Here are all the ways Android Oreo protects your phone and data

Android Oreo is now making its way to more and more devices and it brings with it much smarter security features.

It packs clever software that you never knew was protecting your phone and data, such as safer install of apps that come from unknown sources, rollback protection which prevents hackers from downgrading your phone to an older OS version that's susceptible to an exploit, and more.

OEM Lock Hardware Abstraction Layer (aptly named HAL) prevents your phone from being reset without your security credentials.

The full list of security advancements is laid out in the source below.

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Huawei agrees to pay Nokia for patents in multi-year license deal

One of the biggest patent holders in the mobile space is still Nokia, and this was confirmed once more today. Following similar deals it made in the past with the likes of Apple, Samsung, LG, and Xiaomi, the Finnish company has announced that it has agreed to license its patents to Huawei.

It's a multi-year deal with the Chinese smartphone maker, but no financial details have been provided yet. Nokia did tell its investors that it expects to start booking revenue off of this agreement, including a one-off catch-up payment, by the end of this year. An analyst speculates that Huawei's payments may be around €100 million per year. Interestingly, Huawei is one of Nokia's biggest competitors in the telecom network equipment business - which is where more than 90% of Nokia's revenue comes from.

Among other things, Nokia's patent catalog covers technology that conserves battery life, improves radio reception, and reduces the need for separate hardware components in phones. The patent licensing division is highly profitable and should help Nokia somewhat alleviate an industry-wide slump in the network business.

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We might see the Snapdragon 845 in Chromebooks

Just like the Snapdragon 835 in 2017, we can expect to see the Snapdragon 845 in many high-end smartphones during 2018. Qualcomm recently announced its Snapdragon 845 CPU at a launch event in Hawaii. At the event, Qualcomm had a lot to say about the “Always Connected PCs” running Windows 10 on the ARM architecture.

Chromebooks may also be able to take advantage of Qualcomm’s Always Connected PC ideology, according to a couple of Chromium commits found by XDA Developers. The first of these commits references a new board called “chezea” while a later commit defines ‘chezea’ as a new board overlay for a reference device that runs the Snapdragon 845.

This means that we might see Chrome OS devices powered by the super-efficient Snapdragon 845. We’ve already seen how well the CPU can handle Windows 10, so imagine how well it would run the much lighter Chrome OS while minimally sacrificing battery life.

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New Samsung Galaxy J2 (2018) leaks in all its low-end glory

At the high-end, Samsung's all about Infinity Displays and small bezels and the 18.5:9 aspect ratio, but the Korean company also churns out quite a few low-end offerings each year. And now we're fast approaching the launch of just such a device: the Galaxy J2 (2018), previously thought to be Galaxy J2 Pro (2017). The handset has received the full leak treatment today, with specs accompanying the press renders you can see below.

The Galaxy J2 (2018) will come with a 5" 540x960 Super AMOLED touchscreen, 1.5GB of RAM, and 16GB of expandable storage. It's powered by the Snapdragon 425 chipset, which has a 1.4 GHz quad-core Cortex-A53 CPU.

Camera-wise, you're getting an 8 MP shooter on the back, and a 5 MP unit on the front, and they both have an LED flash interestingly. The J2 (2018) has dual-SIM support, Bluetooth 4.2, LTE Cat.4 (up to 150Mbps down), and 802.11n Wi-Fi. A 2,600 mAh replaceable battery charges through a microUSB port.

The phone weighs 153g and runs Android 7.1.1 Nougat. It will be available in Russia and other emerging markets in the coming weeks, retailing for around €115.

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We might see the Snapdragon 845 in Chromebooks

3GPP is an organization whose purpose is to define the industry standards for technologies that would succeed the 4G LTE standard. Today, 3GPP has set the specifications for 5G equipment in both towers and smartphones alike.

This means that 5G standards have been set so that network and radio engineers can all work on a single platform for all 5G devices. Features, functions, services, and standards are set for carriers, phone makers, and radio equipment manufacturers now have a basis to begin to produce and roll out 5G equipment and services to capable networks around the world.

If you wish to get down and dirty with all the technical talk of the new 5G specs, you can head to the 3GPP Source Link below. This covers things like system architecture, core network interface, network slicing, and migration from 4G.

A number of carriers, smartphone makers, and component manufacturers (Qualcomm, Orange, T-Mobile, AT&T, Samsung, ZTE, Sprint, Telefonica, Verizon, Sony, Nokia, MediaTek, and Huawei – to name a few) have expressed their excitement and commitment for a future with 5G wireless.

We wonder which smartphone maker will be the first to make a 5G-enabled smartphone. Any predictions?

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Samsung Galaxy J7 Nxt with 3 GB RAM Varient appears

July marked the arrival of the Samsung Galaxy J7 Nxt with 2 GB RAM and 16 GB storage in a limited set of markets. Now a more powerful version was leaked by the retailer Mahesh Telecom on Twitter and later Samsung India uploaded the phone on its website, confirming the price INR12,990 (around €170).

The Galaxy J7 Nxt has 5.5” Super AMOLED screen and Exynos 7870 chipset with octa-core CPU. The phone has one main 13 MP camera (f/1.7) on the back and a single 5 MP snapper on the front, both coupled with LED flash.

The phone is offered in Gold and Black. The original version of the J7 Nxt with 2 GB RAM and 16 GB storage can also be found across multiple retailers for INR10,490 (€138).

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Samsung confirms Galaxy A8 (2018) and A8+ (2018) release date

Samsung has confirmed the release date for the newly-unveiled Galaxy A8 (2018) and A8+ (2018) smartphones. During a recent event in Vietnam, the South Korean company confirmed the devices will go on sale there January 6 onwards.

This is inline with the 'early January' release time frame we have been hearing so far. Of course, release date will likely vary from region to region, so there's still no information on when other key markets will get these phones.

In Vietnam, the devices will carry a price tag of VND 10,990,000 (around $482) and VND 13,490,000 (around $592). This compares to €499 ($590) and €599 ($710) tags the handsets are expected to carry in Europe.

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Speedtest updates app with new UI and features

Speedtest has released a new version of its app on iOS that comes with a new design and couple of new features.

The new UI is consistent with the design that we have been seeing on other platforms, such as the web version, the Windows 10 version and the Apple TV version. Gone is the old, large speedometer with bright colors and glowing textures, replaced by an indigo background and more modern minimal textures with a new condensed font.

At the bottom are three tabs, one each for the speed test, results and settings. Settings has the same options as before, including ability to switch between Mbps and MBps, and switch the gauge from 100Mbps to 500Mbps or even 1Gbps.

The speed test page now also shows you jitter and packet loss for your network alongside ping. After the speed test is over, you can also rate your ISP.

Lastly, the app has a new icon with black background.

The new design on mobile is currently only available on iOS.

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Case renders confirm only the Samsung Galaxy S9+ will have a dual camera

Olixar and MobileFun have a history of leaking Samsung’s designs and a track record of being right. So here are Olixar’s renders of the Galaxy S9 and S9+ - wearing cases, but the “ultra thin, 100% clear” case hardly covers up anything.

The division between the S9 and S9+ is interesting – only the Plus model gets a dual camera. That’s a departure from the S7 and S8 generations that mostly differed in the size of their screens and battery.

This confirms the rumor we heard just yesterday and suggests Samsung wants a three-tier flagship lineup rather than the simple S/Note division. What will the price difference be between Plus and non-Plus model?

Anyway, the rest is as expected - the fingerprint is below the camera now and to the side are the single LED flash and heart rate monitor.

Olixar believes that Samsung will unveil the Galaxy S9 duo in mid-February and start selling them on February 28.

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Chrome Browser will start blocking ads on February 15

Google announced an initiative to begin blocking ads with its Chrome browser back in June. This announcement entailed that the usage of ad blocker extensions on Chrome has been on the rise and continues to do so. Since Google is a company that makes the majority of its money on advertising, it wants to make sure that web surfers can have a pleasant, unobtrusive experience without overly annoying ads.

Google will begin to block all ads from websites seen with the Chrome browser (including its own ads) starting on February 15, but only on one condition: the website doesn’t pass Google’s “Better Ads Standards”. This means that any website that displays ads that might be overly annoying won’t show any ads when the viewer uses Chrome.

You’ve seen these annoying ads before: full page ads, ads that flash, or ads that unexpectedly play sound or video. These types of ads taint an otherwise pleasant surfing experience. In turn, users might flock to Chrome to get away from those kinds of ads, and websites are pressured to get rid of obnoxious ads.

Website admins can use Google’s Ad Experience Report to identify which ads don’t comply with Better Ads Standards. If the website has a “passing” status, ads will show business as usual. If the status is “failing” for 30 days or more, Chrome will stop displaying ads on that website. The website will need to use the Ad Experience Report to request a revision of the website before it can start showing ads again.

This strategy does two things: it keeps people who care about their surfing experience on Chrome, and it encourages websites to serve more acceptable ads for everyone. Let’s see if Google’s initiative pays off.

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Razer Phone Latest update brings camera and audio improvements

Last month, we were promised that the Razer Phone will get a camera improving update in next few weeks. Well, good news is that the update has arrived, and it features some audio improvements and other changes as well.

So the shutter speed control has been improved when in low light conditions as well as when using HDR. Other camera related improvements include improved picture quality and reduced noise. Some bug fixes and performance improvements are also there.

Coming to audio-related changes, call quality for HD audio has been improved and some Dolby audio related issues have been fixed. The change log also says "Tweaked the knobs" for better playback clarity.

Other changes include better auto-brightness luminosity and some theme related tweaks. The update weighs in at 97MB.

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Facebook Messenger Lite crosses 100 million Play Store installs

The Facebook Messenger Lite app for Android - which was unveiled by the company back in October last year - has hit a new milestone. Its Google Play listing now reveals it has scored over 100 million installs.

The app was built with an aim to operate with as little resources as possible (especially data). So in line with the focus, it was made available in a handful of developing countries first, before expanding globally.

In October this year, the app officially arrived in the US, UK, Canada, and Ireland.

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Latest Samsung Galaxy S8 Oreo beta includes App Permission Monitor

Samsung's Galaxy Note8 comes with a feature dubbed App Permission Monitor. It alerts you when permissions you select are being used by app running in the background. Not only that, you can also take a quick look at the permissions history for an app.

Well, the feature is no longer Galaxy Note8-exclusive, as it's now available in the latest Galaxy S8 Oreo beta build.

Samsung has made several useful additions in the Oreo build. Recently, it came to light that screenshot naming has been improved by the company - now the default file name includes name of the app from within which the screenshot was captured.

The Samsung Galaxy S8/S8+ are first in line to get Oreo. A beta program is currently active, and it's expected that the final update will begin rolling by the end of January or start of February.

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Google will require that apps support Oreo features in 2018, 64-bit chipsets in 2019

Google has several forward-looking changes to Android planned, the effects of some will be felt soon while others will make a difference later.

Starting in August 2018, new apps will be required to target Android 8.0 API. They can still support old versions of Android, but they’ll have to play by the rules when running on Oreo and later.

This makes some currently optional features mandatory – like using Marshmallow’s runtime permissions. Additional requirements will improve user privacy while limiting the performance impact of ill-behaved apps.

From November 2018, not just newly-added apps but also app updates will need to play nice with Oreo. And as the years go by, the target version will be advanced to prevent old apps from anchoring phones to the past.

Also in 2019 (August specifically) apps will be required to support 64-bit chipsets. They can still run on 32-bit hardware, but this is in preparation for a 64-bit only future. Apple already made that switch with iOS 11, but Android supports a mind-boggling number of platforms so it needs more time.

In 2018, the Google will help improve security by adding small bits of security metadata to apps downloaded from the Play Store. It will serve as a batch of authenticity and will “enable new distribution opportunities for developers”... whatever that means.

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Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 not coming, Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus takes its place

Xiaomi launched the Redmi 5 series on December 7, but some fans are still withholding purchases, waiting for the Redmi Note 5.

Apparently, the expected successor of the highly popular Redmi Note 4 was already here but under a different name and there won't be another device. According to a Super moderator on the MIUI forum the Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus is going to remain the company's only large-screened affordable option.

According to user mitch002, Xiaomi is dropping the Note moniker “as of this moment.” Although this is not an official confirmation by the manufacturer, it is as close as it gets.

The Redmi 5 Plus has Snapdragon 625 chipset with 3/4 GB RAM and 32/64 GB storage. The display has 18:9 ratio and a 5 MP selfie camera is keeping it company. The main sensor on the back is 12 MP, coupled with a dual-LED flash.

The phone is currently only available in China for CNY999 or CNY1,299 ($150 or $195), but it should hit other markets any moment now.

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Pokemon Go on iOS now supports Apple's ARKit for improved mechanics

Today Niantic Labs and the Pokemon Company, the entities behind the hugely successful Pokemon Go game, have announced a new set of features coming to iPhones. They are collectively called AR+, and are made possible by leveraging Apple's ARKit framework, which debuted in iOS 11.

For that reason, you need to be running that version of the OS or a newer one in order to see the new functionality. You also have to sport an iPhone 6s or newer model.

So what's the fuss about? Well, first off, with AR+ the Pokemon are fixed to a point in space, so you can walk up real close to them and see how they look from a few inches away. But wait, there's more. The Pokemon are now aware of you getting close, and they will run away if you push it too much. You can sneak up close to earn an Expert Handler bonus, but you do need to be extra careful not to scare the Pokemon away.

An awareness meter will appear next to each monster, and when this fills up the creature will flee. If this happens you can tap on the tall grass nearby, as that might cause the Pokemon in question to reappear. If you're able to catch one while in its close proximity, you'll have a better chance of earning Great and Excellent Throw bonuses, on top of the aforementioned new Expert Handler bonus. This awards even more XP and Stardust.

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The 5MP selfie camera on the Nokia 9 will actually be a dual camera.

We were a tad disappointed to find out that the Nokia 9 will have a 5MP selfie camera. The disappointment at the resolution remains but it turns out that it’s a dual 5MP camera, which does make it look a little better.

The FCC listed a Chicony CKACE16 module and going over to the manufacturer’s site, we see that it lists it as a dual camera (but shows an image of a single camera... we’re assuming that the photo shows the wrong model).

The camera has autofocus (yay!) and an f/2.0 aperture for one of the modules, the other one has an f/2.4 lens. It’s that f/2.0 module that is responsible for video – 1080p.

The limited spec sheet doesn’t go into details what the other module does – does it have a black & white sensor or a different field of view? These things should be cleared up early next year when HMD officially unveils the Nokia 9 (and perhaps a new Nokia 6 too).

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Samsung Galaxy S8/S8+ and Note5 getting new updates

Samsung has started pushing out a new update to its Galaxy S8/S8+ smartphones. It's a security update that brings along Android fixes for the month of December. Units in both South Korea and the US (T-Mobile) are currently getting the update.

The update carries build number of G950USQS2BQL1 and G955USQS2BQL1 for T-Mobile users, and G950NKSU1AQL3 and G955NKSU1AQL3 for the South Korean units.

Moving on, the tech giant has also started rolling out the December security patch to its Galaxy Note5 smartphone. Weighing in at around 17 MB, the update is currently available in multiple markets, including India.

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Honor X series sales hit 40 million milestone

Huawei sub brand Honor has announced that global sales of its X series of smartphones - consisting of devices from the Honor 4X to Honor 7X - has hit the 40 million milestone.

The company also revealed some sales figures for the newly-launched Honor 7X smartphone. 30,000 units were sold within the first two hours of November 11 sale in China, and 20,000 units were sold out in one hour in each of the three flash sales in India.

In London, sales in the first two weeks were double that of the Honor 6X, while in Russia, the number was triple, making Honor one of the top 3 brands in the country.

"In the United States, Honor 7X achieved a 250% growth in pre-paid orders from 5th Dec to 14th Dec compared to the sales of Honor 6X during the first 10 days of its debut," the press release said.

Thanks to the Gsmarena

Apple confirms it's intentionally slowing down iPhones with old batteries

Last week we saw a report that Apple might be slowing down its iPhones as they batteries age. Rumors suggested Apple intentionally turned down the clock speed in order to prevent the battery life of the phones from decreasing over time.

Today the company confirmed those allegations and said the practice will continue with other products in the future.

In a message to TechCrunch, Apple said it released a feature for iPhone 6, iPhone 6s and iPhone SE to maintain battery life over time and also prevent the phone from shutting down in cold conditions. The company also confirmed that the iPhone 7 got this feature with the iOS 11.2 update with more devices to follow.

Replacing the battery might be a solution for some iPhone users who don’t want to buy a completely new device. The bigger problem stays though - Apple should have been clear about the feature beforehand and probably even let users opt out.

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Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ benchmarks confirm 18.5:9 screens

The Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ will retain the 18.5:9 aspect ratio of the Galaxy S8 and S8+. That's been confirmed through an HTML browser benchmark, which revealed the screen aspects for both.

Sadly the benchmark doesn't have any more spoilers, but as the Mobile World Congress draws near, we're bound to see and hear much more about the S9/S9+ duo.

So far the murmur is that the two phones will have a Snapdragon 845 chipset, a centered fingerprint scanner on the back and a dual camera on the back of the plus version.

We're sure the leaks will keep on coming so stay tuned.

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Huawei, OPPO, and Vivo all slash smartphone orders by over 10%

• Huawei, OPPO, and Vivo are all cutting smartphone orders by over 10% in Q4 2017.
• The companies are sitting on more and more inventory as worldwide smartphone demand has dropped.
• Xiaomi is still performing well despite the struggle of fellow Chinese device manufacturers.

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One of the smartphone trends that might have flown under the radar in 2017 is the explosion of Chinese cell phone manufactures. While they have been steadily growing for years, this was the year that companies like Xiaomi were able to top Samsung in the important market of India. Huawei is the world’s third largest device manufacturer and occasionally tops Apple for second and OPPO and Vivo (both owned by BBK) are both in the top three in China.

To say it has been a good year for these companies would be an understatement. But, it looks like Huawei, OPPO, and Vivo are preparing for a slower start to 2018. According to a report from DigiTimes, the three companies are cutting smartphone orders by over 10%. The information comes from sources at suppliers for the trio of companies.

As demand for new smartphones falls, the companies are now sitting on more and more inventory.

The one company that seems to be immune from the slowdown is Xiaomi. The company continues to be bullish in both online and retail environments. Xiaomi is continuing its surge in India, which saw it overtake Samsung in the country. India looks to be an interesting battleground for 2018 as Samsung and Xiaomi battle it out at the top and Huawei looks to increase its presence.

Xiaomi and Huawei are also both expected to increase their presence in the United States next year. Rumors of the Huawei Mate 10 Pro’s release on Verizon and AT&T have heated up recently and Xiaomi is reportedly in talks with US carriers to carry its phones as well, according to Bloomberg.

Despite cutting orders, it looks like 2018 is shaping up to be a good year for Chinese smartphone manufacturers.

Thank To The Android Authority