Mishaal's Android News Feed

Looks like T-Mobile and Starlink are starting to let some Pixel 9 users into the satellite messaging beta. Just heard from two Pixel 9 Pro XL users that they were invited to the beta. When the beta first launched two weeks ago, it was reported that only 5 Samsung models were supported (Z Flip 6, Z Fold 6, S24 series). My OnePlus 13 wasn't accepted into the beta, but hopefully that'll change soon. FWIW: Google has been testing Starlink support on the Pixel 9 for a few months now.

🔫Android 16's Linux Terminal will soon let you run graphical apps, so of course I ran Doom ICYMI: Google's been working on a Terminal app that runs Debian in a VM, and they've made steady progress on it. Click 👇for more details on this progress 🔗https://androidauthority.com/android-16-linux-terminal-doom-3521804/ (Once again, "The Only Thing They Fear Is You" is stuck in my head.)

A major update to scrcpy is out, bringing a very nifty feature: Virtual display support! scrcpy can now create virtual displays that you can mirror instead of your device's main display. This means you can stream apps to your PC and still use your phone at…

New Play Protect features on Android protect against dangerous apps - Play Protect can't be disabled during calls - Chrome will ask you to turn on Play Protect before sideloading - Play Protect will autorevoke permissions for dangerous apps Details👇 🔗https://www.androidfaithful.com/google-play-protect-jan-2025/

🕶Android 16 prepares to make dark mode work with more apps Android may add a new feature that automatically converts light theme apps to dark theme, even if they don't have a native dark theme. Details + screenshots can be found at the link👇 🔗https://www.androidauthority.com/android-16-forced-dark-mode-3521090/

🔔Here's how Google's changing notifications in Android 16 with Live Updates A lot of people were confused by Google's announcement of Live Updates in Android 16. My latest article 👇 explores the feature in more detail 🔗https://androidauthority.com/android-16-live-notifications-3518375/ Oh, and I found confirmation within the Android developer docs that Live Updates will appear as chips in the status bar, which lines up with my previous reporting on Rich Ongoing Notifications!

🔊Android 16 improves how hearing aids deal with noisy environments Android 16 brings new features for LE Audio hearing aids like: - Bluetooth ambient volume controls - Ability to switch which mic is used for voice calls 🔗Details: https://www.androidauthority.com/android-16-hearing-aids-3520978/

The Google Play Store is going to show a "Verified" badge for some VPN apps. These badges will appear on store listings for VPN apps that "prioritize user privacy and safety, help users make more informed choices about the VPN apps they use, and build confidence in the apps they ultimately download." VPN apps have to earn the badge by "adhering to the Play safety and security guidelines" and successfully completing a "Mobile Application Security Assessment (MASA) Level 2 validation." They also have to have at least 10k installs and 250 reviews, be published for at least 90 days, and submit a Data Safety section declaration while opting into independent security review and encryption in transit. Nord, hide dot me, and Aloha Browser are among the few to secure the badge. You can easily find more by searching "VPN" in the Play Store. Out of curiosity: What VPN are you currently using, and why did you choose it?

🚨 Breaking: Google is releasing most of the source code for Pebble, with its former CEO Eric Migicovsky telling me he plans to build a new watch based on the newly open sourced Pebble OS.

📱The OnePlus 13 gets Gemini Nano support in its first software update The OnePlus 13 is not only the first OnePlus phone to support Gemini Nano, but it may also be the first non-Pixel to support the multimodal version of the model! More details can be found…

The Galaxy S25 sadly doesn't support the Android Virtualization Framework (AVF). If this doesn't change in Android 16, it means the device won't support the new Terminal app that lets you run a Linux distro in a virtual machine. The reason I'm surprised by this is that Android 15's vendor software requirements state that chipsets that launch with vendor API level 202404 must declare support for AVF. That means every device with the Snapdragon 8 Elite is capable of supporting it, but I guess Samsung still chose to disable it. Maybe it still interferes with the Knox hypervisor? Hopefully Samsung adds support in a future release, because Android 16's Terminal app is shaping up to be an incredibly useful feature!

🎵You'll soon be able to customize the haptics for your Pixel's ringtone and notification alert An upcoming version of the Google Sounds app will let you change the vibration pattern for your selected ringtone or notification alert. More details + a demo of this upcoming feature can be found in this article.