Android 15 has introduced a useful feature for Pixel smartphones, but Samsung’s software is plagued with annoying bugs. This is the most significant Android news of the week.
‘Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 Pro is really coming: large battery leaked’
Samsung is rumored to be working on three Watch 7 watches, including a Pro model. The difference with the other smartwatch was still unknown, but now that secret also seems to be off the table.
According to new information, the smartwatch will have a battery with a so-called rated capacity of 578 mAh, while the Watch 5 Pro has 573 mAh. The advertised battery capacity of the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro is 590 mAh, and we expect something similar for the Watch 7 Pro. Due to the generously sized battery, we were pleased with the battery life of that watch.
→ Galaxy Watch 7 Pro with a large battery on the way
‘Android 15 update turns your Pixel smartphone into a desktop’
Samsung’s top devices have had DeX for years, a digital environment that runs from your smartphone but is more similar to a computer operating system such as Windows or Chrome OS. Although DeX exists exclusively on Samsung smartphones, Google is now also working on a similar desktop mode for the Pixel phones.
Android Authority posted a video of desktop mode in Android 15. What is striking are the floating windows of open apps. You can open this in full screen, shrink it, or pin it to the sides of the screen. At the top of the screen, you see the status bar with the battery level, WiFi icon, the time, and more.
→ Desktop mode for Google Pixel smartphones
Rumor: Nothing will release two more smartphones this year
With the Phone (2a), Nothing presented its cheapest smartphone to date last month. Two more devices will be added later this year, claimed insider Dylan Roussel. He discovered the code names of two Nothing telephones, first of all, probably a new variant of the Phone (2a).
Not much is known about this version yet. Website Android Authority writes that it may be a ‘community version’ of the Nothing Phone (2a). However, it is uncertain what exactly the smartphone manufacturer plans to do. Additionally, we can – as we secretly assumed – expect a successor to last year’s Phone (2).
→ More Nothing smartphones in 2024
Samsung One UI 6.1 update causes problems: this is what you need to know
One UI 6.1 gives you access to AI (artificial intelligence) on the Galaxy S23 and other older Samsung smartphones. It is an update that many people want to install on their device as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, One UI 6.1 seems to cause problems in some cases.
9to5Google found that users of the Galaxy S23 and Galaxy Z Fold 5 are complaining that their phones are charging slower after the update. Where they normally fill up with battery juice with a maximum of 25 watts, they are now stuck at 15 watts. That is very slow, especially for such expensive devices.
→ Problems with Samsung One UI 6.1
Chrome incognito will soon be truly private: Google will stop collecting data
For anyone using Google Chrome, incognito mode is a familiar feature. This allows you to browse the internet without saving your search history and cookies. There has been a lawsuit against Google since 2020, as the search giant was still storing users’ data in this private mode.
Google has now reached a settlement and offered to erase all collected data from Chrome’s incognito mode. Spokesman Jose Casteñeda indicates that Google “did not link this information to individual users in the first place” and that they are “happy to remove data that does not help personalize the user.”
→ More about Chrome’s incognito mode