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However, yesterday Google CEO Sundar Pichai testified in court. In his testimony, Sundar Pichai revealed a detail about the way Google operates that may help explain why some Android phones are not updated with security patches. According to Sundar Pichai, Google uses financial incentives to get OEMs to update their phones. Manufacturers that promptly provide the latest security patches to their phones receive a higher share of revenue from Google services, while those that do not do the opposite.

In other words, the money OEMs make from Google products on their devices is tied to how often they update security patches for the devices. This means that Google is deliberately pressuring OEMs to update their phones better and faster. We had previously known that Google mandated that any Android phone provide updates for two years and strongly recommended support beyond that period, but had no idea there were financial incentives involved.

Sundar Pichai also said that some OEMs will not update their phones even if they understand that they will lose potential revenue by not updating their phones. “It takes a lot of effort to develop a version, and updates are very expensive, so sometimes (OEMs) make trade-offs,” Pichai said.

Some manufacturers only provide minimal updates for some phones, which is equivalent to giving up some revenue from Google. However, their user base may be small enough that the money it would cost the company to keep the phones updated is greater than the potential revenue share they might receive from Google.

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Nearby Share

While Android users have been waiting for Nearby Share for months and the feature has made file transfers easier, one drawback is that the feature is currently limited to interactions between Android devices. Google has not announced an official launch date for the feature, saying only that it will be available “in the next few weeks”.

Enhanced Accessibility

The update also improves accessibility between various Google services. Google Drive and Keep widgets have been redesigned for large-screen devices to give Android tablet users one-click access to Docs, Slides and Sheets files via the Google Drive widget, while the Keep widget can increase/decrease font size to be more user-friendly for people with limited vision. The Keep widget can increase/decrease the font size, making it more user-friendly for people with reduced vision.

Android’s sound notifications have also been upgraded – a little-known feature that can be found in the device’s Accessibility settings. These sound notifications were originally designed to help people with hearing impairments. Turn them on and your Android device will listen for sounds like fire alarms and door knocks and create notifications when it hears them. Now, users can create custom alerts by recording specific noises.

So, for example, you can record the ding of your washing machine playing after it completes a cycle, and then it will send you a notification whenever your Android phone, watch or tablet hears that sound.

For those with Google TV, the service now also has a library of curated content with audio descriptions that you can find by manually searching the service or using the voice-controlled Google Assistant (it’s not clear exactly when this feature will launch).

● Google Meet

Google Meet users can also use the multiple fixation feature during a call, allowing you to focus on multiple specific people in a large group meeting, such as the main speaker and ASL interpreter.

Google Meet also introduces real-time sharing experiences, such as gaming and shared viewing on Android mobile and tablet devices. This feature can be used to play classics like Uno, Kahoot! and Heads Up! as well as watch YouTube content for up to 100 people at a time.

Gboard

Text messaging on Android devices also gets the “Smart Emoji Suggestions” update in Gboard, and Android will increase the emoji available for this feature by releasing new seasonal emoji mashups for Emoji Kitchen, which will be available as stickers.

● Wear OS

Finally, if you happen to have a smartwatch running Wear OS, then some extra features and fun come with it. Keep tiles can now be added to your watch to take notes on the go, and your Bitmoji can be added to your dial. This cartoon avatar will change expressions based on what you’re doing, the time of day, and even the weather.

The post Android adds new features: improving accessibility, personalization and productivity appeared first on TechGoing.

Android 13 QPR1 (Quarterly Platform Release) Beta will begin next month and starting with this version, the Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL will not be eligible for beta testing, supported devices are

• Pixel 4a
• Pixel 4a (5G)
• Pixel 5
• Pixel 5a
• Pixel 6
• Pixel 6 Pro
• Pixel 6a

The Google Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL were released in 2019, and according to the update cycle, the last feature update will be in October 2022, while Android 13 QPR1 is expected to launch at the end of the year, so the Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL will not be supported, not to mention Android 14 after that.

Google Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL are expected to get two more monthly updates, mainly for minor fixes to Android 13.

According to the Android Beta Program, the Android 13 QPR beta update will last until March 2023, followed by the Android 14 beta.

The Google Pixel 4 features a 5.7-inch screen with a resolution of 22201080, while the Google Pixel 4 XL features a 6.3-inch screen with a resolution of 30401440, both with an OLED display and both supporting a 90Hz refresh rate.

At the core, both the Google Pixel 4 and 4 XL are powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processors with 6GB+64GB / 128GB of onboard storage, a 12MP main camera (Sony IMX363) + 16MP telephoto (2x zoom, Sony IMX481) + ToF lens on the rear and an 8MP single camera (Sony IMX520) on the front. In addition, Pixel 4 supports real-time HDR+ with 2x optical zoom, Soli Micro Radar, which automatically lights up the phone without lifting to wake it up when you are near it, and supports spaced gestures.

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