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Microsoft has launched its AI assistant Copilot as a standalone app on Android, following the rebrand of Bing Chat to Copilot. The Copilot app is capable of functioning without the Bing mobile app and has reportedly been available on the Google Play Store for a week now.

 

The Android version of Copilot works pretty much like ChatGPT; users can ask the bot questions, as well as use it to generate images and produce content. The image generation in Copilot is powered by DALL-E 3, while its content generation function can be used to draft long texts such as emails and documents.


Microsoft’s AI Assistant Copilot Makes it to Android as an App



The new Android iMessage app ‘Beeper Mini’ that became the first and only easy solution for Android users to communicate with Apple users via iMessage, recently started experiencing technical problems in just less than a week since its launch. More and more users started reporting being unable to send and receive their iMessages in the app. It is speculated that Apple may be responsible for Beeper Mini’s dysfunction.

 

Beeper Mini was developed as a result of massive efforts that went into figuring out the entire process of how to register a phone number with iMessage, send messages directly to Apple’s servers, and have messages sent back to the device natively inside the app. The toughest part of it, according to CEO of Beeper Mini, Eric Migicovsky, was cracking Apple’s code that detects if the connected device is a legitimate Apple product.

Apple Might Have Stopped the Android App for iMessages from Working



Google’s gaming service ‘Google Play Games,’ that enables people to play Android games on PCs, is getting new updates. Prominent additions include support for 4K screen resolution on supported monitors and popular console gaming controllers, and console controller support for select, compatible games.

 

The 4K screen resolution will support higher-quality graphics so players can enjoy a more immersive gaming experience on their big screens. Players will also have the option to select a specific screen resolution from a variety of resolutions, that best suits their gameplay needs. Pressing the Shift and Tab keys together in any game will display a menu of all supported resolutions.

Google Announces New Features for the ‘Google Play Games’ Service on PC



Play Protect, Google’s malware protection system that prevents the spread of harmful and unwanted software on Android devices, has received a helpful new update. The system is now capable of detecting malicious apps as well as AI, that hide themselves by altering their identifiable features.

 

The nature of these malware agents, called as ‘polymorphic malware,’ makes them difficult to detect, specifically for Google’s existing systems. Play Protect’s new feature will recommend users a real-time app scan at the time of installing previously unscanned apps. Google will then provide the user with information on whether or not an app is potentially harmful, following a code-level evaluation.

Google Updates the Android Play Protect with a New, Enhanced Protection Feature



Google has announced new Android features for Google apps and devices, aimed at improving productivity and connectivity. These include an updated AI assistant widget, photo import option in Google Wallet Pass, new communication apps in Android Auto, and an option to set up activity and sleep data in personal Routines.

 

Assistance at a Glance, the Android AI assistant, has been redesigned and updated to provide more useful information about events, travel, and local weather. The photo import tool in Wallet will make it easier to upload passes with barcodes and QR codes. Via Android Auto, users will now be able to join Zoom and Webex calls.

 

In addition to these updates, Android has gotten a new logo that appears closer to Google’s own logo. The most major differences are a capital ‘A’ in place of the small ‘a’ in ‘Android’ and the robot appearing in 3D.

Google Announces New Android Features and a Changed Android Logo



Google Keep for Android is getting new, long-awaited upgrades, mainly basic text formatting options like the ability to bold, italicize, underline, and transform text in notes. Users will, as a result, be able to customize their basic-looking notes into richer ones.

 

The current version of Google Keep

New formatting options in the app


Google Keep for Android is Getting Updated with New Formatting Tools



Mozilla has revealed in a recent blogpost that Firefox’s Android app will soon allow users to add a wide range of extensions on their Firefox browser, which is a part of the upcoming Android release.

 

The support is expected to be launched before the end of this year and will make Firefox the only major Android browser to support an “open extension ecosystem.”

Mozilla Announces New Firefox for Android Update: an ‘Open Extension Ecosystem’



Google might be developing a new connecting feature for Android that links Android devices signed into the same Google account. It could be used for switching between devices during calls, as well as sharing internet connection between devices more swiftly.

 

These features are similar to Apple’s Continuity features, including the company’s call-switching feature “iPhone Mobile Calls” that lets users attend calls from their Apple devices signed into the same Apple ID.

 

The speculated Android connecting feature, according to a preview shared by Android expert Mashal Rahman, will be found as the ‘Link Your Devices’ menu within the Devices & Sharing setting.

 

Google Seems to be Working on New Device-Linking Features for Android



PayPal announced a new log-in system ‘Passkeys’ some time back, and is now rolling it out on its website for Android users. The company also launched passkey support for Apple devices last year. To access Passkeys on PayPal’s website, users must have Chrome on Android 9 or above.

 



Switching your log-in system to Passkeys will not result in your password being removed from PayPal, as it would still be required to log in on unsupported devices. 

Android Users Can Now Log in to PayPal Using Passkeys



To make and manage to-do lists an easy task, Google is releasing a new widget for its ‘Keep’ app for Android devices. Using it, one can control their notes and lists directly on their home screen from a single note. Users can also pin multiple notes to their home screen using the Note Collection widget.

 


By selecting Single Note widget, you can choose the note you want on your home screen, while from the Note Collection widget, you can choose to display all notes, pinned notes, or notes under a certain label. Using the Single Note widget will also enable you to edit the note directly from your home screen, including checking / unchecking items off a list or altering text.

 

Google is Rolling Out a New, Interactive Widget of its Keep App



Microsoft’s AI chatbot Bing is being launched in a mobile app version for both iOS and Android. The functionality will work pretty much the same way as an app as it does on web.

 

After launching the revamped Bing two weeks ago, Microsoft quickly began receiving criticism from users over the bot responding with incorrect information and even insults. This led to updates including limited number of replies from the bot, and the option to choose from a variety of its tones.

Microsoft’s Digital Assistant ‘Bing’ is Now Available as an App and Skype Integration



Android has announced several new updates for its smartphones and watches. These include a Reading Mode and tools that improve quality for Digital Car Keys, Google TV, and watchOS. Among the new features, the new Reading Mode is the most significant update, as it is designed to enhance accessibility and offers adjustable display and audio options without having the user be dependent on third-party apps.

 

Android’s Reading Mode can be separately installed from the Google Play Store. Once installed, users can customize their reading experience on their device according to their preference by playing around with the contrast, font type, and size. In addition to that, Reading Mode also offers a text-to-speech function with speed control, along with language support for English, French, Italian, and Spanish. Users can use Reading Mode across all Android apps, websites, as well as the Google Talkback screen reader.

 


Android’s Digital Car Keys function as a way to control one’s vehicle via actions like lock, unlock, and starting a compatible car, all by simply using a phone. New updates to the feature will now enable users to remotely share their digital key with people they trust, and view and control who has access to their vehicle from within the phone’s digital wallet app. The sharing is available for Pixel 6 and iPhone devices for now, until Android expands the rollout to other phone devices.

Android Announces New ‘Reading Mode’ and Updates for Digital Car Keys, Google TV, and watchOS



Twitter is expanding Tweet sharing beyond its own platform by testing a new WhatsApp sharing button exclusively in India, and enabling Tweet sharing to Snapchat and IG Stories on Android, which was previously only available on iOS, as well as launching a new option to share Tweets to LinkedIn.


WhatsApp remains the most popular messaging app in India, with over 487 million users, which explains Twitter’s initiative to test the new WhatsApp sharing button in India in particular. Twitter explains the test, saying, “We are replacing the share icon on Tweets with the WhatsApp icon for the majority of people who use Twitter on Android in the country, so sharing their favorite or noteworthy Tweets is easy even beyond Twitter, making the experience more open, accessible, and holistic for them.”

Twitter Expands and Adds New Tweet Sharing Options, Including WhatsApp and LinkedIn Sharing Buttons

 

Twitter is testing a new option for Spaces that allows creating audio clips of up to 30 seconds from your audio broadcasts in the app.

 

Basically, you will be able to clip the audio files to create short audio clips which you can then share within Tweets along with the links to the full audios. This will help users enhance content creation and also boost sharing from audio broadcasts.  

 

Twitter is Testing a New Content Creation Tool for Spaces



Snapchat has announced an important update: you can now change your username in the app. Moreover, doing so would not cause any damage to your friends' list, Snap code, Snap score, Memories, or other data for that matter.

 

The update will be available to users on iOS and Android starting from February 23.

 

This would be delightful news for many users, as a lot of us may have set up our Snapchat usernames a long time ago, which we may now be ashamed of. Or perhaps, there may be some who want to change their username just for fun, or because they may have gotten bored of their existing username.

Snapchat Finally Allows Users to Change their Usernames in the App


Twitter has released a new update for Direct Messaging that would be helpful to users: the ability to pin chats. You can now pin up to six chats at once to the top of your inbox. In that way, you can keep track of your important or favorite conversations.

 

 

You can access the new option by swiping to the right on any chat that you want to pin. Once you have pinned a chat, it will remain on the top even if new messages from other chats come in.

Twitter’s Latest DM Tool Lets You Pin Chats

 


WhatsApp is lately working on a new feature that enables users to edit their recipients list before sending media to contacts and groups.

 

By editing the recipients list, users can choose their recipients to send media content to. Additionally, changing recipient settings for chats may also be applied for Status update.

WhatsApp is Creating a New 'Edit Recipients' Option

 


Appfigures has released statistics of this year’s most downloaded apps on both Google Play and App Store combined. With little surprise, it is TikTok that has made it to the top of the list. The app had 586 million new downloads in 2021 and fought a close competition with rival app Instagram that came second with 566 million downloads.

 


Instagram’s parent company, Meta, won two more spots with Facebook and WhatsApp ranked 3rd and 4th in the list.

 

Messaging app Telegram also made it to the top 5 with 365 million new users. As for the top 10 rankings, apps including Snapchat, Messenger, Zoom, CapCut, and Google Meet have secured their spots.

 

In addition to the ranks, there is something more interesting to notice here: five of the top 10 apps are designed for creators, including CapCut, which is TikTok’s video editing app.

 

YouTube, another highly popular creator-focused app, could have been part of the top 10 category as well, but it couldn’t be added as the app comes built-in on Android devices, hence making it difficult to estimate its number of new downloads. On the App Store, however, YouTube can be seen securing the second spot with 127 million downloads.

Take a Look at the Most Downloaded Apps of 2021

 


Twitter recently announced that it is now introducing auto captions for all videos uploaded within tweets on both iOS and Android.

 

 

On the app version, captions will be generated for muted videos within tweets, whereas on the desktop version, users will have the option to turn the captions on or off for the videos, by tapping the CC button.

 

The auto captions for videos are available in 37 languages and the captions on each user’s device will be displayed in the language that is set on the device.

 

In addition to this, Twitter is working on translation as well as editing options for the auto captions.

Twitter is expanding Auto captions to All Video Content within Tweets

 


Twitter is testing a new ad format on its platform for iOS and Android. As a result, some people are seeing ads in the midst of conversations; more precisely after the first, third, or eighth reply to a tweet.

 

Twitter’s revenue product lead Bruce Falck shared the news with users, saying that Twitter is experimenting with a new ad format in Tweet conversations. He also shared a visual of what the format looks like.

Twitter’s New Ad Format Displays Ads in the Middle of Tweet Replies

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