Tag Archives: Pixel

Technology

Google Pixel phones set to ditch blinding white boot screen

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With an upcoming update, Google’s Pixel phones will no longer have both light and dark versions of their boot screen, ditching the stark bright white version almost entirely.

For years, Pixel phones would always display a boot animation with a white background any time they power on or restart. With Android 10, Google brought Android’s new dark mode option to this boot screen, replacing the bold white with a crisp black, but only when the phone has been toggled into dark mode before restarting.

As tipped to XDA-Developers by LineageOS director luca020400, Google has introduced a new change to the Android Open Source Project that changes Pixel phones to only use the white boot screen animation once. More specifically, the white boot screen is used only if the phone has never been set up after purchase or factory reset. After that, your Pixel will always use the dark mode boot screen, regardless of your dark mode toggle.

According to the message attached to the code change, Google’s “UI team [has decided] to always use dark boot after the device is provisioned.” The change is apparently being made so that if you schedule your phone to restart for an update late at night, your Pixel won’t shine a blindingly bright white light in your bedroom — or wherever you keep your phone at night.

As the change to always use a dark boot screen is only just now appearing in Android code, we will still need to wait for a future monthly Pixel update before our phones give this particularly bright screen the boot. Now if only Google could also give this treatment to Chrome OS’s incredibly bright reboot screen.

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Technology

March Pixel Feature Drop: Gboard Smart Compose, more

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While Android 11 is no longer the newest version of Google’s OS, it will remain the stable release for the first part of this year. To help remedy that, the March Pixel Feature Drop and next security patch are now here.

Recorder cloud backup and web app

The Pixel’s powerful Recorder app can now automatically backup to Google Drive. Users previously had to manually upload via the share sheet, while past recordings would not be carried over to new/other phones. Cloud storage also means multi-device access through a new recorder.google.com app that can play, search, and share audio. The Google Recorder app still only works in English.

Measure heart & respiratory rate in Google Fit

Google Fit can use your Pixel’s front-facing camera and computer vision to measure respiratory rate by detecting small changes on your chest as you breathe. Meanwhile, measuring heart rate involves placing your finger on the rear lens. This feature starts rolling out next week, though it’s not officially part of the March Pixel Feature Drop.

Underwater photos

Pixel phones now work with the Kraken Sports Universal Smart Phone Housing (KRH04 or KRH03) to capture marine life and seascapes. The UI is near identical save for a bar at the top with specific accessory stats.

Get access to your Pixel’s camera features, including Night Sight, Portrait Mode, Motion Photos and video directly through Pixel’s Camera app for high-quality images of you and your underwater friends.  See g.co/pixel/diveconnector for more information. 

Google touts this as giving users the ability to “capture the same kinds of high quality images they’re accustomed to above water, and do it underwater without the cumbersome cameras and cases scuba drivers have traditionally used.”

Gboard Smart Compose

After launching in Gmail (as a Pixel 3 exclusive) and Docs, Smart Compose is now officially coming to Gboard for select messaging apps. The ML feature will offer to complete sentences as you write, suggesting common phrases (in gray) to cut down on repetitive typing and potential typos. You swipe on the spacebar to accept suggestions.

Smart Compose currently only works in the US and when set to English.

Pixel Stand

The Pixel Stand gets a new bedtime screen and redesigned prompts to help you “ease into sleep.”

This feature is available on Pixel phones with wireless charging capability: Pixel 3, Pixel 3 XL, Pixel 4, Pixel 4 XL and Pixel 5.

New IWD Wallpaper

The “Curated Culture” section, introduced last month for Black History Month, in Google Wallpapers has three new backgrounds ahead of International Women’s Day on March 8. Focusing on the strength and transformation of women, they’re illustrated by Spanish duo Cachetejack.

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First Google Pixel 5a renders leak [Gallery]

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Google’s next phone is unsurprisingly a “Pixel 5a,” and leaked renders today suggest that the mid-ranger will be nearly identical to the Pixel 4a 5G.

OnLeaks (Steve Hemmerstoffer) on Voice today has renders of what’s being called the “Pixel 5a.” The dimensions (156.2 x 73.2 x 8.8mm) are nearly identical to the Pixel 4a 5G, though it’s 2.3mm taller, .8mm narrower, and .6mm thicker. A “unibody (likely plastic made) rear panel” is said to be in use, with the Pixel 3a and 4a both opting for plastic rather than glass. The only appreciable difference looks to be a ridged power button design.

Despite tweaks to the physical body, it also has a 6.2-inch OLED FHD+ display with a thicker bottom bezel breaking the uniformity of the other three sides. There continues to be a hole-punch front-facing camera in the top-left corner.

The camera system is a notable improvement over the Pixel 4a by jumping to a dual-lens setup, but — again — it’s said to be the “same configuration as seen on the Pixel 4a 5G and Pixel 5” (12.2MP dual-pixel and 16 MP ultrawide). Other shared specs as an a-series phone include the 3.5mm headphone jack and rear Pixel Imprint fingerprint sensor. There are two cutouts for a speaker and microphone flanking the USB-C port.

This “Pixel 5a,” if that ends up being the final marketing/launch name, would have an incredibly staid design. Such an approach would, in theory, help lower Google’s production costs, with the overarching goal of the a-line to be creating an affordable entry device.

Today’s leak offers no specifications or insight into what processor Google will use to power the Pixel 5a, though 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage is a safe bet. A big question is whether this device will feature 5G connectivity given the big push in 2020.

In terms of launch, the first half of this year is a safe bet as last year’s phone — barring the pandemic and production disruptions — would have likely been announced in May, just like 2019’s Pixel 3a.

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Some Google Pixel owners are reporting camera problems

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Some owners of previous-generation Pixel phones are having serious trouble with their cameras. Android Police has noticed a recent increase in one-star Play Store reviews for the camera app used by the Pixel, with frustrated owners saying the camera often crashes upon opening or no longer works at all. A thread in Google’s Pixel support forum features similar complaints. The Pixel 2 XL seems to be cited most often for experiencing the problem, but some posters say they’re having trouble with devices as recent as the 3 or 4A.

It’s not an entirely new problem. Android Police has been tracking camera issues that have plagued Pixel 2 phones primarily over the last year, and it notes more devices seem to be affected now. Owners say that Google’s suggested fixes don’t remedy the problem and that they experience the same problem when using third-party camera apps. The Pixel 2 series recently got its last security update, but there’s no logical reason why the camera should stop functioning as a result.

It’s an unfortunate bug, especially considering that many folks chose a Pixel phone because of its high-quality camera. While Pixel image quality has fallen behind other flagship competition recently, budget devices like the 4A and 4A 5G offer some of the best cameras in their class. But the best camera is the one that keeps functioning when you need it, so we hope to see Google address these user concerns. We’ve reached out to Google asking for confirmation of the issue and if a fix is on the way and will update this article with any information we get.

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Google’s older Pixel cameras are failing at an accelerating rate

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Enlarge / The Pixel 2 XL.

Ron Amadeo

Does the Pixel camera have a hardware problem? Android Police has tracked down numerous reports of broken cameras on the Pixel 2 and Pixel 3, and the Pixel-exclusive Google Camera app has been getting review-bombed with tons of 1-star reviews from users who say their cameras no longer work. Google told the site it doesn’t know of any software issues, suggesting that all these people are experiencing a hardware failure.

The problems include the camera app instantly crashing when it is opened, displaying a black screen, or showing an error message that reads “Something went wrong. Close and open the camera app again.” Theories about the cause of the issues are all over the place, but it seems hard to blame a software bug since both the Google camera and third-party apps are affected, and uninstalling updates and factory resets doesn’t fix the problem.

The main complaint thread on the Pixel Help forums is up to almost 900 replies now. The oldest device, the Pixel 2, seems to be the most affected, but similar reports for the Pixel 3, 3a, and 4 are out there. Every Pixel camera from the Pixel 2 to the Pixel 5 has the same camera sensor (a Sony IMX363/IMX362), so it’s possible that they are all affected.

Android Police got in touch with Google and said that “the company offered hardware failures as a potential explanation—either due to wear and tear over time or abuse such as physical damage or drops.” The site continued: “The company invites those affected to contact Google’s customer support to explore their options.”

Previously, many of Google’s Nexus phones were caught in a hardware problem due to defective flash memory. These phones would eventually stop working, which led to a series of class-action lawsuits. Most of the Nexus phones were manufactured by LG, with the Nexus 6P being the single Huawei device. The Pixel 2 was built with the help of LG, while the Pixel 2 XL was made with HTC. After releasing the Pixel 2, Google bought the team it was working with from HTC and started manufacturing devices at Foxconn.

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Technology

Google launches ‘Pixel for Business’ to get enterprise buyers

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With Android Enterprise, Google for the past several years has worked to get devices running its operating system into more corporate environments. Made by Google is now advertising Pixel phones as “Built for business.”

The “Pixel for Business” site — pixel.google/business — frames “The Google phone” as being “Built for business” for three reasons.

“Safe and secure, all by design” highlights Google’s custom-built Titan M chip, first introduced with the Pixel 3 in 2018, as securing the bootloader, preventing OS rollbacks to earlier versions, and protecting on-device data. Next is is biometric security (face unlock on the Pixel 4 and the Pixel Imprint fingerprint sensor on everything else), 3 years of OS and security updates, Google Play Protect for scanning apps, and government/enterprise security certifications (Common Criteria/NIAP, FIPS 140-2, STIG).

“Manage devices simple and seamlessly” is focused on ease of enterprise deployment with zero-touch enrollment that does not require manual setup, configuration through management APIs, and Android Enterprise Recommended status. For end users, there’s the Work profile to separate personal information from business data and managed Google Play that lets IT determine what apps can be installed. 

“Help when and where you need it” is even more consumer-focused by highlighting the Google Assistant and getting the latest version of Android, while Gmail, Docs, Duo, and Meet are touted as being “integrated right in.” In fact, 5G is advertised as making possible Duo HD screen sharing. This is followed by the Pixel’s Adaptive Battery feature and Call Screen to prevent unknown callers/robocalls. While it makes sense why the camera is not highlighted — beyond video call uses, it is somewhat odd to leave the key feature out.

The “Google Phones” tab is focused on the Pixel 4a, 4a 5G, and 5 — there are PDF brochures for each device, through the page has quite a few images of the Pixel 4 — including one (seen below) where the camera bump is oddly photoshopped on the wrong side. The page was introduced fairly recently and includes the updated Google Workspace icons.

Beyond brief mentions about the a-line being highly successful, Google has never shared Pixel sales figures. Attracting enterprise customers for corporate deployment is not a bad way to drive up the number of units shipped every generation alongside the consumer market. Businesses buy in bulk and Google could work to retain them so that upgrade cycles are guaranteed.

Google’s closing pitch answer to why businesses should buy Pixel is as follows:

Pixel is designed with all the tools and technology to support your business needs across hardware, software, and built-in AI. It offers advanced security features, along with security and OS updates for at least three years. It also comes with software to help you and your employees to perform more efficiently. And, it can easily be integrated and managed by you to ensure workflow is up to your standards at all times. Additionally, Pixel is part of the Android Enterprise Recommended program, meaning it has been verified by Google to meet enterprise-grade requirements for performance, consistency, and security updates.

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Google gives recent Pixel device owners more control over Night Sight

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Thanks to its latest update, the Google Camera app now lets you permanently turn off its Auto Night Sight feature on devices that automatically enable the low-light photography mode, 9to5Google reports. The feature is available with version 8.1.200 of the app, which started rolling out on Monday. Additionally, the update lets you disable the mode from the app’s flash settings.

When Google released the Pixel 4A 5G and Pixel 5 last year, it tweaked their camera apps to enable Night Sight mode automatically in low-light conditions. But using the feature means photos take longer to capture, so there’ll inevitably be occasions when you don’t want it to automatically come on. Annoyingly, as 9to5Google notes, the toggle to turn this feature off (on the bottom right of the Camera app) would previously reset whenever the app closed. As of this latest update, Auto Night Sight now remains disabled when you close the app.

As well as letting users permanently turn off Auto Night Sight, the latest version of the app also adds a Night Sight toggle into the app’s flash settings. The update doesn’t appear to be available for older Pixel phones, which prompt users to manually turn on Night Sight in low-light conditions rather than enabling it automatically.

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Pixel Artist Imagines Modern Pokémon With Game Boy Graphics

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Image: Pat Ackerman

Illustrator and pixel artist Pat Ackerman has spent the last year reimagining the entire Pokédex of Pokémon Sword and Shield as old-school sprites.

Starting back when the eighth-generation starters were revealed, Ackerman slowly but surely pixelized every pocket monster found in the series’ most recent games. And as of this week, he has an incredibly impressive portfolio of perfectly pixelized Pokémon to show for it.

Perhaps even more impressive is Ackerman’s dedication to making his art look as close to the first generation of Pokémon games as possible—Pokémon Yellow specifically.

“When creating these, I use the 56 x 56 size canvas, which was the original size of the sprites in Pokémon Red/Blue/Green/Yellow,” Ackerman told Kotaku. “I also stick to the palette of Yellow. I really focus on the pose of the Pokémon, as that’s what used to really define who they were before 3D models. I try to make them dynamic and showcase something unique about the Pokémon.”

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Ackerman’s other pixel projects span previous Pokémon generations and Monster Hunter, beautifully capturing the constraints of the Game Boy hardware. His work can also be found in PC role-playing game Monster Crown.

We’ve included a few of Ackerman’s favorite Pokémon Sword and Shield sprites at the top of this story, but be sure to check out more of his work on Twitter and Instagram.



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