How AI is Impacting Smartphone Longevity – Best Smartphone 2023

We are in an age where our smartphones are becoming more and more advanced. With every new release, there are new features and capabilities that we never thought possible. But as our smartphones become more powerful, they also become more fragile. So, how can we make sure that our smartphones last longer? The answer may lie in artificial intelligence.

How AI Can Help Improve Smartphone Longevity
One of the ways AI can help improve smartphone longevity is through battery optimization. Battery optimization is the process of making sure that your smartphone’s battery is being used in the most efficient way possible. AI can help by learning your usage patterns and making adjustments accordingly. For example, if you typically use your phone for browsing the web and checking social media in the morning, AI can make sure that your battery is charged enough to last throughout the day.

Another way AI can help improve smartphone longevity is by helping to prevent hardware damage. We’ve all had that moment where we drop our phone and hold our breath, hoping that it doesn’t break. But with AI, your phone may one day be able to sense when it’s about to be dropped and make adjustments accordingly. For example, it could move to a position where it’s less likely to be damaged or it could activate a shock-absorbent case.

Our smartphones are only going to become more and more advanced in the years to come. And as they become more advanced, we need to find ways to make sure that they last longer. Artificial intelligence may be the key to achieving this goal. Through battery optimization and prevention of hardware damage, AI has the potential to greatly improve smartphone longevity.

The Best Smartphones of 2022-2023

It’s that time of year again! The time when we start to think about which smartphone will be the best for the upcoming year. With so many options on the market, it can be hard to decide which one is right for you. But don’t worry, we’re here to help. In this blog post, we’ll be taking a look at the best smartphones of 2022-2023, so you can make an informed decision about which one is right for you.

Apple iPhone 14 and 14 Pro max
As always, Apple released its new iPhone 14 in 2022. The iPhone 14 has a 6.1-inch OLED display, 5G connectivity, and a faster A15 processor. The camera is also said to be getting an upgrade with a new sensor that will improve low-light performance. The battery life is also better than previous models. If you’re looking for the best of the best, the iPhone 14 Pro max is sure to be one of the best smartphones of the year.

Samsung Galaxy S30 and S30 Plus
Samsung’s Galaxy S30 is also expected to be released at the end of 2022. The S30 is rumored to have a 6.7-inch OLED display, 5G connectivity, and a Qualcomm Snapdragon 875 processor. The camera is said to be getting an upgrade as well with a new 108MP sensor. The battery life is also expected to be better than previous models. If you’re looking for a great Android option, the Galaxy S30 should be at the top of your list.

OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro
OnePlus is expected to release its new OnePlus 9 in March of 2023. The OnePlus 9 is rumored to have a 6.7-inch OLED display, 5G connectivity, and a Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processor. The camera is said to be getting an upgrade with a new 50MP sensor. The battery life is also expected to be better than previous models. If you’re looking for a great Android option that won’t break the bank, the OnePlus 9 should be at the top of your list.

Conclusion:
There are a lot of great smartphones coming out in 2022-2023. It’s important to do your research so you can find the one that’s right for you. We hope this blog post has been helpful in your search for the perfect smartphone!

Below are the Best Smartphones in 2022 – 2023

How AI is Transforming Smartphone Longevity

In the past few years, artificial intelligence (AI) has become one of the most popular buzzwords in the tech industry. But what is AI, and how is it being used to transform our smartphones?  We’ll take a look at how AI is changing the smartphone landscape and what that means for the future of mobile devices.

What is AI?
AI is a broad term that encompasses a wide range of technologies, including machine learning, natural language processing, and computer vision. Essentially, AI is any software that can perform tasks that would traditionally require human intelligence, such as understanding and responding to spoken questions or identifying objects in images.

How is AI being used in smartphones?
One of the most common ways that AI is being used in smartphones is through the use of virtual assistants. Virtual assistants are software programs that can perform tasks or provide information on behalf of users. Apple’s Siri, Google’s Assistant, and Amazon’s Alexa are all examples of virtual assistants that are powered by AI.

Virtual assistants are becoming more and more common as they become more accurate and efficient at completing tasks. In addition to performing basic tasks like setting alarms and sending text messages, virtual assistants are also being used to book appointments, make restaurant reservations, and even hail taxis. As virtual assistants become more capable, it’s likely that we’ll see even more innovative uses for them in the future.

Another way that AI is being used in smartphones is through the use of camera features. Many newer smartphones now come with features like portrait mode and scene detection that use AI to improve the quality of photos. For example, portrait mode uses AI to identify faces in an image and then blur the background to create a professional-looking photo. Scene detection uses AI to identify the type of scene being photographed (e.g., low light, action shot) and then adjust the camera settings accordingly to help users get the best possible photo.

What does the future hold for AI in smartphones?
As AI continues to evolve, we can expect to see even more amazing innovations in the world of smartphone technology. Some experts predict that eventually, AI will be used to create “smart cases” that will be able to detect when a phone has been dropped and automatically deploy airbags to protect it from damage. Others believe that AI will be used to create “augmented reality” experiences that will allow users to view digital information superimposed over their real-world surroundings. Whatever the future may hold, one thing is for sure: AI is going to change the way we use our smartphones forever.

Conclusion:
AI is quickly becoming one of the most important technologies in the smartphone industry. With its ability to power virtual assistants and improve camera features, AI is transforming our mobile devices in ways we never thought possible. As AI continues to evolve, we can only imagine what new innovations it will bring to our phones in the years to come!

Best smartphone camera 2022 – 2023

Sony: Smartphone cameras will surpass DSLR image quality by 2024

Xperia 1 III – 5G Smartphone with 120Hz 6.5″ 21:9 4K HDR OLED display with triple camera and four focal lengths- XQBC62/B

Golden hour shot with the iPhone 14 Pro

Do the best smartphone cameras beat entry level cameras now?

I’ve seen photos of the iPhone 14 Pro, the S22 Ultra, and the Xiaomi Mi11 Ultra, and I was quite shocked on how they looked. I saw entry level cameras like the ZX-1 reviewed, and I was much less impressed. Sometimes, they looked worse than the smartphone counterpart.

Smartphones nowadays use a huge amount of hidden AI software tricks to make an image appear better than it actually is because they have to compensate for the small, and low-quality, sensors and lenses. For example, many of them take multiple pictures at different exposure settings every time you press the shutter and merge them to get a final pic with better shadow and highlight detail, and to reduce the graininess among other things. With a good quality camera, and even most entry-level cameras you don’t need to do any of that because the sensors and lenses are much bigger and better. You still can do those things if you want, but you’ll usually need to do it manually (most photographers are perfectionists who want full control over those things).

For a beginner you might find that pictures taken on an entry-level camera initially looks worse than the ones taken on a modern smartphone, but that’s actually because you’re not doing it right. To get the best out of a dedicated camera you need to learn a bit more about how cameras work, what their weaknesses are and how to compensate for them. You’ll also need to do a bit more work after you’ve finished taking the pictures.

Smartphones are great for people who want to take snaps, basically point and shoot cameras, loads of stitching, HDR stacking and all done in a millisecond. Mind you give a pro a tool and they know what to do with it.

Cameras allow far greater control over your overall photograph and believe it or not do have a longer life cycle than a flagship phone.

Personally I enjoy taken snaps with my smartphone, but if I want to do photography I’ll bring one of my cameras out.

I agree the convenience of a smartphone is great, but it doesn’t beat the experience of shooting with a camera and lens.

To answer your question: I’d stick with the smartphone now, review all you pictures taken this year and catagorize them (street, product, portrait, macro etc) and determine what specific photography is for you and buy your first camera and lens.

Best budget smartphone 2022 – 2023

Realme, oppo, vivo, one plus

Smartphone 101 – Pick a smartphone for me – android or iOS – Apple iPhone or Samsung Galaxy or Huawei or Xaomi or Google Pixel

How much is an iPad in 2022 – 2023

Best Rugged Smartphone 2022 – 2023

Cheap is 100% not the answer as they tend to be less rigid in the body with much weaker screens. The hands down best by a mile product I have used, and continue to use, is the iPhone Mini. Don’t skimp on the otter box case, which keeps all the little bits of concrete, rocks, and dust out of the charge port. Seriously the mini conveniently fits in any of your pockets even with the otter box. Also because it is a bit smaller, it doesn’t get torqued on or bent nearly as easily. Think about how flimsy a longer piece of rebar is compared to a shorter chunk, that principle I’m sure applies to your phone’s screen as well.

Have I mentioned how nice it is to be able to reach the whole screen with 1 hand compared to these giant tablet sized phones? Yeah, it’s great.

The only downside for the iPhone mini is probably the need to charge every night as a smaller phone has a smaller battery, however it does charge very fast.

I should also mention I have been a lifelong android user, and I’m definitely in the shit with concrete work, and the mini has taken all the abuse for nearly 2 years without any damage and it is obviously light years better than any cheap 150$ phones you may be tempted to settle for.

Best Nokia Smartphone 2022 – 2023

Nokia boss predicts when we will move away from smartphones, and the arrival of 6G.

Headquartered in Finland, Nokia builds telecoms networks that enable phones and other internet-enabled devices to communicate with one another.

Asked when he thinks the world will move away from using smartphones to using smart glasses and other devices that are worn on the face, Nokia CEO Pekka Lundmark said it will definitely happen by the time 6G arrives in 2030.

U.S. tech giants such as Meta, Google and Microsoft are working on new augmented reality headsets that could one day replace the smartphone.

He did not specify exactly what he was referring to but some companies, such as Elon Musk’s Neuralink, are working on producing electronic devices that can be implanted into the brain and used for communication with machines and other people. On a more basic level, chips can be implanted into people’s fingers and used to unlock things.

Best iPhones 2022 – 2023

Best Android smartphone 2022- 2023

Best Smartwatch 2022 – 2023

Here could be different items for any other source on the internet, but this one is framed according to Buyers-Value:

1. Apple Watch Series 5 (Health Monitoring)

2. Fitbit Versa 4 (All rounder People)

3. Garmin Watches (Fenix, Forerunner)

Pebble. Good watches, community driven, strong support, amazing sensors.

But then Fitbit bought them and basically locked down any possible advancement with their patents, slowing down development of smartwatches for years

Nowadays: Garmin watches are my personal favorite. They tend to have better metrics than other companies and so far they refuse to use a “pay per month” program like Fitbit and Oura swapped to.

EU to enforce mandatory USB-C connector for mobile devices incl. phones in 2024

50 features in Android 13 you should know about

1. Runtime permission for notifications. Apps will now have to ask for permission before they can post a notification. Android 13 handles this permission differently based on what Android version the app targets and whether or not it’s newly installed or it was already installed before updating to Android 13, but this generally makes notifications opt-in rather than opt-out. Example.

2. New Material You dynamic color styles. Android 12 on Pixel phones introduced Google’s dynamic color engine, which grabs a color from your wallpaper to generate 5 tonal palettes. Each of these tonal palettes is comprised of 13 tonal colors of various luminances but with undefined hue and chroma values. By adjusting these values, the color engine can create a bunch of new palettes, ie. “styles.” tl;dr, Android 13 generates far more theme options based on your wallpaper, letting you pick even more colors than before to suit your style. Examples: TONAL_SPOT (default), VIBRANT, EXPRESSIVE, SPRITZ, RAINBOW, FRUIT_SALAD. (Although Google’s dynamic color engine was initially exclusive to Pixels on Android 12, it was added to AOSP in Android 12L and is thus now available by default for all OEM builds. The ThemePicker enhancements that Google made are going to be open source, so OEM devices should be able to surface the same style options that Pixels do.)

3. Themed Icons. The colors generated by Android’s dynamic color engine can be used to theme homescreen icons as well as in-app UI elements. If you enable the “themed icons” option in Wallpaper & Style (the location of this switch could be different on OEM devices), then apps with a monochromatic icon will have that icon be automatically themed according to the user’s wallpaper. Before versus After.

4. Bigger and bolder gesture nav bar. The gesture nav pill is bigger and bolder than before. This is one of the first things you’ll probably notice when booting up Android 13. I’m not sure if OEMs can/will tweak this, though. Before versus After.

5. Per-app language preferences. Finally, you can set the language of an app without changing the language system-wide in settings. You can access the new per-app language preferences in Settings > System > Languages & input > App Languages. Only apps that have opted-in, however, will appear in this list. Screenshot of App Language page for Google Calendar.

6. Photo Picker. There’s a new Photo Picker that will let you quickly pick images or videos to share with apps. Those apps then get temporary, read-only access to those media files. Apps have to add support for the Photo Picker, but this is quite easy to do and will be available through many libraries soon. Plus, the Photo Picker has already rolled out to Android 11-12L devices through a Google Play System Update, so expect to see a lot of apps add support for this in the near future. Screenshot.

7. Clipboard editor overlay. When you copy something to the clipboard, you’ll see an overlay in the bottom left corner, similar to when you take a screenshot. This overlay previews what you copied and can show smart actions based on the clip content (open a URL in Chrome, navigate to an address in Maps, etc.) You can also tap the clip preview to launch a text or image editor. Screenshots: 1, 2, 3

8. QR code scanner shortcut. Android 13 by default will show a Quick Setting tile to launch a QR code scanner. Which app provides the QR code scanner is technically configurable by OEMs, but I believe on devices with GMS, it will be set up to launch a QR code scanner provided by Google Play Services. Screenshot of QS tile. Screenshot of QR scanner.

9. Redesigned media player. Android 13 revamps the media player experience. You’ll notice the larger volume slider in the media output picker UI and the squiggly progress bar for all media sessions. There’s one other change that I’ll mention next. Do note that OEMs can customize the default style of notifications, so there’s no guarantee the media player will look exactly the same across devices.

10. New media controls UI. Apps that target Android 13 may show a different set of media controls when running on Android 13. This is because Android 13 derives what media controls to show from the PlaybackState rather than the MediaStyle notification. If you see headlines about apps being updated to support Android 13 media controls, this is what they’re referring to. Here’s a screenshot of media controls on a phone and tablet running Android 13. As you can see, this change unifies how media controls are rendered across Android platforms.

11. Better control over foreground services. There’s a new “active app” button in the notifications panel. Tap this and you’ll see which apps currently have a foreground service running. For example, music players and fitness trackers need to use foreground services so Android won’t kill them when they’re running in the background. Before Android 13, these foreground services took up space in your notifications panel. Now, you can swipe them away and manage them from the “active app” list. Screenshot of the “active app” button in the notifications panel. Screenshot of the “active app” list.

12. Game dashboard for more devices. The Game Dashboard that was originally exclusive to the Pixel 6 on Android 12 is coming to more devices on Android 13. Game Dashboard integrates achievements and leaderboards data from Play Games, has a shortcut to stream to YouTube, and has toggles to show a screenshot button, screen recorder button, DND button, and an FPS counter in the in-game floating overlay. You can also change the Game Mode to “battery saver” or “performance”, but this depends on the game. This feature is provided by Google Play Services on Android 13 and has rolled out to several Pixel devices already, but I believe it will come to non-Pixels in the future. Screenshot of Game Dashboard settings. Screenshot of Game Dashboard.

13. Game Mode improvements. When a game hasn’t added support for the Game Mode API, OEMs can apply game mode interventions to improve the performance of games. In Android 12, OEMs could use ANGLE instead of OpenGLES drivers or apply WindowManager backbuffer resize to reduce the GPU overload. In Android 13, there’s a new FPS override intervention, but this one is opt in. When games opt in, the system can limit the FPS that the game runs at.

14. Bluetooth LE Audio support. Bluetooth LE Audio is the next-gen Bluetooth standard that promises lower power consumption, higher quality audio (compared to Bluetooth Classic Audio with SBC) with the new LC3 codec, standardized support for hearing aids, location-based audio sharing, and support for broadcasting audio to many devices. Android 13 ships with a Bluetooth stack that’s certified for LE Audio Unicast support (Broadcast Audio is a WIP).

15. Spatial audio with head tracking support. Spatial audio provides an immersive audio experience by making it seem like the audio moves with your head. Android supports static spatial audio (where the sound seems to move as your head moves) and dynamic spatial audio (where the sound is stuck in space as your head moves). Static spatial audio works with any headphones, while dynamic spatial audio requires a headset with head tracking support. Android 12L added the audio spatializer API needed for integration with third-party apps, while Android 13 introduces the head tracking protocol needed for dynamic spatial audio.

16. Turn on dark mode at bedtime. Dark theme settings now has an option to have it turn on at bedtime. Your bedtime mode schedule is set by the Digital Wellbeing app. Screenshot.

17. Control smart home devices without unlocking the device. You can now control smart home devices from the Device Controls menu without unlocking your phone or tablet, but only if the app supports it. You first need to enable “control from locked device” in settings. Video demo.

18. 7-day view in privacy dashboard. The “Privacy dashboard” added in Android 12 only shows sensitive permissions accessed in the last 24 hours, but on Android 13, it’ll let you see that data from the last 7 days. This hasn’t rolled out yet, though. Screenshot of “show 7 days” option in privacy dashboard.

19. Clipboard auto clear. Android 13 will automatically clear any clipboard item that’s older than 1 hour. I know Gboard already does this, but not everyone uses Gboard.

20. X-axis transition animation. Any apps that don’t use a custom transition animation seem to now use this shared X-axis transition animation.

21. Flashlight brightness control. Android 13 has an API to control the flashlight brightness. Yes, OEMs like Samsung have offered this feature for years, but it wasn’t standardized. The only catch is that the OEM has to implement support for this feature in the device’s camera HAL. More info on this feature. Demo + sample app.

22. Unified Security & Privacy settings. Android has a lot of privacy and security features strewn about in settings. Android 13’s new unified Security & Privacy settings will make it easy to find each of these features. This is not exclusive to Pixel and will be coming to other devices via a Mainline update. Here’s what it looks like.

23. “Vibrant” theme is now actually vibrant. There was a bug that made the color palette generated from vibrant wallpapers less vibrant than they should be. This was fixed in Android 13, and now the Vibrant theme is actually vibrant! Before versus After.

24. App drawer in the taskbar. Android 12L introduced the taskbar, but it didn’t have an app drawer, so you had to go to the home screen or recent apps to switch apps. Android 13 fixes this by adding an app drawer in the taskbar. (Yes, I know the Z Fold4 on 12L has an app drawer in the taskbar. Kudos to Samsung for addressing that.) Screenshot of taskbar with app drawer.

25. Stylus handwriting. Keyboard apps can declare that they support stylus handwriting. If so, then other apps can send a request to launch the keyboard app in its stylus handwriting mode. This is currently in testing and requires flipping a developer option called “stylus handwriting”. You can see this in action with the S22 Ultra on Android 13 + Google Chrome.

26. File managers can no longer access /Android/data and /Android/obb. Do you use a third-party file manager? Do you ever access files in the /Android/obb or /Android/data folders? Well I have bad news for you. You won’t be able to use your favorite file managers to access those folders anymore, since the loophole they used to do was has been closed. Yes, this was only possible through a loophole, since Scoped Storage in Android 11 was designed to block apps from accessing those folders.

27. Android may block the user from enabling Accessibility and Notification Listeners for sideloaded apps. Android’s Accessibility and Notification Listener APIs are really powerful, and they’re often abused by malware. Google has been cracking down on apps misusing APIs, and in Android 13, you’ll be blocked from enabling an app’s Accessibility Service or Notification Listener if you sideloaded that app from outside an app store. (There is a way to unblock access, fortunately.) The exact details are more complicated, so I recommend reading this article for the full breakdown. Screenshot of the “Restricted Setting” dialog and the toggle to allow restricted settings.

28. Apps can now only request one-time access to device logs. If you grant an app the ability to read system logs (ie. logcat), then in Android 13, you’ll see a confirmation dialog every time that app tries to read those logs. If you use an automation app like Tasker, you might hate this change. Screenshot of the dialog.

29. More granular media file permissions. Scoped Storage changed how apps access files, making it so that the READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE permission doesn’t grant broad access to the external shared storage. Instead, it only let apps access media files (including audio, video, and image files) owned by other apps that reside in media store collections. In Android 13, apps targeting the release will have the request individual permissions to access audio files, video files, or image files owned by other apps, making media file access even more granular.

30. Revamped multi-user UI. There’s a couple of enhancements to the multi-user experience in Android 13. First of all, there’s a new fullscreen user profile switcher for large screen devices. There’s also a revamped UI for adding a new user that even uses the new Photo Picker to select the profile picture from your gallery. Next, there’s an optional user profile switcher shortcut that sits in the status bar, but it’s disabled by default and intended for large screen devices. Finally, there’s an optional user switcher shortcut on the keyguard, but again, this may only appear on tablets or other large screen devices.

31. Accessibility audio description. There’s a new toggle to enable audio descriptions globally. Instead of toggling audio descriptions on a per-app basis, media apps can read the status of this global toggle and enable audio descriptions accordingly. This is more aimed at Android TV but is also applicable to handhelds. Screenshot of the toggle.

32. Accessibility magnifier can now follow the text as you type. If you use the magnification feature to zoom in on text, you might like the new “follow typing” toggle that’s been added. Toggling this will make the magnification area automatically follow the text as you type. Here’s a demo of the feature.

33. Quick Settings tiles for color correction & one-handed mode. If you use Android’s color correction or one-handed mode feature and want quick access to toggle them, you can find new Quick Settings tiles to do so in Android 13.

34. Drag to launch multiple instances of an app in split-screen. Android 12 added multi-instance support, making it possible to launch two instances of the same activity. For example, you can launch two Chrome windows in split-screen mode. Android 13 builds on this by letting you drag to launch a second instance of an activity when in split-screen view, provided the activity supports it.

35. Take away an app’s ability to turn on the screen. There’s a new “turn screen on” permission that you can control in Settings > Apps > Special app access. It’s quite self-explanatory. Here’s a screenshot of the permission page.

36. Control background access of body sensors. Apps can access data from heart rate, temperature, and blood oxygen level sensors through the BODY_SENSORS permission. Prior to Android 13, apps that had this permission could access that data while running in the background. Android 13 changes this by making those apps request a new permission called BODY_SENSORS_BACKGROUND.

37. Apps no longer need location access to scan for nearby WiFi devices. It’s possible to track your location by collecting data on nearby Bluetooth and Wi-Fi devices over time, which is why earlier versions of Android made it so apps had to hold location permissions to read Bluetooth and Wi-Fi scan results. That got annoying and confusing for users, so Android 12 decoupled Bluetooth APIs from the location permission. Android 13 follows up by decoupling Wi-Fi scanning from location permissions.

38. Virtualization support. This one is really complicated, but basically, Android 13 introduces a virtual machine framework through the new Virtualization module. Google is deploying a modified version of the Linux KVM feature (pKVM to be precise) as the hypervisor, with crosvm as the virtual machine manager. Google is using this for a fairly obscure purpose (isolated compilation), but devs have figured out how to boot Linux and even Windows VMs. You’ll need a device that supports pKVM, though.

39. Camera2 improvements. Camera2 is the underlying API used by camera apps, and it’s getting some welcome additions in Android 13. First, it has added HDR video capture support, so third-party camera apps can finally capture HDR video, provided the OEM exposed support for this in the camera HAL. There’s a new API for preview stabilization, and viewfinder jitter has been reduced as well. These are more developer-focused improvements, but I thought you should be aware of them in case you use a third-party camera app.

40. Faster hyphenation. Text wrapping will be better in Android 13, as many apps will insert hyphens at the end of a line in a text field. Hyphenation seems like a simple matter, but before Android 13, it was quite taxing on the CPU. Android 13 improves hyphenation performance by as much as 200%.

41. Improved Japanese text wrapping. Apps that support Japanese can now wrap text by “Bunsetsu”, which is the smallest unit of words that’s coherent, instead of by character. This will make text more readable by Japanese users.

42. Improved line heights for non-Latin scripts. Android 13 improves support for non-Latin scripts like Tamil, Burmese, Telugu, and Tibetan. The OS uses a line height that’s adapted for each language, preventing clipping and improving the positioning of characters.

43. MIDI 2.0 support. MIDI 2.0 was introduced in late 2020 and adds bi-directionality so devices can communicate with each other to auto-configure themselves or exchance info on available functionality. It also makes controllers easier to use and adds 32-bit resolution support.

44. DNS-over-HTTP/3 support. Android 9 added encrypted DNS (ie. Private DNS) support through the DNS-over-TLS protocol. Android 13 adds support for the DNS-over-HTTP/3 protocol. This implementation offers better performance and security. Right now, Android’s DNS-over-HTTP/3 implementation only allows using Google and Cloudflare as providers. This feature has been backported to all GMS Android devices running Android 11-12L and some Android 10 devices.

45. Android’s Bluetooth stack becomes a Mainline module. Bluetooth vulnerabilities are pretty common, so in an effort to improve security, Android 13 turns Android’s Bluetooth stack into an updatable Project Mainline module. This means it can be updated through Google Play like other modular system components. However, I’m not sure if this module will be mandatory yet for OEMs.

46. Android’s ultra-wideband stack becomes a Mainline module. In a similar vein, Android’s ultra-wide band stack that was just introduced in Android 12 has been turned into a modular system component in Android 13. There aren’t many devices yet with UWB hardware, but with this + the new UWB Jetpack library, we should start seeing more apps make use of this hardware and Google expand UWB functionality in Android outside of OS updates.

47. Binary transparency. If you care about security, then you may be curious whether or not the binaries installed on your device match what’s included in the official factory images. Android 13’s binary transparency manager lets you easily get the VBMeta digest and build fingerprints of the partitions and modules on your device, so you can compare them with the official images. Note that while Google’s the only one doing this so far (AFAIK), there’s nothing preventing other OEMs from publishing their own transparency logs.

48. Dynamic System Updates become a lot faster. Dynamic System Updates (DSU) makes it easy to install a Generic System Image (GSI) without overwriting your device’s original installation or wiping your data. All you have to do is send an intent or just go to Developer Options to install one of Google’s official GSIs through the “DSU Loader” setting. Android 13 makes GSI installation through DSU faster and more interactive.

49. ART improvements bring lower memory use and faster runtime performance. An update to the Android Runtime (ART) module will introduce a new garbage collection algorithm based on Linux’s userfaultd feature, which may reduce the chance of the OS killing off background processes.

50. Wallpaper dimming. There’s a new API to dim the wallpaper, and it’s being used by the Digital Wellbeing app to darken wallpapers at bedtime so bright/vibrant wallpapers will be less blinding. Before versus After.

51. Bonus: The Easter egg. Of course, we can’t forget this one. There’s a new Easter egg in Android 13, because of course there is! Like usual, you access it by tapping repeatedly on the “Android version” field in Settings > About phone. When the clock appears, turn it so the hands point at 1:00. Surrounding the Android 13 logo will be a bunch of bubbles. Long press those to make a bunch of emojis appear. Long press again to cycle through the various emoji combinations.

52. Fix for apps not opening verified links (Sync not opening Reddit links, Vanced not opening Youtube links etc) from Google app

    

    There are quite a few posts regarding this issue but since none had the answer that ultimately fixed my issue I thought I would make my own.

    Just to clarify my issue & situation: 3rd party apps would not open links that they should’ve been when clicked on from the Google search app. For example Sync not opening Reddit links, and Youtube Vanced not opening Youtube links. Anytime I would click one of these links I would be redirected to the Play Store to install the respective app. I had Youtube disabled and “opening verified links” turned off before disabling it, and I didn’t even have Reddit installed at all. Both Sync and Vanced had Open Verified Links turned on and all the options checked. I had previously reset all default apps preferences, and even got a new phone (went from Pixel 6 Pro to Pixel 7 Pro) and the issue hung around.

    After a good amount of forum diving I found some random article saying to clear the storage and cache of the following 3 apps: Android System Webview, Google Play Services, and Google Services Framework, then reboot. You can do this by going into Settings > Apps > All apps > click the 3 dots in the top right and hit Show System > click on each app and go to storage and cache. Since I did all 3 I don’t actually know if it was one or all of them that fixed it unfortunately, but this fixed my almost 2 year problem.

    Hopefully this helps someone else out there frustrated as hell with how Android handles links these days. Sorry for the lengthy post!

    TL;DR if you’ve tried everything the way it’s supposed to work, clear the storage and cache for Android System Webview, Google Play Services, and Google Services Framework, then reboot.

    

53. DuckDuckGo now lets all Android users block trackers in their apps

54. Is it possible to transfer sign-in data of all the apps/emails/credit card/Apple Watch?

    I recently transferred data from an iPhone 12 PM to a 14 PM using Apple’s Quick Start feature. Simply keep both phones near each other and follow the onscreen prompts. Took most of an hour to do 120 GB, so for 72 GB, expect at least 20-25 min.

    Now transferring this way doesn’t guarantee every little thing transfers over, but a vast majority of it should (like 98-99%) including Apple Wallet items. In my case, I had to go through Face ID setup again (where you move your head in a circle) on the new phone. Afterwards, most simple apps remembered my sign-on information and didn’t prompt me to re-enter. The exception was a few financial apps, like banking apps, that prompted for my password and to trust the new device.

    As for Apple Watch…

    It can only be paired to one device at a time. You’ll need to unpair it first from the Apple Watch app on the iPhone 11. Then pair it to the new iPhone. Afterward, you’ll notice that your Apple Watch history/data is still intact.

    ___________________________________________
    One final note about going the iCloud route…

    This option works too, but it’s slower. You might have had problems because you forgot to do a full backup ahead of time. In iCloud’s settings, obviously you would enable everything that you want to transfer over, but then you would need to perform a manual iCloud backup. Make sure it completes, wait a few min afterward, then start the restore on the new iPhone.

    In most cases, you shouldn’t need to use both iCloud and Quick Start. Both work fine independently of one another.

55. Total Cookie Protection is now available for Firefox on Android
56. How to transfer Apple Health data to Google Fit? Apple Health and Google Fit are two of the most popular health and fitness applications available. While they both offer a wealth of features, Apple Health is only available on Apple devices, while Google Fit can be used on both Android and Apple devices. As a result, many users find themselves switching between the two platforms. Luckily, it is possible to transfer data between Apple Health and Google Fit. The process is relatively simple and only requires a few steps. First, open the Apple Health app and tap the “Settings” tab. Next, select “Export Health Data.” Choose “Google Fit” as the export format and tap “Export.” Finally, open the Google Fit app and go to “Settings.” Select “Import Data” and choose “Apple Health” as the file type. Your Apple Health data will now be transferred to Google Fit!

In Summary:

First, open Apple Health and tap the ‘Sources’ tab. Next, tap ‘Add Data Source’ and select ‘Google Fit’. You will then be prompted to enter your Google account credentials. Once you’ve signed in, you’ll be able to choose which data types you’d like to sync.

Next, open Google Fit and tap the ‘ Devices’ tab. Here, you should see Apple Health listed as a connected device. Tap on it and select the data types that you’d like to sync. Finally, tap ‘Sync Now’ to transfer the data.

1. App to make it easier to share screenshots and videos from Android to your Mac

   I made a little app that makes sending photos and videos from your Android test devices to your Mac a breeze, called Ubidrop.

   On every mobile team I worked in the past, our QAs always had issues with attaching photos and videos of bugs on (Jira) tickets. Sending files from Android to Macs have always been a pain and having to do that multiple times in a day can easily be a huge pain.

   Ubidrop is really simple to use: you take a screenshot of your screen (or pick a file via a gallery app) and then ‘Share’ the photo to ‘Ubidrop’. Ubidrop will then find nearby devices, and then you choose the Mac you would like to share the photo to.

   You can see an example and try it out for free at https://www.ubidrop.com. No credit cards or sign ups required.

How can I trace the location of my lost phone by phone number or IMEI number?

There are a few steps you can take to try to trace the location of a lost phone using the phone number or IMEI number:

1. Contact your phone service provider: If you have lost your phone and you know the phone number, you can try contacting your phone service provider to see if they can help you locate the phone. Some service providers have tools that can help you track the location of a lost phone, or they may be able to remotely lock or erase the phone to protect your personal information.

2. Use a phone tracking app: If you have previously installed a phone tracking app on your phone, such as Find My Phone or Lookout, you may be able to use the app to locate your lost phone. These apps typically allow you to remotely track the location of your phone, lock it, or erase its data.

3. Use the IMEI number: The IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) number is a unique code that is assigned to every mobile phone. You can often find the IMEI number on the back of the phone, or you can obtain it by dialing *#06# on the phone. If you have the IMEI number and your phone was stolen, you may be able to work with law enforcement to try to locate the phone using the IMEI number.

Overall, it is important to act quickly if you have lost your phone, as this can increase the chances of being able to locate it or protect your personal information. If you are unable to locate your phone using these methods, you may want to consider purchasing a new phone and taking steps to protect your personal information.

Smartphone 101 – Pick a Smartphone For Me