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Mobile Syrup

Fitbit Versa 2 and 3 are currently discounted on Amazon

If you are interested in health tracking, a great place to start is with a Fitbit wearable.

Especially now, when Fitbit’s positively reviewed Versa 2 and Versa 3 are up to 35 percent off on Amazon.

Below are several Fitbit deals currently available on Amazon:

Fitbit Versa 2 Health & Fitness Smartwatch With Heart Rate, Music, Alexa Built-In, Sleep & Swim Tracking: $149.95 (regularly $229.95)

Fitbit Versa 3 Health & Fitness Smartwatch with GPS, 24/7 Heart Rate, Alexa Built-in, 6+ Days Battery, Black/Black Aluminum: $229.95 (regularly $299.95)

Fitbit Ace 3 Activity Tracker for Kids 6+, Blue/Astro Green, One Size: $69.95 (regularly $78.98)

Fitbit Versa 2 Health & Fitness Smartwatch With Heart Rate, Music, Alexa Built-In, Sleep & Swim Tracking – Mist Grey: $149.95 (regularly $229.95)

Fitbit Versa 3 Health and Fitness Smartwatch, Amazon Exclusive Color, GPS, 24/7 Heart Rate, Alexa Built-in, 6+ Days Battery, Thistle/Gold, One Size (S & L Bands Included): $229.95 (regularly $299.95)

Fitbit Versa 3 Health & Fitness Smartwatch with GPS, 24/7 Heart Rate, Alexa Built-in, 6+ Days Battery, Midnight Blue/Gold, One Size (S & L Bands Included): $229.95 (regularly $299.95)

Fitbit Ace 3 Activity Tracker for Kids 6+, Minions Special Edition, Yellow, One Size: $69.95 (regularly $99.95)

Fitbit Versa 3 Health & Fitness Smartwatch with GPS, 24/7 Heart Rate, Alexa Built-in, 6+ Days Battery, Pink Clay/Gold, One Size (S & L Bands Included): $229.95 (regularly $299.95)

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Mobile Syrup

New Pixel wallpapers celebrate International Day of Persons with Disabilities

Google has been killing it with some stellar wallpapers for Pixel phones recently. Not only do the wallpapers look great, but they’re often socially aware and meant to highlight things like Hispanic Heritage Month, Mental Health Awareness Day and National Native American Heritage Month.

The most recent set of wallpapers celebrate International Day of Persons with Disabilities and are illustrated by B.C.-based First Nations artist Dana Kearley.

The new wallpapers look absolutely fantastic, and the wealth of colour play well with Android 12’s Material You theme system.

You can find the new wallpapers (along with others, like those celebrating International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples) in the ‘Curated Cultures’ section of the Pixel wallpapers app on the Pixel 3 and newer.

Source: Google (Twitter) Via: Android Police

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Mobile Syrup

Google Photos private folder rolling out to all Android users

Since the summer, Google has been rolling out an update for the Google Photos app that adds a locked folder, and now it’s finally coming to even more Android phones.

When the update began to roll out last June, it started on Pixel phones, but now users with other phones have reported getting the update signifying that it’s likely rolling out to everyone. I was able to set up the feature on a OnePlus phone running the OxygenOS 12 beta, so it definitely seems likely that the update is out for all.

This folder isn’t perfect if you have multiple Android devices, but if you only have a single phone, it does an excellent job of keeping sensitive photos and videos out of the cloud and locked behind a pin code on your device. To set up a locked folder you can access it from the Utilities section within the Library page in the photos app.

It should also be noted that if you delete that Google Photos app, you’ll lose all the images you’ve locked away. This also means that if you switch to a new phone, you’ll need to transfer these photos manually. This update is also not available in the Google Photos app on iOS or the web.

Via: 9to5Google 

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Mobile Syrup

Android 12 seems to be causing connectivity issues on Pixel 6 devices

It seems Android 12 has brought along with it several bugs, including one related to connectivity problems.

Several Pixel 6 owners posting on Reddit and Google’s forums are reporting that their devices are experiencing connectivity issues that are leaving some users without any cellular data. Some users say that rebooting their device fixes the problem, but that doesn’t work for everyone, according to the posts.

Some of these problems include a SIM showing connectivity that doesn’t actually connect to LTE or 5G. Other users are reporting that their Pixel 6 indicates it doesn’t have a SIM in it despite one being inserted into the smartphone.

It seems the issue is not only affecting the Pixel 6, but also the Pixel 4 and the Pixel 4a. That said, most of the reports seem to be related to the Pixel 6 series.

Some of the users have found that turning off Google’s ‘Adaptive Connectivity’ feature in the Settings menu solves the problem. Adaptive Connectivity aims to help extend battery life by managing network connections.

None of the Pixel 6 series devices MobileSyrup has are experiencing this issue, but if you’re suffering from this problem, try rebooting your device or turning off the Adaptive Connecitiy functionality.

Source: Reddit, Google Support forums Via: 9to5Google

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Mobile Syrup

Google Maps reveals Canadian user trends like when to head to the mall this holiday season

Google Maps is helping Canadians strategize their holidays by revealing user trends, including popular shopping times, food and even by adding new features.

According to Google Maps, the worst time to buy groceries is 2pm on Saturday and the best time to go is 8 pm on Saturday. Further, the best time to head to a large shopping mall is Thursday, and if people aren’t at the grocery store, apparently they’re shopping because the worst time to head to the mall is also Saturday at 2pm.

The best time to go to the airport if you’re leaving your home for the holidays is on a Friday evening and the busiest time is Saturday at noon.

Overall, the best time for a meal this holiday season is around 11am on Friday, and, as expected, the busiest time is Saturday evenings.

According to Google Maps, Chinese food was the most popular cuisine ordered on Christmas Eve. And on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, Japanese food is the top search (oddly enough, last New Year’s Eve, I ordered sushi).

Google Maps has also listed the 10 most popular attractions, according to reviews:

  • Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, Toronto
  • Elgin and Winter Garden Theatre Centre, Toronto
  • The Orpheum, Vancouver
  • Museum of Anthropology, Vancouver
  • Maison symphonique, Place des Arts, Montréal
  • Le Bordel Comédie Club, Montréal
  • Canadian War Museum, Ottawa
  • Canadian Museum of Nature, Ottawa
  • Heritage Park Historical Village, Calgary
  • Studio Bell, home of the National Music Centre, Calgary
  • Winspear Centre, Edmonton
  • Fort Edmonton Park, Edmonton

Finally, Google is adding a new Directory tab to Maps that aims to help users find their way around buildings, such as directions in a large shopping centre.

Source: Google Maps

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Mobile Syrup

Canada’s own Simu Liu is now an official Google Pixel 6 ambassador

Canadian actor Simu Liu is now the spokesperson for the Google Pixel 6 and 6 Pro.

The Mississauga, Ontario-raised Liu will be featured in a series of digital ads and social media spots that emphasize both the phones’ features and his personality.

Liu, of course, made waves earlier this year for his leading role in September’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Marvel’s first Asian-led film. He’s also known for his role in CBC’s acclaimed Kim’s Convenience sitcom, which ran for five seasons and ended in April.

Liu will shoot the Pixel 6 ads later this month, with Google stating that they’ll air sometime this holiday season. The Pixel 6 series was released in Canada in late October. One of the Pixel 6 family’s key features is the inclusion of Google’s first System on a Chip (SoC), Tensor, which offers Real Tone technology to better capture skin colour, Live Translate for improved speech recognition and more.

Given that Clint Barton/Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) is also a noted Pixel fan, perhaps a crossover between the two is in order.

In any case, Liu is the latest famous Canadian actor (and Marvel movie star) to dive into the business of smartphones. Vancouver-born Ryan Reynolds (Deadpool) owns his own U.S.-based carrier, Mint Mobile, which he’s been trying to bring to Canada for many months now.

Source: Google

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Mobile Syrup

Google announces several new Android features in time for the holidays

Android is getting a suite of new features for the holidays.

The first of these, ‘Family Bell,’ lets you and your family stay on track with your schedules. The feature works with your Android phone, home speaker, smart display and notifications will alert you and your family throughout the day.

Google has also added three new widgets — one for Google Play Books, another for YouTube Music and a third for Google Photos — that put your family on the Home screen.

Further, there are new Memories in Google Photos that help you look at previous holidays like New Year’s Eve or Halloween as well as birthdays and graduations. You can choose to rename, personalize, correct or remove these Memories.

Additionally, Android Auto is letting users reply to messages with quick smart reply options, so you can just tap on the dashboard. There’s also a new always-on play button on the Home screen, and you’ll soon be able to voice search for music in your Android Auto media apps.

Another feature Google announced is the ability to unlock your BMW cars with your Pixel 6, Pixel 6 Pro and Galaxy S21’s digital car key.

Additionally, there’s a new Gboard update that lets you combine emojis, like combining a ‘pupper’ emoji with a sad face. This feature is available for Gboard Beta users today and will come to everyone else in the coming weeks.

Gif of a cursor selecting the pleading face emoji and the dog emoji to create a pleading dog face sticker

You can check out the full list of new December features in the Google blog post.

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Mobile Syrup

Your Android device will soon remind you to reply to messages

We usually nudge people to get their attention. Now, Google is doing the same thing with its Android Messages app.

First seen in the development phase back in September, the ‘Nudge’ feature is meant to remind you of unread texts and messages you might have forgotten to reply to. Now, as XDA Developers points out, the feature is rolling out to some users.

According to XDA, the feature offers a couple of toggles, including the following:

  • Suggest messages to reply to: Messages you might have forgotten to respond to will appear at the top of your inbox.
  • Suggest messages to follow up on: Messages you might need to follow up on will appear at the top of your inbox.

Once the feature is live for you, you’ll see that messages you might have forgotten to respond to or messages that you might need to follow up on will appear at the top of your inbox.

While the feature doesn’t seem to be live for us at MobileSyrup, you can head to the Messages app, navigate to Settings -> Suggestions and check if there is a ‘Nudge’ option at the bottom.

You can also head to APKMirror to grab the latest Google Messages 10.8.260 beta build.

Via: XDA Developers

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Mobile Syrup

Older Pixel phones get updated with slightly better controls

Google is now rolling out some camera features for the Google Pixel series of devices that can help make the camera a little better.

The most noticeable update is a new gear camera settings icon beside the arrow at the top of the screen. Beyond that, the camera is also getting a new manual sub-section in the camera’s settings that allows you to disable the exposure slider if you want fewer controls.

There is still no actual ‘Pro’ mode that allows you to control the camera manually, but perhaps this sub-section hints at more to come.

The final update sits in the ‘Advanced’ section of the Camera app’s settings, and it allows you to use the flash as a countdown timer so you can more accurately track when a timed photo is about to go off.

9to5Google says that version 8.4.300.x carries the update, and it’s rolling out to Pixel 5 and Pixel 6 devices. Ideally, Pixel 4a and older Pixels will get the update soon.

Source: 9to5Google 

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Mobile Syrup

DJI apps failing to work with Pixel 6 phones

If you own a DJI drone, the new Action 2 or Pocket 2, and a Pixel 6, you’re not in for a good time. Not only do Android users need to download some of DJI’s apps from its website instead of the Play Store, but Pixel 6 users can’t even use the apps at all.

Several Pixel 6 users are reportedly only seeing a black screen, but can still access some settings. This pretty much renders the drones useless since you need to see them when you’re flying. If you have an action cam or the Pocket 2, this is less of an inconvenience since both devices feature small built-in displays.

While the most prominent issues seem to stem from Pixel 6 devices, it appears that a small number of Samsung devices might have the bug as well. I have only been able to test the app on a OnePlus 9 Pro and it worked flawlessly for me.

According to a report from Android Police, DJI is aware of the issue and is working on a solution.

For the time being, if you plan to buy a DJI product, especially a drone, I would do a quick Google search to see if anyone else has the same phone as you to make sure that the app is compatible. It’s also worth noting that you need to download the DJI apps from DJI’s website since they were removed from the Play Store in January 2021 for not compiling code in a modern way.

Source: Android Police