Samsung Galaxy A53 5G vs Apple iPhone SE 3: Apple vs Samsung for the US mid-range market

When it comes to comparing phones, there is no comparison more apt than Apple’s iPhone against Samsung’s Galaxy, because they are the two biggest and most prominent phone brands in the world, and in chunks of the world including and especially the US, they represent iOS vs Android for the average consumer. We’ve already pitted the absolute best premium offerings from both brands against each other, now it’s time for the mid-range battle: the third-generation iPhone SE vs the Samsung Galaxy A53 5G.

Apple iPhone SE (2022)

Apple's third-generation iPhone SE packs the most powerful mobile SoC but in a dated design

View at Best Buy

Samsung Galaxy A53

Samsung's A53 brings a thin-bezeled OLED panel with high refresh rate but a plasticky frame

View at Samsung

Samsung Galaxy A53 5G vs Apple iPhone SE 3: Price and Availability

Both the Galaxy A53 and third-generation iPhone SE, which we will call iPhone SE 3 going forward for simplicity, are available practically across the globe. Prices are:

• The iPhone SE 3 starts at $429 for the 64GB base variant and jumps to$479 for 128GB or $579 for 256GB storage
• The Galaxy A53 in the US comes in only a 128GB variant, priced at $449. Although in some parts of the world, including Hong Kong where I am based, the A53 has a 256GB variant priced at the equivalent of around $510

Samsung Galaxy A53 5G vs Apple iPhone SE 3: Specifications

Specifications	Apple iPhone SE (2022)	Samsung Galaxy A53 5G
Build	Aluminum mid-frame Glass front and back	Plastic mid-frame Plastic back Gorilla Glass 5 front
Dimensions & Weight	138.4 x 67.3 x 7.3 mm 144g	74.8 x 159.6 x 8.1mm 189 g
Display	4.7-inch Retina IPS LCD 750 x 1334 60Hz refresh rate	6.5-inch Super AMOLED 1080 x 2400 120Hz refresh rate
SoC	A15 Bionic	Exynos 1280
RAM & Storage	RAM not disclosed 64GB/128GB/256GB	6/8GB RAM 128GB/256GB
Battery & Charging	Battery size not disclosed 15W wired fast charging 8W wireless charging No charger in box	5,000mAh 25W wired fast charging No charger in box
Security	Touch ID capacitive fingerprint scanner	Optical in-display fingerprint scanner
Rear Camera(s)	Primary: 12MP f/1.8	64MP f/1.8 Main (with OIS) 12MP f/2.2 Ultra-wide 5MP f/2.4 Depth sensor 5MP f/2.4 Macro
Front Camera	7MP, f/2.2	32MP, f/2.2
Port(s)	USB-C	Lightning
Audio	Stereo speakers	Stereo speakers
Connectivity	5G (mmWave) Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) with 2×2 MIMO Bluetooth 5.2 NFC	5G (mmWave) for almost all regions and carriers except AT&T in the US Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) with 2×2 MIMO Bluetooth 5.2 NFC
Software	iOS 15.4	One UI 4.1 over Android 12
Other features	Single physical SIM	Dual physical SIM

About this comparison: This review was written after testing an iPhone SE (2022) provided by Apple Hong Kong and a Galaxy A53 provided by Samsung Hong Kong for the past couple of weeks. Neither Apple nor Samsung had any input in this article

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Samsung Galaxy A53 5G vs Apple iPhone SE 3: Design and Hardware

In order to meet this sub-$500 price that’s less than half of what their top phones cost, both Apple and Samsung had to compromise on hardware and features, and it’s interesting to see the opposing approach each brand has taken. Apple has just about sacrificed looks and modern design with the iPhone SE 3: it recycles the same outer shell and components of the five-year-old iPhone 8. And if we’re being honest, the iPhone 8’s design was outdated even back in 2017 — so the iPhone SE 3’s nearly inch-thick bezels, 60Hz LCD display with pointy screen corners feel even older than five years old. But while the phone is no looker, it packs Apple’s absolute flagship 4nm A15 Bionic chip, which is currently the most powerful mobile processor in the world. Let that sink in.

Samsung’s Galaxy A53 5G, meanwhile, has modern looks, with thin bezels, a 120Hz OLED display, and a quad-lens camera system. Of course, if you know your smartphones and you nitpick, you can quickly find areas of compromise like the plastic back and the fact that two of the cameras are somewhat pointless depth and macro sensors. But to the layman’s eyes, the Galaxy A53 5G would not look out of place next to other 2022 release. However, the Galaxy A53 5G is powered by a noticeably mid-tier Exynos SoC.

Apple chose to settle on looks, Samsung chose to settle on brains

In other words, Apple chose to settle on looks, and Samsung chose to settle on brains.

Samsung Galaxy A53 5G vs Apple iPhone SE 3: Display

The giant bezels of the iPhone SE 3 are a divisive point. For a gadget geek like me, and I’m guessing many XDA readers, they’re just far too large, eating into what should be real estate for the screen. But I have heard other consumers — generally the older, more casual crowd — say they don’t mind the bezel, and even welcome the return of the home button, which offers a tactile way to operate the phone as well as bring back Touch ID. That’s fine, I’m willing to concede maybe not everyone cares about thin bezels.

But what can’t be argued is that iPhone SE 3’s 60Hz LCD screen is objectively inferior to the Galaxy A53’s 120Hz OLED panel. Whether it’s looking at photos, watching videos, or reading text, it’s just a more enjoyable experience on the Galaxy A53 — colors pop off the screen more, the display gets brighter and pumps out better contrast. The iPhone SE 3’s 4.7-inch screen is also very cramped by almost any modern smartphone standards. And despite the Galaxy A53 having a much larger 6.5-inch display, I don’t find the phone more difficult to use with one hand, because Android is more one-hand friendly: I can, for example, just put all my core apps at the bottom of the screen, I can use a more dense grid so the space between app icons are smaller (thus less likely to spill out of reach of my thumb vertically or horizontally).

Samsung Galaxy A53 5G vs Apple iPhone SE 3: Silicon and Performance

Apple’s A15 Bionic has no problem outperforming the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 that’s powering Samsung’s Ultra flagship, so it of course takes an easy win against Samsung’s mid-tier Exynos 1280 chip. I’m not just talking about benchmark numbers, where the A15 Bionic crushes the Exynos 1280, but in real-world usage, I can feel that slight sluggishness in the Galaxy A53 that reminds me “ah this is a mid-tier phone” while the iPhone SE 3 mostly behaves like a flagship (save for the fact I’m viewing content on a display that belongs in 2015).

I want to clarify that the performance of the Galaxy A53 isn’t bad in a vacuum, and if you’re jumping over from another mid-tier Android device, you may not notice anything, but when compared against the iPhone SE 3 (or Android flagships), there are noticeable occasional stutters when doing things like exiting out of an app. One noticeable example of performance is when I jump into each phone’s default photo gallery app to make simple edits to videos, the process is almost instantaneous on the iPhone SE 3 while the Galaxy A53 needs significantly more time to process. Just check out the below clip, the Galaxy A53 takes a second or two just to load the video edit menu, and then took 30 seconds to process a short trim (while the process was instant on the iPhone SE 3).

If you are not a demanding smartphone user — if your usage consists of texting, reading websites, watching YouTube — the Galaxy A53 will be absolutely fine just like the iPhone SE 3. But if you are a heavier user who plays graphically intensive games or does more complicated tasks like editing videos, then the iPhone SE 3 is noticeably more powerful. But then again, do you really want to play graphically intensive games or edit videos on the iPhone SE 3’s screen?

Samsung Galaxy A53 5G vs Apple iPhone SE 3: Cameras

The iPhone SE 3 packs just two cameras: a 12MP, f/1.8 main shooter and a 7MP, f/2.2 front-facing selfie camera. The Galaxy A53 5G has five cameras in all: a quad-lens rear system consisting of a 64MP, f/1.8 main camera, 12MP ultra-wide, and a pair of mostly pointless macro and depth sensors. Around the front, the Galaxy A53 offers a 32MP, f/2.2 selfie camera.

As the number suggests, Samsung’s camera hardware is more powerful. So if you do things like zoom into an image and pixel peep, the Galaxy A53’s more pixel-dense shots will often be sharper, more detailed. Likewise, due to the use of pixel-binning technology and having a larger image sensor, the Galaxy A53’s main camera can gather more light. So if you’re shooting in a really dark scene, the iPhone SE 3 will sometimes outright fail (like in the last set of samples below). Samsung’s camera also tends to dial up the contrast, which produces a shot that may be more visually appealing even if it’s slightly less natural.

However, it’s not all about camera hardware. Software processing is very important, and the A15 Bionic’s ISP (image signal processor) is likely vastly superior to the Exynos 1280’s ISP, because in challenging shots like against harsh backlight (which requires the phone’s brain to analyze the scene and try to produce an HDR shot), sometimes the Galaxy A53 will misfire badly, like in the sample below.

Selfies are fine for both phones. Just like the main camera, the iPhone SE 3’s selfie camera hardware is very dated so it will struggle very badly in low light scenes. But in most normal conditions, it’s perfectly serviceable. If I have to nitpick, I’d say I prefer the iPhone SE 3’s consistency in exposure and keeping my skin tone looking more natural.

One area the Galaxy A53 wins is ultra-wide photography because the iPhone SE 3 doesn’t have an ultra-wide lens at all. So the Galaxy A53’s camera system is just a bit more versatile, able to capture shots like these.

Video recording is another major win for the iPhone SE 3, as it brings over Apple’s best-in-class electronic image stabilization and real-time HDR adjustments. The Galaxy A53, in fact, can’t offer stabilization at 4k/30, so you almost certainly must shoot at just 1080p if you’re hand-holding the phone.

Other Components

While the iPhone SE 3 looks more outdated, it is built with more premium glass and aluminum material compared to the Galaxy A53’s mostly plastic body. Still, my black version of the iPhone SE 3 attracts fingerprints badly and when it is smudged up, looks quite bad.

In terms of in-hand feel, both phones feel comfortable in the hand for me, but the iPhone SE 3’s absolute dainty size and weight is particularly easy to hold. This is a phone I can hold onto while riding bikes or climbing stairs and not worry about it slipping out of my hand.

The iPhone SE 3’s traditional capacitive fingerprint scanner also works better than the Galaxy A53’s optical in-display scanner, which is noticeably slower than not just the ultrasonic scanner in the Galaxy flagship phones, but also the optical scanners used in Chinese.

In terms of battery capacity and battery life, the Galaxy A53 takes a much-needed win: Samsung’s mid-ranger packs a 5,000 mAh cell that can power the Galaxy A53 all day, while the iPhone SE 3’s battery is tiny by comparison. Apple doesn’t disclose battery specs, but teardowns have revealed it’s a 2,018 mAh cell, one that can’t quite power the iPhone SE 3 all day for my heavy use.

Neither phone pack chargers in the box, but the iPhone SE 3 supports wireless charging while the Galaxy A53 5G can only be charged wired. Fast charging on either phone is nothing to write home about, but the iPhone SE 3 does fast charging worse than the Galaxy A53 5G.

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Samsung Galaxy A53 5G vs Apple iPhone SE 3: Software

We have covered iOS vs OneUI enough so we won’t dive too deep here. For the most part, if you’ve used an iPhone or a Galaxy phone in recent years, the user experience will be familiar in the respective family. The noticeable change for the iPhone SE 3 is that, due to it using the older circular home button design, it still uses the old iOS method of button-driven navigation instead of swiping. This also means the iOS Control Center is activated by swiping up from the bottom of the display instead of swiping down from the upper right corner.

The Galaxy A53 5G also behaves mostly like a typical Samsung phone, except it is missing the ability to run Samsung DeX. As mentioned earlier, there are slight performance issues with the Galaxy A53, as I see the occasional animation stutter when jumping in and out of apps.

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Samsung Galaxy A53 5G vs Apple iPhone SE 3: Which one should you buy?

Both the iPhone SE 3 and Galaxy A53 5G are capable mid-rangers that excel in some areas while clearly cutting corners in others, so your personal preferences should make this a straightforward decision. If you are someone who really values the display in your gadgets — if your smartphone usage is mostly for visually-driven content like surfing TikTok or watching Netflix — then the Galaxy A53 5G’s much more immersive, superior display has a clear edge. It also has a battery that lasts all day when you push it.

But if your phone usage isn’t driven by consuming content, then the iPhone SE 3 is just a better performer, with a far more powerful brain, smoother UI, and a camera that’s generally more consistent with much better video capabilities too.

Apple iPhone SE (2022)

Apple's third-generation iPhone SE packs the most powerful mobile SoC but in a dated design

View at Best Buy

Samsung Galaxy A53

Samsung's A53 brings a thin-bezeled OLED panel with high refresh rate but a plasticky frame

View at Samsung

The post Samsung Galaxy A53 5G vs Apple iPhone SE 3: Apple vs Samsung for the US mid-range market appeared first on xda-developers.

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Hands-on with Huawei MatePad Paper: E-Ink display on a versatile tablet

If you’ve ever used an e-ink display, it was probably on something like an Amazon Kindle. They have a few advantages over normal displays, though they’re very specific. They’re capable of wide viewing angles with a really low power draw and exceptional daylight visibility, but the advantages stop right about there. Aside from their intended purpose — reading text — e-ink displays are not really good for anything else. They have low refresh rates, image ghosting, and are typically monochromatic. Huawei recently launched the MatePad Paper, but the interesting thing is that it runs HarmonyOS, meaning that you can sideload Android apps on it, too.

Note that during the course of this review, Huawei contacted me and told me that a software update would be rolled out to fix a number of problems that had been reported, and asked me if I could wait before publishing this review. Most of this review was written on that older software version, but where problems have been fixed, I have said as much.

Should you buy the MatePad Paper? It’s complicated. If what you want is a premium e-reader with more versatility than just a Kindle, then the MatePad Paper is worth a look. If you also want to take notes using the included pen, it’s good for that too, though I’m not sure why you’d want to. It’s a bit of a random feature to have, to be honest.

However, if all you want to do is read books and you don’t care how, then honestly, just get something cheaper. This is far too expensive for just reading books and comes in at over twice the price of the Kindle Oasis. For context, a Kindle Oasis (the highest-end Kindle on the market) costs €229. The Huawei MatePad Paper retails for €499 in Europe, which is significantly more expensive. Huawei’s offering will give you more features and last just as long, but it’s up to you if it’s worth the additional investment.

Huawei MatePad Paper

The Huawei MatePad Paper is a Huawei competitor to the Kindle Oasis, and it packs everything and more that you'd expect from an e-reader. Not only that, but it has HarmonyOS too, with support for all of your favorite Android apps.

Features:

Pros: Cons:

See at Huawei

About this hands-on: Huawei sent us the Huawei MatePad Paper on the 30th of March, 2022. The company did not have any input into the contents of this hands-on.

Huawei MatePad Paper: Specifications

Specification	Huawei MatePad Paper
Dimensions & Weight	225.2 x 182.7 x 6.65mm 360g
Display	10.3-inch e-ink display 1872 x 1404 resolution
SoC	HUAWEI Kirin 820E
RAM & Storage	4GB RAM 64GB storage
Battery & Charging	3,625mAh 22.5W wired fast charging
Security	Top-mounted fingerprint scanner
Rear Camera(s)	N/A
Front Camera(s)	N/A
Port(s)	USB Type-C
Connectivity	802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax, 2 x 2 MIMO, 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz Bluetooth 5.2
Software	HarmonyOS 2
Audio	2 speakers
Accessories	Huawei M-Pencil support Folio cover

The Huawei MatePad Paper isn’t a normal tablet

The Huawei MatePad Paper is an interesting device for a number of reasons, and there’s a lot to like about it. It’s a neat blend between an Amazon Kindle and an Android tablet, and Huawei is positioning it to be exactly that. It’s significantly more expensive though too, which is why there’s more than just the device itself.

In the box, you get both the Huawei M-Pencil and the Huawei Folio case. If you don’t want to use the tablet with the folio case, the tablet has a larger bezel on the left side for holding it while using your right hand to switch between pages. The M-Pencil can be used for taking notes, and it’s instantaneous when writing on the display. You also get access to AppGallery, meaning there’s a pretty wide selection of apps to choose from, and you can install APK files too online.

To be clear, given that it’s an e-ink display, you’re going to have a very different experience than a typical Android-based device. We tried loading Genshin Impact on it to have some fun, and the results were less than desirable. Some other apps barely work, and the low refresh rate makes any kind of scrolling difficult to achieve. I was able to connect the device to my computer and control it using scrcpy on an older software version, though an update received on the tablet recently broke it.

The tablet itself comes with a pair of speakers that are optimized for spoken word, and not for playback of normal media such as music. Think podcasts and audiobooks.

Other hardware includes the power button doubling up as a fingerprint sensor, a backlight for the display with 32 different levels of brightness, and the screen itself has a paper-like texture. This makes it comfortable for swiping on and writing on, making it feel a little bit more authentic than just a normal tablet. The beauty of e-ink as well is that it’s easier to use in direct lighting, meaning that you can take it outside in the sun and not have any visibility problems in using it.

HarmonyOS modified for e-ink

Huawei’s software is quite heavily modified for this display, and you can take a look at some of the screenshots below. Screenshots come out in full color, though the entire UI is designed to be completely monochrome, anyway. It’s nicely laid out for the display and looks really good.

Using this device as an actual e-reader wasn’t possible for me before the most recent software update. Lots of book browsing options didn’t load, except for the ones that did — but only in Spanish. This was rectified, and while I still get a load of Spanish suggestions when browsing the book store, there are also English-language options too that weren’t there previously.

However, I’ve also found that you can load ePub files and others through the likes of ReadEra to great effect, and it’s just as good of an experience as it would be on a Kindle. You can export books from services such as Kobo for use on your Huawei MatePad Paper if you want to read an ePub file. I installed ReadEra using Aurora Store sideloaded, though the official Huawei Books app will open them just fine. The screen itself is rather annoying and cumbersome to navigate, so I used adb to install the Aurora Store APK file rather than downloading it on the device like I normally would.

ReadEra - book reader pdf, epub, word (Free, Google Play) →

A sophisticated Kindle

The Huawei MatePad Paper is an interesting product that’s essentially just a sophisticated Kindle, and I’m not sure how much of an appeal that really holds. It’s expensive, but it’s also a more premium experience than you’ll find pretty much anywhere else readily available. The hardware is fantastic, the speakers are loud and clear, and even the software is more versatile than you’ll get on other devices. If you’ve ever used a Kindle, you’ll get the MatePad Paper.

Is it all worth it, though? It depends. I found that Huawei’s own bookstore was rather limited, and I’d highly recommend using ePub files or other proprietary formats that you can read on Android through the use of third-party apps. The official Huawei books app can actually open them too, though if you’re going to go out of your way to export books from other services, you may as well use a more customizable — not to mention better — e-reader app. The Huawei Books app integrates with the system and essentially pins books to your launcher, so that’s admittedly going to be a better option if all you want to do is open a book and read it.

Given that it’s Android, you can also install Android apps, and those apps include the likes of Genshin Impact. Given the display’s low refresh rate, no games are playable. In fact, even using apps that scroll are pretty painful. Just because it works doesn’t mean you should do it, is basically the lesson learned here.

Overall, this leaves the Huawei MatePad Paper in a weird place. I like it a lot, but the price is hard to justify except for the most niche use cases. No matter though, it’s a premium hardware experience, and it’s enjoyable for what it sets out to do.

Huawei MatePad Paper

The Huawei MatePad Paper is a Huawei competitor to the Kindle Oasis, and it packs everything and more that you'd expect from an e-reader. Not only that, but it has HarmonyOS too, with support for all of your favorite Android apps.

See at Huawei

If you’re looking for a more conventional tablet experience, we’d recommend checking out recommended iPads and Android tablets.

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Magic ToolFlash lets you flash ZIP packages directly from your Android device

When most people install Magisk modules, they just flash it via the Magisk app and then reboot into Android. When it comes to installing regular flashable ZIP packages, there are custom recovery projects like TWRP that do the job. However, if you’re going to be rooting and tinkering your device, you should probably get used to the command-line interface anyway. Aside from the obvious fact that knowing some shell commands is useful, learning to utilize them can mean not having to flash via another app or connect your smartphone to your PC for sideloading any more than absolutely necessary. This is where the Magic ToolFlash project comes in.

Created by XDA Senior Member huskydg, Magic ToolFlash is a unique take on the Android flashing mechanism. It’s a command-line flash tool that works without a custom recovery environment. All you need to do is download a flashable ZIP on your device. Next, call the tool through any terminal emulator app with root privilege to execute the flashing operation.

Aside from creating an isolated namespace for the sake of security, Magic ToolFlash also shows the detailed flash log to the end-user. You can flash different Magisk modules, the Magisk app itself, as well as other mod ZIP files right from a CLI window on your phone using the flash command after installing this Magisk module. However, the tool can’t be used to install a ROM from a running Android system yet.

Keep in mind that the /tmp directory does not exist on the Android root filesystem. As a result, you might need to modify the updater script and use /dev/tmp as the temporary directory while using Magic ToolFlash. Moreover, if the target flashable zip contains hardcoded /sbin command, it might fail on Android 11 and above operating systems.

If you are a developer and want to explore the codebase of Magic ToolFlash, then take a look at the project’s GitHub repository. A ready-to-use Magisk module version is also available for download under the Releases section of the repo.

Magic ToolFlash: Download || GitHub Repository

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Philips Hue gets new scenes, a demo mode and an impending price increase

Philips Hue is still the defacto choice for smart lighting with the most mature ecosystem of any such product. The hard work continues to make the system even better, but it’s not all good news. Alongside some small but still interesting updates within the companion application, it looks like Philips could be making some fairly significant price increases to Hue products.

Starting with the good, within the last few days two updates have been pushed out to Philips Hue. Specifically, versions 4.16 and 4.16.1. The usual dry update text was applied to the app — because why would you tell your users what awesome new stuff you’ve been working on — but Hueblog has summed up the details.

In the first update, those pesky bug fixes were joined by a couple of new scenes — Rio and Cancun. Perhaps more interestingly, the first signs of support for multiple bridges from the same account also appeared. It doesn’t seem to be complete yet and it’s pretty buried in the settings, but it’s a change sure to please those with large setups.

The second update seems to have added a demo mode into the Discover portion of the app. Existing users probably won’t ever touch this, but for those just dipping their toes into the Hue ecosystem, it’s a useful addition. It can be pretty overwhelming to beginners.

The not-so-good news, also surfaced by Hueblog, is that a fairly sizeable price increase looks to be on the way. A round of increases already hit some products in recent months, but the rest of the lineup is set to be affected. The actual increase is reported to be around 16%, which naturally means the extra spend will be more noticeable on the most expensive Hue products.

It’s not totally surprising, Philips isn’t the only electronics manufacturer having to raise prices. Unfortunately, it’s the nature of the beast right now. The component shortage lives on and things just cost more to make. To grab the latest update for your Hue system head on over to the Google Play Store and the App Store.

via Hueblog (1), (2)

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Download: MIUI Closed Beta for Xiaomi and Redmi devices [Update: April 21 PRE builds]

The latest version of Xiaomi’s custom Android skin – MIUI 13 – is finally here. The latest iteration of MIUI has been unveiled at the Xiaomi 12 launch event in China. Compared to MIUI 12/12.5, MIUI 13 brings in a slew of improvements, visual overhauls, and a handful of new features. We have already extracted the new live wallpapers, and now we are presenting the downloading links of the MIUI 13 beta firmware packages for a bunch of Xiaomi, Redmi, and POCO devices.

It is worth mentioning that these closed beta builds are meant for the Chinese variants, as Xiaomi suspended the rollout of MIUI global beta last year. As a consequence, you have to flash these recovery ROMs using TWRP to bypass the MIUI beta account whitelisting. Do not expect Google Play Services or any pre-installed Google apps in them. Language options are likely limited to English and Chinese only, too.

The Best Xiaomi Phones to Buy

The beta MIUI 12.5/13 builds listed below are based on either Android 11 or Android 12, depending on the device. If you are looking for MIUI 13 stable releases, you can find those here.

Download MIUI Closed Beta

You can download the latest beta of MIUI 12.5/13 for your device from the links below. You can also visit our linked forums in case you need further assistance. While all of these download links are directly from Xiaomi, users are advised to proceed at their own risk. We warn you once again, this is not intended for the average consumer and is recommended only for users comfortable with flashing ROMs.

Sr. No.	Device, Device Codename, XDA Forum Link	Android Version	Download Link (22.4.21)
1.	Redmi K40 / POCO F3 / Mi 11X (alioth)	Android 12	Download
2.	Redmi 10X 5G (atom)	Android 11	Download
3.	Mi 10T / Redmi K30S (apollo)	Android 12	Download
4.	Redmi K40 Gaming / POCO F3 GT (ares)	Android 12	Download
5.	Redmi 10X Pro (bomb)	Android 11	Download
6.	Redmi Note 10 5G / POCO M3 Pro 5G (camellia)	Android 12	Download
7.	Redmi Note 9 5G [China] / Redmi Note 9T (cannon)	Android 11	Download
8.	Mi 10 Ultra (cas)	Android 12	Download
9.	Mi MIX Fold (cetus)	Android 11	Download
10.	Redmi K30 Ultra (cezanne)	Android 12	Download
11.	Redmi Note 10 Pro (China) (chopin)	Android 12	Download
12.	Mi 10 Pro (cmi)	Android 12	Download
13.	Mi Pad 5 Pro Wi-Fi (elish)	Android 11	Download
14.	Redmi Note 11 [China] (evergo)	Android 12	Download
15.	Xiaomi Mi 10T Lite / Mi 10i / Redmi Note 9 Pro 5G (gauguin)	Android 12	Download
16.	Redmi K40 Pro (haydn)	Android 12	Download
17.	Redmi Note 9 4G [China] / Redmi 9 Power / Redmi 9T (lime)	Android 11	Download
18.	Mi 11 LE [China] / Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE [India] (lisa)	Android 12	Download
19.	Redmi K30 Pro / POCO F2 Pro (lmi)	Android 12	Download
20.	Xiaomi CIVI (mona)	Android 12	Download
21.	Xiaomi Pad 5 (nabu)	Android 11	Download
22.	Xiaomi Mix 4 (odin)	Android 12	Download
23.	POCO X2 / Redmi K30 4G (phoenix)	Android 12	Download
24.	Redmi K30 5G (picasso)	Android 12	Download
25.	Redmi K30i 5G (picasso48m)	Android 12	Download
26.	Redmi Note 11 Pro [China] / Xiaomi 11i [India] / Xiaomi 11i HyperCharge [India] (pissarro)	Android 12	Download
27.	Xiaomi 12X (psyche)	Android 12	Download
28.	Mi 11 Lite 5G (renoir)	Android 12	Download
29.	Mi 11 Ultra (star)  / Mi 11 Pro (mars)	Android 12	Download
30.	Mi 10S (thyme)	Android 12	Download
31.	Mi Note 10 / Mi CC9 Pro (tucana)	Android 11	Download
32.	Mi 10 (umi)	Android 12	Download
33.	Mi 10 Youth Edition / Mi 10 Lite Zoom (vangogh)	Android 12	Download
34.	Xiaomi Mi 11 (venus)	Android 12	Download

Links for the previous beta builds of MIUI 12.5 are preserved as well:

MIUI Closed Beta (22.4.13) Download Links

Sr. No.	Device, Device Codename, XDA Forum Link	Android Version	Download Link (22.4.13)
1.	Redmi K40 / POCO F3 / Mi 11X (alioth)	Android 12	Download
2.	Redmi 10X 5G (atom)	Android 11	Download
3.	Mi 10T / Redmi K30S (apollo)	Android 12	Download
4.	Redmi K40 Gaming / POCO F3 GT (ares)	Android 12	Download
5.	Redmi 10X Pro (bomb)	Android 11	Download
6.	Redmi Note 10 5G / POCO M3 Pro 5G (camellia)	Android 12	Download
7.	Redmi Note 9 5G [China] / Redmi Note 9T (cannon)	Android 11	Download
8.	Mi 10 Ultra (cas)	Android 12	Download
9.	Mi MIX Fold (cetus)	Android 11	Download
10.	Redmi K30 Ultra (cezanne)	Android 12	Download
11.	Redmi Note 10 Pro (China) (chopin)	Android 12	Download
12.	Mi 10 Pro (cmi)	Android 12	Download
13.	Mi Pad 5 Pro Wi-Fi (elish)	Android 11	Download
14.	Redmi Note 11 [China] (evergo)	Android 12	Download
15.	Xiaomi Mi 10T Lite / Mi 10i / Redmi Note 9 Pro 5G (gauguin)	Android 12	Download
16.	Redmi K40 Pro (haydn)	Android 12	Download
17.	Redmi Note 9 4G [China] / Redmi 9 Power / Redmi 9T (lime)	Android 11	Download
18.	Mi 11 LE [China] / Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE [India] (lisa)	Android 12	Download
19.	Redmi K30 Pro / POCO F2 Pro (lmi)	Android 12	Download
20.	Xiaomi CIVI (mona)	Android 12	Download
21.	Xiaomi Pad 5 (nabu)	Android 11	Download
22.	Xiaomi Mix 4 (odin)	Android 12	Download
23.	POCO X2 / Redmi K30 4G (phoenix)	Android 12	Download
24.	Redmi K30 5G (picasso)	Android 12	Download
25.	Redmi K30i 5G (picasso48m)	Android 12	Download
26.	Redmi Note 11 Pro [China] / Xiaomi 11i [India] / Xiaomi 11i HyperCharge [India] (pissarro)	Android 12	Download
27.	Xiaomi 12X (psyche)	Android 12	Download
28.	Mi 11 Lite 5G (renoir)	Android 12	Download
29.	Mi 11 Ultra (star)  / Mi 11 Pro (mars)	Android 12	Download
30.	Mi 10S (thyme)	Android 12	Download
31.	Mi Note 10 / Mi CC9 Pro (tucana)	Android 11	Download
32.	Mi 10 (umi)	Android 12	Download
33.	Mi 10 Youth Edition / Mi 10 Lite Zoom (vangogh)	Android 12	Download
34.	Xiaomi Mi 11 (venus)	Android 12	Download

MIUI Closed Beta (22.3.23) Download Links

Sr. No.	Device, Device Codename, XDA Forum Link	Android Version	Download Link (22.3.23)
1.	Redmi K40 / POCO F3 / Mi 11X (alioth)	Android 12	Download
2.	Redmi 10X 5G (atom)	Android 11	Download
3.	Mi 10T / Redmi K30S (apollo)	Android 12	Download
4.	Redmi K40 Gaming / POCO F3 GT (ares)	Android 12	Download
5.	Redmi 10X Pro (bomb)	Android 11	Download
6.	Redmi Note 10 5G / POCO M3 Pro 5G (camellia)	Android 12	Download
7.	Redmi Note 9 5G [China] / Redmi Note 9T (cannon)	Android 11	Download
8.	Mi 10 Ultra (cas)	Android 12	Download
9.	Mi MIX Fold (cetus)	Android 11	Download
10.	Redmi K30 Ultra (cezanne)	Android 11	Download
11.	Redmi Note 10 Pro (China) (chopin)	Android 12	Download
12.	Mi 10 Pro (cmi)	Android 12	Download
13.	Mi Pad 5 Pro Wi-Fi (elish)	Android 11	Download
14.	Redmi Note 11 [China] (evergo)	Android 12	Download
15.	Xiaomi Mi 10T Lite / Mi 10i / Redmi Note 9 Pro 5G (gauguin)	Android 12	Download
16.	Redmi K40 Pro (haydn)	Android 12	Download
17.	Redmi Note 9 4G [China] / Redmi 9 Power / Redmi 9T (lime)	Android 11	Download
18.	Mi 11 LE [China] / Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE [India] (lisa)	Android 12	Download
19.	Redmi K30 Pro / POCO F2 Pro (lmi)	Android 12	Download
20.	Xiaomi CIVI (mona)	Android 12	Download
21.	Xiaomi Pad 5 (nabu)	Android 11	Download
22.	Xiaomi Mix 4 (odin)	Android 12	Download
23.	POCO X2 / Redmi K30 4G (phoenix)	Android 12	Download
24.	Redmi K30 5G (picasso)	Android 12	Download
25.	Redmi K30i 5G (picasso48m)	Android 12	Download
26.	Redmi Note 11 Pro [China] / Xiaomi 11i [India] / Xiaomi 11i HyperCharge [India] (pissarro)	Android 12	Download
27.	Xiaomi 12X (psyche)	Android 12	Download
28.	Mi 11 Lite 5G (renoir)	Android 12	Download
29.	Mi 11 Ultra (star)  / Mi 11 Pro (mars)	Android 12	Download
30.	Mi 10S (thyme)	Android 12	Download
31.	Mi Note 10 / Mi CC9 Pro (tucana)	Android 11	Download
32.	Mi 10 (umi)	Android 12	Download
33.	Mi 10 Youth Edition / Mi 10 Lite Zoom (vangogh)	Android 12	Download
34.	Xiaomi Mi 11 (venus)	Android 12	Download

MIUI Closed Beta (22.3.3) Download Links

Sr. No.	Device, Device Codename, XDA Forum Link	Android Version	Download Link (22.3.3)
1.	Redmi K40 / POCO F3 / Mi 11X (alioth)	Android 12	Download
2.	Redmi 10X 5G (atom)	Android 11	Download
3.	Mi 10T / Redmi K30S (apollo)	Android 12	Download
4.	Redmi K40 Gaming / POCO F3 GT (ares)	Android 12	Download
5.	Redmi Note 8 Pro (begonia)	Android 11	Download
6.	Redmi 10X Pro (bomb)	Android 11	Download
7.	Redmi Note 10 5G / POCO M3 Pro 5G (camellia)	Android 12	Download
8.	Redmi Note 9 5G [China] / Redmi Note 9T (cannon)	Android 11	Download
9.	Mi 10 Ultra (cas)	Android 12	Download
10.	Mi 9 (cepheus)	Android 11	Download
11.	Mi MIX Fold (cetus)	Android 11	Download
12.	Redmi K30 Ultra (cezanne)	Android 11	Download
13.	Redmi Note 10 Pro (China) (chopin)	Android 12	Download
14.	Mi 10 Pro (cmi)	Android 12	Download
15.	Mi 9 Pro 5G (crux)	Android 11	Download
16.	Redmi K20 / Mi 9T (davinci)	Android 11	Download
17.	Mi Pad 5 Pro Wi-Fi (elish)	Android 11	Download
18.	Redmi Note 11 [China] (evergo)	Android 12	Download
19.	Xiaomi Mi 10T Lite / Mi 10i / Redmi Note 9 Pro 5G (gauguin)	Android 12	Download
20.	Redmi Note 8 (ginkgo)	Android 11	Download
21.	Mi 9 SE (grus)	Android 11	Download
22.	Redmi K40 Pro (haydn)	Android 12	Download
23.	Redmi Note 9 4G [China] / Redmi 9 Power / Redmi 9T (lime)	Android 11	Download
24.	Mi 11 LE [China] / Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE [India] (lisa)	Android 12	Download
25.	Redmi K30 Pro / POCO F2 Pro (lmi)	Android 12	Download
26.	Xiaomi CIVI (mona)	Android 12	Download
27.	Xiaomi Mix 4 (odin)	Android 12	Download
28.	POCO X2 / Redmi K30 4G (phoenix)	Android 12	Download
29.	Redmi K30 5G (picasso)	Android 12	Download
30.	Redmi K30i 5G (picasso48m)	Android 12	Download
31.	Redmi Note 11 Pro [China] / Xiaomi 11i [India] / Xiaomi 11i HyperCharge [India] (pissarro)	Android 12	Download
32.	Xiaomi 12X (psyche)	Android 12	Download
33.	Mi 9 Lite / Mi CC9 (pyxis)	Android 11	Download
34.	Redmi K20 Pro / Mi 9T Pro (raphael)	Android 11	Download
35.	Mi 11 Lite 5G (renoir)	Android 12	Download
36.	Mi 11 Ultra (star)  / Mi 11 Pro (mars)	Android 12	Download
37.	Mi 10S (thyme)	Android 12	Download
38.	Mi Note 10 / Mi CC9 Pro (tucana)	Android 11	Download
39.	Mi 10 (umi)	Android 12	Download
40.	Mi 10 Youth Edition / Mi 10 Lite Zoom (vangogh)	Android 12	Download
41.	Mi CC9 Meitu Edition (vela)	Android 11	Download
42.	Xiaomi Mi 11 (venus)	Android 12	Download

MIUI Closed Beta (22.2.23) Download Links

Sr. No.	Device, Device Codename, XDA Forum Link	Android Version	Download Link (22.2.23)
1.	Redmi K40 / POCO F3 / Mi 11X (alioth)	Android 12	Download
2.	Redmi 10X 5G (atom)	Android 11	Download
3.	Mi 10T / Redmi K30S (apollo)	Android 12	Download
4.	Redmi K40 Gaming / POCO F3 GT (ares)	Android 12	Download
5.	Redmi Note 8 Pro (begonia)	Android 11	Download
6.	Redmi 10X Pro (bomb)	Android 11	Download
7.	Redmi Note 10 5G / POCO M3 Pro 5G (camellia)	Android 12	Download
8.	Redmi Note 9 5G [China] / Redmi Note 9T (cannon)	Android 11	Download
9.	Mi 10 Ultra (cas)	Android 12	Download
10.	Mi 9 (cepheus)	Android 11	Download
11.	Mi MIX Fold (cetus)	Android 11	Download
12.	Redmi K30 Ultra (cezanne)	Android 11	Download
13.	Redmi Note 10 Pro (China) (chopin)	Android 12	Download
14.	Mi 10 Pro (cmi)	Android 12	Download
15.	Mi 9 Pro 5G (crux)	Android 11	Download
16.	Redmi K20 / Mi 9T (davinci)	Android 11	Download
17.	Mi Pad 5 Pro Wi-Fi (elish)	Android 11	Download
18.	Redmi Note 11 [China] (evergo)	Android 12	Download
19.	Xiaomi Mi 10T Lite / Mi 10i / Redmi Note 9 Pro 5G (gauguin)	Android 12	Download
20.	Redmi Note 8 (ginkgo)	Android 11	Download
21.	Mi 9 SE (grus)	Android 11	Download
22.	Redmi K40 Pro (haydn)	Android 12	Download
23.	Redmi Note 9 4G [China] / Redmi 9 Power / Redmi 9T (lime)	Android 11	Download
24.	Mi 11 LE [China] / Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE [India] (lisa)	Android 12	Download
25.	Redmi K30 Pro / POCO F2 Pro (lmi)	Android 12	Download
26.	Xiaomi CIVI (mona)	Android 12	Download
27.	Xiaomi Mix 4 (odin)	Android 12	Download
28.	POCO X2 / Redmi K30 4G (phoenix)	Android 12	Download
29.	Redmi K30 5G (picasso)	Android 12	Download
30.	Redmi K30i 5G (picasso48m)	Android 12	Download
31.	Redmi Note 11 Pro [China] / Xiaomi 11i [India] / Xiaomi 11i HyperCharge [India] (pissarro)	Android 12	Download
32.	Mi 9 Lite / Mi CC9 (pyxis)	Android 11	Download
33.	Redmi K20 Pro / Mi 9T Pro (raphael)	Android 11	Download
34.	Mi 11 Lite 5G (renoir)	Android 12	Download
35.	Mi 11 Ultra (star)  / Mi 11 Pro (mars)	Android 12	Download
36.	Mi 10S (thyme)	Android 12	Download
37.	Mi Note 10 / Mi CC9 Pro (tucana)	Android 11	Download
38.	Mi 10 (umi)	Android 12	Download
39.	Mi 10 Youth Edition / Mi 10 Lite Zoom (vangogh)	Android 12	Download
40.	Mi CC9 Meitu Edition (vela)	Android 11	Download
41.	Xiaomi Mi 11 (venus)	Android 12	Download

MIUI Closed Beta (22.2.17) Download Links

Sr. No.	Device, Device Codename, XDA Forum Link	Android Version	Download Link (22.2.17)
1.	Redmi K40 / POCO F3 / Mi 11X (alioth)	Android 12	Download
2.	Redmi 10X 5G (atom)	Android 11	Download
3.	Mi 10T / Redmi K30S (apollo)	Android 12	Download
4.	Redmi K40 Gaming / POCO F3 GT (ares)	Android 12	Download
5.	Redmi Note 8 Pro (begonia)	Android 11	Download
6.	Redmi 10X Pro (bomb)	Android 11	Download
7.	Redmi Note 10 5G / POCO M3 Pro 5G (camellia)	Android 12	Download
8.	Redmi Note 9 5G [China] / Redmi Note 9T (cannon)	Android 11	Download
9.	Mi 10 Ultra (cas)	Android 12	Download
10.	Mi 9 (cepheus)	Android 11	Download
11.	Mi MIX Fold (cetus)	Android 11	Download
12.	Redmi K30 Ultra (cezanne)	Android 11	Download
13.	Redmi Note 10 Pro (China) (chopin)	Android 12	Download
14.	Mi 10 Pro (cmi)	Android 12	Download
15.	Mi 9 Pro 5G (crux)	Android 11	Download
16.	Redmi K20 / Mi 9T (davinci)	Android 11	Download
17.	Mi Pad 5 Pro Wi-Fi (elish)	Android 11	Download
18.	Redmi Note 11 [China] (evergo)	Android 11	Download
19.	Xiaomi Mi 10T Lite / Mi 10i / Redmi Note 9 Pro 5G (gauguin)	Android 12	Download
20.	Redmi Note 8 (ginkgo)	Android 11	Download
21.	Mi 9 SE (grus)	Android 11	Download
22.	Redmi K40 Pro (haydn)	Android 12	Download
23.	Redmi Note 9 4G [China] / Redmi 9 Power / Redmi 9T (lime)	Android 11	Download
24.	Redmi K30 Pro / POCO F2 Pro (lmi)	Android 12	Download
25.	Xiaomi CIVI (mona)	Android 12	Download
26.	Xiaomi Mix 4 (odin)	Android 12	Download
27.	POCO X2 / Redmi K30 4G (phoenix)	Android 12	Download
28.	Redmi K30 5G (picasso)	Android 12	Download
29.	Redmi K30i 5G (picasso48m)	Android 12	Download
30.	Redmi Note 11 Pro [China] / Xiaomi 11i [India] / Xiaomi 11i HyperCharge [India] (pissarro)	Android 11	Download
31.	Mi 9 Lite / Mi CC9 (pyxis)	Android 11	Download
32.	Redmi K20 Pro / Mi 9T Pro (raphael)	Android 11	Download
33.	Mi 11 Lite 5G (renoir)	Android 12	Download
34.	Mi 11 Ultra (star)  / Mi 11 Pro (mars)	Android 12	Download
35.	Mi 10S (thyme)	Android 12	Download
36.	Mi Note 10 / Mi CC9 Pro (tucana)	Android 11	Download
37.	Mi 10 (umi)	Android 12	Download
38.	Mi 10 Youth Edition / Mi 10 Lite Zoom (vangogh)	Android 12	Download
39.	Mi CC9 Meitu Edition (vela)	Android 11	Download
40.	Xiaomi Mi 11 (venus)	Android 12	Download

---

Changelog

The full changelog for MIUI 12.5 beta, when updating from MIUI 12, is as follows:

MIUI 12.5 Full Changelog

• Highlights:
  • MIUI 12.5. Yours alone.
• System:
  • New: Response to gestures is now instant
  • New: With 20 times more rendering power, there are now few limited to what you can see on your screen.
  • New: With custom device model adjustments, any phone becomes faster after the upgrade.
  • Optimization: MIUI became lighter, faster, and more durable.
• System Animations:
  • New: A new animation framework renders movement more realistically.
  • New: New UI design is focused on visualization and making your interaction with the device more lifelike.
• System Sounds:
  • New: Nature mix is a new exciting way of creating your own notification sound system.
  • New: Hundreds of system sounds that represent animals from all around the world.
  • New: Stereo system sounds.
• Super Wallpapers:
  • New: Mount Siguniang super wallpaper.
• Privacy Protection:
  • New: Now you can see what apps access your clipboard and control access.
  • New: Using approximate location adds up points to privacy protection.
  • New: You can now manage sensitive permissions and related app behavior independently.
  • New: The behavior of web pages is also tracked now, which helps you to block unwanted and malicious actions.
  • New: Now it’s up to you who and when can track your online behavior.
  • New: All apps now come with a security statement from GetApps.
  • New: Privacy risk scanner.
  • New: Control which apps access and delete items from your Gallery.
  • New: A comprehensive overview of all sensitive permissions.
  • New: You’ll be notified whenever high-risk permissions are used and will be able to block the corresponding actions.
  • Optimization: An all-new privacy protection page.
• Notes:
  • New: Compose mind maps with complex structures.
  • New: New tools for doodling and sketching.
  • New: Press and hold a sketch to adjust the strokes automatically.
  • New: A gesture shortcut now allows you to create notes, tasks, and excerpts anywhere.
  • New: Excerpts save texts, URLs, and images to Notes in a few simple taps.
  • New: Dynamix layouts make bring the typography in Notes to a new level.
  • All-new Notes.
• MIUI+:
  • You can combine your phone and computer into a single working station.
  • You can view MIUI notifications and open phone apps on your computer.
  • Apps from your phone can be handed off to your computer.
  • The items copied on a phone can now be pasted on the computer and vice versa.
  • Photos and screenshots from a mobile device can be instantly used on a computer.
  • Web pages can be seamlessly handed over from one device to another.
  • You can transfer files to your mobile device using the “MIUI+” panel on your computer.
  • New “File Manager” and “Notes” for computers.
• Floating Windows:
  • New: Instant messengers now support floating windows.
  • New: Floating windows can be quickly replaced with fullscreen versions of the apps.
  • New: App flashcards show key info when apps are displayed as floating windows.
  • Learn more about new features in “Special features”/
• Xiaomi Health:
  • New: You can measure your heart rate using the camera now.
  • New: Start recording running, walking, and cycling workouts manually, and enjoy lots of online workout classes.
  • Optimization: Automatic workout recognition is much more accurate now.
• Home screen:
  • New: “Ripples” animation for downloading apps.
  • New: “Burst” animation for uninstalling apps.
  • New: New design for app folders.
  • New: A vertical layout for Recents.
• Casting:
  • New: The aspect ratio is adjusted to the external monitor automatically during casting.
  • New: The audio of the app that’s being cast in a floating window is separated from other audio.
• Xiaomi Cloud:
  • New: Password manager allows you to store passwords in the cloud.
  • New: You can share device location with other people in your family sharing group.
  • New: Location information can be recorded automatically before the device powers off.
  • New: Convert images to PDF.
• Mi Carrier Services:
  • New: You can manage multiple SIM cards now.
• IME:
  • New: A more convenient way to move a cursor using the scrollbar.
  • New: Function buttons support switching between languages and keyboards.
  • New: You can press and hold the function buttons to access more features.
  • New: Custom themes for keyboards.
• Themes:
  • New: Font weight adjustment options for third-party fonts.
  • Optimization: Personalization features for system wallpapers, animations, and sounds.
• Browser:
  • New: Wallpaper customization in the lite mode.
  • Optimization: Redesigned Incognito mode.
  • Optimization: Pages load much faster now.
• Mi Family:
  • New: You can manage multiple SIM cards now.
  • Optimization: Revamped device control center.
• Search:
  • Optimization: Local search results are sorted automatically now.
  • Optimization: All-new design.

---

Thanks to XDA Recognized Developer yshalsager and XDA Member kacskrz for providing these download links!

The post Download: MIUI Closed Beta for Xiaomi and Redmi devices [Update: April 21 PRE builds] appeared first on xda-developers.

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Garmin returns to the fitness tracker game with the Vivosmart 5

It’s been a while since we saw a fitness tracker from Garmin. The last tracker from the company was the Vivosmart 4, which was launched nearly four years ago. But the dry spell is ending as Garmin returns to the fitness tracker game with the brand new Vivosmart 5. The device has been making rounds in various leaks since the start of this month, and now it’s finally official.

As far as the design goes, the Vivosmart 5 doesn’t look radically different from its predecessor. However, the new device is much bigger, featuring a 66% larger display and a wider silicone band. It’s an OLED display that measures 10.5 mm x 18.5 mm and has a resolution of 88 x 154 pixels. There’s also a physical button that sits just below the display, and unlike its predecessor, the band is replaceable on the new model.

 

The Vivosmart 5 offers the usual array of tracking features. It can track your heart rate 24/7, can monitor sleep and provide a detailed analysis and a sleep score, can count steps and calories burned, track blood oxygen saturation, and so on. In addition, it can also monitor Body Battery levels, stress, and women’s health tracking. Another notable feature is Fitness Age, which tracks your weekly activity, resting heart rate, and body fat to provide feedback on your fitness level.

The Vivosmart 5 doesn’t have a built-in GPS, but it can use your smartphone’s GPS to track distance, pace, and speed during runs and bike rides. The fitness tracker works with both Android and iOS devices and can also display notifications and call alerts. The battery is rated for up to seven days on a single charge, which is not the highest we have seen on a fitness tracker, but it’s still better than what we’re used to on smartwatches.

The Vivosmart 5 comes in Black, White, and Cool Mint colors and is now on sale for $150/£130.

---

Source: Garmin
Via: Wareable

The post Garmin returns to the fitness tracker game with the Vivosmart 5 appeared first on xda-developers.

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Google Photos Library tab redesign delayed, will come with “some additional changes”

Last month, Google talked about a couple of UI changes coming to the Photos app. The company said that it was giving the Library and Sharing tabs in the app a UI overhaul, introducing a new import photos option, and adding new features to help users easily manage and edit screenshots. While some of these features have rolled out to Google Photos on the stable channel since the announcement, the Library tab redesign has reportedly been delayed.

In its original announcement post about the Library tab redesign, Google said that the updated Library tab UI would roll out to users on the same day. The redesigned UI did reach some iOS users shortly after the announcement, but it never made its way to the Android version of the app. A new report from 9to5Google reveals that Google has now rolled back the redesigned UI from the iPhone and iPad versions of the app and has delayed the rollout to allow for “some additional changes.”

For the unaware, the redesigned Library tab UI introduced an updated grid/list layout for all media folders and added search filters at the top. It also moved the Favorites, Utilities, Archive, and Trash buttons from the top to a list at the bottom of the tab. This new list also included the Locked Folder option and a new Import photos option to help users easily copy photos from other services to Google Photos, digitize photos (or videos and film), and move images from a camera to the phone. You can check it out in the video embedded below.

At the moment, we’re not sure what additional changes Google plans to make to the Photos app’s Library tab UI. We’ll make sure to let you know as soon as we have more information.

Did you like the redesigned Library tab UI that Google showcased last month? Why or why not? Let us know in the comments section below.

---

Source: 9to5Google

The post Google Photos Library tab redesign delayed, will come with “some additional changes” appeared first on xda-developers.

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New Play Store policy will kill third-party call recording apps starting May 11

The built-in call recorder is a staple of custom OEM skins such as MIUI and ColorOS. It also comes pre-loaded on Google Pixel phones, integrated into the Phone app. But it isn’t universally available on Android phones due to regional laws. In case your phone doesn’t have the functionality, you can always install a third-party app from the Google Play Store to get the job done. But unfortunately, an upcoming Google Play Policy change will kill all third-party call recording apps once and for all.

Google has actively discouraged call recording on Android over the years. With Android 6.0, Google killed off the official call-recording API that allowed developers to easily bake the call recording function into their apps. This prompted app developers to look for unofficial ways to enable call recording. But again, Google killed off some of these workarounds in Android 9.0. And with Android 10, the company completely blocked call recording over the microphone.

As a last resort, developers started using Android’s Accessibility Service to offer call recording on devices running Android 10 and above. Google has now announced it will not allow third-party apps to use the Accessibility API for call audio recording, spelling the end for third-party call recording apps.

Google’s updated Play Store policy lays out several changes coming to the Accessibility API. And one of these changes will prevent third-party app developers from enabling call recording using the API. The change will go into effect from May 11.

The Accessibility API is not designed and cannot be requested for remote call audio recording.

In a recent developer webinar, Google clarified that this change would only affect third-party apps:

“Remote in this context refers to call audio recording where the person on the other end is unaware of the recording is taking place. So, if the app is the default dialer on the phone and also pre-loaded, accessibility capability is not required to get access to the incoming audio stream and hence would not be in violation. Since this is a clarification to an existing policy, the new language will apply to all apps starting May 11th.”

In simple terms, if your phone comes preloaded with the call recording feature, you have nothing to worry about — it will continue to work as intended. This upcoming change will only apply to third-party apps on the Play Store that specifically use the Accessibility API to enable call recording. The Google Phone app, which offers built-in call recording, is exempt from the change.

Google hasn’t clarified how it intends to enforce this upcoming policy change. It isn’t clear if Google will kick third-party apps that don’t comply with the change from the Play Store after the May deadline or not.

---

Source: Google Play Console, Google Play Developer Policy Updates
Via: Reddit

The post New Play Store policy will kill third-party call recording apps starting May 11 appeared first on xda-developers.

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