Tag: Google

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Google Play Store swaps permissions with new Data Safety section

Back in April, Google started rolling out a new ‘Data Safety’ section to app listings on the Play Store. Similar to Apple’s app privacy labels, Google’s Data Safety offers information on what data apps collect, why it collects that data, and more.

Now that the feature is more widely rolled out, some have noticed it replaces the Play Store’s permissions list. As spotted by Esper’s senior technical editor Mishaal Rahman (via Android Police), Data Safety has taken over the permissions spot on app listings.

On the one hand, this change isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The new Data Safety details do include information about the permissions an app needs, and it’s arguably more helpful than before since it shows, for example, that an app needs location data and why it needs location data. However, the permissions info is a tap away from where it used to be.

From left to right: App with no Data Safety info, App with Data Safety info, Expanded Data Safety info page.

The bigger issue is that the deadline for providing this information is July 20th. That means several apps don’t list any information in the Data Safety section, making it pretty useless at the moment. Meta apps like Facebook, Amazon apps, Twitter, Disney+, Discord, and more don’t list any Data Safety. Interestingly, Android Police notes the DuckDuckGo browser doesn’t include any Data Safety information yet. One app I found that did include information in the Data Safety section was TikTok. Imagine that!

Another frustration: what’s listed in the Data Safety section is up to app developers. Rahman points to Telegram as an example of how this could not work in users’ favour — Telegram effectively provides a list of all the permissions and says it needs access to them for “app functionality.” Cool. Android Police points to the Google Go app as the opposite extreme, listing so much information in the Data Safety section that it’s overwhelming for users.

All this is to say, why roll out Data Safety in this incomplete state? The old system would have worked fine until July 20th. All the same, developers will (hopefully) update the Data Safety information by then anyway. However, it’s not clear what — if any — enforcement Google will apply to non-compliant devs. We could end up with a similar situation to the App Store where some developers add misleading info or just don’t add info at all (ahem, Google).

Rahman does note that those who want to see permissions before downloading can still find them in other places. For example, open-source Play Store client Aurora Store still lists app permissions, which indicates Google still stores permission data even if it’s not visible on the Store itself.

Source: Mishaal Rahman, Android Police

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Mobile Syrup

Google reveals the purpose of Pixel’s ‘Settings Services’ app

Google recently added a ‘Setting Services’ app to Pixel smartphones, but until now, it’s been unclear what the app’s purpose is.

Google says the Settings app uses ‘Setting Services’ as a “core system software.” This enables users to setup, connect and customize settings on Pixel devices and change app settings.

The app also receives permissions from the system to display information like network connection and connected devices, and sets rules for when not to activate ‘do not disturb’ mode or send notifications.

These are the functions of the permissions within the app according to Google’s Pixel help article:

Mobile Network Connection

Setting Services is able to check if your phone is connected to a mobile network.

Connected Devices

This permission lets widgets display status info for your phone and its Bluetooth connected-devices.

  • Notifications

  • Settings Services displays status notifications and updates. Different notifications have their own settings preferences.

  • Location

  • Rules can help automate location-dependent changes that you regularly make in Settings, such as switching your phone to silent when you get to work. Rules require all-the-time location access to work correctly. Location data stays on your phone and is not sent to Google. You can change location permissions and Rules settings.

If privacy is a concern, note that “Setting Services may collect any phone and other IDs, app interactions, crash logs, and diagnostics,” says Google.

To control whether the feature is enabled, open the Settings app > tap Privacy > Usage & Diagnostics > then simply turn on or off Usage & Diagnostics

Sources: Google Via: 9to5Google

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Mobile Syrup

Google Photo’s UI update helps you organize and share photos a lot smoother

Google Photos’ new user interface will now make it easier for you to share several photos and organize your library without clicking them individually.

With a new card, which is included along the bottom of the screen, you’ll be able to select from various photos. You can quickly access Share, Add to, Delete, Order Photo, Move to Archive, Delete from device, and more.

More specifically, dragging up the bottom screen up will also let you see who to send photosto if you are using Google Photos as well as other options. However, the unique thing about it is that you do not have to waste time organizing and sharing photos one by one. Instead, multiple photos could be selected at once and fixed saving time if you need to send them on a quick deadline.

The update is supported by Google Photos 5.96 but is not showing up for all users, there is no known date on when the extensive update will be ready.

Source: Android Police

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Mobile Syrup

Pixel phones getting July security patch, chill frog wallpapers

The July 2022 security patch dropped for Google’s Pixel line starting July 6th. The patch will be available on the Pixel 4, 4XL, 4a, 4a 5G, 5, 5a (not in Canada), 6, and 6 Pro.

9to5Google noted that it should be one of the last security updates before the next major version of Android arrives. Per Google’s Android 13 Beta overview, the fourth and final beta version will arrive in July ahead of the final Android 13 release. Although the company doesn’t provide an arrival date for Android 13, it’ll likely become available shortly after the final beta arrives.

Anyway, the July security patch for Android 12 includes fixes for 12 security issues. And frogs, for some reason.

The security issues range from high to critical, and you can check them out here. There’s also a Pixel-specific bulletin you can view here. 9to5 says that aside from the security fixes, the update enables additional Voice over LTE (VoLTE) features on some networks for the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro (this change doesn’t affect Canada).

As for the frogs, Google added three new wallpapers to its ‘Pixel Curated Culture’ wallpaper collection featuring — you guessed it — frogs. The three frog wallpaper come from artist Aubii of Autumnalwood (you can check more of her work on Instagram).

The three wallpapers actually appear to connect together into one larger image depicting three frog friends walking in the woods. One frog is ‘Grinnin,’ another is ‘Vibin,’ and the last is ‘Smilin.’ Each image includes the following description:

“Adventurin’ is great, but it’s just so, so fun when accompanied by your best (froggy) buddies.” – Aubii of Autumnalwood

These wallpapers mark the 17th edition of Pixel Curated Culture wallpapers and join 48 other backgrounds for Pixel phones from the Pixel 3 series to the Pixel 6 line. Interestingly, most of Google’s Curated Culture wallpapers celebrate something specific — for example, last month had Pride Month wallpapers, and past versions have celebrated Indigenous peoples, mental health, and more. These frog wallpapers appear to just be that — frog wallpapers.

Source: 9to5Google, (2)

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Mobile Syrup

Google still working on face unlock feature, could launch on Pixel 7: report

Before Google launched the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro, rumours indicated the phones would support some level of face unlock. The phones — for better or worse — launched without face unlock, but the rumours persisted. Now, it looks like the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro might offer face unlock.

9to5Google put together an excellent look at the history of the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro face unlock rumours, building into the latest information: the June Pixel Feature Drop included a small, underlying code change for the Pixel 6 series called ‘FACE_UNLOCK_BOOST.’ The change allows the Tensor chip in the Pixel 6 series to boost performance for one second while face unlock is active, presumably to increase how quickly the device can process the face unlock function.

Now, you might be wondering, why add a feature to the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro that enables performance boosts when using face unlock if neither device has face unlock? And, well, that’s kinda the point — this all traces back to those initial leaks about the Pixel 6 series offering face unlock.

Clues in the code

Before the Pixel 6 series launched, we knew that the phones didn’t have specific hardware for face unlock, unlike the previous Pixel 4 and 4 XL. The 4 series sported special hardware, including an IR camera, dot projector, flood illuminator and Google’s ‘Soli’ radar tech to facilitate fast face unlock capabilities. Despite not having any of that hardware, marketing copy for the Pixel 6 line showed off a phone with a settings menu for ‘Face and Fingerprint Unlock.’ Then the phones launched without that menu and with no hint of face unlock support.

Since then, people have dug through Android code and found various references to a face unlock feature, including information about performance tweaks for Tensor. This sparked rumours that Google would bring face unlock to the Pixel 6 line as part of a Feature Drop. A lot of the rumours suggested it would come specifically to the Pixel 6 Pro, and not the cheaper Pixel 6, predicated on differences in selfie camera hardware and on the idea that Google had planned to launch the 6 Pro with face unlock but ultimately dropped the feature because it wasn’t ready.

More recently, someone uncovered a face unlock UI in the Android 13 beta on their Pixel 6 Pro.

Destined for Pixel 7?

All this brings us back to today, with 9to5 suggesting that Google has made headway on face unlock that doesn’t require specific hardware like on the Pixel 4. If Google had a fancy new machine learning (ML) face unlock feature, it’d likely want to launch it with the Pixel 7 series as a major new feature. But, that raises a few other questions. For one, if Google worked on face unlock for the Pixel 6 Pro, could it also have plans to bring the feature to the 6 Pro in the future? Going by Google’s track record, if face unlock is software-based, it might trickle down to older phones. However, Google could list face unlock as a feature that requires Tensor 2 for processing, ruling out a potential Pixel 6 Pro upgrade.

Moreover, given that leaks indicate the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro sport the same selfie camera hardware this year, that could mean we’ll see face unlock on both devices instead of on just the Pro model as was rumoured with the Pixel 6 series.

Of course, we’ve still got a ways to go before the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro arrive. We may learn more about a possible face unlock feature before then, or learn that the phones won’t support face unlock at all. Right now, all we’ve got is evidence Google worked on some kind of face unlock feature. Unfortunately, that doesn’t guarantee Google will ship the feature in a new product.

Source: 9to5Google

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Mobile Syrup

Google’s Location History to start auto-deleting visits to abortion clinics

Google detailed plans to automatically delete visits to abortion clinics, domestic violence shelters, weight loss clinics, fertility centres, and other sensitive locations from its ‘Location History’ in the “coming weeks.”

Location History, for those unfamiliar, is a Google system that tracks where people go to offer personalized maps, recommendations, real-time traffic updates and other benefits. In a blog post, Google explained that it’s adjusting Location History to delete visits to sensitive locations “soon after” the system detects someone visited such a location.

Along with the Location History change, Google also detailed that an update will come to the Fitbit app to allow people to delete multiple menstruation logs at once.

Although Google doesn’t explicitly say it in the blog post, it’s worth noting the change comes after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and several states outlawed abortion. The new anti-abortion laws have raised concerns about data privacy, such as with menstrual tracking apps. The Verge has an excellent breakdown of the privacy risks and how law enforcement could gather people’s data to prosecute those who seek abortion care.

Google’s privacy update seems like a step to help protect users from some of these concerns. However, it’s worth remembering that the company gathers much, much more data than what it details in this blog. Along with Location History, Google has search data, YouTube history, and more. Google says it will push back on law enforcement requests to access this data, especially with “demands that are overly broad or otherwise legally objectionable.” Moreover, the company plans to notify users when it gives their data to the government unless it’s been ordered not to or there is another pressing security concern.

Of course, as The Verge points out, it may be better for people to avoid letting Google have this data to begin with. You can follow steps to disable Location History entirely here, and when it comes to search history, make sure to at least sign out of Google (or perhaps don’t use Google at all).

Source: Google Via: The Verge

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Mobile Syrup

Google shares pic of ‘Sage’ Pixel 6a side-by-side with other Pixels

So far, most of the Pixel 6a content we’ve seen, from leaks to unboxing videos, has used the ‘Charcoal’ colour. However, the ‘Sage’ colour is clearly the best option of the three 6a colours, and Google has now shared a promo photo comparing the green Pixel 6, 6 Pro, and 6a.

In a tweet, the ‘Made By Google’ account said the Pixel 6a will “join the family… in less than 3 weeks!” The tweet included the aforementioned photo with the ‘Sorta Seafoam’ Pixel 6 and the ‘Sage’ Pixel 6a. The Pixel 6 Pro doesn’t come in a shade of green, unfortunately, but Google did include the ‘Cloudy White’ version in the picture too.

It’s worth noting Google’s upcoming Pixel 7 Pro will come in a green shade — ‘Hazel.’ As far as phone colours go, I’d say it’s pretty unique and the Hazel 7 Pro is easily the best Pixel colour this year.

Now, maybe it’s just my eyes, but the Pixel 6a shown in the side-by-side looks much more green than other images of the ‘Sage’ colour, such as what you can see of the phone on Google’s online Store page. I like the green either way, but the side-by-side makes the 6a look much more vibrant than I think it actually is.

Either way, it won’t be much longer until reviewers have the phone in hand. The Pixel 6a is set to be available for pre-order on July 21st in Canada before its July 28th release. It’ll cost $599 and sports a 6.1-inch OLED display with a centred hole-punch 8-megapixel selfie camera and 60Hz refresh rate. Other features include two rear 12-megapixel cameras (wide- and ultra-wide angle), 6GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, and a 4,410mAh battery.

You can learn more about the Pixel 6a here, or more about Google’s other upcoming products here.

Header image credit: Google (Twitter)

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Mobile Syrup

Your Gmail will sport a new and refreshed look in about 15 days

Back in February, Google rolled out a new Gmail layout that featured a subtle redesign and easier access to the company’s business and productivity-focused services like Chat, Spaces, and Meet. At that moment, access to the refreshed Gmail was only available to those who opt-in, but it seems like Google is rolling out the feature for all users now.

Now, instead of the new UI being available on an opt-in basis, it will be available to everyone, and those who’d rather stick to the old UI can opt-out.

The new UI lets users quickly switch between their inbox, important chat conversations, and meeting on Google Meet from one window, making it easier for users to “stay on top of what’s important and get work done faster in a single, focused location.”

While the old Gmail layout also featured Chat, Spaces and Meet in the left-aligned bar, the older look felt crammed, whereas the new UI gives the apps their own personal space.

Hovering over any of the apps will show a pop-up with your conversations on it, though if you’re not a fan of the new look, reverting back is as easy as going to the quick settings menu from the top right and clicking on “Go back to the original Gmail view.”

The feature started rolling out yesterday, June 28th, for both Rapid Release and Schedule Release users, and can potentially take over 15 days for the feature to be widely available. Also worth noting is that the new UI will not be available for Google Workspace Essentials customers.

If your Gmail doesn’t look like the screenshots above, head to the quick setting menu on the top right and click on “Try out the new Gmail view.”

Image credit: Google 

Source: Google Via: AndroidPolice

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Mobile Syrup

Fix for Pixel Buds A-Series bass slider bug may arrive soon

In December, Google rolled out an update to its budget-friendly Pixel Buds A-Series wireless earbuds that added a new slider for adjusting bass sounds. Except, an issue with the slider plagued users for months — a fix may now be on the way.

The problem? That the new bass slider doesn’t work. Instead, users claim the slider shows the intended bass level, but they need to adjust the slider and then put it back to the desired level to make it work. A Pixel Buds Help thread about the issue popped up in December, and saw some input from Googlers before things went quiet in March.

As reported by 9to5Google, users in the thread suddenly received an alert from a Google employee that there was a fix for the Buds A-Series problem. The Google post included a link to another Google Support page. However, the link doesn’t work and instead says the “page is no longer available.” Further, the aforementioned post doesn’t appear on the help thread in question.

“Good news everyone – we have a fix!

Go here to learn more: https://support.google.com/s/community/forum/407813/search/query%3Dbass%2Bslider/thread/169132761″ – message from Google

Some users said the support page mentioned an upcoming firmware update for the Pixel Buds A-Series before it became unavailable. It remains unclear what happened, although it seems likely Google removed the post for some reason.

As for why, well, 9to5 speculates the company published the notice early. Alternatively, it’s possible Google caught a bug with the firmware and slammed the brakes on the rollout.

One user said they suspect Google is waiting to push the fix alongside its Pixel Buds Pro release. Google announced the Buds Pro back at I/O in May, but it’s unclear when the company plans to release the earbuds. While an interesting theory, I’m not sure I buy into it.

Anyway, the good news here is that there is a fix for the bass slider issue plaguing the Pixel Buds A-Series. The bad news? Google hasn’t released it yet, and it’s uncertain when the company will.

Source: Pixel Buds Help, Reddit Via: 9to5Google

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Mobile Syrup

Google Camera app 8.5 teardown reveals Pixel 7 4K video on selfie cam

Google’s Pixel phones often sport powerful cameras, but much of the power comes from software smarts rather than top-tier hardware (although hardware does play a factor!). As such, updates to the Google Camera app can often reveal tidbits about the company’s next flagship before it arrives.

Thanks to a 9to5Google teardown of the latest Google Camera app update, we now know some details about the camera systems in the upcoming Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Pro and Pixel tablet. Now, as with any teardown, the information detailed by 9to5 might not completely reliable. Teardowns involve looking at app code, so details and new features hinted at by the code may be unfinished or subject to change. In other words, take everything revealed by a teardown with a grain of salt.

Pixel 7, 7 Pro to support 4K selfie cam video

With that said, the first thing 9to5 found in the teardown of Google Camera 8.5 was code suggesting both the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro would sport selfie cameras capable of recording 4K video. While the Pixel 6 Pro also supports 4K selfie camera video, the Pixel 6 does not — it maxes out at ‘Full HD’ (FHD). Moreover, the Pixel 6 selfie camera clocks in at an 8-megapixel resolution compared to the 11.1-megapixel 6 Pro. Presumably, if both the 7 and 7 Pro offer 4K selfie video, then both selfie cameras could be the same as what’s in the 6 Pro.

9to5 suggests as much but notes the Camera app code isn’t clear. Both the 7 and 7 Pro refer to “p21_front_setup” for the front camera, which is the same reference the 6 Pro uses.

Beyond that, the Camera app code indicates there aren’t any significant hardware changes for the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro cameras. That could change as we get closer to the Pixel 7 release, but for now, it seems like the 7 and 7 Pro are more of a refresh.

Pixel tablet camera may lack several key features

Next up, 9to5 found some preliminary work to prepare Google Camera for the Pixel tablet the company plans to release sometime in 2023. We already know the tablet will likely sport one rear camera, which makes sense given that tablets generally aren’t considered go-to camera devices.

However, 9to5 notes that code in Camera app 8.5 indicates the Pixel tablet camera won’t support 4K video recording at 60 frames per second (fps). Worse, the camera might not support 4K video at all.

Camera app code also suggests that the tablet won’t support several common Pixel camera features, such as Audio Zoom, slow motion video, or Action Pan photos.

Once again, these details could change as we near the Pixel tablet release. That said, if you were hoping the Pixel tablet would sport the excellent camera chops of Google’s Pixel phones, you may want to adjust your expectations.

Header image credit: Google

Source: 9to5Google