Its approach & challenges faced

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Its approach & challenges faced
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Video Boost with Night Sight was announced in October 2023 alongside the Google Pixel 8 series. The rollout began some weeks later, and only for the “Pro” model. It is a technology that uses AI to significantly improve the videos you capture with your Pixel device.

The two elements of technology work together, each taking care of different things. “Video Boost” focuses on boosting parameters such as dynamic range, contrast, colors, stabilization, and level of detail. On the other hand, “Night Sight” is the implementation in videos of the function that the Google Camera app has offered for photos for a long time.

In the latest Made by Google Podcast episode, the company offered more details about the development of Video Boost with Night Sight. The team revealed what exactly they were looking for with this technology. They also mentioned the main challenges they encountered along the way.

Google’s focus when developing Video Boost with Night Sight

The main goal of Google was to “unlock the best video quality ever that you’ve seen on a smartphone.” Pixel devices are known for their high-quality photos, but video recording has never been on the same level. So, now they will seek to balance the balance of quality between photo and video on their phones.

Pixel December Feature Drop Video Boost
Video processed with Video Boost

Regarding the exclusivity of the feature on the Pixel 8 Pro, they said that they are “just starting on Pixel 8 Pro to do that for our users.” Although it is not an official confirmation of anything, this opens the door for Video Boost with Night Sight to reach more Pixel devices in the future.

The challenges the dev team encountered

Regarding the challenges faced, they mentioned the processing power of smartphones. A key difference between Night Sight for photos and Night Sight for video is the way it is processed. While for photos the processing is carried out on-device, for videos they rely on the power of cloud-based AI. This is because smartphones still lack sufficient power for complex local video processing.

This is not surprising, since this task can be complicated even for desktop PCs. Let’s remember that video files are exponentially longer and more complex than photos. Regarding the use of the cloud for video processing, the Google team said the following:

“So we can decide how many frames that we want to align and merge, and how are we going to merge them. We can even take this to another level. We can even do much better. We can even run more complex algorithms simultaneously. For example, we can run deblurring. We can run stabilization. We can run color correction.”

While turning to the cloud for processing has the advantage of being able to harness the full power of Google’s servers, it also means that you can’t use the feature without an internet connection.

To top it off, another big challenge was the calibration of the processing to avoid any type of problem in the final result. That is, they had to figure out how to avoid time lags between the audio and video, chromatic aberrations, random flickering, or similar effects. After all, no one would want to use a tool that constantly generates unusable results.


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Opera starts offering unique, experimental AI-related feature

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Opera starts offering unique, experimental AI-related feature
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Opera has been making a lot of investments in the AI department. Today, the company revealed yet another AI-related feature that no other browser provides at the moment, the ability to access local AI models.

By adding experimental support for 150 local LLM (Large Language Model) variants from about 50 families of models, the developer makes it possible for users to access and manage local LLMs directly from its browser.

According to Opera, the local AI models are a complimentary addition to Opera’s online Aria AI service, which is also available in the Opera browser on iOS and Android. The supported local LLMs include names like Llama (Meta), Vicuna, Gemma (Google), Mixtral (Mistral AI), and many more.
The new feature is very important for those who’d like to keep their browsing as private as possible. The ability to access local LLMs from Opera means that users’ data is kept locally on their device, allowing them to use generative AI without the need to send information to a server.Starting today, the new feature is available for Opera One Developer users, although it’s necessary to upgrade to the newest version of Opera Developer and follow a step-by-step guide to activate it.

Keep in mind that after you select a certain LLM, it will be downloaded on your device. It’s also important to add that a local LLM typically requires 2-10GB of storage space per variant. Once it’s downloaded on your device, the new LLM will be used instead of Aria, Opera’s native browser AI.


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Gesture Jacking – New Attack That Deceives Website Visitors

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Gesture Jacking – New Attack That Deceives Website Visitors
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The Web Platform is incredibly powerful, but regrettably, malicious websites will do all in their capacity to misuse it.

To prevent such exploitation, blocking actions that weren’t accompanied by a “User Gesture” is one of the weakest (but easiest to implement) defenses.

Gestures are a weak primitive because, although it is easy to determine whether a user has clicked or pressed a key, they do not suit the design objective of clearly conveying a user request well.

A more certain method of deceiving users is gesture-jacking, which eliminates the need for accurate window position, precise click timing, and the random nature of the user’s display settings.

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Rather, the attacker lures the user into holding a key, causes a victim webpage to appear, and then transfers the key down to the victim’s website.

Overview Of Gesture Jacking Attack

Security researcher Paulos Yibelo describes in detail a form of attack in which a user is tricked into holding down a key (such as Enter), and that action is interpreted as accepting a popup window and activating a button on the website of the intended victim. 

The victim’s security could be severely compromised if the button on that page executes a risky activity (such as “Grant access,” “Transfer money,” etc.).

Eric Lawrence, an expert browser developer and general program manager for Microsoft Defender, investigated the attack and referenced Yibelo’s post.

The author refers to the attack as a cross-window forgery; however, Eric Lawrence refers to it as a gesture-jacking attack because it most closely resembles the ClickJacking attack vector that gained attention in 2008. 

“Some folks expected that this attack shouldn’t be possible– “browsers have popup-blockers after all!” Unfortunately for their hopes and dreams, the popup blocker isn’t magical”, Eric Lawrence wrote in his blog.

“Holding the Enter key is a user-gesture, so the attacker’s page is allowed to spawn a popup window to a victim site”.

According to him, the foundation of this attack is dependent on a feature of the web-based platform. In particular, when you visit a URL that has a fragment in it:

The browser will automatically concentrate on the first element—if any—whose id matches the value of the fragment by scrolling to it.

Keyboard input will, therefore, be directed towards that element.

According to Yibelo, a website can prevent unintentional button clicks by either randomly assigning the id value on every page load or by removing the id attribute from critical buttons.

Alternatively, to remove an unexpected URL fragment, the page may “redirect” upon loading.

An additional option is provided for Chromium-based browsers: a document can specify that it does not wish to use the default button-focusing behavior.

A website can disable all forms of automatic scrolling (and focussing) from the fragment by adding the force-load-at-top document policy (added as an opt-out for the clean Scroll-to-Text-Fragment functionality).

The researcher noted that attackers have long exploited gesture-jacking to manipulate browser user interfaces, and hence, browser teams have had to release numerous upgrades to stop this abuse.

It is recommended to use frame-ancestors CSP to prevent framing, auto-focus/make default the safe option and disable sensitive UI elements.

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HP announced four new affordable Chromebooks

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HP announced four new affordable Chromebooks
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The Chromebook market is a bit weird nowadays, but that’s not stopping companies from launching new devices. In fact, HP just announced four new Chromebooks, and they’re all pretty affordable with the cheapest model starting at $299.

HP is a leader in the PC space, and it’s launched some compelling Chromebooks over the years. Now, it’s welcoming the new 14-series of Chromebooks. This series of Chromebooks also includes several Chromebook Plus models. Google introduced Chromebook Plus last year, and this is a line of more advanced Chromebooks that are much more powerful and capable than typical Chromebooks. These are machines for people who want to get some serious work done.

HP announced some new 14-series Chromebooks

Starting off with the cheapest model, we have the HP Chromebook 14a (2024). Being the cheapest model, you can expect some very modest specs. This computer has a whopping 4GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. Those are numbers we’d see from flagship smartphones back in 2015. Powering this device, we have the Intel Celeron Processor.

Moving on to the display, we’re looking at a 14-inch LCD panel with a resolution of 1,366 x 768. So, this is basically 720P with a few more pixels. You’re not going to be buying this computer for this display. However, it’s good enough to get the job done. Other than that, this computer has a pretty impressive set of speakers and charges via USB-C.

HP Chromebook 14 plus 14a (2024)

Moving up the ladder, we have the Plus model of the HP Chromebook 14a (2024). Not much is different between these two models. However, you’re going to be getting some tastier specs. We’re looking at double the RAM at 8GB and four times the storage at 128GB.

So, you’ll be able to have more apps in Windows open.  Also, you’ll be able to store more files. These are features that more business-focused individuals would like. Powering this computer is a more powerful Intel Core N-series processor.

Moving on to the display, the size remains the same at 14 inches, but the resolution is now 1080p.

This model costs a bit more than the 14a, coming in at $529.99.

HP Chromebook 14 a

HP Chromebook X360 14b (2024)

What sets this computer apart from the previously mentioned is the fact that the screen can rotate 360°. Also, it’s a touch screen. So this is the kind of computer for people who want to write or draw on their computer screen. At $399, we know that this computer will have rather modest specs. However, it will be just enough to some get work done.

HP Chromebook Plus 14 a

HP Chromebook Plus x360 14b (2024)

Next, we have the computer with the longest name of all the models. Like the above-mentioned computer, this computer can rotate its display a full 360°. Like the other Plus model, we expect this model to have more robust specs compared to the regular. Also, it will come in at a price of $599.

HP Chromebook Plus X360 14 a

We expect these new HP 14-series Chromebooks to go on sale sometime in April. So, if any of these computers pique your interest, then you won’t have long to wait.


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Details on Bixby’s AI update: Here’s how your Galaxy will get better (also, expect potato recipes)

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Details on Bixby’s AI update: Here’s how your Galaxy will get better (also, expect potato recipes)
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Everyone and everything is on the AI hype train these days – especially Samsung. The giant dubbed their Galaxy S24 line an “AI phone” with the Galaxy AI pack back in January, after all.

Now, Samsung will inject Bixby with AI – we told you so just a couple of days ago. No details about the update were available, but the information came from a Samsung exec who said that Bixby will become smarter in the future thanks to generative AI and LLM (large language model) technology.

Bixby, Samsung’s answer to Google Assistant, Alexa and Apple’s Siri, was launched in 2017.

SamMobile reports that since its launch, Bixby has been lagging behind the aforementioned rival voice assistants. And with Apple’s plans to bring ChatGPT-like functionality to Siri with iOS 18 later this year, Samsung simply can’t afford to not improve its Bixby.

Per the new information, Bixby will be able to understand complex commands once it’s been AI-injected.

During the launch of the AI-powered BESPOKE home appliances lineup, Samsung again dragged Bixby into the conversation. Apart from being able to comprehend complex sentences and voice commands, Samsung also revealed that Bixby would engage in natural conversations with users and continue previous conversations.

On a side note: I wonder how long until someone decides to prompt-prime (guiding the AI model towards a more accurate or appropriate response by setting the right context upfront) Bixby, turn it into a psychoanalyst and charge by the hour.

Back to the report: for example, users can ask Bixby to “turn on the AC to Wind Free mode, and let me know how the weather is”. The AI-powered voice assistant will then turn on the AC, change its mode to Wind Free mode, and then fetch the current weather conditions for the user’s location.

Another use case: if the user asks Bixby to “turn off the air purifier,” and then, after some time, says “Oh, and the TV, too,” Bixby will understand that the user wants the TV to be turned off as well.

Bixby is said to be able to understand more context about a user’s problems and deliver solutions. For example, if a user says “The living room feels humid,” Bixby will make necessary changes to the humidifier. If the user asks Bixby: “What should I do with all the potatoes I bought yesterday?”, Bixby will understand the context and come up with recipe options in which potatoes can be used.

So far, there isn’t a fixed date for Bixby’s AI update. Maybe this will happen at the summer Galaxy Unpacked event? Stay tuned!


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Strategic integration of retesting tools in development lifecycles

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Strategic integration of retesting tools in development lifecycles
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The software development market is ever-changing, which makes it highly tricky for enterprises to develop high-quality software under tight deadlines. The strategic use of retesting tools is especially imperative in this context when it comes to ensuring that software products satisfy the greatest levels of functionality, stability, and security. This article investigates the strategic relevance of retesting tools within development cycles, focusing on various ways to improve software testing procedures’ efficiency and efficacy.

Implementing Comprehensive Test Coverage Analysis

A detailed study of test coverage is essential to a successful retesting approach. Organizations should evaluate their test suites before using various retesting technologies to find coverage holes. This typically includes understanding the software’s core features and ensuring that the test suite covers all conceivable scenarios appropriately. Comprehensive test coverage analysis ensures that retesting methods are strategically matched with the application’s most crucial parts, reducing the possibility of missing possible bugs.

Harmonizing Retesting and Regression Testing Processes

Retesting and regression testing, while independent, are inextricably intertwined activities. Regression testing guarantees that new code changes do not affect current functionality unfavorable.

Retesting tools, which play an integral role in evaluating repaired faults, should be smoothly integrated with regression testing methods. This symbiotic link between retesting and regression testing drastically improves the entire quality assurance approach by validating new features as well as problem fixes.

Real-time Defect Monitoring and Disclosure for Proactive Quality Assurance

Retesting technologies are much more successful when they allow for real-time problem monitoring and reporting. This entails seamlessly integrating retesting findings with defect tracking systems, allowing development teams to fix detected issues quickly. Real-time reporting essentially simplifies communication between testing and development teams while also enabling data-driven decision-making. Organizations may thus use past retesting data to uncover trends, evaluate the effect of changes, and continually improve their testing processes.

Automation of Test Case Generation and Maintenance.

Furthermore, efficient retesting solutions should be able to automate the creation and management of test cases. Automation speeds up the testing process, especially when repeating tests are necessary. Automated test case creation decreases the human labor required to create test cases, freeing up testing teams to focus on more complicated and crucial application elements. Furthermore, automated test case maintenance guarantees that the testing suite keeps pace with the developing codebase, which is consistent with the dynamic nature of software development.

Competent Prioritization for Optimal Utilization of Resources

In resource-constrained situations, not all test cases may receive equal attention. Intelligent test prioritizing entails choosing and running test cases with the best likelihood of detecting errors. Retesting solutions that use clever prioritizing algorithms guarantee that important functionalities are properly tested, even when time and resources are limited. This technique improves testing productivity, allowing teams to focus on high-impact areas while delivering dependable software on tight deadlines.

Smooth Integration with CI/CD Pipelines.

Retesting technologies must further be integrated with CI/CD pipelines in the especially competitive field of software development. CI/CD pipelines essentially automate the process of developing, testing, and deploying software, ultimately resulting in fast and dependable delivery. Retesting technologies are seamlessly integrated into CI/CD pipelines, thereby allowing for continuous and automatic retesting with each code change. This integration not only accelerates the testing process but additionally also enables early detection and resolution of faults to prevent them from advancing deeper in the development lifecycle.

Fostering Collaboration for Shared Responsibility.

Lastly, the effectiveness of retesting technologies is dependent on close communication between the development and testing teams. Both teams should collaborate to create retesting criteria, prioritize test cases, and exchange knowledge about the underlying causes of errors. A collaborative approach makes sure retesting tools are aligned with the development team’s objectives, which contributes to the overall success of the software development process. Regular communication and mutual assessment of test findings promote a culture of shared responsibility for software quality.

Bottom Line

The deliberate integration of retesting tools into development lifecycles is an essential component of successful software delivery. Organizations may overcome the obstacles of the current software development landscape by implementing the measures mentioned, which range from rigorous test coverage analysis to encouraging collaboration between development and testing teams. Organizations that include these tactics in their testing procedures may optimize the effect of retesting technologies, improving the dependability, functionality, and security of their software products. This strategic alignment positions firms to handle the ever-increasing needs of today’s software development environment.


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Facebook updates its fullscreen video player, adds new controls

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Facebook updates its fullscreen video player, adds new controls
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Facebook is making major changes to its video player design, the media company announced earlier today. The updated fullscreen video player on Facebook will feature new controls to make it more intuitive and easier to use.

In an attempt to bring together Reels, longer videos and Live content in one fullscreen experience, Meta has decided to refresh its video player on Facebook. The most important change is the fact that when you tap on a video anywhere on the Facebook app, you’ll see a fullscreen, vertically oriented video.

Previously, the video player switched to horizontal or videos that played in a Feed-like player, depending on the length of that video or where you were watching. In addition to this change, Meta revealed that the upgraded fullscreen video features improved recommendations for videos of all lengths.
Facebook updates its fullscreen video player, adds new controls

More importantly, the fullscreen video player has new controls, which are being rolled out over the next few weeks, allowing users to watch videos the way they want.

Even though videos will appear vertical automatically, users will see a new fullscreen option on most horizontal videos, which enables them to flip it to watch in landscape view.

The new controls also include a slider to skip around in longer videos, and the ability to tap on the video to bring up additional options that allow you to pause and jump back or forward 10 seconds.

As mentioned earlier, the update also brings more relevant video recommendations, regardless of length, on Feed and on the Video Tab. It’s important to note that the updated video player is rolling out on iOS and Android first in the United States and Canada, and globally in the coming months.


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Galaxy Z Fold 6 is substantially slimmer & lighter than Fold 5

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Galaxy Z Fold 6 is substantially slimmer & lighter than Fold 5
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Samsung‘s foldables could finally match the competition in weight and thickness. According to a noted industry insider, the Galaxy Z Fold 6 will be about 6% lighter and 10% slimmer than the previous-gen model. It will also have a wider profile, improving the aspect ratio of the cover display. A leaked image of the device’s prototype shows what it could look like.

Galaxy Z Fold 6 tipped to be slimmer, lighter, and wider

With each new generation, Samsung has reduced the width and thickness of its foldables. The Galaxy Z Fold 3 weighed 271 grams and measured up to 16mm in thickness (6.4mm when unfolded). The numbers came down to 263 grams, 15.8mm, and 6.3mm with the Fold 4. The company further dropped the numbers to 253 grams, 13.4mm, and 6.1mm with the Galaxy Z Fold 5.

Last year’s model also folded without leaving a gap. However, it was still heavier and bulkier than the competition. The OnePlus Open weighs 239 grams and measures 11.7mm/5.8mm in thickness. The Huawei Mate X5 is even slimmer at 11.1mm/5.3mm. Samsung isn’t going to Huawei’s levels yet but may catch up to the OnePlus foldable with its next-gen model.

The Galaxy Z Fold 6 will weigh 239 grams, X tipster Ice Universe claims, adding that it “finally reaches the first-tier level.” The device will also be substantially thinner, measuring just 5.6mm when unfolded. In its folded state, the overall thickness will come in at 12.1mm. If these numbers are accurate, the new foldable will be 14 grams lighter and 1.3mm thinner (when folded) than its predecessor.

The tipster further claims that the Galaxy Z Fold 6’s internal display will measure 7.6 inches diagonally. While the overall size is unchanged, Samsung has made the display more square-ish with a 7:6 ratio. The Fold 5’s folding display has a 6:5 aspect ratio. This means the new model will be wider, a change that makes the cover display appear more like a regular smartphone.

The 6.2-inch cover display on the Fold 5 has a 23.1:9 aspect ratio. It is a tall screen that doesn’t quite feel like a regular smartphone. The Galaxy Z Fold 6 improves the ratio to 22:9, with the screen measuring 6.3 inches. This addresses another complaint with Samsung foldables. Both displays are also said to offer a higher resolution, making for higher pixel density.

Leaked prototype reveals the foldable’s design

Ice Universe also shared an image of what they claim is a Galaxy Z Fold 6 prototype. The image is blurry but the device looks like a tall Galaxy S24 Ultra thanks to its sharp corners. Rumors have it that Samsung will unveil its 2024 foldables, which will also include the Galaxy Z Flip 6 and likely a Galaxy Z Fold 6 Ultra, in early July. You can expect more leaks in the build-up to the launch.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 prototype


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Hackers Claiming Breach of Five Eyes Intelligence Group Doc

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Hackers Claiming Breach of Five Eyes Intelligence Group Doc
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A group of hackers has announced the release of sensitive documents purportedly belonging to the Five Eyes Intelligence Group (FVEY), a prominent intelligence alliance comprising Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

The United States Department of State has launched an investigation into a possible cyber attack after confidential documents, which were reportedly obtained by a malicious actor, were leaked from a government contractor.

Breach Announcement on BreachForums

The announcement was made on a forum known as BreachForums, where a user with the handle “IntelBroker” posted a message to the community.

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The post, dated April 2, 2024, claims that the data was obtained by infiltrating Acuity Inc, a company alleged to work closely with the US government and its allies.

According to a recent tweet by HackManac, the alleged security breach at Acuity Inc has resulted in the exposure of highly sensitive intelligence documents belonging to the Five Eyes Intelligence Group (FVEY).

The hackers assert that the breach resulted in acquiring full names, emails, office numbers, personal cell numbers, and government, military, and Pentagon email addresses.

The compromised data also includes classified information and communications between the Five Eyes countries and their allies.

Implications of the Leak

If confirmed, the leak could have significant implications for national security and the operational integrity of the intelligence-sharing network.

The Five Eyes alliance is known for its collaborative intelligence gathering and analysis efforts, playing a pivotal role in global security operations.

At the time of reporting, there has been no official statement from any of the Five Eyes member countries or Acuity Inc. regarding the authenticity of the leaked documents or the extent of the breach.

The silence from official channels has led to speculation and concern among cybersecurity experts and government officials alike.

Cybersecurity agencies are likely to conduct thorough investigations to ascertain the validity of the claims made by the hackers.

The incident underscores the persistent threat cybercriminals pose to national and international security.

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Google Pixel phones are now getting the April 2024 update

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Google Pixel phones are now getting the April 2024 update
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Google has started rolling out the April 2024 security update to its Pixel phones. This update comes with 28 general security patches for Android, and 25 that are exclusive for Google’s Pixel smartphones.

The April 2024 security Android update is now rolling out to Google Pixel phones

The oldest device the update is rolling out to is the Pixel 5a 5G. All the newer models are also getting this update. As per usual, the rollout is staged, and it may take a while for everyone to get this update.

Google just mentioned the number of security fixes included, but it did not detail them. The 25 patches that are specific to Pixel devices range from moderate to critical. Google did say that two of them “may be under limited, targeted exploitation”. The first affects the Pixel bootloader, while the second is related to the Pixel firmware.

Some bug fixes are also included

The April 2024 security update also brings some bug fixes with it. This is something Google did detail in the changelog. The update fixes an exposure bug that was reported last month. That bug affected the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro handsets.

If you’ve been seeing the black halo artifacts that show up in the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro viewfinder, well, that should be fixed now too. Those artifacts popped up when switching from photo to video mode at standard 1x zoom.

Changing zoom levels should be way smoother on a ton of Pixel phones

Google also issued camera stability improvements when changing zoom levels. These improvements are rolling out to a ton of devices. The list includes the Pixel 6, Pixel 6 Pro, Pixel 6a, Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Pro, Pixel 7a, Pixel 8, Pixel 8 Pro, and the Pixel Fold.

The last entry in the bug fixes section has to do with the Pixel 5a 5G. The phone had a bug that caused a black screen to show up when unlocking the device, in some situations. That should be fixed now too.


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