Apps

Google Play Store welcomes Samsung Good Lock

Published

3 weeks ago

May 2, 2024

I_judge

It seems Samsung wants to bring Good Lock to all Galaxy users through the Google Play Store. Way back in 2016, Samsung launched the Good Lock customization toolkit. The suite has significantly evolved with time and expanded its reach to more consumers internationally.

Leaving the Galaxy Store exclusivity, the Samsung Good Lock app has been listed on the Google Play Store. As Play Store is the default Android app market, the app is being searched but not accessible on non-Galaxy devices. There may be some big plans in Samsung’s bag!

Samsung’s Good Lock app supports flagship and select mid-range Galaxy devices. Despite being exclusive to premium models, the service is not available in all countries, mostly in Africa. The company seems to be addressing this by listing it on the Play Store.

In this regard, the South Korean tech giant hasn’t yet released any press release. There will be more clearance on the company’s plans if official words come. It’s my personal belief that the Good Lock is being accessible to all eligible Galaxy smartphone users.

Most of the Samsung apps are already available on the Google Play. Some core apps like Members, Calculator, Clock, and Phone are only downloadable on a Galaxy. The latest entry of Good Lock (Early Access) joins the core app criteria, available for Galaxy devices only.

Samsung’s Good Lock allows you to customize the on-screen look of your Galaxy smartphone, but also alter the way you use your lock screen and notifications. Simply put, it lifts the personalization restrictions imposed by Android and One UI operating systems.

Image: Samsung

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Android

Older Android, Wear OS devices won’t support Google Wallet

Published

6 days ago

May 14, 2024

I_judge

Google Wallet has revised the minimum OS requirement for Android and Wear OS. The company mentioned that security updates won’t be provided, rendering tap-to-pay transactions insecure.

The revised document reveals that Google Wallet will require at least Android 9 or higher on smartphones and Wear OS 2.x or higher on smartwatches starting June 10, 2024.

This means users with Android Nougat devices (2016: 7.0, 7.1) and Oreo (2017: 8.0, 8.1) will be affected. Notably, the Android 9 Pie (as of October 2023) has a cumulative distribution of 86.4%.

To help keep Wallet features such as tap to pay transactions more secure, we must be able to send security updates to your device.

Google is continuously upgrading its Wallet platform with support for more bank cards. The company is also expanding the availability of the Wallet experience to more countries, with the latest entry marked in India.

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Apps

Microsoft launching its own app store on Android, iOS

Published

1 week ago

May 10, 2024

I_judge

Microsoft will launch its mobile game store on Android and iOS in July 2024. The company confirmed that popular games like Candy Crush, Minecraft, and more will be available in the forthcoming app market.

Sarah Bond of Microsoft announced at the Bloomberg Technology Summit that its mobile game store is launching in July. The company has been working for a long to bring a dedicated Microsoft app store on both popular mobile OS.

However, the official revealed that the Xbox game store for mobile will not be coming as a native app. Microsoft will offer the store worldwide on “all devices” as it will “start on the web” to comply with Apple’s requirements.

Sarah Bond, @Microsoft’s Xbox president, announced at #BloombergTech that the company will launch its own mobile game store in July, creating an alternative to Apple and Google’s app stores pic.twitter.com/hj6eLtsGfl

— Bloomberg Live (@BloombergLive) May 9, 2024

The launch of Microsoft’s web-based Xbox game store will pave the way for other firms too. Google’s Play Store and Apple’s App Store are native app markets, which may surely face competition due to the arrival of dedicated stores.

Bond explained:

In July, we are going to be launching our mobile store experience. We’re going to start, actually, by bringing our own first-party portfolio to that. So you’re going to see games like Candy Crush show up in that experience, games like Minecraft. And then we’re going to extend that capability to partners so that they can take advantage of it and have a true cross-platform gaming-centric mobile experience.

We’re going to start on the web, and we’re doing that because that really allows us to have it be an experience that’s accessible across all devices, all countries, no matter what, independent of the policies of, you know, closed ecosystem stores. And then we’re going to extend from there.

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Android

Google Files adds built-in PDF viewer

Published

2 weeks ago

May 6, 2024

I_judge

Google Files reportedly added a built-in PDF viewer. The support has been observed by some users, hinting at a server-side rollout. This will end the need to have a third-party documents viewer app or Google Drive to be installed on your Android device.

Android phones redirect to Google Drive whenever the user opens a PDF file format. In case the Drive app isn’t installed on the phone, a notification citing file is not supported appears. The addition of a built-in PDF viewer will provide easier and effortless access to PDF files.

In an exciting development, Android users got a PDF editor in the Google Files app. With this feature, the company is reducing the dependency on Drive PDF Viewer. The design consists of arrow buttons for easier scrolling and a floating action button for text annotation features.

Since it’s a server-side rollout, installing the latest app release wouldn’t make much impact. However, being on the latest release significantly increases the chances of bringing new features. You can also try force-stopping the app and clearing the cache followed by a reboot to get it.

Google Files PDF Viewer

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