Pixel

❤ Android 13 QPR2 Beta 3 now available for Pixel phones

Galaxy Expert February 2, 2023 Android, Android 5G, Android OS, Android User Guide, Culture, Featured, Google, Google Pixel, Lifestyle, News, Pixel, Repair Service, Review, Smartphone, Smartphones, Software, Top Stories, World Android 13 QPR2 Beta 3, Android 13 QPR2 Beta 3 now available for Pixel phones, Google Pixel, Google Pixel Repair, Google Pixel Repair Costs, Google Pixel Screen Replacement Costs, Google Pixel Sydney CBD Repairs, Google Repair, Google Repair Costs, Google Screen Replacement Costs, Google Sydney CBD Repairs, Google+, Pixel, Pixel Repair, Pixel Repair Costs, Pixel Screen Replacement Costs, Pixel Sydney CBD Repairs

Android 13 QPR2 Beta 3 is rolling out today as what should be the final major preview before the stable launch in March.

It notably still features the January 2023 security patch, which could be addressed with an update (like a Beta 3.1) later on. The following issues have been resolved with Beta 3 (T2B3.230109.002):

Developer-reported and user-reported issues

Fixed an issue where notifications in a notification group were sometimes displayed with straight corners instead of rounded corners. (Issue #264287776, Issue #265529116)
Fixed an issue where the message in the notification shade that indicates an active VPN connection overlapped with the message about apps with active foreground services. (Issue #266075977)
Fixed an issue where the overflow menu couldn’t be accessed when editing Quick Settings tiles. (Issue #263484657)
Fixed an issue that sometimes caused a device with vibration enabled to vibrate for too long after it received a notification. (Issue #239676913)

Other resolved issues

Fixed an issue that sometimes caused messaging apps to crash or fail to send notifications.
Fixed a GPU issue that prevented apps from using certain visual effects.
Fixed an issue where Quick Settings tiles for a work profile were not added after setting up a new device.
Fixed an issue that sometimes caused the Pixel launcher to crash when using the Search bar in the app drawer.
Fixed an issue that sometimes prevented a device from being unlocked using a pattern after the Google Assistant was activated.
Fixed an issue in the com.android.qns system process that sometimes caused crashes.
Fixed an issue with the Pixel launcher that prevented Chinese text input from being recognized when typing in the Search bar in the app drawer.
Fixed an issue where when entering and exiting Picture-in-picture (PiP) mode from an app after changing the screen orientation, the system Settings app crashed with a “Settings keeps stopping” message and then the system Settings app couldn’t be opened.
Fixed an issue with the System UI that sometimes caused it to crash from a null pointer exception.
Fixed an issue where the connection status of a Bluetooth device sometimes did not match the actual device state.
Fixed an issue where the Pixel launcher crashed when a user tapped a web search suggestion for a query term.
Fixed an issue that caused status bar icons to overlap with the date text when font and display settings were set to their maximum level on a device.

However, there’s still one remaining issue with how the “list of Recent apps sometimes becomes unresponsive if the screen orientation is changed while the list is open.”

Android 13 QPR2 Beta 3 remaining on the January 2023 security patch level is quite odd as Google usually releases betas after the latest monthly Android security patch has launched. That is not expected until Monday, February 6.

If you have installed the QPR2 Beta, leaving the program will result in a wipe and your next opportunity to exit without losing data will be in March after the stable launch.

Android 13 QPR2 Beta 3 system images are available for the Pixel 4a, Pixel 4a 5G, Pixel 5, Pixel 5a, Pixel 6, Pixel 6 Pro, Pixel 6a, Pixel 7, and Pixel 7 Pro. as well as in the Android Emulator.

Most users will be installing Beta 3 from the Android Beta Program website. You can expect an OTA update in the coming hours. If you need help, here’s our full guide on installing Android 13.

Pixel 7 Pro: Factory Image — OTA
Pixel 7: Factory Image — OTA
Pixel 6a: Factory Image — OTA
Pixel 6 Pro: Factory Image — OTA
Pixel 6: Factory Image — OTA
Pixel 5a: Factory Image — OTA
Pixel 5: Factory Image — OTA
Pixel 4a 5G: Factory Image — OTA
Pixel 4a: Factory Image — OTA

❤ Android 13 QPR2 Beta preps ability to change the Pixel’s lockscreen shortcuts

Galaxy Expert January 14, 2023 Android, Android 13, Android 5G, Android OS, Android User Guide, Culture, Featured, Lifestyle, News, Repair Service, Review, Smartphone, Smartphones, Software, Top Stories, Update, Updates, Upgrade, World Android 13, Android 13 QPR2, Android 13 QPR2 Beta, Android 13 QPR2 Beta change the Pixel lockscreen, Google Pixel, Google Pixel Repair, Google Pixel Repair Costs, Google Pixel Screen Replacement Costs, Google Pixel Sydney CBD Repairs, Google Repair, Google Repair Costs, Google Screen Replacement Costs, Google Sydney CBD Repairs, Google+, Pixel, Pixel lockscreen, Pixel Repair, Pixel Repair Costs, Pixel Screen Replacement Costs, Pixel Sydney CBD Repairs

Pixel phones offer two lockscreen shortcuts that are locked to Google Wallet and Home, but Android 13 QPR2 reveals possible work on letting users change that.

At the bottom left, you have device controls to quickly toggle on/off as well as adjust smart home tiles that you’ve selected to appear. Android 13 conveniently added the ability to “control external devices without unlocking.”

Meanwhile, Wallet is in the right corner. In December, Google made it so that a tap opens the full Google Wallet app on the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro. On older Pixel phones, you get another intermediary screen (from Cards & Passes) that quickly loads your carousel of stored cards.

At the moment, your only options are to enable or disable each shortcut.

Android 13 QPR2 Beta 2 reveals work on letting you select other functionality. In addition to Home and Wallet, you’ll be able to choose from the flashlight, camera, and QR code scanner.

<string name=”lockscreen_quick_affordances_title”>Shortcuts</string>

<string name=”keyguard_affordance_enablement_dialog_message”>To add the %1$s app as a shortcut, make sure</string>

<string name=”keyguard_slot_name_bottom_start”>Left button</string>

<string name=”keyguard_slot_name_bottom_end”>Right button</string>

You currently aren’t able to select any app as a shortcut, which is something that Samsung allows. Rather, you’ll most likely stick to that predefined list, which presumably includes none, just like the implementation the Nothing Phone just added in beta.

So, here's a fun one. Nothing OS 1.5.1 (Android 13 Beta 2) contains various fun features… Including the ability to customize the lockscreen shortcuts!

Google started working on it in their latest beta (QPR2). But Nothing implemented it themselves 🙂 pic.twitter.com/yWj4G0jDiw

— Dylan Roussel (@evowizz) January 13, 2023

Meanwhile, Google is making it so that you have to “Press and hold to activate” the shortcuts compared to the current simple tap. That would be especially necessary in the case of flashlight and camera shortcuts to prevent accidental, in-pocket activations.

<string name=”keyguard_affordance_press_too_short”>Press and hold to activate</string>

Lastly, we’ve enabled a very early look at what the Pixel UI change to the lockscreen “Shortcuts” might look like. It clearly doesn’t work right now, but it’s somewhat modeled after the existing Wallpaper & style interface:

❤ Android 13 with January security patch live, download Pixel OTA image now

Galaxy Expert January 6, 2023 Android, Android 13, Android 5G, Android OS, Android User Guide, Culture, Featured, Google, Google Pixel, Lifestyle, News, Pixel, Repair Service, Review, Smartphone, Smartphones, Software, Top Stories, Update, Updates, Upgrade, World Android 13, Android 13 January security patch live, Google Android 13, Google Pixel, Google Pixel Android 13, Google Pixel Repair, Google Pixel Repair Costs, Google Pixel Screen Replacement Costs, Google Pixel Sydney CBD Repairs, Google Repair, Google Repair Costs, Google Screen Replacement Costs, Google Sydney CBD Repairs, Google+, January security patch live, Pixel, Pixel Android 13, Pixel Repair, Pixel Repair Costs, Pixel Screen Replacement Costs, Pixel Sydney CBD Repairs

The year in Pixel updates gets underway today with the Android 13 January security patch for the Pixel 4a, 4a 5G, 5, 5a, 6, 6 Pro, 6a, 7 and 7 Pro.

There are 20 security issues resolved in the Android 13 January patch dated 2023-01-01 and 40 for 2023-01-05. Vulnerabilities range from high to critical.

In the most recent Android Security & Privacy Year in Review, Google notes that “no critical security vulnerabilities affecting the Android platform were publicly disclosed without a security update or mitigation available for Android devices.” Additionally, there was an 84% year-over-year jump in security patches during Q4 2018 compared to the prior year.

The dedicated bulletin for Google devices lists eight additional security fixes, with the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro featuring their own build for Australia’s Telstra.

Pixel 7 Pro: Android 13 — TQ1A.230105.002 — Factory Image — OTA
- TQ1A.230105.002.A1 (Telstra) — Factory Image — OTA
Pixel 7: Android 13 — TQ1A.230105.001.A2 — Factory Image — OTA
- TQ1A.230105.001.A3 (Telstra) — Factory Image — OTA
Pixel 6a: Android 13 — TQ1A.230105.001.A2 — Factory Image — OTA
Pixel 6 Pro: Android 13 — TQ1A.230105.002 — Factory Image — OTA
Pixel 6: Android 13 — TQ1A.230105.002 — Factory Image — OTA
Pixel 5a: Android 13 — TQ1A.230105.001 — Factory Image — OTA
Pixel 5: Android 13 — TQ1A.230105.001 — Factory Image — OTA
Pixel 4a 5G: Android 13 — TQ1A.230105.001 — Factory Image — OTA
Pixel 4a: Android 13 — TQ1A.230105.001 — Factory Image — OTA
- TQ1A.230105.001.B1 (Canada) — Factory Image — OTA

Pixel 7 gets seven fixes and additions with January 2023 update

After rolling out the January 2023 update for the Pixel 7 this morning, Google has detailed what’s fixed and added, as well as listing other currently supported phones.

The Pixel’s January 2023 update adds support for Spatial Audio, and the Pixel Buds Pro will get the required update in the “coming weeks” with head tracking as well.

The Pixel 7 benefits from everything, including improved under-display fingerprint performance, which is also for the Pixel 6a.

Use the following device key to interpret the Pixel January 2023 changelog:

Fixes are available for all supported Pixel devices unless otherwise indicated below.

*[1] Included on Pixel 6, Pixel 6 Pro, Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Pro

*[2] Included on Pixel 6a, Pixel 7

*[3] Included on Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Pro

Audio

Add support for Spatial Audio with certain devices and accessories *[1]

Biometrics

Additional improvements for fingerprint recognition and response in certain conditions *[2]

Bluetooth

Fix for issue occasionally preventing certain Bluetooth Low Energy devices or accessories from pairing or reconnecting

Fix for issue preventing audio from playing over certain headphones or accessories while connected in certain conditions

Camera

Fix for issue occasionally causing captured photos to appear corrupted or distorted while zoomed in *[3]

Display & Graphics

Fix for issue occasionally preventing display from waking or appearing turned off while device is powered on *[3]

User Interface

Fix for issue occasionally causing UI to display in landscape layout while device is held in portrait mode

❤ Google rolling out Pixel January 2023 update on Tuesday

Galaxy Expert January 4, 2023 Android, Android 5G, Android OS, Android User Guide, Culture, Featured, Google, Google Pixel, Lifestyle, News, Pixel, Repair Service, Review, Smartphone, Smartphones, Software, Top Stories, Update, Updates, Upgrade, World Google Pixel, Google Pixel January 2023 update, Google Pixel Repair, Google Pixel Repair Costs, Google Pixel Screen Replacement Costs, Google Pixel Sydney CBD Repairs, Google Repair, Google Repair Costs, Google Screen Replacement Costs, Google Sydney CBD Repairs, Google+, January 2023 update, Pixel, Pixel January 2023 update, Pixel Repair, Pixel Repair Costs, Pixel Screen Replacement Costs, Pixel Sydney CBD Repairs

Per Verizon, the next Google Pixel update with the January security patch is rolling out tomorrow.

Google Pixel updates typically start rolling out on the first Monday of the month, but that falls on when New Year’s Day is observed this year. It’s coming on Tuesday as a result, according to Verizon, similar to last year:

Pixel 4a last updated 01/03/2023
Pixel 4a 5G UW last updated 01/03/2023
Pixel 5 last updated 01/03/2023
Pixel 6 last updated 01/03/2023
Pixel 6 Pro last updated 01/03/2023
Pixel 6a last updated 01/03/2023
Pixel 7 last updated 01/03/2023
Pixel 7 Pro last updated 01/03/2023

The US carrier refreshed the Device Software Updates list a day early, and the Pixel 4a to 7 Pro is set to receive it on January 3 instead of next week. Given the premature update, the actual changelogs are not live yet.

We’re not expecting anything major since the December Feature Drop with Android 13 QPR1 just arrived, though bug fixes would be welcome. For example, the Home and Wallet shortcuts have a tendency of initially appearing on the always-on display. Rather, the next big update — QPR2 — is coming in March.

Instead, the main update this month should be for Pixel Buds Pro to enable spatial audio, though there could be a phone component.

❤ Android 13 is bringing Pixel’s Personal Safety app to more phones, including Xperia and Vivo

Galaxy Expert December 24, 2022 Android, Android 13, Android 5G, Android OS, Android User Guide, Culture, Featured, Google, Google Pixel, Lifestyle, News, Pixel, Repair Service, Review, Smartphone, Smartphones, Sony, Top Stories, Update, Updates, Upgrade, Vivo, World, Xperia Android 13, Android 13 Personal Safety app to Vivo, Android 13 Personal Safety app to Xperia, Google Pixel, Google Pixel Repair, Google Pixel Repair Costs, Google Pixel Screen Replacement Costs, Google Pixel Sydney CBD Repairs, Google Repair, Google Repair Costs, Google Screen Replacement Costs, Google Sydney CBD Repairs, Google+, Personal Safety app to Vivo, Personal Safety app to Xperia, Pixel, Pixel Repair, Pixel Repair Costs, Pixel Screen Replacement Costs, Pixel Sydney CBD Repairs, Vivo, Vivo Repair, Xperia, Xperia Repair

As Android 13 rolls out to more phones, the update is bringing the once Pixel-exclusive Personal Safety app to more devices including those from Sony Xperia and Vivo.

On Pixel phones today, the Personal Safety app includes a full suite of features designed to make sure you’re ready should any type of disaster strike. You can add/edit critical medical information, assign emergency contacts, get alerts for nearby crises, and on some devices even call for help when a car crash is detected.

While this was originally built as an exclusive set of features for Pixel phones, with the release of Android 13, Google has decided to make Personal Safety available as an option for other phone makers. As noted by Mishaal Rahman on Twitter, there is already a small selection of phones that are gaining access to Personal Safety as part of Android 13.

While Samsung certainly has the broadest profile of devices on Android 13 today, no Galaxy phones are currently opted in for Google’s safety suite. Instead, the current list of non-Pixel Android devices with Personal Safety contains phones from Sony Xperia, Vivo, iQOO, and Nothing.

Nothing Phone (1)
Sony Xperia 5 IV
Sony Xperia 1 IV
iQOO 7
iQOO 8 Pro
iQOO 9 SE
iQOO 9 Pro
iQOO 9T
iQOO I2202
iQOO 11
iQOO Neo7
Vivo X80 Pro
Vivo X90
Vivo X90 Pro

The actual experience of using Personal Safety on these phones is straightforward and quite similar to the app’s older (pre Android 13) experience on Pixels. Rather than appearing as a dedicated app in the drawer, you can navigate to Personal Safety through the Settings app, in the “Safety & emergency” section.

From there, as expected, you can manage your emergency information and get enrolled for alerts. However, for all currently supported phones, the Android 13 update does not bring the car crash detection that Personal Safety is best known for.

Google has opened car crash detection to non-Pixel phones, but it requires device makers to implement Android’s “Context Hub.” This feature is designed to let small, ambient programs — such as sensing a sudden stop, in the case of car crash detection — run without using excess power. As adding support for Context Hub would require a system update, it’s not likely that any of these phones will gain car crash detection in Personal Safety any time soon. Despite that, it’s still great to see Google offer some of the Pixel series’ exclusive features to more Android phones.

❤ Android 13 QPR2 Beta 1 rolling out to Pixel phones

Galaxy Expert December 13, 2022 Android, Android 13, Android 5G, Android OS, Android User Guide, Culture, Featured, Google, Lifestyle, News, Pixel, Repair Service, Review, Smartphone, Smartphones, Software, Top Stories, Update, Updates, Upgrade, World Android, Android 13, Android 13 QPR2, Android 13 QPR2 Beta 1, Google Pixel, Google Pixel Repair Costs, Google Pixel Screen Replacement Costs, Google Pixel Sydney CBD Repairs, Google Repair, Google Repair Costs, Google Repair Pixel, Google Screen Replacement Costs, Google Sydney CBD Repairs, Google+, Pixel, Pixel Repair, Pixel Repair Costs, Pixel Screen Replacement Costs, Pixel Sydney CBD Repairs

With QPR1 now stable, Google is rolling out Android 13 QPR2 Beta 1 as the next sizable Pixel update that will be released in March.

There should only be two Quarterly Platform Release betas for Android 13 if what Google telegraphed in August stands. Like QPR1, that should mean three QPR2 betas with a stable launch in March 2023 and a relatively bug-free experience for those that sign-up via the Android Beta Program.

If you’re still part of the Beta Program from testing Android 13 QPR1 you can unenroll from google.com/android/beta without a device wipe if you have not yet installed QPR2 Beta 1.

If you have already updated, leaving the program will result in a wipe and your next opportunity to exit without losing data will be in March after the stable launch of Android 13 QPR2.

The Android Beta Feedback app is available on Pixel phones to submit problems. You can access it from the app drawer or via Quick Settings to file bugs in the Google issue tracker, while the Android Beta community is on Reddit.

The following known issues exist:

Android Platform

The list of Recent apps sometimes becomes unresponsive if the screen orientation is changed while the list is open.
In some cases when entering and exiting Picture-in-picture (PiP) mode from an app after changing the screen orientation, the system Settings app crashes with a “Settings keeps stopping” message and then the system Settings app can’t be opened.
An issue with the System UI can sometimes cause the Home screen to become unresponsive.

Google Apps

After switching back to Normal video capture mode from Slow Motion mode in the Google Camera app, the app continues capturing slow-motion video if the capture speed was changed between the 1/8x and 1/4x while in Slow Motion mode.

Android 13 QPR2 Beta 1 system images are available for the Pixel 4a, Pixel 4a 5G, Pixel 5, Pixel 5a, Pixel 6, Pixel 6 Pro, Pixel 6a, Pixel 7, and Pixel 7 Pro. as well as in the Android Emulator.

Most users will be installing Beta 1 (T2B1.221118.006) with the December security patch from the Android Beta Program website. You can expect an OTA update in the coming hours. If you need help, here’s our full guide on installing Android 13.

Pixel 7 Pro: Android 13 — TP1A — Factory Image — OTA
Pixel 7: Android 13 — TP1A — Factory Image — OTA
Pixel 6a: Android 13 — TP1A — Factory Image — OTA
Pixel 6 Pro: Android 13 — TP1A — Factory Image — OTA
Pixel 6: Android 13 — TP1A — Factory Image — OTA
Pixel 5a: Android 13 — TP1A — Factory Image — OTA
Pixel 5: Android 13 — TP1A — Factory Image — OTA
Pixel 4a 5G: Android 13 — TP1A — Factory Image — OTA
Pixel 4a: Android 13 — TP1A — Factory Image — OTA

❤ Apple releases iOS 16.2 beta 4 to developers and car key in Apple Wallet with Android users, starting with Google Pixel

Galaxy Expert December 6, 2022 Android, Android 5G, Android App, Android Automotive, Android OS, Android User Guide, Apple, Apple 5G, Apple App, Apple Developer, Apple iOs, Apple iPhone, Apple iPhone 5G, Apple News, Apple User Guide, Apple Wallet, Culture, Featured, Google, iOS, iPhone, iPhone 5G, iPhone iOs, iPhone User Guide, Lifestyle, News, Pixel, Repair Service, Review, Smartphone, Smartphones, Top Stories, Update, Updates, Upgrade, World Apple, Apple iOs 16.2, Apple iOs 16.2 beta 4, Apple iPhone iOs 16.2, Apple iPhone iOs 16.2 beta 4, Apple Repair, Apple Repair Costs, Apple Screen Replacement Costs, Apple Sydney CBD Repairs, Apple Wallet, Apple Wallet with Android users, car key, car key in Apple Wallet, car key in Apple Wallet with Android users, Google Pixel, Google Pixel Repair, Google Pixel Repair Costs, Google Pixel Screen Replacement Costs, Google Pixel Sydney CBD Repairs, Google Repair, Google Repair Costs, Google Screen Replacement Costs, Google Sydney CBD Repairs, Google+, iOS 16.2, iOs 16.2 beta 4, iPhone iOs 16.2, iPhone iOs 16.2 beta 4, Pixel, Pixel Repair, Pixel Repair Costs, Pixel Screen Replacement Costs, Pixel Sydney CBD Repairs

You can now share your car key in Apple Wallet with Android users,

starting with Google Pixel

If you happen to be an owner of one of the very few cars on the market with Car Key support, you are now able to share that car key credential with non-iPhone users for the first time.

Apple is working with the IETF and industry members to standardize cross-platform car key sharing. The first implementation of this support has landed today for Google Pixel owners. Google is working on rolling out support for all Android 12+ devices soon.

The Car Key feature allows Apple Wallet to treat unlocking your car in the same manner as you can conduct contactless payments with Apple Pay: Walk up to your car and then present your iPhone or Apple Watch to unlock it.

You can share car keys by using the Share button inside the Wallet app. You could previously send the key to other iPhone users. On iOS 16.1 or later, the Wallet app generates keys that also work with other supporting platforms, most notably Android users.

Share using the system share sheet with your favorite app like Messages, Mail, and WhatsApp. You can secure the process using an optional one-time code.

At any later time, you can revoke access to a shared car key. Simply open the Wallet app, select your car key and tap on the People icon to manage the current list of shared keys for that vehicle.

Apple’s partnership with the IETF was first announced at this year’s WWDC. The group is still working on a final specification to make publicly available for adoption by anyone. But for now, only Apple and Google have access to the necessary protocols and are working on the respective implementations privately.

It’s a really cool technology that furthers Apple’s goal to replace the wallet in your pocket, alongside other initiatives like Digital ID and Apple Pay. Hopefully, more Car Key compatible vehicles will be available soon.

Apple releases iOS 16.2 beta 4 to developers ahead of expected launch this month

Following the release of iOS 16.1.2 to iPhone users on Wednesday, Apple released iOS 16.2 beta 4 to developers on Thursday. Along with iOS 16.2, Apple has also been testing new betas for watchOS 9.2, tvOS 16.2, and macOS Ventura 13.1. Read on as we detail what’s new in these updates.

iOS 16.2 and iPadOS 16.2 include some notable changes. The Freeform collaboration app is now available to iPad, iPhone, and Mac users. There are also changes to the Home app, updates to the Weather app, and more.

On November 28, Apple also released a “Rapid Security Response” update for users running iOS 16.2 beta. Once the feature becomes available to everyone, Apple will be able to quickly fix security exploits without having to release a new version of iOS just for this.

In addition to iOS 16.2 beta 4, Apple has also made the following updates available to all developer beta testers:

watchOS 9.2 beta 4
tvOS 16.2 beta 4
macOS Ventura 13.1 beta 4
iPadOS 16.2 beta 4

❤ How to take RAW pictures on your Google Pixel

Galaxy Expert November 10, 2022 Android, Android 5G, Android User Guide, Culture, Featured, Google, Lifestyle, News, Repair Service, Review, Top Stories, Update, Updates, Upgrade, World Google Repair, Google Repair Costs, Google Screen Replacement Costs, Google Sydney CBD Repairs, Google+, Pixel, Pixel Repair, Pixel Repair Costs, Pixel Screen Replacement Costs, Pixel Sydney CBD Repairs, RAW pictures, take RAW pictures on your Google Pixel

It’s no secret that Pixel phones – especially the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro – take downright fantastic photos. Of course, it’s always nice to have RAW images so you have a little more freedom in your editing process. This guide will take you through enabling RAW file picture capture on your Google Pixel.

No matter what device you shoot on, your final image will generally come out as one of two file formats – JPEG or RAW. Of course, we’re all familiar with JPEG files, which produce a perfectly fine photo. The caveat is that they’re lossy and stripped of all the surrounding detail and data that would make editing easier. With that, though, they’re incredibly easy to store and share without sacrificing much storage space.

On the other hand, a RAW photo is lossless and keeps a lot of that captured data available, making editing much easier. A RAW file on your Google Pixel – or anywhere for that matter – allows you to make greater adjustments without sacrificing overall detail. With that, a RAW file is much larger, and having many stored on your device can definitely bog it down and soak up space. On top of that, it isn’t widely supported as a readable file format without first being converted.

Of course, if you don’t plan on doing heavy editing with your Pixel’s photos, there wouldn’t be a need to also capture RAW images. For those that do plan to, the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro are newly supported devices in Adobe’s RAW catalog, which means color profiles are supported from those devices. The Pixel 6 and 6 Pro are supported as well.

How to take RAW images on your Pixel

The Pixel’s stock camera app allows you to operate in a mode called RAW + JPEG, which will take both JPEG and RAW pictures on your Google Pixel. This option will inevitably take up much more space on your device, though if you plan on exporting the RAW images, this shouldn’t be an issue.

Enabling the feature is pretty easy and takes a quick setup. After that, you can toggle the RAW + JPEG option on and off.

On your Pixel, open the camera.
- If you haven’t changed the default method, you can double-tap your power button.
Tap the camera settings drop-down button at the top.
Hit More settings.
Tap Advanced.
Toggle on RAW + JPEG control.

Now, when you open the camera settings drop-down menu, you can tap RAW to get both RAW and JPEG images.

Taking RAW pictures on your Pixel with this option enabled will result in an additional folder appearing in your Google Photos library called “Raw.” That folder is where you can find all of your RAW images to export or edit.

Tip: Don’t set the “Raw” folder to automatically back up to the cloud. This will eat your storage up like there’s no tomorrow.

How to export RAW images

If you plan on editing your RAW pictures elsewhere such as Adobe Lightroom, you’ll want to export your images. There are several ways you can do this without losing any image quality. Our suggestion would be to upload them to Google Drive to maintain quality and download them to the device you’re editing with.

If you plan on editing from your Pixel, you don’t have to export. Simply select images in your editing app from the Raw folder in your library and you’ll be able to tune them how you like.

Open Google Photos.
Tap Library.
Select the “Raw” folder.
Open an image or select multiple and hit Share.

As mentioned, you can use Google Drive to upload your images if you wish. Doing it that way will keep your files at full size until you download them and edit them down.

Overall, the RAW image feature on Google’s Pixel lineup comes in handy. With newly supported RAW files from the Google Pixel 7 and 7 Pro in Adobe’s suite, it’s a little easier to edit those fantastic Pixel images.

❤ Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro block Android apps that aren’t 64-bit; here’s what that means for you

Galaxy Expert October 17, 2022 Android, Android 5G, Android App, Android OS, Android User Guide, Culture, Featured, Google, Lifestyle, News, Pixel, Repair Service, Review, Top Stories, Update, Updates, Upgrade, World Google Repair, Google Repair Costs, Google Screen Replacement Costs, Google Sydney CBD Repairs, Google+, Pixel, Pixel 7, Pixel 7 block Android apps, Pixel 7 block Android apps that aren’t 64-bit, Pixel 7 Pro, Pixel 7 Pro block Android apps, Pixel 7 Pro block Android apps that aren’t 64-bit, Pixel 7 Pro Repair, Pixel 7 Repair, Pixel Repair, Pixel Repair Costs, Pixel Screen Replacement Costs, Pixel Sydney CBD Repairs

Google’s Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro are important phones for a few reasons, but one of the biggest is how they support apps. As it turns out, the Pixel 7 series delivers the first Android phones that block support for apps that aren’t 64-bit. What does that mean for you? Let’s discuss.

It’s been no secret that Google has been working toward a future where Android is a 64-bit operating system, as opposed to one that still supports 32-bit software. What’s the difference between the two? In short, a 64-bit operating system can access drastically more memory addresses, which leads to improvements on both performance and security. Google boasted speed improvements to Chrome for Android, for instance, when it moved to a 64-bit build.

Android made the move to support 64-bit apps in 2011 with the launch of Android 5.0, but the platform has always supported 32-bit apps in the years since. It was in 2019 that Google moved to make 64-bit support a requirement for all apps distributed through the Google Play Store, Android’s primary source of apps, with the Play Store later ending serving apps that either didn’t support 64-bit or didn’t have a 64-bit version.

Now, Google is taking the next step by releasing the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro with 64-bit only support for apps, but not through a firm block.

As Mishaal Rahman confirmed, the Pixel 7 series only supports 64-bit apps. The devices are not running on a 64-bit only version of Android, though, instead only blocking the installation of 32-bit apps with a message “app not installed as app isn’t compatible with your phone” appearing when a user attempts to install a 32-bit app.

What does this mean for you?

In theory, Google’s change to supporting exclusively 64-bit apps on the Pixel 7 series should have no noticeable impact on your experience.

This is largely because of the groundwork Google has laid out over the past decade on building up support for 64-bit in Android. One of the only apps that comes to mind as a 32-bit only app is the flash-in-the-pan hit Flappy Bird, which hasn’t been updated since the game’s monumental success and still-shocking closure. Rahman also points out that a version of the Pebble smartwatch app doesn’t support 64-bit, which means that the older smartwatches, which are technically still functional, though unsupported, can’t be paired to Google’s latest Pixel phones.

Notably too, there’s also a potential positive from this. Rahman claims that benchmarks for power efficiency and performance on devices with more than 4GB of RAM jump by 5-10%.

Meanwhile, Google’s Pixel Tablet is expected to be the first Android device that is truly 64-bit only, as Android 14 may make that move further for other devices.

❤ ‘Extreme Battery Saver’ on the Pixel: How to turn it on when you really need it

Galaxy Expert October 6, 2022 Android, Android 5G, Android User Guide, Culture, Featured, Google, Lifestyle, News, Pixel, Repair Service, Review, Smartphone, Smartphones, Top Stories, World Extreme Battery Saver, Google Pixel, Google Pixel Repair, Google Pixel Repair Costs, Google Pixel Screen Replacement Costs, Google Pixel Sydney CBD Repairs, Google Repair, Google Repair Costs, Google Screen Replacement Costs, Google Sydney CBD Repairs, Google+, Pixel, Pixel Extreme Battery Saver, Pixel Phone Extreme Battery Saver, Pixel Repair, Pixel Repair Costs, Pixel Screen Replacement Costs, Pixel Sydney CBD Repairs

Most devices have some sort of battery saver mode, while Google’s Pixel lineup comes with an “Extreme Battery Saver.” So what is it, and what makes it extreme? This guide will take you through it.

On most Android devices, battery saver works in a very similar way. Unnecessary processes are turned off in the background, your screen’s refresh rate slows down (even to the point of turning off variable refresh rate entirely), and your phone switches to a dark theme to save energy. You might also experience the lack of certain features, such as the always-on display.

All of these limitations combined significantly improve your batter’s efficiency, and battery saver mode can mean the difference between a dead phone in two minutes or an extra 25 minutes of power, roughly speaking.

So what is the Pixel’s Extreme Battery Saver?

Beyond the regular battery saver, the Pixel’s Extreme Battery Saver is an added layer of battery efficiency. In fact, in order to use the latter, you need to initially have battery saver active.

Once it is, you can access the extreme version, which goes beyond turning off a couple of features. Rather, Extreme Battery Saver turns off most of your apps and completely pauses notifications from them. In essence, most nonessential apps completely halt background usage.

This feature is used for pretty dire circumstances and can get you even more battery life when you really need it. While you can’t access most apps during Extreme Battery Saver mode on the Pixel, you can choose to classify some apps as essential. After doing so, those apps become usable while the limitation is turned on.

How to turn it on

Before turning it on, you need to adjust a couple of settings that specify how you use it.

On your Pixel, head to your settings by swiping down twice and hitting the settings cog.
Tap Battery.
Hit Battery Saver.
Select Extreme Battery Saver.
Choose when to use it – you can choose to have it turn on automatically with regular battery saver or you can have your Pixel ask you first.
Choose your essential apps.
- Note: Don’t go wild. The fewer apps you choose, the better your battery life will be.

Once you configure these settings, you can choose to have the extreme mode turn on after battery saver is initiated. The best way to turn the battery saver on is to access your Quick Settings on your Pixel and turn it on from there. We have a great guide on doing just that.

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