Google starts rolling out major change to delivered and read messages sent over RCS

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Google starts rolling out major change to delivered and read messages sent over RCS
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It was exactly one month ago when we told you that Google was broadening its test of new read and delivered icons for RCS messages. RCS, or Rich Communication Services, is the Android equivalent of Apple’s iMessage platform. With RCS there are no character limits, higher quality image, and video files can be shared, messages are sent with end-to-end encryption, users receive a read receipt when a message they sent has been read by the recipient, and a typing indicator appears when a reply is being typed by the recipient.

Google’s RCS is very similar to Apple’s iMessage

Of course, all of these features are only available when two Android users are messaging each other and both are using the Google Messages app. Should an iOS user join the group chat, all of those great features-including end-to-encryption-are disabled. In other words, RCS is very much similar to iMessage although you don’t see Android users insulting iPhone users when they join a group chat comprised solely of RCS users.

Google is making a change to its Delivered and Read indicators on RCS for Android - Google starts rolling out major change to delivered and read messages sent over RCS

Google is making a change to its Delivered and Read indicators on RCS for Android

In the past, if two RCS users were chatting with each other, the one sending a message would see the word “delivered” when his/her message was received by the other party. Once the message was read, the sender would see the word “read” under his message. This obviously allowed a user to know whether his missive was indeed received by the recipient, and more importantly, whether the message was read.

But Google has changed this and as we noted last month, it had been testing the use of a checkmark system similar to what WhatsApp uses. When a message has been sent, underneath it, you’ll now see a small circle with a single checkmark inside it. When the message is delivered to the recipient, you’ll see two circles side-by-side, each with a single checkmark inside. And when the message has been read, the two circles are filled and the checkmarks are now white against a black background.
Per 9to5 Google, the update is rolling out now. For the other RCS user that you’re messaging to receive a read receipt and a typing indicator when you’ve read his message and started typing out a reply, you need to make sure that you have both features toggled on. To do that, open the Google Messages app and tap on the picture profile in the upper right corner of the search field. Tap on Message settings > RCS chats and make sure Send read receipts and Show typing indicators are both toggled on.

Google wants to know why we can’t all just get along

Google has been trying to pressure Apple to support RCS on iOS. This would end the green bubble bullying that takes place when an Android user joins a group chat made up of iOS users and disables all of the special iMessage features including end-to-end encryption, read receipts, typing indicators, and higher-quality images. As we noted at the top of this article, similar RCS features are disabled whenever an iOS user joins a chat made up of RCS users. So why can’t we all just get along?

When a chat is going on between iOS users, all text is seen in a blue text bubble. Once an Android user joins the chat, the text bubble turns green. And that seems to bring out the worst in iOS users. Google created a video last year which we’ve embedded in this story. The video is clever since it throws back Apple’s “think different” ad campaign from pre-iPhone days and also points out that by not supporting RCS, the company is downgrading the mobile experiences of its own customers.

Alas, Google might as well be banging its head against a wall(ed garden). Meanwhile, we’d imagine that not too many consumers know that Google Message’s RCS offers the same features as iMessage. As a result, some Android users use a messaging app provided by their carrier. If you have an Android phone and want a chat experience equal to Apple’s iMessage platform, you need to install the Google Messages app (also known as Messages by Google). You can find it in the Play Store.

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The Play Store Material You theming might soon roll out to users

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The Play Store Material You theming might soon roll out to users
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According to available reports, the Play Store Material You theming might be rolling out soon. This will sync the app’s color scheme to the colors present in your device’s wallpaper. Already, the Material You theming feature is available with most Google apps on Android.

For some reason, certain Google apps haven’t gotten Dynamuc Color. Such apps still make use of their default app themes, hence ignoring the device’s general theme. Other apps like the Play Store make use of the Material You theme in certain aspects of their design.

The design of such apps is not unified with different elements featuring different colours. This needs to be fixed by the design team at Google to help unify the look of these apps. A fix to this issue which involves a total integration of the Material You theming might be on the way.

Material You theming might be making its way to all areas of the Google Play Store

Google introduced Material You design features to the Play Store app two years ago. This introduction brought a new design, affecting the icons and overall layout. But the theming feature didn’t become available to the entire app, as some elements didn’t get this feature.

The theming feature only became available on the app’s home screen, navigation, and search buttons. Other design elements in the app settings and account section stuck to the old green Play Store theme. This disparity breaks the overall design of the Play Store app, and Google is working on a fix for this issue.

There are a lot of changes that are coming to the Play Store app, which will become available in the coming months. Part of these changes will be the integration of Material You theming to all areas of the app. This change will enable the app to use your wallpaper theme across every aspect of its design.

At the moment, these changes have not rolled out to the public. Sources also point out that other improvements will roll out along with the Material You theming upgrade.


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Xiaomi intros solid-state battery tech with higher energy density

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Xiaomi intros solid-state battery tech with higher energy density
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Xiaomi announced solid-state battery technology in China. This tech will offer higher energy density amongst other things. Before we get to it, however, it’s worth noting that HONOR introduced the very first silicon-carbon battery a couple of days ago.

That battery was announced during the HONOR Magic5 Pro launch. It is already used in the phone, but only in the Chinese model. That tech offers a 12.8% improvement when it comes to energy density compared to lithium batteries.

Xiaomi announced solid-state battery tech which offers higher energy density & more

On the flip side, Xiaomi says that its pre-developed solid-state battery tech can achieve an energy density of over 1,000Wh/L. In other words, it can technically offer an improvement of 20%. It can also offer a 20% improvement in low-temperature discharge performance, and an increase in the acupuncture experiment passing rate.

So, what makes these solid-state batteries different? The answer is… the electrolyte. Solid electrolytes offer better mechanical strength than liquid ones. They’re also great in the low energy density state, low temperature performance, and are technically safer, it seems.

Earlier, we mentioned that these batteries have an energy density of over 1,000Wh/L. That is a considerable improvement over regular lithium batteries, and it allows for more energy to be stored in the same space.

Safety is another aspect that sets them apart

Xiaomi also mentioned safety as another aspect of why these batteries are superior. They are safer than regular ones, as solid electrolytes can prevent the penetration of lithium dendrites.

Needless to say, this is very interesting, and it could potentially push the battery tech forward. Those batteries are not yet ready for primetime, it seems, but Xiaomi did put one in the Xiaomi 13 prototype for testing purposes. It did great in terms of endurance.

Xiaomi did not say when can we expect these batteries in commercial products.


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Spotify upgrades one important feature in the latest update

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Spotify upgrades one important feature in the latest update
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One of the biggest music streaming services, Spotify, has just announced a small yet meaningful update to its app. Typically, we don’t report on updates that involve minor changes like turning a Heart icon into a Plus, but Spotify’s update does more than just add visual changes.

Earlier today, Spotify officialized a brand-new change that’s beneficial to all its users. The app’s iconic Heart button will be replaced with a Plus button that does more than just marking the songs you want to save.

Basically, Spotify is unifying the Heart and “Add to playlist” icons into a single symbol: the Plus (+) button. This means that when you use the Plus (+) button, you will be able to save and choose the destination of any song, playlist, or podcast with a single tap.

Going forward, in order to save a song or podcast episode, Spotify users must tap the Plus (+) button positioned to the right of the song or episode title in the Now Playing view. After the song or podcast has been added to Liked Songs or Your Episodes, the Plus (+) button will become a green check. Moreover, you can even change the destination of your saved content by simply tapping the green check.

Another option at your disposal makes it possible to add an entire album to Your Library. Simply click the Plus (+) button to add your favorite album, playlist, or audiobook to Your Library. Once you see the green check, it means that it’s been successfully added.

Obviously, the reason behind the new change is a simple, more unified user experience. Having a more streamlined way to save favorite music and podcasts means a lot these days when any extra action makes us lose focus.

Unsurprisingly, this is exactly what Spotify found in its user research. On top of that, the same research found that saving songs and podcasts makes us more likely to listen to them again, which is pretty interesting.

According to Spotify, the new changes to the Heart icon will begin to roll out to all users globally on iOS and Android starting today and will become available to all users in the coming weeks.


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Save $1,300 on the Hisense PX1 4K UST Projector

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Save $1,300 on the Hisense PX1 4K UST Projector
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Today, Amazon has a great discount on the Hisense PX1 4K UST Projector. It’s now listed at $1,999, which is going to save you $1,300 off of its regular price. That is good enough for an all-time low, and a really great price in general.

This is a triple-laser ultra-short throw projector from Hisense that can provide up to a 130-inch display in your home. All that for under $2,000 is pretty good. The PX1 uses pure red, green and blue lasers, which allows it to produce 107% of the BT.2020 color space. Something that even TVs are not able to do. So if you want a great color reproduction, this is the route to go.

Something that you really need to look at with these projectors is the brightness. A lot of the time, these projectors are not very bright, and are almost unusable during the day. But with the PX1, there’s a brightness of 2,000 lumens. Not the brightest we’ve seen on a projector, but it is very good nonetheless. We’ve actually reviewed the PX1, and it is plenty bright. Just don’t let direct sunlight hit it, then it’ll be tougher to see. But some light is still okay.

As far as the sound goes, Hisense has included a 30W Dolby Atmos sound system in the PX1. It sounds really great, but you do have the option of using your own sound system if you wish. There’s plenty of ports here, including two HDMI ports with one doing eARC for soundbars. There’s also a USB-A port, LAN, and an antenna/cable port available. It would be nice to get another HDMI port or two for additional peripherals.

You can pick up the Hisense PX1 4K UST Projector from Amazon today by clicking here. It’s unclear how long this sale is going to last, so you’ll want to be quick here.

Hisense PX1 – Amazon


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Bill to ban TikTok in the US passes House panel

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Bill to ban TikTok in the US passes House panel
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A nationwide ban in the US is looming large for TikTok. The US House Foreign Affairs Committee voted on Wednesday to give President Joe Biden the power to ban the Chinese social media app. The bill, known as the Deterring America’s Technological Adversaries (DATA) Act, now needs to pass through the Senate and the rest of the House before reaching Biden’s desk (via).

Introduced by Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX) last Friday, the DATA Act passed the House Foreign Affairs Committee with a 24-16 vote. All Democrats reportedly voted against the bill but that united opposition was not enough. If the bill gets the same favor in the rest of the House, Biden will be able to impose a nationwide ban on TikTok. The US President can block all transactions with the app in the country. This will effectively prevent citizens from downloading and using the app on their phones.

Biden last month said that he is unsure if the US would impose an outright ban on TikTok. “I’m not sure. I know I don’t have it on my phone,” he said responding to a reporter’s query. However, the popular video-focused social media app has been already banned from government-owned devices, including phones and computers. The US House of Representatives and more than 30 states have also announced similar bans. All of them cited the same national security threat highlighted by FBI Director Christopher Wray in December 2022.

Wray said TikTok’s Chinese parent ByteDance may open backdoors for the nation’s authoritarian government to access the data of American users. This possesses a serious threat to the security of the US and its citizens. Those concerns were compounded by TikTok’s recent admission that it spied on some US-based journalists. The company didn’t help itself there. No one is now believing its claim that it will not hand over user data to the Chinese government in any circumstance. It has moved its US servers to the US, but that didn’t help either.

TikTok is staring at a nationwide ban in the US

If the DATA Act reaches Biden and he passes it, TikTok could lose a huge chunk of its users. The app is used by more than 100 million Americans. India imposed a nationwide ban on the app a few years ago, while the European Union and Canada also recently followed the US to ban it on government devices. TikTok, meanwhile, continues to plead innocence. A company spokesperson told TechCrunch that its American unit is a US company subject to federal law. China has no control over it.

“A US ban on TikTok is a ban on the export of American culture and values to the billion-plus people who use our service worldwide,” TikTok spokesperson Brooke Oberwetter said in an emailed statement. “We’re disappointed to see this rushed piece of legislation move forward, despite its considerable negative impact on the free speech rights of millions of Americans who use and love TikTok”. Time will tell what’s next for the social media biggie. TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew will appear before the US Energy and Commerce Committee later this month. We will keep you posted.


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“Bluesky”, Jack Dorsey’s Twitter competitor, is now on the iOS App Store but in closed beta

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“Bluesky”, Jack Dorsey’s Twitter competitor, is now on the iOS App Store but in closed beta
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The acquisition of Twitter by Elon Musk that was initiated back in April 2022 and concluded in October 2022, prompted Twitter co-founder and former CEO Jack Dorsey to promptly exit the company back in May of last year. Upon his departure, Dorsey began working on his version of a new decentralized social network that is meant to compete with Twitter, called Bluesky.
Bluesky has a homepage on the internet, but as of right now, it is just a landing page with a blog and a link to sign up for the private beta. The project itself was announced in 2019, but no updates had been given on when this venture would be officially unveiled to the public, if at all.
However, it appears that Bluesky is getting very close to opening its doors, as it now has a presence on the iOS App Store as an invite-only beta app. This means that you can go ahead and download the Bluesky Social app, but you need an invite code to create an account.

Not surprisingly, the app is so new on the App Store, that as of right now you can even install it on a Mac via the Mac App Store as I did. On a Mac, the app opens to mobile size, as it was designed for iPhone and not macOS. However, it is unclear if the app will continue to work this way or if changes are on the way.

When you open the app, you are greeted with a splash screen and options to “sign in” or “create a new account,” which requires you to have an invite code. There is currently a waitlist to sign up for the service, which you can sign up for online, but no information is available on when that round of codes will be released.

I’m quite curious how Bluesky will fare once it launches publicly and begins to compete with Twitter and the currently most popular decentralized social network, known as Mastodon. Since the app is currently in closed beta on iOS only, its hard to gauge interest unless you are behind the curtain, so for now all we can do is wait and see.


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Galaxy M53 5G & M42 5G get Samsung’s One UI 5.1 update

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Galaxy M53 5G & M42 5G get Samsung’s One UI 5.1 update
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Samsung‘s One UI 5.1 update is rolling out to a couple of Galaxy M series mid-range smartphones — Galaxy M53 5G and Galaxy M42 5G. The former is a premium mid-range model from last year while the latter arrived the year before. Both devices are getting a host of new features and improvements with the latest update.

One UI 5.1 is rolling out to Galaxy M53 5G and M42 5G

The Galaxy M53 5G started picking up the One UI 5.1 update a few days back. After the initial rollout in Russia and Ukraine, Samsung has now covered the whole of Europe. The new One UI version is also rolling out to the phone in South Korea. The updated firmware build number in Europe is M536BXXU2CWB3, while that in the company’s homeland is M536SKSU2CWB3. Users in Asia, Africa, and Latin America should also get the update soon. Samsung didn’t launch the Galaxy M53 5G in the US.

The story is a bit different for the Galaxy M42 5G, though. This phone was mostly sold in India only, and probably in a few neighboring countries. The One UI 5.1 update is rolling out widely for the phone in the region with firmware version M426BXXU4DWB1. The OTA (over the air) package reportedly weighs just shy of 1GB. That for the Galaxy M53 5G weighs almost 1.2GB (via). Both handsets are getting the February 2023 Android security patch, which contains more than 50 vulnerability fixes.

But, the massive OTA size is because of the goodies that One UI 5.1 brings. Samsung is adding several new features to its Galaxy devices with the latest iteration of its custom Android software.

The camera app gains new selfie effects at the top of the screen. Sharing vacation photos with your family is now easier with the new Shared Family Album, while the Gallery app also adds enhanced image remastering.

New gestures make multitasking more efficient too. You can also automate more tasks, including the automatic changing of wallpapers based on your activity.

Elsewhere, widgets are now smarter and show you more information. Smart settings suggestions save you time when you want to change a setting on your phone. Last but not least, Samsung Internet now supports continuous browsing across your connected smartphone, tablet, and laptop.

If you’re using a Galaxy M53 5G or Galaxy M42 5G, the One UI 5.1 update with all of these new features and security enhancements should be available to you within the next few days if it hasn’t already.


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Qualcomm partners with Prophesee to develop Event-Based Metavision Sensor

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Qualcomm partners with Prophesee to develop Event-Based Metavision Sensor
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From the VGA cameras used in early smartphones to the massive 200-megapixel sensors of today, smartphone photography has come a long way. But despite these advancements, capturing moving subjects quickly still presents a challenge. The issue of blurry photos can be frustrating, especially in dark environments. However, this problem may soon become a thing of the past as Qualcomm is collaborating with French camera chip startup Prophesee to develop a new type of sensor called the Event-Based Metavision sensor.

“Through this collaboration, product developers will be able to dramatically enhance the user experience with cameras that deliver the image quality and operational excellence not available using just traditional frame-based methods,” said Luca Verre, CEO and co-founder of Prophesee.

How does the Prophesee camera sensor work?

Unlike traditional camera sensors, which rely on the same fixed frame rate for the entire image multiple times every second, each pixel of a Metavision sensor features a logic core that continuously monitors changes in the scene. This means the sensor only captures the data when the scene changes, making it much faster and more efficient than traditional camera chips.

To illustrate how this works, let’s take the example of a golfer taking a swing. A traditional sensor captures an extensive inventory of the sky, trees, and grass behind the golfer while missing segments of important information, such as the swing of the club and the movement of the ball. The Metavision sensor, on the other hand, captures only the data that changes, allowing it to capture all the important information without missing a beat.

While the Metavision sensor could revolutionize smartphone photography, it cannot work as a standalone unit, as the smartphone needs to combine both traditional sensor data and the Metavision sensor data to produce blur-free images.

Despite the limitation, the results are quite impressive, and Qualcomm hopes to leverage its partnership with Prophesee to deliver this experience in their upcoming Snapdragon-powered smartphones, with development kits rolling out this year. Currently, Prophesee’s camera chips will be outsourced for manufacturing to Sony Group Corp, with mass production planned for next year.


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TikTok talks cyber-security and answers three burning questions

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TikTok talks cyber-security and answers three burning questions
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Oh, boy, the social media platform TikTok just can’t get any rest. The never ending drama ride that highlights legal dispute after ban attempt is truly challenging. Not only because the security concerns on hand are extremely relatable and natural, but also because at the end of the day TikTok is not only a business, but a business opportunity for numerous influencers that use it to earn a living. That being said, TikTok has made strides to prove its innocence through transparency and a very clever tactic: not running away from a challenge. The company outright opened its doors for state officials to explore public data to their leisure.

To continue that trend, a TikTok spokeswoman took the time to talk with the BBC regarding three of the reoccurring cyber-security concerns. Namely: the collection of “excessive” amounts of user data, the involvement of the Chinese communist party and the allegations that the app is effectively a brainwashing construct.

While concerns over user data initially blew up in 2022 when an Australian cyber company published a report, which claimed that TikTok collects huge amounts of sensitive and specific data, things might not have been quite objective. Ever since that statement, other teams have stepped in — like Citizen Labs or the Georgia Institute of Technology — and conducted comparative analysis. Well, it turns out that TikTok collects pretty much the same quantity and type of data that most social platforms do. No shock there, considering the competition.

But the point is that said data may end up with China, right? Well, TikTok continues to stand firmly on the position that it is an independent company, which has not and would not supply China with user info. In all reality, even if the risk is totally understandable and fair to be concerned about, it is entirely theoretical, as no evidence of such a data transfer ever surfaced.

Hold on though — TikTok doesn’t need China in order to brainwash you. Its app is already on your phone! Right? Well, the BBC report highlights only one side of the conversation, and it is related to political misinformation. Citizen Labs compared the Chinese and worldwide versions of TikTok and concluded that political-oriented content is not being moderated outside of China. While that is ultimately a good thing, there’s tons more to be discussed on the topic of addictive habit forming and the impact on dopamine that TikTok in particular has.

Overall, while we wouldn’t call TikTok’s slate clean, we absolutely commend the company for its bravery and handling of the entire situation. This is a bumpy ride that has been going on for years and despite that, the company isn’t showing any signs of burnout. That being said, when the political side of things concludes, we’re eager to see what TikTok will do for the mental health of its astoundingly large user base.


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