Google

Google kills phone number requirement for 2FA setup

Published

2 weeks ago

May 7, 2024

I_judge

Google is simplifying how users turn on 2-Step Verification (commonly known as 2FA). Google announced a major upgrade that streamlines the process to setup 2FA – ending the requirement of phone number verification.

According to the info, with Google’s update, phone number verification isn’t a mandatory step anymore for setting up 2FA. The update is gradually deploying on both Workspace and Personal Google Account users.

Previously, users had to enable 2SV with a phone number before Authenticator. Following the update, users may add “second step methods” (such as Google Authenticator, or a hardware key) before enabling 2SV.

This is particularly helpful for organizations using Google Authenticator. Users with hardware security keys will have two options to add them to their account on the “Passkeys and security keys” page:

‘Use security key”: this registers a FIDO1 credential on the security key even if the key itself is FIDO2 capable.
‘Create passkey and follow instructions to “use another device”: this registers a FIDO2 credential on the security key, and will require users to use the key’s PIN for local verification (this creates a passkey on the security key).

If an enrolled 2SV user turns 2SV OFF from their account settings, their enrolled second steps (such as backup codes, Google Authenticator, or second-factor phone) are not automatically removed from their account.

When an administrator turns off 2SV for a user from the Admin console or via the Admin SDK, the second factors will be removed as before, to ensure user off-boarding workflows remain unaffected.

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Related Topics:2FA Google Google Account Google Authenticator

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Android

Android 15 boosts battery ‘standby’ by 3 hours

Published

1 day ago

May 18, 2024

I_judge

Google has recently released the second Beta of Android 15 to Pixel devices. It has been revealed that select phones with Android 15 will offer up to 3 hours longer standby battery life. The company has worked on the doze mode to extend standby battery life.

Android 15 increases standby battery life by up to 3 hours on some devices. Wear OS 5 is slated to consume up to 20% less power than Wear OS 4. AndroidAuthority asked Google executives about the work they had done to improve the battery life on the latest operating system.

The company has improved the doze mode in Android 15. As a result, some general power-saving improvements will come to all Android devices in the future. The new OS increased the doze mode entry 50% faster than Android 14, resulting in an extended standby battery.

Being a core Android feature, all devices (non-Pixel too) will experience longer standby battery. Samsung has greatly optimized the chipset and OS in recent Galaxy flagships. The Galaxy S23 Ultra and S24 Ultra are champs of Android camp in terms of longer battery life.

Apple will have another headache, thanks to meaningful enhancements toward consumer satisfaction. iPhones were quite praised due to their longer battery life. While standby battery life doesn’t bring a notable change in daily use cases, it’s still a welcome upgrade.

“For Android 15, we’ve sped up the time to doze (doze is when we go into a quiesce state) by 50%. So we get into doze 50% faster, and the result is on some devices we tested up to 3 hours longer standby power. And that’s sort of a general improvement in 15 that applies to all devices.” Dave Burke, VP of Engineering for the Android Platform.

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GMS Apps

Phone app’s Audio Emoji feature now available widely

Published

1 day ago

May 18, 2024

I_judge

Google introduced the Audio Emoji feature with the Pixel 8a smartphone. The feature, which was in development for a few months, is now seeing a wider availability on Pixel devices.

It’s a server-side rollout that doesn’t require your device’s Phone app to be updated. It’s enabled by default and you will get a dedicated chip UI when your call gets connected, offering you 6 Audio Emoji options.

Tapping the Audio Emoji chip will expand the available options so you can express emotions and moods with fun sounds in your calls. It allows you to add fun sounds to your call like applause, laughter, sad trombone, and more.

Earlier, it was released on the Beta channel, but started releasing from the day Pixel 8a was unveiled. As Google I/O event has also concluded, the Audio Emoji feature is seeing a wider rollout, spreading the feature to a vast audience.

The addition of Audio Emoji suggests that Google is continuously exploring new ways to improve user interaction. This unique feature isn’t available to non-Pixel devices, at least for now, but should be rolled out in the near future.

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Android

Android 15 makes Pixel Vibration clever w/ new Adaptive feature

Published

3 days ago

May 17, 2024

I_judge

A new Adaptive Vibration feature has debuted with Android 15 Beta 2. Thanks to Adaptive Vibration, Android 15 will allow Pixel phones to adjust the vibration strength as per the surroundings leveraging on the microphone and other sensors.

Pixel users who have installed Android 15 Beta 2 can access the Adaptive Vibration in Vibration and haptics settings inside the Sound and vibration menu. It’s a clever feature addition, which will intelligently adjust the vibration strength without manual actions.

The page says:

Automatically adjusts your phone’s vibrations based on your environment.
Your phone’s microphone and other sensors are used to determine sound levels and context. No data is ever recorded.

Image: 9to5Google

The OS will use your Pixel’s microphone to understand the surroundings and adjust the strength of vibration. If the mic notices noisy surroundings, the vibration would be extensive. And if you are in a silent of less noisy place, the intensity will be adjusted accordingly.

Thanks to this intelligent function, the Pixel phone’s ring and vibration will act similarly. You may have faced a situation where the vibration happened louder than it would have been. However, it happened because you have already set the intensity to a higher level.

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