Mishaal's Android News Feed

Google TV devices on Android 14, Google Nest devices, Chromecast, and some LG TVs can now locally control your Matter-enabled smart home devices Google said at CES 2025 that it had integrated the Home Runtime into these devices, enabling them to control Matter…

Google TV devices on Android 14, Google Nest devices, Chromecast, and some LG TVs can now locally control your Matter-enabled smart home devices Google said at CES 2025 that it had integrated the Home Runtime into these devices, enabling them to control Matter devices without an Internet connection. Viewing or controlling these devices will now be faster, more reliable, and more private.

Android is getting ready to support the new Eclipsa Audio format for 3D sounds At CES 2025, Samsung announced that its 2025 TVs and soundbars will be able to playback YouTube videos that support the new Eclipsa Audio format. Eclipsa Audio is based on the spatial audio format that Samsung, Google, Arm, and the Alliance for Open Media co-developed called Immersive Audio Model and Formats (IAMF). IAMF is being pushed as a royalty-free spatial audio format in contrast to Dolby Atmos. On the Android side, the latest Media3 1.5.0 release includes the media3-decoder-iamf module that allows for playback of IAMF audio tracks in MP4 files. However, developers will need to build the libiamf decoder locally. The Android media framework is also getting ready to support IAMF decoders. So far an empty build rule and boilerplate code for the decoder have been added. For context, check out this article from Engadget.

Android 16 is adding a new Advanced Protection Mode API Apps can check if you're enrolled in APM and then apply any extra security measures they deem necessary to safeguard your data. This seems to be the Android native version of Google's Advanced Protection Program. I first reported on Android 16's support for Advanced Protection Mode back in October, but it wasn't clear if the API would be open to 3P apps. However, these comments from some Googlers seem to confirm that'll be the case.

The OnePlus 13 is the first non-Pixel Android phone to support Android’s Powered Off Finding feature! This feature lets you locate your OnePlus 13 via the Find My Device network even when it’s powered off or out of battery. This is thanks to specialized hardware within the device that keeps the Bluetooth controller running for hours after the OS has shut down. The Pixel 8 series was the first to support this feature among Android phones. Despite messages in OxygenOS 15 suggesting otherwise, neither the OnePlus 12 nor the OnePlus Open support this feature as they don’t have the requisite hardware. P.S. check out my OnePlus 13 review!

Lenovo unveils new premium Android tablets aimed at gamers and students Here's what you need to know about the new Yoga Tab Plus, the Idea Tab Pro, the Tab LTE, and the Legion Tab Gen 3.

It's official: the Samsung Galaxy S25 series is launching on January 22! If you reserve now using my link, you'll get $50 Samsung credit, 3X Samsung reward points in your pre-order purchase, and entry into a $5,000 sweepstakes. All you need to do is enter your name and email address to reserve, and check the box to enter the sweepstakes. (Disclaimer: I get a small commission if you use my affiliate link to reserve.)

☀️TCL unveils its next-gen display tech for better eye comfort: NXTPAPER 4.0 NXTPAPER 4.0 promises even better eye comfort, display clarity, and color reproduction. The NXTPAPER 11 Plus tablet & the 60 XE NXTPAPER phone are the first to ship w/ 4.0. More details here.

💳Android may soon add a new shortcut to launch Google Wallet A quick double tap of the power button could soon let you launch the default wallet app The existing camera shortcut will likely remain as an option. More details can be found in the article on Android Authority.

Qi2 charging support is coming to Samsung Galaxy Android devices this year! Samsung was quoted in the WPC's press release saying the following: "The exceptional Qi2 growth story will continue in 2025. You can expect to see Android devices supporting Qi2 from Samsung Galaxy devices in 2025." Google is also committed to bringing Qi2 to more Android devices, stating that: "Google is helping to achieve this goal by playing a leading role in the development of the upcoming Qi v2.2 standard, which includes Google's contribution of its own high-power wireless charging technology to WPC." Lastly, the introduction of a new Qi2 extension will enable moving coils to be deployed. This will be helpful for automobiles as it'll allow them to consistently align their wireless chargers with the coil placements of Qi2 devices.

Big Google TV news at #CES2025 just dropped: Gemini will augment the voice assistant and future TVs will get far-field mics and proximity sensors for hands-free interactions as well as access to a new widgets hub. More details + videos can be found in this article on Android Police.

💻Android may soon let you customize your touchpad's three-tap gesture A new menu will let you set a three-finger tap to do a middle click, launch Gemini, go home, or view recent apps. More details + a screenshot of this menu can be found in this article on Android Authority.