Google Messages replaces the default viewfinder with new camera UI

Credit: Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority

• Google Messages is pushing out an update that introduces a new camera UI.
• The new viewfinder loses many of the camera options present in the system camera app.
• Users can now directly switch between photo and video mode.

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Taking photos or videos within the Google Messages app is going to look a little different soon. Google is releasing an update that will give the app its own custom built-in camera.

According to 9to5Google, Google has started rolling out a server-side update to the Google Messages app. Discovered in the latest beta version (20240312_00_RC00), that update is introducing a new viewfinder.

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T-Mobile could be preparing to hit prepaid customers with new fees

Credit: Eric Zeman / Android Authority

• Leaked documents suggest T-Mobile could be preparing to introduce new fees for prepaid customers.
• The carrier is doing away with the SIM card fee and replacing it with a full “Device Connection Charge.”
• Prepaid customers who are assisted by T-Mobile experts will be charged a support fee.

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T-Mobile was in the news last week after a leaked internal document revealed the carrier may temporarily reduce the cost of its Device Connection Charge (DCC). New documents have surfaced since then and they suggest T-Mobile could be preparing to add some new charges for prepaid customers.

An image of an official-looking document believed to be from T-Mobile has made its way to Reddit. Shared by Reddit user Electronic-Quail4464, the document says the carrier is doing away with SIM Starter Kits and is replacing them with its one-time DCC fee. According to the document, this change will start after March 21, 2024.

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Samsung Galaxy A25 5G review: Should you buy it?

Should you buy the Samsung Galaxy A25 5G?

Samsung knows as well as anyone that the affordable Android market is a challenging space to occupy. It offers several budget-friendly smartphones, with standouts at the highest (Galaxy A54 5G) and lowest (Galaxy A14 5G) ends, but has struggled to deliver great phones in between the two for a few generations now. We picked apart issues like weak low-light cameras on the Galaxy A34 5G and underwhelming speakers and sizable bezels on the Galaxy A23 5G, but now Samsung is ready to try for the middle ground again with its Galaxy A25 5G.

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Spotify now shows music videos for Premium subscribers in select regions

Credit: Ryan-Thomas Shaw / Android Authority

• Spotify announced it is rolling out a beta that will allow Premium subscribers to watch music videos.
• The beta is currently only available in 11 countries.
• Users will be able to watch music videos by hitting the “Switch to Video” toggle on supported music tracks.

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Spotify is introducing a new way for users to enjoy music on its platform. Starting today, certain Premium subscribers will be able to watch music videos.

Spotify has announced it is launching a beta that will bring music videos to the streaming app. The feature can be used by Premium subscribers on iOS, Android, desktop, or on TVs. This launch is a limited one, as the beta is currently available to only 11 countries. These markets include:

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Wear OS 5 wishlist: What I want to see and what we know so far

Credit: Kaitlyn Cimino / Android Authority

The Wear OS landscape is gaining traction with more names in the field than ever, including Google’s own smartwatch line. We’re only a few months out from the next round of major Wear OS device launches (looking at you, Samsung), and I’m already eager to see what a potential Wear OS 5 launch might look like.

Wear OS 5: Features I want to see

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How to change your Spotify email address

Changing your Spotify email address while preserving your account data might seem daunting, especially if you’ve spent time creating playlists and uploading music to your old email-associated account. Here’s how to change your Spotify email address without losing any of your data.

THE SHORT ANSWER 

To change your Spotify email address, navigate to your Spotify account page on a desktop or mobile browser. From there, select Account > Edit email. Delete the existing email and fill in the space with your desired email address in the Email field. Select Save to finish.

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Galaxy S24 soars: Sales jump 14% over the S23 in the US

• The Galaxy S24 series is reportedly selling faster than last year’s model.
• A report says Samsung’s latest flagship experienced double-digit sales growth in multiple markets.
• Sales jumped up by 14% in the US compared to the S23 in the same amount of time.

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It has been a couple of months since Samsung launched the Galaxy S24 series. Now a new report is telling us how well the latest flagship is selling and how it compares to last year’s model.

A report from ZDNet Korea, based on data from Counterpoint Research, claims that the Galaxy S24 series experienced strong sales between January 28 to February 17. For context, Samsung announced and opened up pre-orders in the US on January 17 and released the phones on January 31.

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Samsung’s best Galaxy A-series device might not be coming to the US

• Samsung has launched the Galaxy A35 and Galaxy A55 in European markets.
• A Samsung representative confirmed that the Galaxy A35 is coming to the US market.
• As of now, the Galaxy A55 isn’t expected to be available to buy in the US.

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Samsung unveiled its latest Galaxy A-series phones today — the Galaxy A35 and the Galaxy A55 — in European markets. Both phones bring meaningful upgrades to their design, improved internals, and better cameras. But there’s mixed news for US buyers hoping to snag these new mid-range devices.

According to a report from CNET, Samsung is only planning to bring the Galaxy A35 to the US market as of now. This would mark a significant shift in strategy for Samsung’s A-series in the US market. Previous A5x series phones like the A50, A51, A52, A53, and A54 all enjoyed official US releases, while the Galaxy A34 and A33 never made it to US shores.

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The Pixel 9 may debut Google’s Adaptive Touch feature

• Your phone’s touch sensitivity determines how well the screen reacts to your touches.
• Various factors like how wet your fingers are or whether a screen protector is applied can affect how sensitive your phone’s screen feels.
• The Pixel 9 may add an “Adaptive Touch” feature that automatically adjusts touch sensitivity to account for these factors.

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If you’ve ever tried to swipe through your phone on a rainy day, you’re probably aware of how finicky it can be. Wet fingers can disrupt the ability for capacitive touch screens to register your touch, causing your tap or swipe inputs to be dropped. Thick or low-quality screen protectors can also reduce your phone’s touch sensitivity. For these reasons, many phones offer touch sensitivity settings or at least a dedicated “screen protector mode” to boost the touch sensitivity. The upcoming Google Pixel 9 may take things a step further by offering an automatic “Adaptive Touch” mode.

While I was digging through last month’s Android 14 QPR3 Beta 1 release, I found evidence that suggests Google is preparing to add an “Adaptive Touch” setting under Settings > Display > Touch sensitivity. Although the setting doesn’t currently show up on my Google Pixel 8 Pro running the latest Android QPR beta, I dug into the code and found that when Adaptive Touch is enabled, “touch sensitivity will automatically adjust to your environment, activities and screen protector.”

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TikTok prepares to challenge Instagram with ‘TikTok Photos’

• Strings found in the latest TikTok app APK mention a standalone app named TikTok Photos.
• While launch and availability details are still unknown, we have a first look at the potential logo for the new app.

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With Instagram, heavily invested in short-form videos through its Reels feature, TikTok seems to be returning the favor by entering the photo-sharing space that Instagram helped popularize. Code from the latest TikTok app update hints at the upcoming launch of a dedicated photo-sharing platform called TikTok Photos.

TheSpAndroid made the discovery through an APK teardown, uncovering numerous references to “TikTok Photos” within the latest version of the TikTok app — version 33.8.4 (com.zhiliaoapp.musically). These references include strings like “Open TikTok Photos,” “Share this post to TikTok Photos,” and “Reach other like-minded people who enjoy photo posts.”

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Qualcomm teases new flagship chip that could power your next smartphone

Credit: Robert Triggs / Android Authority

• Qualcomm has announced the launch date for its next “flagship” processor.
• This could be the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 that was leaked last month.
• The naming scheme hints at where the SoC would rank in performance compared to other chipsets in the lineup.

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Leading global chipmaker Qualcomm has teased the launch of its next flagship Snapdragon SoCs on Chinese social media platform Weibo.

Going by recent rumors, we believe the company could be gearing up to announce the new Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 that leaked last month. If true, the chipset would join the ranks of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 at the very top of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon SoC list.

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Google confirms Pixel 8a is coming with a key battery-related feature

Credit: Smartprix

• Google has confirmed the existence of the Pixel 8a.
• The phone will carry new battery information stats that were previously spotted on existing Pixel phones but later removed after the March feature drop.

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Google has unintentionally confirmed the existence of the Pixel 8a while addressing a Pixel feature that mysteriously disappeared after the March Pixel feature drop.

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Fortnite’s coming back to the iPhone later this year: Here’s how we got there

Fortnite Mobile

• Apple blocked Epic’s attempt at bringing their games back to the iPhone in Europe.
• The European Commission began investigating whether Apple went against EU regulations.
• Apple, facing scrutiny, decided to reinstate Epic’s developer account in Europe.

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European users will soon be able to play Epic’s Fortnite on their iPhone, despite a tumultuous back-and-forth between Epic and Apple in the wake of their legal spat.

Following Epic and Apple’s very public legal dispute in 2020, the European Commission (EC) introduced new regulations aimed at combating unfair practices toward business users and customers in Europe. This opened the door for Epic to return to iOS devices. But Apple quickly squashed hopes of Epic’s comeback, by banning Epic’s developer account. On Friday, however, Epic announced that Apple had decided to reinstate their developer account in Europe and the game developer is working on bringing Fortnite back to iOS via the Epic Games Store.

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ChatGPT: 5 changes I’d like to see in the near future

Credit: Calvin Wankhede / Android Authority

We’re now well beyond the one-year anniversary since ChatGPT’s release. The chatbot has received numerous updates since then, which have added features like custom instructions, GPTs, and newer models like GPT-4 Turbo. But competition has also been heating up over the past year, with Microsoft Copilot and Google’s Gemini sometimes delivering better results vs ChatGPT.

So even though the chatbot remains popular to this day, I believe ChatGPT could take some inspiration from the competition. To that end, here are five things I’d like to see from ChatGPT in the coming months.

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A 30-second signup gets you $100 off the Samsung 2024 TV lineup

Credit: Samsung

Samsung unveiled its stunning new 2024 TV lineup at CES in January, and the range of displays will become available for pre-order later this month. If there’s even a chance that you might be in the market for one of the latest displays, taking 30 seconds of your day to sign up to Samsung’s mailing list will land you a $100 credit if you decide to buy.

There are no hidden clauses here — Samsung is essentially paying you for your contact details. All you have to do is head to the landing page and provide your name, number, and email. You’ll be sent details of how to claim your credit when the Samsung smart TVs become available for pre-order on March 21, and you’ll then have until the end of that pre-order period on April 10 to apply your credit.

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I really want AI to fix my messaging experience

Credit: Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority

Opinion post by

Hadlee Simons

Just when you thought manufacturers had their fill of slapping “AI” on everything, generative AI is quickly becoming one of the biggest battlegrounds in the smartphone world today,

The technology already enables a ton of nifty features. But you know what? As cool as AI wallpapers and generative photo editors are, I really want AI to address one major bugbear — the modern mobile messaging experience.

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Should you pay Verizon $10 to add a second number or go for a cheaper alternative?

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Verizon recently announced a new Second Number plan, letting customers add a second line to their existing Verizon phones. This might sound familiar as Verizon previously offered a similar feature called My Numbers that allowed up to four lines, but that offering ended in 2022. One big distinction is the older program used virtual numbers and required an app, whereas Verizon’s new plan uses your device’s eSIM and works just like a real number. Calls and texts will work with native messaging and phone calling apps, though data will be dependent on your main connection.

Verizon Second Plan isn't the cheapest, but it is a convenient way to add a second line.

Verizon says Second Number is aimed at those of us who want more privacy for our main line. This could be especially useful for anyone who needs a number for side hustles or online dating without giving out their main number. From now until June 5th you can sign up for the new plan and lock it in at a rate of $10 a month, whereas it goes up to $15 after that for new plan members. Is Second Number worth it when there are free and cheap alternatives out there? It depends on what you’re looking for.

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Apple iPhone 16 rumors: Everything we know so far and what we want to see

Credit: Robert Triggs / Android Authority

Update: March 8, 2024 (2:32 PM ET): We have updated our iPhone 16 series rumor hub to include leaked CAD renders for the iPhone 16 Pro.

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Galaxy Tab S6 Lite (2024) leak hints the tablet will switch to Exynos

Credit: WinFuture

• A new leak has provided renders and a few details about the Galaxy Tab S6 Lite (2024)
• The tablet could get an Exynos 1280 chipset.
• The device could end up being largely similar to the previous model.

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The Galaxy Tab S6 Lite, Samsung’s mid-range tablet, is slated to get a 2024 update. However, a new leak suggests that the update will be a fairly minor one.

A leak from WinFuture has provided a few renders and details of the 2024 version of the Galaxy Tab S6 Lite. Based on the leak, it appears there won’t be much of a difference between this device and the one that came out in 2022.

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Switching from iPhone to Android is about to be easier thanks to the EU

Credit: Robert Triggs / Android Authority

• To comply with the DMA, Apple is working on making it easier to transfer data from an iPhone to a non-Apple device.
• Apple will put out its data transfer solution by fall 2025.
• The company is also making it possible to uninstall Safari and change the default navigation app on iOS.

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The European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) is forcing Apple to shake things up with its walled garden in a way it has never done before. As it attempts to comply with the regulation, the company will make it easier to switch from an iPhone to an Android.

First spotted by The Verge, Apple has now released a document that outlines how it will comply with the DMA. Within the document, the firm details it is working on “user-friendly solutions to transfer data from an iPhone to a non-Apple phone.” However, it looks like we’ll have to wait until fall next year for that data transfer solution to arrive.

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