Last Week’s Android Roundup: May 13 to May 19

It’s the start of a new week, and what better way to start it than to get a quick look at the most important things that happened in the week preceding it? Well, this is our round-up of everything important that happened in the world of Android.

May 13:

• The Flipkart app got a new feature that allowed users to book Make My Trip flight tickets from within the Flipkart app! Bet some of you still didn’t know that.

May 14:

• Australia started investigating the way Google collects data through Android devices. Most importantly, the company is being investigated for location tracking even when location-sharing has been turned off.

May 15:

• Tinder brought a new feature that uses location tracking to suggest places you’d like to take someone on a date or to suggest people that frequent the places that you do, so you already have something in common. Cool, right?
• The Play Store had just started to get ahead of its malware problem, but they started returning the store under different names. Looks like Play Protect needs to work harder, and faster. Hopefully even smarter, but we’ll see.
• Google Maps started testing out a ‘Material Theme’ design with a tiny subset of users.
• YouTube began testing an incognito mode on Android, so everyone can watch weird things without being judged for it.
• The Honor 10 launched in India for Rs 32,999. It’s on pre-order on Flipkart.
• Motorola started teasing the Moto G6 and G6 Play.

May 16:

• Opera web-browser received a new update that brought along themes, night mode, a notification for private tabs (if open), and an easier QR code based copy/paste feature.
• The Galaxy S9 and S9+ received ARCore support. There are already a ton of ARCore apps out there, it’s time for S9 users to check them out!
• HTC announced a blockchain smartphone called ‘Exodus’ with a built-in Bitcoin and Ethereum wallet support.
• OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei hinted that OnePlus might launch a 6T this year.
• The Nokia X6 was launched as the first Nokia phone to come with a notch. It packs in a Snapdragon 636, 4/6GB of RAM and dual cameras.
• The OnePlus 6 was launched at the global event in London with a Snapdragon 845, 6/8GB of RAM, 64/128/256GB of storage.

May 17:

• Instagram started testing a new ‘Usage Insights’ feature that will let users know the amount of time they spend on the platform. The photo-sharing platform also launched a new emoji-slider sticker.
• Microsoft Launcher Beta added new features including location tracking for children so their parents can know where they are, app activity tracking for parents to remain aware of the apps their kids are using, and new gestures.
• Huawei beat Apple in Chinese reputation survey, based mostly on the fact that Chinese people found Huawei to be more ‘trustworthy, esteemed, and admired’. The survey also pointed out that most people perceived Huawei as ‘more genuine’ than Apple.
• Duolingo added High Valyrian, Klingon, and Czech to its Android app. So you can train your inner Khaleesi or your inner Klingon-loving self directly from your Android device.
• The OnePlus 6 was launched in India priced at Rs. 34,999. The company also launched the OnePlus 6 Avengers’ Edition with 256GBV storage at Rs. 44,999.
• LG’s VP Chang Cheng suggested in a Weibo post that the LG Z5 might come with 4TB of internal storage.

May 18:

• The Android P beta for OnePlus 6 was made available, so if you’re buying a OnePlus 6, you can jump right into a beta software on your brand new smartphone.

May 19:

• The Asus ZenFone 3 Zoom started receiving Oreo update. It’s a phased roll-out, so you may have to wait a bit.
• An unreleased MIUI 9 ROM for the Mix 2 was spotted with some full-screen gestures, hinting that such a gesture-based navigation system may be coming soon to MIUI.
• Google Duo added a screen-sharing function, but it was broken. Still, points for trying. Plus, we fully expect Google to fix this issue pretty soon.
• The Honor 7 Play was launched in China with an 18:9 display, a 24MP selfie camera, MediaTek MT6739 SoC, 2GB of RAM, and a single rear camera for RMB 599 (~ Rs. 6,400).