Android Threads

Android 16 is expected to drop its stable release in June, which is only a month away, and a beta is expected at the end of this month. So it's coming, and soon. All kinds of minor improvements are expected, along with some slick animations. So, are you planning on joining the beta, or will you wait for the stable release? Who is excited to see what Android 16 has up its sleeves?

Some screenshots of Google's Material 3 Expressive redesign have leaked ahead of I/O, showcasing bigger buttons and larger fonts, along with a few other small design tweaks. Personally, I like the new look, but there's got to be a few haters out there. So, now's your chance to sound off in the comments. What does everyone think of the recently leaked screenshots showing Google's new Material 3 Expressive design?

Now that One UI 7 is in people's hands, I was wondering what some of you change first in the settings. Personally, I'm not a fan of a split notification shade, so that's the first thing I'd turn off on a new Galaxy. But what about you? Did you find yourself digging into One UI's settings to turn off a few things, or are you rolling with what was provided?

Samsung is finally getting the One UI 7 monkey off its back after months of delays. Now that the company's version of Android 15 has become available in Korea for the Galaxy S21 series as well as the Z Fold 3 and Flip 3, the rollout is officially underway for all of Samsung's eligible flagship phones. We're still waiting on the global rollout for some models, but Samsung appears to be running ahead of the schedule it posted earlier this month. Next stop, tablets and midrange phones. Read the latest about the rollout at the link on the right.

Not all cars support wireless connectivity with your phone for Android Auto, which means many Android Auto users have to use a wire to connect their device. This is why there is a large market for dongles, and the new Ottocast Mini looks to be one of the most discreet of all. Not only is this a good way to cover up a port with a short dongle that stays out of the way, but this dongle also makes it easy to connect your phone wirelessly for Android Auto, allowing you to leave the USB cable at home.

There are a lot of little hidden tricks that can be used to improve your Android experience. For me, I love pushing animations up to .5, which makes things feel speedier. I'm also a big fan of the FPS counter hidden in the dev settings, which makes it easy to ensure I'm getting the frame rates advertised. But what about you? Which are your favorite underrated features on Android?

Apparently, Google is prepping a new version of Material Design that will be revealed at Google I/O 2025. So far, all we know is that some minor theme changes will be included, or are at least hinted at, though there could be bigger changes revealed at I/O. Personally, I'd rather see Google offer consistency across its Android applications when it comes to Material Design and following its guidelines, though I suppose a fresh look could be nice. Are you excited to see what Google has in store for Material Design at I/O this year?

Android 16 is shaking up Google's typical release cycle, with the stable release slated for early this summer. So it's no surprise that the final beta build landed this week, on April 17. The newest beta version doesn't seem to introduce any major visual changes or flashy user-facing features, but it's sure to squash some bugs and make the experience more stable overall.  Follow the link to the right to learn more about Android 16 Beta 4. The full Android 16 release is expected before the end of the second quarter of the year — which means it should be available sometime in May or June.

It appears Google will start having Android phones restart after three days of inactivity, which kicks the device into a Before First Unlock (BFU) state, which is more secure than a phone lying around booted into the system. But I'm wondering what constitutes "inactivity," as I could see this new restart feature interrupting devices repurposed as servers or cameras. As long as Google accounts for such things as activity, we should be fine, though I'm still not sure I want Google in control of when the hardware I pay for and own is restarted in the first place. So, have you heard about this feature, and what exactly do you think of it now that you know it's a thing?

If you find you miss calls when your phone is on vibrate, you may want to take advantage of Android 15's Adaptive Vibration, which can sense the phone's surroundings, like your pocket, and adjusts how hard the device vibrates to ensure you notice the notification. It's a handy feature Pixel users should turn on if they haven't already. So, have you set up Adaptive Vibration on Android 15, or are you happy with the standard results?

Hi I'm trying to figure out what phone I should get. I've been using a Samsung ultra 22 for the last 6 months I don't really care for it. Prior to that I was using a Huawei p30 Pro for 5 years 2019 till 6 months ago! I've been owning smartphones for 20 years, the best smartphone I've ever owned was that Huawei phone. Living in Canada, just like in the US Huawei phones aren't available, at least not for the moment. What is a good Android phone, that I can go out and buy? Thanks Disclaimer: This is shared by one of our readers and does not necessarily reflect the views of Android Police.

This week, Google released the third beta build for Android 16. Android 16 Beta 3 is available now on Pixel all Tensor-based Pixel phones — that is, Pixel 6 or newer — as well as the Pixel Tablet. The latest beta brings Android 16 into platform stability, meaning developers now have a complete picture of how their apps will interact with the new Android version. Hit the link to the right to read more, or visit Google's Android Beta Program site to get the latest beta on your Pixel.

Google recently added a terminal app for Linux on Pixel devices, and an enterprising person on Reddit has confirmed that you can install and run an entire Linux desktop environment on Android. As a longtime Linux user, I find this pretty cool. So had, you seen the news about Linux on Android, and if so, what do you think of it? Do you see yourself running Linux apps on Android anytime soon?

This week, Android Police sat down with the President of the Android ecosystem at Google. We spoke about the future of Gemini on the platform and more, including why the Pixel 6 and Pixel 7 got extra Android updates. It's down to efficiencies on the team through a new process called Trunk Stable development. Read more about this news here.

Android Police sat down with Google's Head of Android this week where he confirmed various things about Gemini on your phone and the future of Android. One of the big elements was the fact Android 16 is on track to hit its June release date. The company has managed to hit this point thanks to a new development process called Trunk Stable. Read more about the news here.

I have no doubt Android apps get a lot of use on Chromebooks, but I do wonder how many out there make use of the Linux app support built in ChromeOS. I often used it for apps like GIMP and Krita (yes, I know there is an Android port), art and photo apps that lend themselves to desktops and laptops. But what about you? Do you take advantage of Linux app support on ChromeOS, and if so, which apps do you tend to install?

One of the biggest shake-ups with One UI 7 is the Now Bar, Samsung's take on Apple's Live Activities (and, on a lesser scale, the Dynamic Island). It surfaces a handful of contextual information to the corner of your display, including timers and Google Maps. Since I received my review unit last month, however, I've been unable to get sports scores to appear within Now Bar, despite following a handful of local Buffalo teams like the Bills and Sabres. Well folks, after troubleshooting conversations, a lengthy mention in my review, and plenty of effort on my part to figure out what was stopping this feature, it's finally fixed. When the Sabres returned to the ice this past Saturday — to absolutely whoop the Rangers in an improbable 8-2 beating — I saw every wonderful goal pop up on my S25 Ultra every step of the way. If you run into a similar problem with sports scores in the Now Bar that I did, well, I wish I could offer advice. Unfortunately, I gave up on trying to fix this issue aro

If you're running Android 16 Beta 2, watch out for this bug that breaks the company's system colors feature. Android Police found this week that themed icons are currently broken in the latest software and while there's a fix, it takes a lot of effort to make it work properly. This is beta software, so we'd expect some issues, but this is the second problem with themed icons in the last three months. Read the full news here.

The Android 16 beta has been out for a little bit now, with the second beta dropping rather recently, giving everyone ample opportunity to test, resulting in plenty of reports of what may be to come once 16 hits stable and is launched officially. So, out of all of the new things we've learned about Android 16, from its manual camera controls to its clean edge-to-edge display utilizing transparent nav and notification bars, what would you say you are looking the most forward to?

Google I/O traditionally takes place in May, and this year isn't going to be any different: Google's announced that its annual developer conference will kick off on May 20 in Mountain View, California. Google hasn't said what to expect from the conference this year, but we can certainly guess. Android 16 is set to be finished in late spring, so it's likely we'll see a lot about the new version at the conference this year. And of course, expect plenty of talk about Gemini. Hit the link to the right to learn more about Google's I/O 2025 reveal.