Android 16 is a mold-breaker and a schedule-shaker, while Samsung is stuck preaching patience is virtue in this week’s top news | usagoldmines.com

The Android world this week was in fixed flux — from information about Google’s subsequent main Android launch that could possibly be right here prior to anticipated and Samsung’s Android 15 replace dealing with some main delays, to despicable YouTube advert practices taking middle stage, there’s quite a bit to unfold.

Regardless that the main Android 15 replace is not right here but, and we’re not anticipating it to be accessible on Pixel gadgets for another 10 days, we have already began listening to about Google’s subsequent Android 16 replace.

We have recognized for some time now that Android 16 would provide a redesigned Quick Settings panel, paired with an all-new brightness slider with a proportion indicator. New leaks, nevertheless, counsel that Android 16 may also be breaking long-standing traditions in a couple of means. First, it’ll reportedly be codenamed “Baklava,” a layered pastry dessert. That does not break any traditions — inversely, it continues Google’s lengthy historical past of codenaming main OS releases with a dessert title. What it does break is the alphabetical order.

For reference, Android 10 was Quince Tart, Android 11 was Red Velvet Cake, 12 was Snow Cone, 13 was Tiramisu, 14 was Upside Down Cake, whereas the present Android 15 is Vanilla Ice Cream. If Google was to proceed the alphabetical custom, Android 16 ought to have been codenamed with a W-starting dessert, suppose Wafer, Waffle, or Walnut pie, however as a substitute, the tech big goes with Baklava.

Credible Google professional Mishaal Rahman means that Google’s adoption of a trunk-based Android development model, which modified the best way launch builds are named, may be responsible. Apparently, the mannequin permits builders to work on a single, unified launch department, which helps Android 16 break the second long-standing custom.

The brand new mannequin may help expedite launch timelines, and consequently, Android 16 is anticipated to reach means sooner than standard — in Q2 2025. If the quicker launch does materialize, it could be the earliest subsequent OS since 2012’s Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. Earlier releases that fall within the Q2 timeframe embrace Android 1.5 Cupcake in April 2009 and Android 2.2 Froyo in Could 2010.

Whereas Google is galloping with Android 16, Samsung has confirmed that it’s taking issues sluggish. At its annual Samsung Developer Conference (SDC), to a lot dismay of followers, the tech big introduced that the discharge of its Android 15-based One UI 7 replace will coincide with the launch of the Galaxy S25 early subsequent 12 months. For reference, Samsung’s Android 14-based One UI 6 began rolling out in October final 12 months, and the identical goes for 2022’s One UI 5. It’s presently unclear if Samsung is dealing with growth challenges or whether it is simply taking issues sluggish to roll out a well-polished expertise.

Main US carriers did not have a fantastic week

Particularly Verizon

The US telecommunications panorama had a rocky week, and should you’re a Verizon buyer, I am certain you already know what I am speaking about. To kick off a busy Monday, Verizon’s community determined to name it quits, because it went down for roughly 9 hours, leaving clients with out cellular information, calling, or textual content messaging providers.

Though US-wide, the outage was most reported in Chicago, Phoenix, Denver, Seattle, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, Omaha, Minneapolis, and Las Vegas, as instructed by Downdetector. Verizon nonetheless hasn’t disclosed the US-wide outage’s trigger, with customers nonetheless struggling to get any compensation-related info from the provider big.

Seguing from one provider big to a different, T-Cellular simply paid a hefty $15.75 million wonderful to the US Treasury, and it’s investing the identical quantity in its inside cybersecurity to handle foundational safety flaws, to assist persuade the FCC that it’s making an attempt to not get hacked as typically. As extra shoppers start counting on their cellular gadgets for on a regular basis necessities, carriers should take steps to make safety and reliability of their networks (louder for Verizon on the again) paramount.

Though a giant determine in frequent phrases, $15.75 million is a measly 0.20 % of the provider big’s annual income in 2023, leaving many to query the effectiveness of such penalties.

You get advertisements, you get advertisements, everyone will get advertisements

And you’ll’t skip ’em

How can or not it’s a weekly information roundup with out us bashing YouTube advertisements? However, earlier than we head there, the streaming platform had a wholly completely different run-in earlier within the week that is price speaking about.

A quick outage brought on by a licensing issue with SESAC briefly resulted in some music being taken off the platform. This included music from the likes of Adele, Bob Dylan, Nirvana, Inexperienced Day, Kendrick Lamar, and lots of others. The problem was short-lived, with a licensing deal renewal going down simply two days later.

YouTube says that it’s going to restore all content material that was eliminated because of the concern over the subsequent couple of days, so no, you need not bounce ship to Spotify or Apple Music due to the short-lived concern simply but. Though a brand new pesky advert experiment may simply push you off the sting.

The streaming big has already been testing longer advert segments, a few of that are often unskippable. It has additionally been noticed injecting server-side advertisements, which render ad-blockers redundant. Now, customers are reporting that the streaming big has begun outright hiding the Skip button on movies as a part of its newest ploy to pressure advertisements down your throat.

It is price noting that we weren’t capable of recreate the grating ad-delivery methodology (we’re hoping it stays that means), and studies surrounding it aren’t considerable, which could counsel that that is simply one other experiment up YouTube’s sleeve.

From one streaming big to a different — If you hated Prime Video ads before, you won’t like Amazon’s latest announcement.

When you’re a Prime subscriber, the true strategy to extract most of your subscription’s worth is not only by putting next-day supply orders, however using bundled providers like Prime Video, Amazon Music, Prime Gaming, Amazon Pictures, and extra. A type of providers, particularly Prime Video, is ready to get slightly extra annoying beginning subsequent 12 months.

The e-commerce big indicated that ads’ “gentle entry” into Prime Video in January 2024 did not trigger a mass exodus — opening the platform to discover extra advert codecs because it kicks off the brand new 12 months. This can embrace “interactive and shoppable” advertisements that the e-commerce big shared in Could earlier this 12 months.

However it’s blame the participant, not the sport on this state of affairs

Meta’s Ray-Ban sensible glasses had been within the information earlier this week, and never for a fantastic motive. Though Meta wasn’t instantly accountable right here (it felt bizarre typing that), its glasses’ implementation in a new project carried out by two Harvard college students does increase severe privateness considerations. The venture, named I-XRAY, makes use of the Meta Ray Bans 2 for its discreet digicam paired with public databases and software program for reverse facial recognitions, LLM information extraction, residence handle lookup, and Social Safety quantity lookup — basically doxxing folks in actual life.

Here is the way it works

Good glasses dwell stream your environment and folks in it to Instagram.

A pc mannequin displays the stream for faces.

This system processes faces in real-time with a facial recognition mannequin and finds on-line URLs containing their info, together with their title, occupation, residence addresses, cellphone numbers, age, particulars about family members, and extra.

This system feeds the data again to you in actual time.

The 2 college students who labored on the venture counsel that they don’t have any intention of constructing the device publicly accessible. Nevertheless, contemplating that the data is now public, it will not be lengthy till we see customers making an attempt to duplicate the breach.

Google is simplifying location sharing, and increasing Lens’ capabilities

To cap this week’s prime headlines off, we now have two Google/Android-related updates price noting. For starters, you won’t have to depend on Google Maps to share your dwell location with others — the tech big may be constructing the performance into Android.

The tech big was noticed engaged on consolidating location sharing controls inside Google Play Companies — consider it like a centralized management hub for every thing location-related — which ought to make it simpler for customers to handle their real-time location sharing throughout Google’s apps, providers, and with different customers.

We’re uncertain when the change will probably be accessible for all. Till then, it’s best to proceed utilizing Google Maps to start sharing your location with others, with the prevailing Android Settings menu Settings → Location → Location providers to cease sharing.

Elsewhere, Google’s poster little one, Lens, is broadening its horizons with contextual video search help. The function, which was first leaked earlier within the week, was made official by Google on Thursday.

Because the function’s title suggests, it lets you set off Lens and take a video of a particular topic, asking questions along with your voice about what you see on the display. When you’re in a public setting, you possibly can kind in your queries post-recording.

It is price noting that the useful new device presently lacks the power to research pre-recorded movies out of your machine’s gallery.