Services 18.3.82 has a battery drain problem

Google Play Services is both a blessing and a curse. Over the years, the software has become the essential motor driving Android devices, with a lot of former system APIs being transferred to the all-encompassing software. Push notifications, background operations, fast GPS functionality, and more are bundled within the application. Unfortunately, this means that any bugs with Play Services will affect almost all devices running a Google-sanctioned version of Android. Such a bug has surfaced with the latest update to version number 18.3.82, which churns through standby battery regardless of which phone you’re using.

[Update x3: Official Huawei/Honor statement] Future Huawei phones reportedly won’t have access to Google services, including the Play Store

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Last week, the United States added Huawei to its ‘Entity List’, meaning US companies can’t do business with Huawei without explicit government approval. A report from Reuters claims Google is ceasing most partnerships with Huawei, and future phones from the company won’t have access to the Play Store and other services.

Checking for Android system updates is now officially one of the circles of hell

Android’s check for update button must be one of the most loved and hated interface elements on the platform. When it works correctly, it brings you a new update with better security and some/many new features (some bugs too, possibly). But more often than not, it doesn’t. Google seems to have fixed it now, but just in case you’re stuck checking for an update for the umpteenth time, crossing your fingers and hoping for the best, you may see a new animation.

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Google is testing a new Offers section in the Play Store that’s totally different from the existing one

No, this is not the ‘Offers & notifications’ section you may have heard of

It looks like the Google Play Store is getting an additional bottom bar shortcut. As spotted by 9to5Google, the company is testing to add a new Offers tab to the marketplace, but it’s separate from the existing Offers & notifications section in the account switcher.

Google Play starts making alternate billing methods available in response to government demands

There’s a new option available in South Korea

The Epic Games lawsuit against Google and Apple not only brought to light anticompetitive behavior present in both app stores, but also publicized efforts to block third-party billing methods on those platforms. South Korea was having none of this, and a bill passed by the country’s National Assembly, widely dubbed the «Anti-Google law,» prevents Google from forcing Play Store billing onto developers publishing apps on Google Play. We’re now seeing Google comply, and the company will support third-party billing methods on apps downloaded from Google Play — but there’s a few catches.

Google’s latest Play policy changes could bring some new emoji to your favorite apps

They also tackle regional enforcement issues and social interactions for kids apps

App publishers and consumers will need to be aware of some new Play Store policies coming into effect over the next several months. It’ll keep devs on their toes for new emoji, keep kids safe while interacting with others, and provide some granularity on where certain apps can be seen.

Apps are using scummy ads to bypass Google Play and install without your consent

Just in case full-screen ads weren’t invasive enough

Ads on Android devices are already annoying enough. Playing the «free» version of certain games gets you a full-screen ad every time you change levels or die. But so far, scummy ads have mostly been contained to their own, scummy sandbox where they can’t get out unless you tap them. Today, though, they’re crossing a new line, as a growing number of reports reveals efforts to install apps without user intervetion nor Play Store notifcation.

26 temporarily free and 40 on-sale apps and games for Monday

Don’t miss out on the sales for Hidden Through Time, 911 Operator, and Distraint 2

Welcome to Monday, everyone. Thanks to a busy weekend, I have a bunch of sales to share with everyone, including some excellent standouts. First up is Hidden Through Time, a delightful hidden object game. Next, I have 911 Operator, a popular simulation game where you’ll fill the role of a 911 operator. Last but not least is Distraint 2, a psychological horror game that’s perfect for the Halloween season. As always, I’ve highlighted all of the interesting titles in bold in order to make discovery easier. So without further ado, here are 26 temporarily free and 40 on-sale apps and games for the beginning of the week.

19 temporarily free and 41 on-sale apps and games for Friday

Don’t miss out on the sales for Agent A: A puzzle in disguise, The Escapists: Prison Escape, and This Is the Police

Welcome to Friday, everyone. Despite a slow week, I have some solid sales to share with everyone, including some notable standouts. First up is Agent A: A puzzle in disguise, a solid point and click puzzler. Next, I have The Escapists: Prison Escape, an enjoyable prison escape game that offers a sequel that’s also on sale today. Last but not least is This Is the Police, a gritty cop drama where your choices indeed matter. As always, I’ve highlighted all of the interesting titles in bold in order to make discovery easier. So without further ado, here are 19 temporarily free and 41 on-sale apps and games for the end of the week.

13 temporarily free and 31 on-sale apps and games for Wednesday

Don’t miss out on the sales for Doctor Who: The Lonely Assassins, ReactionLab 2, and Burly Men at Sea

Welcome to Wednesday, everyone. Despite a slow week, I have some solid sales to share with everyone, including a few standouts. First up is a sale for Doctor Who: The Lonely Assassins, an enjoyable and engaging lost-phone game. Next, I have a discount for ReactionLab 2, a fun sandbox game where you’ll combine elements to watch their reactions. Last but not least is Burly Men at Sea, a highly polished narrative adventure. As always, I’ve highlighted all of the interesting titles in bold in order to make discovery easier. So without further ado, here are 13 temporarily free and 31 on-sale apps and games for the middle of the week.

11 temporarily free and 25 on-sale apps and games for Monday

Don’t miss out on the sales for Ashworld, Pandemia: Virus Outbreak, and Sudoku Ultimate

Welcome to Monday, everyone. It looks like things have cooled off since the weekend. Thankfully I still have some quality sales to share with everyone, including a few standouts. First up is a sale for Ashworld, an enjoyable action-adventure game from OrangePixel. Next, I have Pandemia: Virus Outbreak, a new virus outbreak game that’s on sale for the first time this week. Last but not least is Sudoku Ultimate, which is currently available for free. As always, I’ve highlighted all of the interesting titles in bold in order to make discovery easier. So without further ado, here are 11 temporarily free and 25 on-sale apps and games for the beginning of the week.

34 temporarily free and 55 on-sale apps and games for Friday

Don’t miss out on the sales for Dead Cells, Titan Quest, and Atom RPG

Welcome to Friday, everyone. It’s almost the weekend, and so I have a plump sales roundup to share with everyone, including some quality standouts. First up is a sale for Dead Cells, a fantastic roguelike platformer that’s currently discounted in celebration of a new DLC release. Next, I have Titan Quest, a solid action RPG that offers controller support. Last but not least is Atom RPG, an indie RPG often compared to classic CRPGs like Fallout. As always, I’ve highlighted all of the interesting titles in bold in order to make discovery easier. So without further ado, here are 34 temporarily free and 55 on-sale apps and games for the end of the week.

26 temporarily free and 35 on-sale apps and games for Monday

Don’t miss out on the sales for Johnny Bonasera 1, Three Kingdoms The Last Warlord, and Space Grunts

Welcome to Monday, everyone. After a busy weekend, sales have slowed down a bit, but I still have some quality standouts to share with everyone. First up is Johnny Bonasera 1, a humorous point-and-click adventure where you’ll get to stick it to the bullies plaguing the main character. Next, I have Three Kingdoms The Last Warlord, a solid turn-based strategy game themed around Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Last but not least is Space Grunts, a fantastic roguelike that’s great in short bursts. As always, I’ve highlighted all of the interesting titles in bold in order to make discovery easier. So without further ado, here are 26 temporarily free and 35 on-sale apps and games for the beginning of the week.

28 temporarily free and 57 on-sale apps and games for Friday

Don’t miss out on the sales for Hidden Folks, My Child Lebensborn, and Farm Invasion USA

Welcome to Friday, everyone. It’s a busy day for sales, which means I have some quality standouts. First up is Hidden Folks, a fantastic hidden object game that offers unique black and white graphics. Next, I have My Child Lebensborn, a heartfelt story-driven game that deals with the aftermath of WW2. Last but not least is Farm Invasion USA, a whacky auto-runner that’s easy to pick up and play. As always, I’ve highlighted all of the interesting titles in bold in order to make discovery easier. So without further ado, here are 28 temporarily free and 57 on-sale apps and games for the end of the week.

22 temporarily free and 25 on-sale apps and games for Wednesday

Don’t miss out on the sales for Doom & Destiny Advanced, DISTRAINT: Deluxe Edition, and Hello Human

Welcome to Wednesday, everyone. It’s the middle of the week when things tend to get slow, but I still have some awesome sales to share with everyone, including a few standouts. First up is Doom & Destiny Advanced, a solid RPG that offers a goofy sense of humor. Next I have Distraint, a horror adventure that offers some excellent puzzles. Last but not least is Hello Human, a quirky indie puzzler somewhat similar to The Stanley Parable. As always, I’ve highlighted all of the interesting titles in bold in order to make discovery easier. So without further ado, here are 22 temporarily free and 25 on-sale apps and games for the middle of the week.

23 temporarily free and 43 on-sale apps and games for Monday

Don’t miss out on the sales for Cytus II, YoWindow Weather, and FolderSync Pro

Welcome to Monday, everyone. I have some excellent sales to share with everyone today, including a few standouts. First up is Cytus II, a popular rhythm game that’s currently free. Next I have YoWindow Weather, solid weather app that can be snagged today for $4 off. Last but not least is a $2 discount on FolderSync Pro, a simple yet useful app for syncing your local files to a wide selection of online locker services. As always, I’ve highlighted all of the interesting titles in bold in order to make discovery easier. So without further ado, here are 14 temporarily free and 33 on-sale apps and games for the end of the week.

14 temporarily free and 33 on-sale apps and games for Friday

Don’t miss out on the sales for 9th Dawn III, Titan Quest: Legendary Edition, and Swim Out

Welcome to Friday, everyone. The weekend is almost here, so it’s time to check out some Play Store app and game sales, including today’s standouts. First up is a solid discount on 9th Dawn III, a fantastic RPG that offers deep gameplay and hours of fun. Next, I have a sale for Titan Quest: Legendary Edition, a great action RPG that now offers full controller support. Last but not least, there’s a reduced price for Swim Out, an atmospheric puzzle game that offers a lovely summertime theme. As always, I’ve highlighted all of the interesting titles in bold in order to make discovery easier. So without further ado, here are 14 temporarily free and 33 on-sale apps and games for the end of the week.

31 temporarily free and 31 on-sale apps and games for Wednesday

Don’t miss out on the sales for Star Wars: KOTOR, Golf Peaks, and Teslagrad

Welcome to Wednesday, everyone. Things have calmed down a bit after a busy extended holiday weekend, but we still have some excellent sales to share with everyone today, including a few standouts. First up is Star Wars: KOTOR, a fantastic RPG set in the Star Wars universe (the sequel is also on sale today). Next, I have Golf Peaks, a slick puzzler themed around mini golf. Last but not least is Teslagrad, a puzzle platformer that’s great with a controller. As always, I’ve highlighted all of the interesting titles in bold in order to make discovery easier. So without further ado, here are 31 temporarily free and 31 on-sale apps and games for the middle of the week.

The Play Store is highlighting two Wear OS apps that don’t exist anymore

And as ‘essentials’ nonetheless

Google is trying to revive Wear OS once again. And those efforts were clear during Google I/O 2021 earlier this year. There, Wear OS 3 was the star of the show as a joint effort from Google and Samsung. And in order to get people started with Wear OS, the Google Play Store is recommending people «essentials» for your new watch. It’s all nice and good, except that out of those essentials, two apps don’t have a Wear OS version anymore.

34 temporarily free and 45 on-sale apps and games for Labor Day

Don’t miss out on the sales for Crashlands, Buff Knight, and Reventure

Welcome to Monday, everyone. Today’s Labor Day, and so I have a huge list of sales to share with everyone, including a few standouts. First up is a sale for the humorous survival game Crashlands. Next, I have a discount on Buff Knight, an enjoyable idle RPG that’s perfect for killing time. Last but not least is a reduced price for Reventure, a lesser-known but excellent 2D platformer that’s easily worth a dollar. Oh, and since there was a boatload of sales available this past Friday, you’ll also want to give that roundup a look if you’re hunting down all of the Play Store deals currently available. As always, I’ve highlighted all of the interesting titles in bold to make discovery easier. So without further ado, here are 34 temporarily free and 45 on-sale apps and games for Labor Day.

21 temporarily free and 71 on-sale apps and games for Friday

Don’t miss out on the sales for SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom, Downwell, and Baldur’s Gate II

Welcome to Friday, everyone. Since Monday is a holiday, more than a few developers are prepping for the weekend with a slew of game sales, which means I definitely have some standouts. First up is a sale for SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom, a full console release that’s easily worth the current sale price. Next, I have Downwell, a fantastically simple yet challenging action game that’s great in short bursts. Last but not least is a discount on Baldur’s Gate II, a fantastic classic CRPG that still holds up to this day. As always, I’ve highlighted all of the interesting titles in bold in order to make discovery easier. So without further ado, here are 21 temporarily free and 71 on-sale apps and games for the end of the week.

30 temporarily free and 33 on-sale apps and games for Wednesday

Don’t miss out on the sales for Slayaway Camp, Peace Death, and Slaughter 2

Welcome to Wednesday, everyone. It’s a busy day for sales, and so I have a packed list with more than a few standouts. First up is a solid discount on Slayaway Camp, an enjoyable tribute to 1980s slasher films that offers fantastic puzzle-based gameplay. Next, I have Peace Death, a quirky arcade simulator that’s perfect for killing time. Last but not least is Slaughter 2, a fan-favorite first-person shooter. As always, I’ve highlighted all of the interesting titles in bold in order to make discovery easier. So without further ado, here are 30 temporarily free and 33 on-sale apps and games for the middle of the week.

26 temporarily free and 37 on-sale apps and games for Monday

Don’t miss out on the sales for Bridge Constructor Portal, Dungeon Warfare, and Heroes of Steel RPG Elite

Welcome to Monday, everyone. It’s been a busy weekend, and so we have a plump list of sales for the start of the week, including a few standouts. First up is a sale for Bridge Constructor Portal, an enjoyable mashup of bridge construction and Valve’s Portal mechanics. Next, I have a solid discount on Dungeon Warfare, an older but enthralling tower defense game. Last but not least is a sale for Heroes of Steel RPG Elite, an excellent turn-based strategy game from the Trese Brothers. As always, I’ve highlighted all of the interesting titles in bold in order to make discovery easier. So without further ado, here are 26 temporarily free and 37 on-sale apps and games for the beginning of the week.

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