Google is prepping a new "voice activation" feature for Android 15 that could let you launch select apps hands-free using a voice command. Your voice data will be secured by Android's "protected adaptive sensing".
Full details here.
Full details here.
Android Authority
Android 15's voice activation feature could let you launch ChatGPT hands-free
Android 15 is preparing a "voice activation" feature, and if we're right about how it works, it could let you launch more apps hands-free.
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The Pixel 8 has a tiny quality-of-life feature you probably didn't know about: A screen protector detector service that knows when you put on or take off a screen protector, so you won't forget to turn on/turn off screen protector mode!
Full details here.
Full details here.
Android Police
Your Pixel 8 can detect when it has a screen protector on
The Pixel 8 can detect when a screen protector is put on or taken off, so you know when to turn on/off screen protector mode
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I changed one of my Pixel's lock screen shortcuts to launch ChatGPT's Voice Mode, because why not?
The caveat: Android 14 on Pixel doesn't let you set a lock screen shortcut to launch an app of your choice. Plus, you can't launch the ChatGPT app into Voice Mode without root access.
There's a silly workaround for both issues, though. Hijack the QR code scanner shortcut to launch a different activity! And since the lock screen is part of SystemUI, which runs as the system user, you can launch any activity - even if it's unexported. (I wouldn't be surprised if this gets patched.)
Step 1: Change one of your lock screen shortcuts to the QR scanner.
Step 2: Run this ADB command:
Replace the value of the
Step 3: Run this ADB command so GMS doesn't revert the change in step 2:
Yes, this means you'll need to use something else to scan a QR code. Fortunately, Google Lens can also scan QR codes, and it has a dedicated button on the Pixel Launcher's search bar.
---
Alternatively, you can enable the "note-taking" role, set the Tasker app as the default "note-taking" app, and then add the Notes lock screen shortcut. This would let you launch any Tasker task through a lock screen shortcut, though you'd then need root to launch some unexported activities like the one for ChatGPT's Voice Mode.
The caveat: Android 14 on Pixel doesn't let you set a lock screen shortcut to launch an app of your choice. Plus, you can't launch the ChatGPT app into Voice Mode without root access.
There's a silly workaround for both issues, though. Hijack the QR code scanner shortcut to launch a different activity! And since the lock screen is part of SystemUI, which runs as the system user, you can launch any activity - even if it's unexported. (I wouldn't be surprised if this gets patched.)
Step 1: Change one of your lock screen shortcuts to the QR scanner.
Step 2: Run this ADB command:
adb shell "device_config put systemui default_qr_code_scanner 'com.openai.chatgpt/com.openai.voice.VoiceModeActivity'"Replace the value of the
default_qr_code_scanner flag with another component if you want to launch something else.Step 3: Run this ADB command so GMS doesn't revert the change in step 2:
adb shell device_config set_sync_disabled_for_tests persistentYes, this means you'll need to use something else to scan a QR code. Fortunately, Google Lens can also scan QR codes, and it has a dedicated button on the Pixel Launcher's search bar.
---
Alternatively, you can enable the "note-taking" role, set the Tasker app as the default "note-taking" app, and then add the Notes lock screen shortcut. This would let you launch any Tasker task through a lock screen shortcut, though you'd then need root to launch some unexported activities like the one for ChatGPT's Voice Mode.
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Mishaal's Android News Feed
I changed one of my Pixel's lock screen shortcuts to launch ChatGPT's Voice Mode, because why not? The caveat: Android 14 on Pixel doesn't let you set a lock screen shortcut to launch an app of your choice. Plus, you can't launch the ChatGPT app into Voice…
And yes, you can also do this on Samsung phones, as shown above.
Either use the SystemUI Tuner app to change the lock screen shortcut, or run an ADB command like so:
This sets the left shortcut to ChatGPT's Voice Mode and the right shortcut to the Second Screen page.
Either use the SystemUI Tuner app to change the lock screen shortcut, or run an ADB command like so:
adb shell "settings put system lock_application_shortcut '1;com.openai.chatgpt/com.openai.voice.VoiceModeActivity;1;com.samsung.android.smartmirroring/com.samsung.android.smartmirroring.player.SecondScreenActivity'"This sets the left shortcut to ChatGPT's Voice Mode and the right shortcut to the Second Screen page.
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Here are some of the new features in Android 14 that Google is highlighting as part of a push notification sent to users after upgrading.
1) New monochrome color theme options. Make your device look sleek and beautiful with dynamic monochrome color options.
2) Sync your health and fitness apps. Use Health Connect to sync health and fitness apps to see and understand your health data in one place, and also control the privacy of these apps.
3) Control your location sharing. Get easy-to-understand updates about how certain apps use your data, to help you decide which data you agree to share with them.
4) Don't miss a thing with Flash notifications. A new Accessibility setting lets you turn on flashes from your camera or screen light to make sure you ever miss a notification.
5) Control magnification options in a new settings panel. Pinch to zoom in and out of any part of your screen. Open the new Magnifier settings to control how much of your screen you'd like to magnify, and go to Accessibility settings to keep your magnifier open when switching between apps.
6) New ways to connect and interact with hearing aids. Your Accessibility settings now offer easy new ways to set up your hearing aids and route audio to different outputs. There's also a new shortcut to your hearing aids' controls.
This notification was sent to my ASUS Zenfone 10 after I updated to Android 14. It's part of the "Android Upgrade Party" initiative.
"A major Android operating system upgrade can be an underwhelming experience for your users. The Upgrade Party flow increases user engagement and helps users understand how to navigate their newly refreshed OS."
Since OEMs can customize the flow to remove "irrelevant" features, there may be more pages that I haven't seen. Of course, there are a lot more changes in Android 14 than what's shown in this flow.
1) New monochrome color theme options. Make your device look sleek and beautiful with dynamic monochrome color options.
2) Sync your health and fitness apps. Use Health Connect to sync health and fitness apps to see and understand your health data in one place, and also control the privacy of these apps.
3) Control your location sharing. Get easy-to-understand updates about how certain apps use your data, to help you decide which data you agree to share with them.
4) Don't miss a thing with Flash notifications. A new Accessibility setting lets you turn on flashes from your camera or screen light to make sure you ever miss a notification.
5) Control magnification options in a new settings panel. Pinch to zoom in and out of any part of your screen. Open the new Magnifier settings to control how much of your screen you'd like to magnify, and go to Accessibility settings to keep your magnifier open when switching between apps.
6) New ways to connect and interact with hearing aids. Your Accessibility settings now offer easy new ways to set up your hearing aids and route audio to different outputs. There's also a new shortcut to your hearing aids' controls.
This notification was sent to my ASUS Zenfone 10 after I updated to Android 14. It's part of the "Android Upgrade Party" initiative.
"A major Android operating system upgrade can be an underwhelming experience for your users. The Upgrade Party flow increases user engagement and helps users understand how to navigate their newly refreshed OS."
Since OEMs can customize the flow to remove "irrelevant" features, there may be more pages that I haven't seen. Of course, there are a lot more changes in Android 14 than what's shown in this flow.
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Android Police wanted to interview me about what I love about Android, so of course I had to oblige!
Happy to be part of this new monthly series on AP.
Happy to be part of this new monthly series on AP.
Android Police
What do you love about Android, Mishaal Rahman?
Mishaal Rahman sat down with us to tell us what he loves about Android
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Samsung's next smartphones (likely Galaxy S24) will be able to act as a webcam for your Windows PC. You'll get features like background blur and auto framing.
According to Samsung's press release, you'll have to pair your Galaxy phone to your Galaxy Book4 through Microsoft's Link to Windows app in order for this to work. I'm not sure if this feature is only available if you have the new Galaxy Book4, so I asked my PR contact to confirm.
Quote from the press release:
According to Samsung's press release, you'll have to pair your Galaxy phone to your Galaxy Book4 through Microsoft's Link to Windows app in order for this to work. I'm not sure if this feature is only available if you have the new Galaxy Book4, so I asked my PR contact to confirm.
Quote from the press release:
Users must link their phone to Galaxy Book4 through ‘Link to Windows’ on mobile and the Microsoft Phone Link App on PC and follow the set-up prompts. Galaxy smartphone must be OneUI 1.0 or above.
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Samsung is partnering with Microsoft to bring Copilot integration to the Link to Windows app. If you pair your Samsung Galaxy phone to your Galaxy Book4 through Link to Windows, Copilot will be able to find, read, or summarize text messages right on your PC.
I asked my PR contact if this feature is a) limited to the Galaxy Book4 and b) only works with text messages and will share an update if I hear back.
These capabilities mean you can let Copilot track down restaurant recommendations your friends have made in previous messages, search visitor reviews on your browser, then send a message to your partner to ask if they want to go for dinner that evening, all directly from your PC.
I asked my PR contact if this feature is a) limited to the Galaxy Book4 and b) only works with text messages and will share an update if I hear back.
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Here's the new ROG Phone 8 series!
Specs:
* Snapdragon 8 Gen 3
* 6.78" FHD LTPO OLED
* 5500mAh battery
* 15W Qi 1.3 wireless charging; 65W wired
* IP68 rating
* Rear cams: 50MP IMX890 main, 6-axis gimbal stabilised; 13MP ultra wide with freeform lens to minimize distortion; 32MP 3X optical
* Front cam: 32MP
* 3.5mm headphone jack
* Dual speakers (one is bottom-firing due to reduced bezels and flexible OLED)
* Runs Android 14 (2 years of OS, 4 years of security updates)
All Pro models have a mini LED display on the rear that can show the time, battery level, notifications, etc. Non-Pro model only has a RGB logo.
Pricing:
ROG Phone 8: $999 when pre-ordered, $1099 retail; 12/16GB RAM; 256GB UFS 4.0 storage
ROG Phone 8 Pro: $1199; 16GB RAM; 512GB UFS 4.0 storage
ROG Phone 8 Pro Edition: $1499. 24GB of LPDDR5X RAM @ 8533MT/s; 1TB UFS 4.0 storage, and comes with AeroActive Cooler X plus Aero Case.
Specs:
* Snapdragon 8 Gen 3
* 6.78" FHD LTPO OLED
* 5500mAh battery
* 15W Qi 1.3 wireless charging; 65W wired
* IP68 rating
* Rear cams: 50MP IMX890 main, 6-axis gimbal stabilised; 13MP ultra wide with freeform lens to minimize distortion; 32MP 3X optical
* Front cam: 32MP
* 3.5mm headphone jack
* Dual speakers (one is bottom-firing due to reduced bezels and flexible OLED)
* Runs Android 14 (2 years of OS, 4 years of security updates)
All Pro models have a mini LED display on the rear that can show the time, battery level, notifications, etc. Non-Pro model only has a RGB logo.
Pricing:
ROG Phone 8: $999 when pre-ordered, $1099 retail; 12/16GB RAM; 256GB UFS 4.0 storage
ROG Phone 8 Pro: $1199; 16GB RAM; 512GB UFS 4.0 storage
ROG Phone 8 Pro Edition: $1499. 24GB of LPDDR5X RAM @ 8533MT/s; 1TB UFS 4.0 storage, and comes with AeroActive Cooler X plus Aero Case.
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Here are my first impressions of the new ROG Phone 8 Pro:
* It feels so much lighter, thinner, and better in hand than the previous models!
* The bezels are also much smaller, and the back has this nice textured layer that you can see but not feel underneath the glass.
* The corners are not nearly as sharp anymore! Holding the phone on a corner no longer hurts my palms.
* There's a neat AI wallpaper feature like on the Pixel 8 series. Like Google's version, you can choose from a few preset topics and also edit the prompt a bit (change the background, tone, and "inspiration"). Unlike Google's version, ASUS' AI wallpaper generator runs on-device using a Stable Diffusion model on the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. Here's a video demo.
* Another neat use of AI on the ROG Phone 8 is semantic search. This also runs on-device and helps you search through your photos, settings, and apps. Here's a video demo.
* If you aren't a fan of the AOD but still like getting subtle notification alerts, the new "custom effect" option is for you. This displays notification icons on the AOD in the top left when the phone is charging. The ROG Phone 8 doesn't have a notification LED anymore, so this is useful if you don't want to use the full AOD.
* Contrary to some rumors, the AirTriggers feature hasn't been removed.
* It feels so much lighter, thinner, and better in hand than the previous models!
* The bezels are also much smaller, and the back has this nice textured layer that you can see but not feel underneath the glass.
* The corners are not nearly as sharp anymore! Holding the phone on a corner no longer hurts my palms.
* There's a neat AI wallpaper feature like on the Pixel 8 series. Like Google's version, you can choose from a few preset topics and also edit the prompt a bit (change the background, tone, and "inspiration"). Unlike Google's version, ASUS' AI wallpaper generator runs on-device using a Stable Diffusion model on the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. Here's a video demo.
* Another neat use of AI on the ROG Phone 8 is semantic search. This also runs on-device and helps you search through your photos, settings, and apps. Here's a video demo.
* If you aren't a fan of the AOD but still like getting subtle notification alerts, the new "custom effect" option is for you. This displays notification icons on the AOD in the top left when the phone is charging. The ROG Phone 8 doesn't have a notification LED anymore, so this is useful if you don't want to use the full AOD.
* Contrary to some rumors, the AirTriggers feature hasn't been removed.
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