Tag: Google

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Mobile Syrup

Google Chrome is testing Material You colour theming

Chrome is the latest product from Google to adopt the company’s trendy ‘Material You’ theming engine. However, since the design rules for Material You are half-baked, I can foresee some issues arising with this in the future.

To test out the new feature, you need to get Google’s beta browser, Chrome Canary. This browser is essentially the same as standard Chrome, but it gets new features first for beta testing. You also need to ensure you’re on Canary version 110 or newer.

From there, you need to input chrome://flags/ into your search bar to get into the secret Google settings panel. Once it loads, search for ‘Customize Chrome Color Extraction’ and enable it.

The first major limitation of this browser extension is that it takes its colour choice from the wallpaper you set on your new page screen on Chrome. I’d have rather it take the colour from the wallpaper on my computer, similar to how it works on Android phones. It also only seems to work with stock Google wallpapers. Any custom uploads don’t seem to change colours in my testing.

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This is where things get a little convoluted since there are no well-defined rules for how Material You should work. I was hoping that Google would attach the Material You-themed colours from your phone to the rest of your Google products. Ideally, this would establish a colour profile for each member of your family, and when they interacted with things like Google TVs and smart displays, those devices would adopt that colour to unify and personalize that person’s software and hardware.

However, Google seems to be taking more of a nearsighted approach to implementing the feature. I can see this as being strange for people running Chrome OS in the near future if Material You gets rolled out there with more consistency. Are we expected to have both Chrome and Chrome OS adopt different colours based on separate aspects of the ecosystem?

As Google builds towards the Pixel ecosystem with the launch of the Pixel Watch and Buds, the company needs to spend more time thinking about how to connect all of its devices, not how to fracture them.

Via: Android Police 

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Mobile Syrup

Google discounts Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Pro and Pixel 6a by up to $300

If you’re looking for a new phone this holiday season, it’s hard to turn away from this Pixel discount Google is offering.

The Pixel 7  has been knocked down to $649, which is $150 off its starting price, and the Pixel 7 Pro is $300 less than it was before, making it $879. The Pixel 6a, which released during the summer of 2022, is down to $499.

You can buy the phones from Google here.

We strongly recommend all three of these devices with some caveats, so make sure to read our reviews below to find out which one works the best for you.

While this is the cleanest deal, many Canadian carriers appear to have reduced the cost of the phone and leading up to Black Friday, Best Buy is offering gift cards to temp people towards Pixel devices.

Source: Google Via: RedFlagDeals

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Mobile Syrup

ChromeOS to add GIF support for screen recording

ChromeOS’s built-in screen recorder is set to become a lot more useful.

ChromeOS allows users to record their whole Chromebook screen, a single window, or a specific section on the screen. The screen recordings are saved in the WebM format, which offers a balance between video quality and size, though compromises due to lack of support with other phones, computers and applications.

Now, as first spotted by 9to5Google in a newly posted code change, Google is looking to add support for GIFs in ChromeOS screen recordings. “Enables the ability to record the screen into an animated GIF image from the native screen capture tool,” reads the code.

GIFs are supported in a majority of devices and applications and are relatively easy to share. Having both WebM and GIF as recordable formats is sure to give ChromeOS users flexibility when screen recording, depending on the length of video they intend to record. GIFs would work better for shorter recordings, because of their larger file size, while users would prefer WebM for larger recordings.

It’s worth noting that support for GIFs in screen recording isn’t live yet. The feature is reportedly still in development. “It will likely be quite a few weeks before we see GIF screen recording support on any real Chromebooks, let alone see the feature launch to stable,” says 9to5Google.

Image credit: Shutterstock

Source: 9to5Google

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Mobile Syrup

Stadia refunds are causing user Play Points to go negative

Now that Google has begun refunding users after shutting Stadia down, it appears some users who paid for Stadia titles via Play Store credits are seeing a massive influx of refunds along with a negative Play Points balance on their accounts.

Google has made it clear that it will process refunds back to the source of the payment. If that isn’t possible for any reason, Google will email you on the Google account used to make the purchase with more information.

One of the ways users paid for games was through Play Store credits, which could have been redeemed through Play Points, by answering Opinion Rewards surveys, or via gift cards. According to 9to5Google, users frequently funded their Play Store accounts with gift cards, and subsequently made Stadia purchases. Now, these users are stuck with massive amounts of refunds as Play Store credits.

Google is unable to transfer these funds anywhere else.

Further, credits earned through Google’s Opinion Rewards surveys normally expire a year from the survey completion date. Users are noticing that the refund coming in is marked with the original expiration date, which might mean Opinion Rewards credit earned and spent over a year ago might not qualify to be refunded.

Elsewhere, all Play Points earned for purchasing games on Stadia’s Android app are being deducted from user accounts as Stadia refunds roll in. In a statement received by 9to5Google, Google said, “We are aware of the Play Points balance issue caused by Stadia refunds that is impacting some users in the US. We are working on a resolution for this issue.”

Source: 9to5Google

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Mobile Syrup

November security patch fixes Pixel lock screen bypass bug

Google’s November 2022 security patch dropped for Pixel phones a few days ago, and, if you haven’t already updated your Pixel phone, you should. The update includes a fix for a security flaw that could allow someone to bypass the phone’s lock screen using a SIM card.

David Schütz discovered the issue and detailed it in a blog post and video. While the post is well worth a read if you’re interested in this kind of thing, the short version is that someone with physical access to a Pixel device could bypass lock screen protections, including the fingerprint and PIN, and gain access to the phone.

To do so, all an attacker would need to do is swap the SIM card in the phone. In the video, Schütz shows himself swapping a SIM card into a locked Pixel 6, which then asks for the SIM PIN. After entering that wrong three times, the Pixel asks for a personal unblocking key (PUK), which is used to reset a SIM PIN if a user forgets it. However, in the case of Pixel phones, after entering the PUK and typing in a new SIM PIN, the phone unlocks.

Put another way, an attacker would only need a SIM card with a SIM PIN a PUK code that they know to gain access to any Pixel smartphone. The November 2022 security patch, which is now available for the Pixel 4a and newer, fixes the problem.

Frustratingly, Schütz reported the security flaw to Android’s Vulnerability Rewards Program in the middle of 2022, but Google didn’t do anything until September after some in-person prodding. Still, Schütz got a $70,000 USD reward (about $93,703 CAD), which is a good chunk of change for spotting the flaw.

Source: Schütz Via: 9to5Google

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Mobile Syrup

Google reveals YouTube Music and Premium surpassed 80 million paid subscribers

This week, Google announced that YouTube Music and Premium has crossed the 80 million paid subscriber milestone. The company reports that the paid streams of revenue from YouTube saw a 30 million increase in subscribers since 2021.

The uptick in paid subscribers spans both YouTube Music and YouTube Premium. A paid subscription to YouTube Music provides users access to an ad-free experience while listening to a catalogue of music. YouTube Premium offers ad-free YouTube, the ability to download videos for offline viewing, access to YouTube Music, and other perks like Picture-in-Picture.

In a blog post, Google’s Global Head of Music for YouTube, Lyor Cohen, states that the rapid growth of 30 million subscribers is due to a number of things. First off, Google is investing in new features. This also includes partnerships with global carriers across Japan, Europe, and Korea. Additionally, Cohen believes the adoption of YouTube’s paid services can be due to the introduction of features like afterparties. Discounts on hardware and services are also said to be playing a part.

Google states it has become the number one contributor of revenue to the music industry. In September, Google announced it was contributing $6 billion USD (roughly $8.02 billion CAD) to the music industry. 30 percent of this contribution stems from user-generated content.

Last month, Google announced a price increase for the YouTube Premium Family plan in Canada, the U.S., the U.K., and other regions. Starting on November 21st, YouTube Music’s Family plan will cost $29.99 each month, a $5 increase from the current $17.99 monthly subscription. The Family plan enables users to share the perks with up to six accounts. A standard plan for YouTube Premium costs $11.99 per month. Prices on the individual plan remain the same.

Source: Google via: Android Police

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Mobile Syrup

Gmail’s new Material UI look is being forced on everyone

Early in 2022, Google announced a new layout for Gmail that offered Chat, Meet and Spaces integration. This redesign has been rolling out to users in phases and was initially available on an opt-in basis.

Following this, in July, the Gmail integrated view was rolled out to all Chat users. With this in mind, if you turned off Chat on your account, you wouldn’t have this new Gmail. However, now, Google is making the layout standard for all users.

The Gmail design features Material You UI elements and offers an integrated view with Gmail, Chat, Spaces and Meet buttons on the left as the default layout. Personally, I like the change, as it gives me quick access to Spaces, Chat and Meet, tools I use a lot for work.

You can customize it to hide the Chat, Spaces and Meet options if you have no use for them. This will make Gmail look similar to the previous version, but you’ll still have the Material UI.

This update will start rolling out to all domains starting on November 29th.

Source: WorkSpace

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Mobile Syrup

Google has started processing refunds for Stadia users

Back in September when Google announced that it is shutting down Stadia, it came as a surprise that it will also refund users that purchased Stadia hardware through the Google Store, alongside all games and add-on content purchases made through the Stadia store.

During the time, Google said that it ‘expects to have the majority of refunds completed by mid-January, 2023,” and it looks like Google has now started the process of refunding users.

According to an announcement made today, Stadia will “attempt to” automatically process refunds for all Stadia Store purchases of games, add-on content, and subscription payments. “We ask for your patience as we work through each transaction and ask that you refrain from contacting Customer Support as they will not be able to expedite your refund during this time. We still expect the majority of refunds to be processed by January 18th, 2023,” said Google.

Google says refunds would be processed directly to the source of the payment. If that isn’t possible for any reason, Google will email you on the Google account used to make the purchase with more information.

Customers who have made 20 or fewer purchases on the Stadia store will receive one email for each transaction made, whereas customers who have made 21 or more purchases on the Stadia store will receive one email summarizing all the refund attempts.

Users who’ve made pre-orders will have the orders cancelled, and their cards won’t be charged. Additionally, the charges for the Stadia Pro subscription and Power Support CLAW would not be refunded.

Source: Google 

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Mobile Syrup

Pixel 8 series leak reveals alleged codenames, RAM and more

It hasn’t even been a full month since the release of the Pixel 7 series, and we’re already learning about next year’s Pixel 8 series.

It’s worth noting that the leaker, WinFuture, couldn’t outright say that these devices were the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, but it uncovered the details in Android Open Source Project (AOSP) code. The handsets sport codenames Husky and Shiba, and feature 12GB of RAM. Husky sports a display resolution of 2822 x 1344, while Shiba offers a 2268 x 1080-pixel resolution. The resolutions suggest that these displays will be slightly shorter than the previous Pixels.

Both handsets would sport a new Tensor chip, codenamed Zuma; however, this Tensor chip might reuse the G5300 5G modem from the Tensor G2. WinFuture believes that these two are your typical ‘candy bar’ handsets and not foldables. However, it’d be odd if the Pixel 8 Pro ends up featuring a 2822 x 1344-pixel resolution, considering that’d be a downgrade from the Pixel 7 Pro.

Just speaking out of my own beliefs, it’d make sense if one of them were the ever-rumoured Pixel Fold’s outer display, which might explain the shorter aspect ratio and weaker pixel resolution.

However, it’s way too early to know. Google might give us a peek at its Pixel 8 series (and hopefully Pixel Fold) in May at its Google I/O conference.

Source: WinFuture

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Mobile Syrup

Google’s Nest products are currently on sale up to $80 off

Google has discounted its Nest smart home speakers until the end of the year. The products on sale are the Nest Mini, Nest Hub (2nd gen) and the Nest Hub Max. Other Nest products are also on sale, but only until November 10th.

Here are the deals below.

You can check out all of the deals on Google’s website, here.