In this week’s top stories: Google is sending out notices of a class action lawsuit in Google+, the Pixel 5 may have leaked its launch date, OnePlus is running Android 11 based HydrogenOS, and more.
In a week full of hardware announcements from Samsung and Google, the story that captured the interest of most people this week is a suspicious, yet legitimate message from Google informing people about a class action lawsuit scheme . The $ 7.5 million scheme could give past Google Plus members up to $ 12, depending on how many people decide to file a claim.
Those who are part of the litigation class – the full definition is below, but the short version is anyone with a Google+ account between January 1, 2015 and April 2, 2019 – should be able to go to the mentioned website and claim it submit. If you are included in that group, you must decide by October 8 to apply, withdraw from the settlement, or file an objection.
This week, Google finally removed the wraps from the Pixel 4a, more than two months after we initially expected it to launch. In its announcement, Google calls the Pixel 4a the “useful Google phone, at a reasonable price,” and it’s hard to debate this rating based on early reviews.
It is the second phone after the Pixel 4 with the new Google Assistant. Speech recognition and language comprehension on device allow faster commands. Allows you to navigate apps and perform certain actions hands-free. For example, you can search for Google Photos and, after finding the right image, send it to a contact by voice. In addition to English, it now works in German, French, Spanish and Italian.
While the formal discovery of the Pixel 4a after its many delays is very exciting, our eyes, as always, look forward to the next release. In the original version of Google France’s announcement of the Pixel 4a, it was mocked that the company included a date for when the Pixel 4a (5G) and Pixel 5 should launch – October 8th.
This October 8 event is likely to be a full-fledged Google hardware event, and serves as an opportunity for Google to launch its upcoming Android TV dongle as the recently posted successor to Google Home.
OnePlus fans got this first glimpse on Android 11 this week as the company announced an upcoming update to its China-exclusive HydrogenOS. While full details of the August 10 update are due to be unveiled, OnePlus spent this week adding new features to its Android 11 update such as an enhanced dark mode.
OnePlus also shows several designs for its always-on display, another delayed feature that users have been craving for years. As seen earlier, there are some sleek and unique designs here, but also some more traditional options that play off of analog and digital clock faces.
On the flip side of OnePlus news, it has now been revealed that the smartphone company has struck a deal with Facebook. Specifically, their phones, starting with the OnePlus 8, come with Facebook App Installer, Facebook Services and Facebook App Manager pre-installed, so they can not be uninstalled, only disabled.
With those apps installed and active, you may notice that updates to Facebook apps through that service may come in place of the Play Store. You may notice that these services consume small pieces of data, even when not in use, which is a bit of a hassle when you consider that you do not know what data is being sent back to Facebook.
The rest of this week’s top stories follow:
Android 11 Beta 3 |
Android |
Apps & updates |
Google Assistant |
Google Stadiums |
Made by Google |
OnePlus |
Samsung |
Videos |
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