Samsung Galaxy S8/S8+ and Galaxy Note 8 Always on Display updated with GIF support

The Always on Display has been a longstanding feature of Samsung phones. It's a great feature to have, especially with the Super AMOLED displays. You always have the clock and notifications just a glance away. Samsung has slowly added more features to the Always on Display over the years. The latest addition to the AOD for the Samsung Galaxy S8/S8+ and Galaxy Note 8 allows you to put a little motion on the display.

Previously, it was possible to add photos to the Always on Display. This was an easy way to personalize your phone even when it's idle. Now, you can take it a step further by adding animated GIFs. The feature was added in version 3.2.26.4 of Always on Display (APK below). All you have to do is download a GIF and you can add it to the AOD from the Gallery app.

The one limitation we ran into is the GIF can't be too long. You will see a toast message if the animation length doesn't meet the requirement. Tap the edit button in the Gallery to trim the GIF by removing frames. The other thing to keep in mind is the GIFs don't actually loop on the Always on Display, so you don't want to pick one that's too short either. It's basically just a short little animation when you turn off the display. Here you can see it in action:

Download the APK below for the Galaxy S8, Galaxy S8+, and Galaxy Note 8.

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Download from APK Mirror

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Samsung Galaxy Note 8 receiving Android Oreo update on Verizon and Sprint

The Samsung Galaxy Note 9 may be on the horizon, but the Galaxy Note 8 is still Samsung's latest stylus-wielding device. The AT&T model received the Android Oreo update earlier this week and now a couple more U.S. carriers are joining the fun. Reddit users and XDA Forums members are reporting that they're receiving Android Oreo on Verizon and Sprint.

The update brings the phone up to Android 8.0 Oreo and Samsung Experience 9.0. All the Oreo goodies are in tow, including picture-in-picture, Autofill, notification dots, battery optimizations, and more. The update comes in at 1.4 GB and brings the firmware build up to version CRC2.

As always, you can go to Settings > Software update to see if you can grab the update now. The unlocked Snapdragon model still has a little while to wait before Oreo will be available, but now most of the U.S. carriers are up to date. The Exynos model should already have the Android Oreo update. If not you can manually install it with this tutorial. Sprint and Verizon have not updated their official software release pages yet.

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Source: Reddit 1 Source: Reddit 2
Source: Sprint Note 8 forum Source: Verizon Note 8 forum

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Google Play Audiobooks get Smart Resume, Bookmarks, and greater speed controls

For many months, rumors stated that audiobooks would launch soon in Google Play. Recent versions of the Google Play Books app contained strings referencing them, and Google finally launched audiobooks in the Play Store in January. At launch, Google stated that audiobooks were available in 45 countries and nine languages.

Now, Google is adding more features to audiobooks in Google Play. The first feature addition is Smart Resume. Google states that "interruptions happen all the time", and it's common to need to pause an audiobook in the middle of a sentence or word. Although pausing reading a book is easy, the same can't be said for pausing and resuming an audiobook. Up until now, when users have resumed the book, the resume feature hasn't been intelligent enough. Now, Smart Resume will "intelligently rewind [users]" to the beginning of the word or sentence when they pick their audiobook again, so they will be able to jump to the exact place where they left off.

The next addition is Bookmarks. This is a basic feature, but it's important nonetheless. Users can save their favorite moments in audiobooks by tapping the bookmark icon to save this spot in the Google Play Books app on an Android or iOS device.

Audiobooks are now integrated with the newly launched routines on the Google Assistant. Users can, for example, start an audiobook for their daily commute hands-free in addition to other routines in Assistant such as typing in their work address to Google Maps to see traffic or checking appointments in Google Calendar. After adding audiobooks to their routine in the Google Home app, users need to say "Ok Google, tell me about my day" to start their routines.

Google has also added greater speed controls. Users can listen at 3x speed (which is the fastest), or choose to slow books down to 0.5x speed to go over things slowly.

Finally, users can now share audiobooks and ebooks using Family Library with up to five family members for free in 13 new countries. Shared books can be read on Android, iOS and the web. The new countries include Belgium, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Russia, Spain, Switzerland, Chile, Mexico, Japan (audiobooks only) and South Africa.

The new features are now being rolled-out on Android, iOS, and on devices with the Google Assistant.

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Source: Google

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Moto G6 will reportedly have a 5.7-inch Full HD+ 18:9 display and the Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 SoC

Recently, Motorola has been in the news for worrying reasons. In January, the company's 2018 phone lineup was comprehensively leaked, but the company opted to launch any devices at Mobile World Congress. Then, we heard that layoffs were occurring, with the Moto X5 being reportedly cancelled.

This week, Motorola confirmed that it will announce new phones next month as it changes leadership. Now, AndroidHeadlines has leaked the specifications of the Moto G6 (not to be confused with the Moto G6 Plus) based on in-house Motorola documentation. The specifications corroborate the ones seen in other leaks.

The Moto G6 will reportedly be marketed with the three main selling points of display, cameras and battery life. It will have a 5.7-inch "Max Vision" Full HD+ (2160×1080) display. The display will be protected by Gorilla Glass 3, and Attentive Display is supported, meaning the display remains on when the user is looking at it.

The phone will have a "premium 3D glass back" which is designed to reflect light differently on the angle. It will also be splash-resistant due to the inclusion of P2i nano-coating protection, which means that it will be protected against "moderate exposure" to water encounters such as light rain and spills, but it will not be waterproof. It will also have a microSD card slot that supports up to 128GB expandable storage.

The Moto G6 will have dual rear cameras. AndroidHeadlines was not able to specify the exact configuration, but previous leaks have suggested 12MP + 5MP cameras. The front facing camera is confirmed to be an 8MP sensor. It will also have face unlock and an ultra wide-angle mode for group portraits.

The phone will be able to blur image backgrounds (and foregrounds) through the use of "Selective focus". Users will also be able to swap backgrounds in images, and this feature is described as a "Cutout". Users can pull a background from any photo in their Google Photos account and apply it to the new image.

The cameras of the Moto G also have landmark and object recognition thanks to AI. Android Headlines notes that this sounds like Google Lens, but Motorola has not specifically mentioned Lens in the documentation. Users will be able to point the camera at a physical document and have the text scanned to a digital form which can then be quickly added to an email, message, etc. At launch, this feature is said to be available in English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish.

The cameras of the device will also be able to add color to black-and-white photos or highlight a color in an existing image. For example, users will be able to highlight a color in a subject's face and turn everything other than the highlighted color to black and white. They will also have a "Best shot" burst mode, and an "Active photos" feature that sounds like Google's Motion Photos. A manual mode for ISO, shutter speed, white balance, exposure compensation, and focus will also be included.

The Moto G6 will be powered by a 3000mAh battery that lasts "a full day", and it will support Motorola's TurboPower charging tech. A compatible TurboPower charger will be included in the box. The phone will be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 SoC with the Adreno 506 GPU.

The phone is confirmed to support all usual Moto features such as Moto Actions, Moto Display, Moto Voice and Moto Key (which allows the fingerprint sensor to unlock apps, websites, and Windows-based laptops). The fingerprint sensor on the Moto G6 will support gesture navigation (swipe left to go back, swipe right to access the recent app switcher, and tap once to go home). NFC is also included. Also, there will be free access to FM radio and Dolby Atmos support.

We expect to learn more about the Moto G6 in the time leading up to its launch.

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Source: Android Headlines

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Google Assistant forgets how to tell you the weather

Google Assistant is extremely useful for telling you basic information like traffic on your daily commute or showing you the weather, but in bizarre development tonight it appears that the service has completely forgotten how to tell you the weather. Multiple users have reported to us that they no longer receive any weather information when asking Assistant about the weather, what temperature it is, or what the forecast is.

We tested this ourselves and can confirm that this bug is present with Google Assistant on my Google Pixel 2 XL. I also asked my Google Home and Home Mini what the weather forecast would be, but with every query the device simply said it didn't understand my question.

We've reached out to Google for comment and will update if this bug is fixed or if Google responds.

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Huawei Mate 10 Lite Android Oreo beta program reportedly opens up in Pakistan

The Huawei P20 series is the talk of the town lately thanks to the ridiculous camera specifications of the Pro model, but it wasn't too long ago that Huawei announced the Mate 10 series of devices. The Huawei Mate 10 and Huawei Mate 10 Pro garnered most of the attention as they were the first devices with Huawei's HiSilicon Kirin 970 system-on-chip, but Huawei also launched a lower-end Mate 10 Lite model with quad-cameras. That phone launched with Android 7.1 Nougat with EMUI 5.1 on board, but it appears that Huawei is finally opening up an official Android Oreo beta program with EMUI 8.0 for users in Pakistan.

According to several members on our forum, the beta program has opened up for model RNE-L21C185. RNE is the Huawei Mate 10 Lite while L21 tells us the variant and C185 is the region (Pakistan). Users can sign up for the beta test on Huawei's Friendly User Test (FUT) page and after signing up can expect to receive the update within a few days. So far, several members have reported success in signing up, but none have actually received the Android Oreo update. As such, we can't say whether or not the update will bring Project Treble compatibility.

We should note that the update is available for flashing right now on this model from FunkyHuawei.club, though that is a paid service so many would prefer to wait for the update to roll out officially for the device. Keep up to date on the latest news for the Huawei Mate 10 Lite by following the official XDA forum for the device.

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LG is seeking feedback on display notches while rumors suggest LG G7 might have one

2018 may very well be the year of the notch. You either embrace it or you don't. As we approach the end of the first quarter, the field is divided. On one hand, the ASUS Zenfone 5/5Z, the Huawei P20, the OnePlus 6, and the LG G7 are rumored or are confirmed to have notches. On the other hand, the Samsung Galaxy S9 and the Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S have bucked the trend so far. The notch trend has proven to be controversial among the community, so much so that people have been looking for ways to hide it. For that reason, LG is seeking feedback regarding display notches to share with their R&D team.

On a post over on /r/Android, LG support staff is seeking input from the community about the notch.

"We've seen a LOT of comments around "The Notch" over the past few weeks, from people who love the quick access to the menu to those that hate the wasted screen space. We would love to gather some more feedback to share with our R&D team- and this is where you come in. So…what do you think? Love the Notch? Or is it Notch your thing?" – LG Support on Reddit

This seems rather timely given the reception of many devices that are confirmed to have display notches. OnePlus' CEO even took to their forums to defend the decision to implement a notch on the rumored OnePlus 6, and even though the decision makes sense from a design standpoint, it's something that will take time for consumers to accept. The LG G7 was spotted with a notch at Mobile World Congress 2018 (the feature image is a still from that leak). It is rumored to launch in May alongside an LG G7 Plus model, so we're skeptical that any major design changes would be made based off of feedback here.

Regardless, if you don't agree with the notch trend or think you have an idea on how the software can handle them better, then check out LG's thread on Reddit. If you're looking for a decent Reddit client, then consider the latest official beta release of the app which brings themes including an AMOLED night theme, redesigned bottom navigation bar, and more.

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