Motorola Droid Turbo will skip Android 5.0 and jump directly to Android 5.1 for its VoLTE support

There’s no question Android 5.0 Lollipop was one of the biggest — and buggiest — firmware updates Google’s mobile OS has ever seen. Even though Motorola didn’t have such a tough time with it (the Verizon Moto X 2014 received Lollipop back in November), getting things approved by Verizon is typically a much longer process. This is especially true when talking about a Verizon exclusive DROID device like the Motorola DROID Turbo.

Meanwhile, while Android fans the world over were complaining about not receiving a buggy Android 5.0.2 update, Android 5.1 happened. It’s the absolute latest version of Lollipop which just so happens to squash most major bugs, and introduces some smaller user experience improvements but more importantly, VoLTE support. For devices like the Motorola DROID Turbo — which is currently stuck in KitKat limbo — this is the exact Android version Verizon was waiting for before updating their premier Android handset to Lollipop (despite the GSM variant receiving Android 5.0 last month).

Motorola engineer Luciano Carvalho confirmed this in a Google+ post, mentioning that the DROID Turbo for Verizon would leap frog over 5.0.x completely, updating straight to 5.1. Not because of bugs mind you, but because of its baked in support for VoLTE, something Verizon takes very seriously.

While it’s true Motorola’s “Moto” devices are running a damn near stock Android experience, Motorola’s “DROID” devices like Verizon’s top-of-the-line Android flagship powerhouse have a little more Verizon in them. Exactly how much longer we’ll have to wait before we see Android 5.1 begin rolling out to the DROID Turbo is still anyone’s guess. But it’s definitely nice knowing we wont have to wait for Android 5.0, only to wait even longer for 5.1. We only wish other OEMs who have yet to update to Lollipop would follow suit.

Google Messenger gets a widget and support for GIFs

No matter how you say it, GIFs are awesome. They come in handy all the time. You can use a GIF to convey your current emotion, share a clip from a funny moment on TV, or watch that amazing dunk over and over again. Now you can even send GIFs via SMS with the latest update to Google’s standalone Messenger app.

After you update the app you’ll be able to select GIFs from your local storage to send. You’ll also be able to view GIFs that have been sent to you, tap on the them to view larger, and save to your gallery. Google has also added a nice big scrollable widget for your home screen, as well as the usual performance fixes. If you’re not a fan of Hangouts this is a great simple and clean alternative. Download Google Messenger for free below.

Messenger | Google Play Store

Android Wear update brings support for WiFi, always-on apps and more

Google has detailed a forthcoming upgrade for Android Wear that allows users to finally break away from their phones. The big change being outed today is full support for WiFi. Whereas before you had to have your Android Wear smart watch connected to your phone via Bluetooth in order to get notifications, you can now instead have your watch connect directly to a WiFi network.

This means that if you happen to leave your phone at home, or simply somewhere far from you (such as a locker at work) you can still get notifications, send messages and everything else you do as long as both devices are connected to the internet.

Google is also bringing support for always-on apps for any app on Android Wear. Your watch faces have already had this functionality, but it can now be implemented for any app. There are many reasons one would want to keep an app always at the ready (such as a list of instructions on how to fix, cook or install something) so this is a much welcome change.

Other changes include the ability to scroll through your notifications timeline by a simple flick of the wrist, an easier and quicker way to gain access to your apps and contacts (simply tap the display) and the ability to draw out emojis instead of having to speak a command. Google says the rollout will happen over the next couple of weeks beginning with the LG Watch Urbane (no real way to buy that yet so we’re not quite sure who that is useful for) so stay on the lookout!

The latest Chrome Beta adds support for push notifications from websites

Google loves the web. They want everyone to do everything inside of the Chrome browser. We’ve seen them add more and more features to Chrome that allow websites to act like apps. Chrome in Android 5.0 treats tabs like apps when you press the “Recents” button. Websites can even change the color of the status bar. Google’s next step is to allow websites to send notifications through Chrome.

In the latest build of Chrome Beta (42) they’ve including two new APIs that allow sites to push native notifications to users even if the website is not currently opened. Here’s the tech-speak behind how it works:

After the user has granted permission, a developer can use the new Push API to remotely wake up their service worker using Google Cloud Messaging. Once awake, the service worker may run JavaScript for a short period but in this release it is required at minimum to show a user-visible notification. Each notification includes a ‘Site Settings’ button, allowing users to easily disable notifications for a site.

This is a really big deal. As mobile sites and browsers get better there is less reason to download apps. Some mobile sites are already better than their app counterparts (*ahem* Facebook), but we stick with apps because they offer a native experience. If websites start adopting these new APIs it could change the way we use apps.

Another notable feature in Chrome Beta 42 is promoted home screen shortcuts. If Chrome detects you visit the same site a lot you will see a pop-up suggesting you add a shortcut to the site to your home screen. Once again, this is a direct shot at apps. Google will be actively urging users to treat websites like apps by placing them on the home screen. More info about Chrome Beta 42 can be found on the Chromium Blog.

Adobe promises better Creative Cloud support for Android is coming this summer

There comes a day in every company’s life where they just have to bite the bullet and admit they haven’t put their best foot forward. For Adobe, that day is today. While Adobe has released a number of great apps on Android already, the latest advances in their suite of multimedia editing tools under the Creative Cloud banner have largely been confined to iOS.

Namely, the Creative Profile and Creative Profile SDK that gives you access to all your image profiles, presets, brushes and colors have yet to find a home on Android. Adobe says that doesn’t mean they aren’t in the works, though, and tells us to expect the first of these apps to arrive in the Summer of 2015.Android users have cause to be upset, for sure. After all, they pay just as much for their Creative Cloud subscriptions as iOS users and aren’t getting nearly the same level of support. We’re not sure what Adobe has to do to make sure Android doesn’t fall behind again — perhaps adding a team of software engineers dedicated to Android is in order — but we’re hopeful this first step is a sign that they’re finally getting serious about the world’s leading smartphone platform.[via Adobe]

Incoming Android Wear update could add support for standalone WiFi and new gesture controls

What’s the best way to respond to a competitor’s product unveiling? Well, probably to improve your existing counterpart. Not that we needed a report to know that Google was working on some new updates for Android Wear, but The Verge claims to have some fine detail about what’s coming in the next upgrade.

Two of the biggest things to expect are support for standalone WiFi and gesture-based UI navigation. The former would do away with the need to use Bluetooth to communicate with whatever device your Android Wear device is paired with. This is great for situations where you might not be close enough to your phone for your smart watch to pick it up, though it obviously means you have to have both devices on the same WiFi network.

As for those gestures, there isn’t much — a flick of the wrist can now help you scroll through the user interface instead of having to navigate with your finger — but it’s a nice and natural step forward for those who might need to control their watches hands-free.

One last change we’re told to expect is easier access to both contacts and applications menus. When’s all this coming? There’s no word yet, though Google hasn’t been terribly slow to iterate with Android Wear to this point, and if we’re already hearing details about what the new upgrade will bring we imagine it’s almost ready to come out of the oven.

Amazon Fire TV is getting support for Bluetooth headsets, expandable USB storage and more

Amazon’s announced a great new update for their TV products, which include the Amazon Fire TV and Amazon Fire TV Stick. The two biggest features users will care about is support for expandable storage via the device’s USB port, as well as the ability to listen to your content using Bluetooth wireless headphones.

There’s also a neat feature that’ll easily allow you to bypass web authentication processes when you connect the Fire TV and TV Stick to certain public WiFi hotspots (such as those found in hotels, universities and coffee shops). Here’s the full list of what’s coming:

• Expandable USB storage on Amazon Fire TV—You can now use a connected USB mass storage device to expand your Fire TV storage for downloaded apps and games—this enables you to have more games downloaded for easy access.


• Connect to your hotel or dorm room Wi-Fi with captive portal support out of the box—Take your favorite movies, TV shows, games, and more with you away from home—Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick are the first streaming media devices to enable you to connect to Wi-Fi that requires web authentication—this includes Wi-Fi at most major hotels, as well as some universities.


• Private listening on Fire TV—Enjoy favorite movies and TV shows after the kids go to sleep, without worrying about waking them up. Support for wireless Bluetooth headphones to Fire TV lets you listen to your movie, TV show, or music without bothering others in your household.


• Browse and search Prime Playlists—Prime members can now take advantage of hand-crafted Prime Music playlists directly from Fire TV and Fire TV Stick—there are hundreds of expertly curated Prime Playlists to choose from based on your mood, activity or even artist or decade of choice.


• Hidden PIN entry—With the new PIN entry screen that hides the numbers selected, you can now make sure your kids (or freeloading friends) can’t see your device PIN as you enter it on-screen to confirm a purchase on Fire TV or Fire TV Stick.


• New shortcuts—Quickly put your Fire TV or Fire TV Stick to sleep or enable display mirroring by pressing and holding the Home button on your remote.

There’s no exact date for the update’s release just yet, though Amazon promises it’ll be along within the coming weeks. Oh, and folks in the UK and Germany who prefer the stick-shaped variant will be happy to know that you can now order one, but it won’t be shipping until April 15th.

[via Amazon]

 

Amazon Echo gets support for Pandora and MLB scores in latest update

Amazon Echo, the weird cylindrical speaker/home assistant, has received an update to add a few highly requested features. The update gives Alexa, the digital assistant lady, the ability to play your Pandora radio stations and give you scores from MLB and MLS games.

To use these new commands simply say “Alexa, play a classic rock station,” or “Alexa, what’s the score of the Detroit Tigers game?” Alexa works a lot like Google Now, but with a little more personality. We compared Alexa to Google Now in our full review of the Amazon Echo. Google can answer more questions, but Alexa is more quirky. Check out the video below to see how they compare.

What do you think of the Amazon Echo?

Amazon Echo | Google Play Store

Google code commit hints to multi-window app support arriving in future Android version

Google I/O is just around the corner and we have a good feeling Google will talk about/detail new changes headed to their mobile OS. Changes much bigger than what 5.1 — rolling out now to Nexus devices — introduced.

With that release now in the books (which mostly dealt with big fixes, dual SIM and HD Voice support) you may be wondering to yourself what could be ahead for future versions of Android. Well, a gem discovered in an AOSP framework code commit is shedding some light on a big new feature coming soon to Android: multi-window apps.

commit ed7698c8ed66b959d723caa7bfe01530d306fb8d
Author: Craig Mautner cmautner@google.com
Date: Tue Jan 27 11:44:59 2015 -0800

Defer tap outside stack until multiwindows

Taps outside of the stack boundary were causing the current app to
lose focus. This led to timeouts waiting for the app to respond.

Disabling the tap recognition keeps the focus from changing. It will
be reenabled for multiwindows.

As you can see above, there aren’t very many details, just a quick reference. While having multiple apps displayed onscreen at once isn’t a feature that everyone will use, it could be great for Android power users who need more multitasking than what stock Android provides. Really, the idea isn’t anything new. Samsung’s custom TouchWiz UI has allowed for multi-window apps for a while now, but exactly how Google plans on implementing this feature remains to be seen.

What say ye? Would you use multi-window apps if baked into Android in the near future?

[AOSP]

Pebble is putting up $1 million to support Smart Strap development, here are a couple of early prototypes

Pebble’s introduction of Smart Straps for the Pebble Time no doubt delighted technology fans everywhere, but how is Pebble going to develop public interest and incentive for developers to create them? Their answer was made clear recently: a million fund to help turn developer ideas into reality.

Pebble has issued an open call to any and all developers interested in making smart straps to put their projects up on crowdfunding platforms such as IndieGoGo and Kickstarter. They’re willing to throw money your way to help you reach your project’s funding goals and eventually get your smart strap to market.

They’ll be monitoring the popular crowdfunding sites to find projects on their own, but you can also get their attention via Twitter or devsupport@getpebble.com just in case. Pebble was quick to  note that they can’t and won’t promise to fund every project that pops up, so you’ll want to make sure you have a really good idea to get them to open their wallet (and you’ll also probably want to convince them that you actually know what you’re doing, so try to have a solid plan before doing so).

That said, they have suggested they can help in other ways such as highlighting projects to give them more exposure through Kickstarter updates, social media and their website.

With that, Pebble has revealed two of the earliest smart strap concepts to have spawned. One is from Seeed Studio and their Arduino-based Xadow modules. They offer small modules for NFC readers, OLED displays, GPS and even heart rate sensors. These will be available for developers and manufacturers as development boards to use in prototyping smart straps without having to spend a ton on reiteration and R&D.

Second is a prototypical module from Spark.io that can add cellular capabilities to the Pebble Time and use it without the aid of a smartphone. The picture above obviously isn’t indicative of what a final product might look like, but the idea is very interesting and we hope they’ll be able to stuff all of that inside a strap enclosure with some good engineering work. What kind of smart straps would you like to see for Pebble Time? Sound off below!

[via Kickstarter]

Google announces Android Wear 5.1.1 again, confirms which devices will get WiFi support

Google announced Android 5.1 for their smartwatches running Android Wear late last month, but few devices ever saw the update. Bringing WiFi support and always-on apps, the update debuted on the LG Watch Urbane only to later rollout officially to the ASUS ZenWatch only last week. For everyone else, we were left scratching our heads as to when this update would be hitting our devices.

Today Google took to their Android Wear help forums to officially announce Android Wear 5.1.1 again, leading us to believe that the update is fixing to rollout for the rest of us. They also confirmed that only a few smartwatches will be receiving WiFi support, leaving out the LG G Watch R (sorry, guys). Here’s the devices receiving WiFi support:

• LG Watch Urbane


• Moto 360


• Sony SmartWatch 3


• Samsung Gear Live

Google says to make sure the update hits your Android Wear device, make sure you’re running the most up-to-date version of the Android Wear app on the Google Play Store. The rollout is said to be rolling out gradually over the next few weeks, but we’ve started seeing reports from both LG G Watch and LG G Watch R owners that the update is already hit their smartwatches.

Oh, and if you’re curious, check out the video below to see how those fancy new wrist gestures work.

Android M could bring native support for fingerprint scanning hardware

Before the Nexus 6 launched, there were hints inside AOSP that suggested the phone would come equipped with a fingerprint scanner. And according to ex-Motorola CEO Dennis Woodside, it would have had Apple swooped in and muddied things up.

If you’ve been doing this Android thing for awhile now, you’d know that fingerprint scanning smartphones are nothing new to Android. You can find them on Android devices dating all the way back to the original Motorola Atrix. It wasn’t until years later — no doubt thanks to the success of the iPhone 5S — Samsung followed suit with a scanner built into the Galaxy S5, albeit much more clunky than Apple’s implementation. More recently, HTC jumped on board with the HTC One M9 Plus and before that, the HTC One Max.

We said all that to say this: without a universal Android API for OEMs to tap into, all these manufacturers have to build their own solutions. That means proprietary software and the fingerprint reader only playing nice with a specific apps. With all kinds of security methods built into Android (even face detection) it’s odd that Google hasn’t addressed fingerprint scanners into Android. But that could soon change.

A new report from BuzzFeed suggests that Google will soon support native fingerprint authentication within Android, allowing users to log into apps like the Google Play Store using nothing but their fingerprint. Ars Technica was able to corroborate this story with their featured post recapping some of the thing we can expect out of this year’s Google I/O.

Also worth pointing out is how current Nexus hardware wouldn’t be able to support the necessary software APIs with a lack of fingerprint scanning hardware. If these new APIs are confirmed in a few more days, it could mean this year’s Nexus device will come equipped with a fingerprint reader. How else would Google test their new software?

Twitch for Android update brings support for video on demand

Game watchers will be happy to know that the Twitch app has received a huge upgrade over at Google Play. There’s one major highlight within a sea of other under-the-hood improvements and fixes — video on demand.

This means you can now watch past broadcasts and highlights of a channel right from within the app. This functionality was previously only available through Twitch’s desktop site, which doesn’t exactly play too nicely on a mobile browser.

To access the archives of a particular channel, all you’ll need to do is find the video reel icon at the upper left corner whenever the information overlay is visible (you can make it visible by tapping anywhere within the video player). Tap that, and you’ll see a nice full list of videos waiting for you to watch, with the ability to scrub as fast and as far as you want.

Now you won’t have to wake up at the crack of dawn or stay up unreasonable hours to see what your favorite streamers have been up to. Be sure to grab the upgrade from Google Play as soon as possible.

Chromecast support arrives on FOX Now, FXNow, CBS All Access, and more

The Chromecast is about to get a slew of new content. Google revealed today that their affordable little dongle is now officially supported by a handful of new TV streaming services, as well as their Android apps on Google Play.

Announced on the official Google Chrome Blog, streaming on FOX Now, FXNow, CBS All Access, HGTV, Pluto TV, or Haystack will now display that familiar Chromecast icon on the video controls. If castin’ from your computer is more convenient, you should have no problem when visiting any of the new respective websites above.

Of course, not all the above services are free, so you may have to subscribe to enjoy some of their shows on your Chromecast. While the Chromecast is probably the best we’ve ever spent on a video streaming device, we’re still anxiously awaiting the Chromecast V2 with 5GHz support. Hopefully that’s coming very soon.

To check out all the apps and services that officially support the Chromecast, check out Google’s full list here.

It is now possible to hack WiFi support into your LG G Watch R

Developers developers developers developers! Steve Ballmer got it right — these guys are awesome. Once again, a stout mind from XDA has cooked up a way to improve a device, and this time it’s the LG G Watch R.

You can now enable that dormant WiFi radio inside the LG G Watch R if you’re hankering to use WiFi on the Android Wear watch, granted your watch has an unlocked and TWRP recovery. You should also make sure you are on Android Wear 5.1.1, build LDZ22D, because it hasn’t been tested in any other environment.

The usual warnings and red flags apply. You do this, and anything else outside of the scope of the device’s intended usage, on your own accord. That means you can’t blame anyone else if your smart watch decides to become sentient and refuse your every command (not that that would be devastating or anything, but definitely annoying). Knowing that, you can find download links and instructions right here.

LG G Watch R doesn’t support WiFi right now, but it will later this year

If you have an Android Wear device, chances are you’re pretty hyped about the latest software update. Aside from improving upon the UX, Android Wear 5.1.1 — which still hasn’t hit the Moto 360 — was able to unlock dormant WiFi radios located on most of devices. Of course, we know the LG G Watch definitely wasn’t on that list, but for the LG G Watch R, things were a little wishy-washy.

Whereas the original G Watch didn’t have the necessary hardware, the LG G Watch R (it’s round sibling) actually does, it’s just that for whatever reason wouldn’t be enabled in 5.1.1. Fast forward to today where an LG spokesperson is now saying a future maintenance release will, in fact, activate the LG G Watch R’s hidden WiFi functionality. According to the statement provided to AndroidWorld, LG plans to push out this update sometime in the 3rd quarter.

“LG Watch Urbane is the only wearable device Currently shipping with the latest version of Android Wear OS and is Wi-Fi capable out of the box. The original LG G Watch was not designed with Wi-Fi in mind and will not have this capability even after the Android Wear update. LG G Watch R will require a maintenance release after the patch update to Android Wear-access Wi-Fi networks. LG engineers are preparing the patch now for availability in the third quarter.”

So, if the lack of WiFi was a make-or-break for you, don’t worry. In a few months time, you can expect the LG G Watch R to connect to WiFi networks the same as most other Android Wear smartwatches. Anyone who already purchased the watch, feeling better now?

Official: HBO Now is coming to Google Play with Chromecast support

When HBO announced its online streaming service that doesn’t require a cable subscription — dubbed HBO Now — it was exclusive to iOS, but we quickly learned that wouldn’t be the case for very long. Thankfully that was accurate: Google has announced that HBO Now will soon be headed to Google Play.

The app should be nearly identical to HBO Go, giving you on-demand access to all of HBO’s shows and currently showing movies (and you’ll pay .99 per month for the privilege of doing so). One other thing that the Android version will get is Chromecast support, so you can beam the content to your TV with ease.

Unfortunately Google didn’t have any specifics to dish out for availability aside from the usual “later this summer,” spiel, so we’ll have to wait for further word before we know all the details. Be sure to stick with Phandroid and you’ll know the moment we do!

The LG G4 will officially support Qualcomm Quick Charge 2.0 in time for its retail launch

There seems to be some confusion on whether or not the LG G4 officially supported Qualcomm’s super fast Quick Charge 2.0 technology. LG never mentioned Quick Charge 2.0 compatibility in any of their press materials despite the particular Snapdragon 808 chipset being more than capable of supporting it. It was disappointing for sure, especially given rival devices like the Samsung Galaxy S6 or HTC One M9 all offering support for the new quicker charging method. As we mentioned in those reviews, it really will change the way you look at battery life on your Android device.

Well, it appears LG may have finally wised up and is now confirming that the device will support Qualcomm Quick Charge 2.0 in time for its general retail release — even if it doesn’t support it right now. Whether it will have Quick Charge 2.0 compatibility out of the box or if this will come in the form of an over-the-air update remains to be seen. But Qualcomm seems to have gotten word and has already updated their Quick Charge 2.0 device page to include the LG G4. All’s well that ends well, I guess.

[Qualcomm]

Gmail update brings Oauth support for Yahoo and Microsoft email accounts

Last year we saw Gmail updated to version 5.0 with the ability to add inboxes from Yahoo, Outlook, or any other POP/IMAP email accounts. It was a pretty big move, but one that may have been a little too light on security for some folks.

Today, Google has announced that they’ve officially brought Oauth support to Yahoo and Microsoft accounts. This means anyone using these can take advantage of added security features like 2-step verification and/or account recovery. It’s already available in the latest Gmail update which is already rolling out on the Google Play Store.

Download link provided below for your convenience.

[Google]

Gmail (Playboard) | Gmail (Play Store)

Spotify update finally brings Android Wear support, now available on Google Play

It was almost a month ago that Spotify announced their intentions to bring Android Wear support to their application in June. With only a few days left in the month, you may have been wondering where said update was. Earlier today, Spotify was updated on the Google Play Store and yes, it finally brings that smartwatch compatibility you’ve been craving.

It’s pretty straight forward, with the card along with album artwork and pause control only popping up on your smartwatch once you’ve started music playback on your phone. Swiping to the left will bring up the music controls (volume, skip/previous tracks). Swiping again will allow you to browse your music library or playlists, as well as play your saved stations of one of Spotify’s curated playlists. While you can dive into an artist or find a specific album, oddly enough selecting a song isn’t possible.

Another weird quirk is there doesn’t appear to be a way to launch the app from your smartwatch — either by voice or an icon in the Android Wear app drawer — so you’ll need to start it up first on your smartphone or tablet. We’re sure another update is already coming down the pipeline that will add this functionality at a later date, but for now, you can grab the update right now from the Google Play Store.

Spotify Music (Playboard) | Spotify Music (Play Store)