Supercharge your Galaxy Z Flip 3’s cover screen with this app

I’ve been using the Galaxy Z Flip 3 for well over a month now and, while I like the phone as a whole, I’m not too fond of the cover screen. Even though the Galaxy Z Flip 3 features a much larger cover screen than its predecessors, it doesn’t offer much in terms of functionality. It currently supports only six widgets, including Music, Weather, Today’s schedule, Next alarm, Voice Recorder, and Timer, which aren’t as useful as you might think. And Samsung doesn’t offer many customization options either. To address this, XDA Recognized Developer jagan2 has come up with CoverScreen OS — an app that simulates a significantly more functional secondary OS for your Galaxy Z Flip 3’s cover screen.

If you own a Galaxy Z Flip 3, you should definitely give CoverScreen OS a shot. It gives you access to a full app drawer, lets you open apps (and even some games) on the cover screen, supports third-party widgets, provides quick toggles to enable/disable a few settings, and even features an active media player card. Furthermore, you can use CoverScreenOS to reply to messages using voice typing and add an LED notification indicator to the cover screen. Check out the video embedded below to see it in action.

I’ve been using CoverScreen OS on my Galaxy Z Flip 3 running One UI 4 for a little over a day now, and it’s a major improvement over what Samsung offers by default. If you want to give it a go, you can follow these steps to install it on your Galaxy Z Flip 3:

• Download CoverScreen OS from the Google Play Store or this XDA forum thread
• Set up Bixby (required for fingerprint unlock to launch apps on the cover screen)
• Set side key to launch Bixby on long press (Navigate to Settings > Advanced features > Side key and toggle ‘Wake Bixby’ under ‘Press and hold’)
• Launch CoverScreen OS and login with your Google account
• Follow the on-screen instructions to grant accessibility permissions
• Tap on the toggle in the top right corner of the app to grand notification access and enable CoverScreen OS
• Fold your Galaxy Z Fold 3 and you should see a welcome notification from CoverScreen OS

Note: Make sure you have Bixby enabled on your device before setting up CoverScreen OS. It doesn’t seem to work if you install and set up the app first and then enable Bixby.

Once you have CoverScreen OS set up on your Galaxy Z Fold 3, you can customize the widgets you see on the cover screen by heading into the app and tapping on the ‘+’ button at the bottom. After picking the widget of your choice, tap on the toggle next to it to enable it. You can also reorder the widgets by tapping and holding the button to the left of the widget and dragging it to the desired position.

Before you proceed, note that CoverScreen OS is currently in its early stages of development. Therefore, you might encounter some bugs. It’s also worth mentioning that if you’ve updated your Galaxy Z Flip 3 to One UI 4, you might not be able to open apps on the cover screen. jagan2 is currently working on a fix for this issue, and it should roll out with a future update.

If you’re still willing to try CoverScreen OS, here are some navigation instructions from the developer:

• Swipe right to open the notifications screen
• Swipe left to show custom widgets
• Swipe down to open Quick settings toggles
• Swipe up to access media playback controls
• Tap on Home to open app drawer
• Notifications:
  • Tap on notifications to see more details and swipe down to go back to the notifications list
  • Swipe right to exit to the home screen from the app drawer
• If you open an app on the CoverScreen:
  • Swipe left from the right edge to navigate back
  • Swipe up from the bottom edge to head straight back to the app drawer
  • Swipe right from the app drawer to go back to the home screen
  • Click on any text input field to open voice typing keyboard (In some apps, you may have to click twice to open the voice typing keyboard)

Make sure to let us know what you think of CoverScreen OS in the comments section below. I’m already a fan and I can’t wait to see what jagan2 has in store for future updates.

CoverScreen OS (Free⁺, Google Play) →

It’s also worth noting that the Good Lock team is working on bringing new features to the Galaxy Z Flip 3’s cover screen. At the moment, the team hasn’t shared any details about the upcoming features. We’ll make sure to let you know as soon as we have more information.

Featured image by XDA Recognized Developer jagan2

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YouTube may soon let you loop video chapters

In May 2020, Google unveiled a new feature for YouTube called video chapters. As the name suggests, video chapters break down a YouTube video in chunks, making it easier to jump to specific sections of a given video without having to fiddle with the progress bar. The feature is immensely helpful when watching long videos as it allows you to quickly skim through irrelevant parts. And it’s set to become even more useful with a new repeat mode.

An APK teardown can often predict features that may arrive in a future update of an application, but it is possible that any of the features we mention here may not make it in a future release. This is because these features are currently unimplemented in the live build and may be pulled at any time by the developers in a future build.

YouTube version 17.01.36 recently rolled out on the Google Play Store and within the APK, we have found new strings for a repeat mode for video chapters.

<string name="chapter_repeat_on">Chapter repeat is on</string>
<string name="chapter_repeat_turn_off">Turn Off</string>

While it’s long been possible to loop YouTube videos, there’s currently no way to loop just a specific portion of a video. This is where this chapter repeat mode comes into play as it will allow users to view a single video chapter on repeat without having to manually pull the slider or loop the whole video. The ability to repeat or loop a video chapter can come in handy if you’re watching a tutorial or DIY video and want to take notes or follow along with instructions.

Note that the ability to repeat YouTube video chapters is still a work-in-progress and hasn’t rolled to users yet. We’ll keep a close eye on the feature and let you know if we discover any new details.

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Garmin Venu 2 Plus launched in India with up to 9 days of battery life and advanced health tracking

At CES 2022 earlier this month, Garmin unveiled a new smartwatch called the Garmin Venu 2 Plus. An upgraded version of the Garmin Venu 2, the new smartwatch retains all the best features from the last year’s model while also adding a built-in microphone for calls, animated on-screen workouts, and an additional navigation button. While the Venu 2 Plus was initially limited to markets like the US, the company has now officially launched its latest smartphone in India.

The Garmin Venu 2 Plus comes in three colorways: Graphite Black, Cream Gold, and Powder Grey. It’s priced at ₹46,990 (~$632) in India and will be available from leading online retailers including Amazon India, Flipkart, Tata CLiQ, and synergizer.co.in. It’ll also be available from offline channels like Croma, Just in Time, Helios, and GBS stores.

Garmin Venu 2 Plus

The Garmin Venu 2 Plus offers a robust set of fitness tracking features and a sporty design.

Buy from Amazon

The Garmin Venu 2 Plus has a 43mm watch case with stainless steel bezel and a 20mm quick-release silicone strap. It sports a 1.3-inch AMOLED display with Gorilla Glass 3 protection on top and Alway-on display support.

The smartwatch offers a robust set of fitness tracking features. It comes pre-loaded with 25+ indoor and GPS sports apps including walking, running, HIIT, cycling, pool swimming, Pilates, yoga, indoor climbing, hiking, advanced strength training with muscle map graphics, and more. In addition, the Venu 2 Plus also has more than 75 preset animated workouts for cardio, yoga, strength, and HIIT, demonstrating proper form and technique right on your wrist.

Another important highlight of the Venu 2 Plus is a built-in microphone that lets users make phone calls or summon voice assistants like Google Assistant and Siri right from their wrist.

The Garmin Venu 2 lets you download music playlists (up to 650 songs) from Spotify, Amazon Music, and Deezer4. It also supports PayTM contactless payments. The battery life is rated for up to 9 days in smartwatch mode, up to 24 hours in GPS mode, and up to 8 hours in GPS with Music mode.

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Google brings Android games to Windows in limited beta

You’ve always been able to play Android games on your PC, though it’s never really been easy. Projects like Android x86 and Bluestacks have typically been your best bet. Back in December of 2021, Google announced that it intended on bringing Android games to Windows, making use of the Android app layer that comes as part of Windows 11. Now, Google has brought the Google Play Games app to Windows through a very limited beta only available to some users in Hong Kong, South Korea, and Taiwan.

As reported by Ars Technica, Google says you’ll be able to “play a catalog of Google Play games on… Windows PC via a standalone application built by Google.” The company then goes on to say that it’s “excited to announce that some of the most popular mobile games in the world will be available at launch, including Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, Summoners War, State of Survival: The Joker Collaboration, and Three Kingdoms Tactics.”

In addition, games that use the Google Play Games cloud to store achievements and progress will be able to sync their progress across all of your devices, including PC, mobile, and Chrome OS. Note that this does not include regular apps on the Google Play Store, and it’s only games. For regular apps, you’ll still have to download them through the Amazon App Store or through sideloading.

Google has launched pages for the beta sign-up and a developer site, and both have some more information, though the company doesn’t go into detail about how Google Play Games works yet. All we know so far is that it’s not built on existing technology from Microsoft, Bluestacks, or others, and that it also isn’t game streaming. The company has released a set of minimum requirements that you’ll need to meet:

• Windows 10 (v2004)
• Solid state drive (SSD)
• Gaming-class GPU
• 8 logical cores of CPU
• 8 GB of RAM
• 20 GB of available storage space
• Windows admin account
• Hardware virtualization must be turned on
• Compatible PC device and configuration

Google says that the official release date will vary among regions. The company will start with the beta regions of Hong Kong, South Korea, and Taiwan, and will expand to other regions later in 2022 and beyond.

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YouTube introduces annual YouTube Premium & Music plans at a discounted price

YouTube has introduced new annual subscription plans for YouTube Premium and YouTube Music. The new plans are currently available at a discounted price, but the promotion ends soon. If you’re a YouTube Premium or YouTube Music subscriber, you should check out the new annual subscription plans below and consider subscribing before the offer ends.

According to 9to5Google, the new YouTube Premium annual plan is currently available for $107.99. In comparison, YouTube Premium’s monthly plan, which costs $11.99 per month, is about $36 more expensive annually. Both existing and new subscribers can get this plan, but you need to hurry because the promotional pricing ends on January 23.

Screenshots: 9to5Google

The new YouTube Music Premium annual subscription is also available at a discounted price of $89.99, which is around $2.50 per month cheaper than the monthly subscription plan. After the promotion ends on January 23, the YouTube Premium annual subscription plan will set you back $119.99, while the YouTube Music Premium annual plan will cost $99.99.

A YouTube support page further adds that the new annual plans are non-recurring subscriptions. This means that users will have to manually renew their subscriptions every year. It’s also worth noting that YouTube will not offer partial refunds on these plans if you want to stop using its services after a few months. The new annual subscription plans are only available to individual subscribers in the following regions: the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Russia, Turkey, Germany, Thailand, India, and Japan.

Along with the new annual subscription plans, YouTube has announced that it will scale back a significant portion on YouTube Originals. In a statement on Twitter (via The Verge), YouTube’s Chief Business Officer Robert Kyncl said: “Going forward, we will only be funding programs that are part of our Black Voices and YouTube Kids Funds. We will honor our commitment for already contracted shows in progress and creators who are involved with those shows should expect to hear from us directly in the coming days.”

An update on YouTube Originals: pic.twitter.com/PixhgZ2yhU

— Robert Kyncl (@rkyncl) January 18, 2022

Kyncl provided a couple of reasons behind this decision, including a shift to other initiatives like YouTube’s Creator Shorts Fund, Black Voices Fund and Live Shopping programming, and YouTube Global Head of  Original Content Susanne Daniels’s departure from the company.

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Qualcomm, Vodafone, and Thales demonstrate major development in iSIM technology

Qualcomm today demonstrated a working smartphone featuring the next-gen integrated SIM (iSIM) technology in partnership with Vodafone and Thales. The new technology integrates the functionality offered by a physical SIM card to the main processor, which allows for “greater system integration, higher performance, and increased memory capacity.” Integrating the SIM with the main processor also frees up some valuable space, as it doesn’t require a separate chip like eSIM solutions or a SIM card tray, which has quite a few additional benefits.

In its press release, Qualcomm states that its iSIM technology offers the following benefits:

• Simplifies and enhances device design and performance by releasing space previously occupied within a device
• Consolidates the SIM functionality into the device’s main chipset alongside other critical capabilities such as GPU, CPU, and modem
• Enables remote SIM provisioning by the operator leveraging the existing eSIM infrastructure
• Opens mobile service connection capabilities to a host of devices that previously could not have SIM capabilities built-in

The press release further reveals that Qualcomm’s proof of concept (POC) demonstration took place in Europe at Samsung’s R&D labs and it illustrates the “technology’s commercial readiness and efficiency working on existing infrastructure, leveraging Vodafone’s advanced network capabilities.” In the demonstration, Qualcomm used a Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3, which features the Snapdragon 888 SoC. The Snapdragon 888 has a built-in Secure Processing Unit that runs the Thales iSIM operating system.

Talking about the demonstration Qualcomm’s Enrico Salvatori, said: “iSIM solutions offer great opportunities to MNOs, free-up valuable space in devices for OEMs, and provide flexibility for device users to benefit from the full potential of 5G networks and experiences across a wide range of device categories. Some of the areas that will benefit most from iSIM technology include smartphones, mobile PCs, VR/XR headsets, and industrial IoT. By engineering the iSIM technology into the SoC, we are able to create additional support for OEMs in our Snapdragon platform.”

At the moment, Qualcomm hasn’t shared any info on when we can expect to see its iSIM technology on a commercial device. We’ll make sure to let you know as soon as Qualcomm reveals more details.

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Xiaomi 11T Pro with Snapdragon 888, 120W fast charging launched in India

After launching the Xiaomi 11T series in Europe back in September last year, Xiaomi is now bringing the Xiaomi 11T Pro to the Indian market. The flagship device features Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 888 chip, a large, high refresh rate AMOLED display, up to 12GB LPDDR5 RAM, and up to 256GB of UFS 3.1 storage. The phone also packs some impressive camera hardware, insane fast charging capabilities, and more. Here’s everything you need to know about the new Xiaomi 11T Pro.

Xiaomi 11T Pro: Specifications

Specification	Xiaomi 11T Pro
Dimensions & Weight	164.1 x 76.9 x 8.8mm 204g
Display	6.67-inch AMOLED FHD+ (2400 x 1080) 120Hz refresh rate Up to 480Hz touch sampling rate 20:9 aspect ratio 1000nits peak brightness HDR10+ Dolby Vision Corning Gorilla Glass Victus
SoC	Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 1x ARM Cortex-X1 @2.84GHz 3x ARM Cortex-A78 @2.4GHz 4x ARM Cortex-A55 @1.8GHz Adreno 660
RAM & Storage	8GB LPDDR5 + 128GB UFS 3.1 8GB + 256GB 12GB + 256GB
Battery & Charging	5,000mAh 120W fast charging support 120W charger included
Security	Side-mounted fingerprint scanner
Rear Camera(s)	Primary: 108MP f/1.75, 7P lens Ultra-wide: 8MP f/2.2, 120° FoV Macro: 5MP
Front Camera(s)	16MP
Port(s)	USB Type-C
Audio	Dual speakers tuned by Harman Kardon
Connectivity	5G 4G LTE NFC Wi-Fi 6 Bluetooth 5.2
Software	MIUI 12.5 based on Android 11

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The Xiaomi 11T Pro is one of the best affordable flagships launched last year and, while it’s a bit late to the Indian market, it should still be a great buy for several reasons. The device features a fantastic 6.67-inch FHD+ AMOLED display with a 120Hz peak refresh rate, up to 480Hz touch sampling rate, 1000nits of peak brightness, 10-bit color, HDR10+ support, and Dolby Vision certification.

As mentioned earlier, the Xiaomi 11T Pro packs Qualcomm’s flagship Snapdragon 888 chip, up to 12GB LPDDR5 RAM, and up to 256GB of fast UFS 3.1 storage. Therefore, it offers impressive performance, no matter what you throw at it. As Adam mentioned in his review of the Xiaomi 11T Pro, the device can easily handle everything from emulation to games without any issues.

In the camera department, the Xiaomi 11T Pro features a 108MP primary camera, an 8MP ultra-wide camera, and a 5MP macro camera on the back. Over on the front, it has a single 16MP selfie shooter. Other noteworthy features include a dual speaker setup tuned by Harman Kardon, 5G support, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, and a USB Type-C port.

Rounding off the hardware is a 5,000mAh battery, which supports 120W wired fast charging with the included charger. In our testing, we found that the 120W fast charger can charge the 5,000mAh battery from 1% to 71% in just 10 minutes. So, even if you’re a heavy user, you shouldn’t face any battery woes with the device.

On the software front, the Xiaomi 11T Pro runs MIUI 12.5 based on Android 11 out of the box. At the moment, Xiaomi has not shared the MIUI 13/Android 12 release timeline for the device. However, the company has promised three years of OS upgrades and four years of security updates for the device.

Pricing & Availability

The Xiaomi 11T Pro will go on sale in India starting today through Mi.com, Amazon, and other retail outlets. It will be available in three colors — Celestial Magic, Meteorite Black, and Moonlight White. The device will be available in three RAM/storage configurations, which are priced as follows:

• 8GB + 128GB: ₹39,999 (~$535)
• 8GB + 256GB: ₹41,999 (~$563)
• 12GB + 256GB: ₹43,999 (~$590)

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