Android N is now officially Android Nougat

Google surprised everyone with the spontaneous announcement of the Android N Developer Preview in March. This early version of Android 7.0, due to be released later in the year, features some significant changes over Android 6.0 Marshmallow. Now, the fourth and final preview build has landed.

Android N Developer Preview 3 is out now. / © EnTech

Android N name

Following an online fielding of ideas from the public, Google has revealed the official name of the next version of Android: Nougat. The ceremony took place over Snapchat.

The name Android Nougat was a firm favorite from the beginning, alongside Nutella, so not too much of a surprise, but it's nice to have a solid sobriquet to attach to the new firmware.

Introducing #AndroidNougat. Thank you, world, for all your sweet name ideas! 

#AndroidNReveal pic.twitter.com/7lIfDBwyBE

— Android (@Android) June 30, 2016

Android N release date

At the Google I/O 2016 keynote on May 18, Google announced the release of a beta-quality Android N release. This third developer preview focuses on three areas: performance, security and productivity. Native VR support has now also been confirmed, with a new VR platform called Daydream.

The name of the new Android OS was not presented during the keynote. Instead, Google announced that it will take suggestions for the name via an online submission form. See the 'Android N name' later in this article for details.

How will the final N build compare to Marshmallow? / © EnTech

Android N Developer Preview 4

That's it. The final Android N SDK has arrived, along with the final APIs. Developers can now compile apps to API Level 24, which for us, means Android N apps finally hitting the Play Store. 

Known apps with beta programs include WhatsApp, Facebook, Nova Launcher and Spotify: if you're an Android N user, be sure to send us early screenshots if you spot any new features.

In the announcement press release that EnTech received, Google reaffirmed the summer release of the final software build, which we expect to drop in the next eight weeks.

If you're enrolled in the Android Beta Program, you should receive a notification to download the update shortly. If you want to flash the Android N Developer Preview 4 on your device manually, head to the Android Developer Preview download page.

Android N's 'Night Mode' competes with iOS 9's screen-dimming features. / © EnTech

Android N Developer Preview 3

The new build promises increased stability, to the extent that Google is encouraging developers, and even casual users, to install it on their primary devices. It now works with Android Pay, making it much more functional. The build number is NPD35K.

Google has also added "platform support and optimizations for a new VR mode" intended for developers to begin building apps for the baked in VR support, allowing for access to such things as intelligent head tracking and stereo notifications.

You can read over the full changelog at the Google Developers blog. This update should roll out to your device OTA if you're part of the Android Beta Program, otherwise you can download and flash it manually by grabbing the image from Google. 

Performance

Google began by talking about the Vulkan graphics API. We already saw this in the Android N Developer Preview 2,

A new JIT compiler means that apps should install up to 75 percent faster, and compiler code should be reduced by 50 percent. The irritating Android is starting... dialogue box will be gone for good, thanks to this new compiler, as well.

App size reduced by 50 percent, making for 75 percent faster installs. / © Google

Security

Google stressed improvements in security through file-based encryption, media framework hardening and seamless updates. In particular, these 'Seamless updates' mean that your phone will download new software images in the background and prepare them for the next time you restart your device. Thanks to the file-based encryption, you also won't need to enter your device password upon restarting.

Productivity

Productivity is also now a focus. Google says that most people only use their seven most recent apps from the recent app drawer, so the wheel will be limited to these. There is also going to be a Clear all button, which received a rush of applause for a grateful I/O audience.

By double-tapping the recent apps button, you can quickly switch to the previous app, although, on many devices, this feature was already available via a long press on the same button.

The new multi-window mode: picture in picture. / © Google

Multi-window mode sees two uses folded in: the standard, split-screen view, and picture-in-picture, designed for Android TV. This latter mode lets you shrink what's on the screen to a small box in the corner of the screen and do something else in the dominant, full-screen window.

Elsewhere, replying from within notifications was covered, as well as notification visibility, letting you quickly block or hide similar notifications in the future via a long press, and support for Unicode 9.0 Emoji, all features we've already looked at below.

Android VR

Native support for VR was also formally introduced. Daydream, a platform for mobile VR was announced, which comes with a set of specs phones have to meet in order to be compatible. Many manufacturers are making Daydream-compatible devices, including Samsung, HTC, LG, Xiaomi and Huawei.

Daydream is the new Google VR platform. / © Google

For more on Google's VR-related announcements, and other news from Google I/O, check out our dedicated page that gives you all the info you need on the events.

Android N Developer Preview: new features

Available on some Nexus devices (Nexus 6P, Nexus 5X, Nexus 6, Pixel C, Nexus 9 and Nexus Player), the Android N Developer Preview is a test version of the new Android software, primarily intended for developers. Like previous Developer Preview versions (such as Android M, which later became Android Marshmallow), the first version of this software does not contain all the new features of the next version of Android, but only parts. 

The first update to the Developer Preview was released on March 17. The factory images are available for the Nexus 5X, Nexus 6P, Nexus 9 and Nexus 9 LTE.  If you're signed up to the Android Beta Program, you can expect to see the update arrive over the air very soon.

Developer Preview 2

Developer Preview 2 was released on April 13. The latest version adds the ability for apps to define intent shortcuts, meaning users can use launchers to create shortcuts, like adding a memo to the calendar, with just one press.

Emoji Unicode 9 support is now incorporated, and a variety of APIs see inclusion, including Vulkan, which is intended primarily to improve gaming performance.

The Android N dev preview has a lot of features. / © EnTech

Menu between the system settings

A hamburger menu button (the icon with three lines) has now been embedded into the system settings. When a user is in the Bluetooth menu, for example, they can quickly jump to the other system options using this left side menu. This menu is already a standard in other Google applications.

The Hamburger menu has been integrated into Android N. / © EnTech

Reply to messages from the notifications bar

Of the new additions, this is possibly the feature which most resembles Apple iOS. Messages can now be answered from the notification itself. With this, the user will not need to leave an app to answer a message or even unlock their phone.

Multi-window mode

As we saw in the Android M developer preview, Google has been working hard to bring a native and efficient multitasking system to Android. Although the function was eventually omitted from Android 6.0 Marshmallow, with Android N, Google now seems ready to make the leap.

The image below shows the multi-window feature, which works on both tablets and phones and mirrors what you can currently get on some Samsung and LG devices.

Like most major platform changes, developers will have to opt in for the split screen mode to allow their apps to run smoothly. This can be done by adding a new attribute called: resizableActivity.

Multi-window is now native in Android N. / © EnTech

This attribute allows developers to specify the minimum size the app can be resized to and to determine whether resizing will be immediate or the application needs to restart with the required dimensions.

New Notifications panel

The notification panel has been completely redesigned, perfectly aligning with what we had seen in earlier leaks. Icons above the notification shade are now more prominent, and on the far right there is a drop-down toggle to expand the panel.

It is now possible to respond to messages directly from within a notification, a feature that uses the same RemoteInput API that Android Wear makes use of.

This is the new notifications panel Android N. / © EnTech

Notifications can now also be 'stacked', optimizing the space in the notification area.

Developers can choose to stack notifications from the same application in a single line. These can then be expanded using the expansion button or a two-fingered gesture.

With Developer Preview 2, notifications can be set manually at any one of six levels of importance for each app: 

• Blocked - never show notifications
• Min importance - silently show at the bottom of the notification list
• Low importance - silently show notifications in chronological order
• Normal importance - allow these notifications to play sounds
• High importance - peek onto the screen and play sounds

Urgent importance - show at the top of the notifications list, peek onto the screen and play sounds

To access these, you need to bring down the notification shade and long press on the gear icon to activate the System UI Tuner in the Settings menu. Then enter said menu, go to Other and enable Show full importance settings.

Now, when you go to Settings > apps and select any app and press on Notifications, you will see a slider that allows you to change the importance.

There are now six levels of importance for notifications. / © EnTech

Enhanced Doze mode

The energy saving mode Doze has been improved in Android N. Previously, the feature had only worked when the phone had remained completely undisturbed for a long time, i.e. when you're sleeping, but now Google says Doze will also save battery any time the screen is turned off. We will have to test the new system more thoroughly to find out what impact it has on energy consumption.

Power Saving Mode has been enhanced in Android N. / © EnTech

A system like this that comes into effect every time the phone's display turns off might not be something everyone is keen on, but we'll have to see how it works in practice. It is possible that a less extreme version of Doze mode, one that monitors the energy consumption of apps without impairing the usability and notifications, might be worked out.

Android Beta Program

Another new addition from Google is a way to receive preview builds and updates over-the-air, avoiding the need for flashing factory images. Anyone with a compatible device is able to sign up for the Android Beta Program and receive these preview builds automatically.

These are just some of the new features of Android 7.0, and many other improvements are yet to be implemented or previewed. Some features we may even have to wait for the final build to find out about. For now the app drawer still remains, although rumors suggest that it may disappear in the future.

The Android Beta Program. / © EnTech

Svelte design

Google says it has been hard at work on Project Svelte, a set of tweaks that make Android more able to run on aging and less-powerful devices. This project originates from Android KitKat but we don't know much about it yet. More details should follow with the full release of Android N.

VR Mode

We saw the first hint of what many suspected early on: native support for VR in Android N. The hint to what Google is working on appears in a menu in the new Android system. By going to Settings > Apps > Configure apps > Special access > VR helper, you can find a menu screen waiting to be filled by a list of apps that are making use of an API designed for VR apps.

There's also something called 'Sustained performance mode' referenced, that is almost certainly intended to help devices run this demanding VR mode for longer periods of time. As anyone who has used a Gear VR will know, the phone quickly becomes very hot and boots the user out of the VR software, a problem that Google will need to overcome if VR is to become more widespread.

No apps using VR helper services yet, but expect some soon. / © EnTech

3D Touch support

Apple's iPhone 6s launched with a pressure-sensitive screen that allowed users to make use of shortcuts by pressing either lightly or heavily on the screen. Now, it looks as though Google won't put 3D Touch in its Android OS. 

The new feature, called Force Touch or 3D Touch was first mentioned in the Android N Developer Preview documents but sources now say this won't be included in the launch of Android N. Take a look at our full report on 3D Touch in the link below.

Enhancements to Google Now Launcher

In Android N Developer Preview 2, Google made two improvements to its Google Now Launcher. You can use a pinch gesture on the home screen to bring up the overview page, where, at the bottom, options for wallpapers, widgets and settings appear. And, at last, app options when dragging apps from the home screen and the app drawer are consistent. The options are now Remove / Cancel, Uninstall and App info. A minor but very welcome change.

How to download Android N

If you are a developer or just want to test the preview version of Android 7.0, you can download images of the new OS directly from Google. Remember that this version is unstable and contains many bugs.

Note: Only the Nexus line of devices can receive the preview build of Android N.

Android Authority picked up on the findings of an eagle-eyed Reddit user who spotted something hidden in the HTML code of the Android N Preview page, suggesting that Google might be planning to make the Developer Preview available on non-Nexus devices. The code in question states, "more supported devices from OEM partners".

Evidence of this has mounted, with proof a OnePlus 3 running Android N appearing in a leaked screenshot. However, the problems with this becoming a reality are manifold. It takes manufacturers a long time to release updates for a reason: OEM interfaces like TouchWiz and EMUI incorporate features that are otherwise not supported by stock Android.

What could Android N be called? Stay tuned, we'll find out soon. / © EnTech

What would you like to see in Android N? What do you think the Android N name will be? Let us know in the comments.

How To Pick The Best MicroSD Card For Your Android Phone

As we find out each time a major manufacturer decides to release a flagship phone without a microSD slot (we're looking at you, Galaxy S6), Android enthusiasts remain passionate about our options to expand internal storage. But how well your microSD card performs depends on its class and speed, as well as the capabilities of your phone. Here, we tell you everything you need to know to help you pick the best microSD card for your Android device.

First, make sure your device supports microSD cards

Unfortunately, as we mentioned above, many smartphones don't have microSD slots and instead claim the on board internal storage is sufficient. And though from our perspective this seems ridiculous we need to ensure our device has a microSD card slot. 

You can inspect your device and see whether there is a microSD slot. If you need to, consult your phone's manual to open the device (or to find whether there is a microSD slot). If there is no microSD slot then, well, you can't use a microSD card. If you want a phone that supports microSD take a look at the phones linked below.

What's the difference between SDHC and micro SDXC?

When buying a microSD card, you'll notice that it's either a micro SDXC or SDHC card. The difference between these two microSD formats is simply the amount of data they can store. SDHC (Secure Digital High Capacity) stores up to 32GB of data, while SDXC (Secure Digital Extended Capacity) handles 64GB and above. 

Many lower-end devices don't support SDXC microSD cards, so it's crucial that you check your phone's compatibility before buying one. Most SDXC cards go up to 128GB, but in March 2015, Sandisk revealed the world's first 200GB microSD SDXC card.

Make sure you know the types of microSD cards before purchasing. / © EnTech

What does 'class' mean on a microSD card?

This one's important. MicroSD cards come in several different classes - Class 2, 4, 6 and 10. While these numbers may mean nothing to you (and leave you wondering what happened to the other numbers up to 10), they in fact simply reflect the minimum rates at which these cards sustain data transfers. So a Class 2 card reads and writes data at 2MB/s, while a Class 10 card does so at 10MB/s. Suddenly it's not that complicated, right?

SDHC and SDXC speed classes

CLASS                         MINIMUM SPEED

2 2 MB/s

4                                         4 MB/s

6 6 MB/s

8 8 MB/s

10  10 MB/s

The 'Class' number directly reflects the minimum write speed of the card. However, top-quality cards can run much faster than this, with some of the best ones out there clocking read speeds up to 95 MB/s. One such card is the SanDisk Extreme Pro, which can be picked up for $33 at Amazon.com or £34 at Amazon.co.uk.

What does UHS mean on a micro SD card?

Since 2009, certain microSD cards are also UHS-1 or UHS-3-compatible. While in theory UHS cards can reach data transfer speeds of up to 312 MB/s, you are realistically only likely to attain the minimum transfer speeds listed below, because no smartphone currently supports the UHS standard. As such, UHS will make little difference to your micro SD card speed at this point.

UHS speed classes

UHS class Minimum speed

1                   10 MB/s

3                   30 MB/s

Will a better microSD card speed up my phone?

The most important question is whether picking one microSD card over another will improve performance on your phone, to which the short answer is 'Yes'.

If you store apps and photos on your microSD card (what else would you use it for?), then a higher-speed micro SD card will save photos faster, improve data transfer speeds when moving files between devices, and open apps stored on your micro SD card faster. Note that opening apps on microSD cards may be a bit slower than if you were storing them on your phone's internal memory, because there's an extra layer of communication between your phone and micro SD card that needs to be carried out.

MicroSD cards might not necessarily speed up your phone. / © EnTech

Conclusion

As you can see, there are plenty of things to consider when buying a microSD card, and hopefully the above guide will give you an idea of which one to buy. It's also worth sticking to reputable brands for microSD cards, such as SanDisk, Samsung and Kingston. Use the prices of these brands as a guidelines as well - if you see a microSD card from another company that's five times cheaper than these, then you should be wary of its quality.

Do you use a microSD card? Let us know in the comments.

5 Things You Shouldn't Do With Your Android Device

We use our smartphones for many things in our professional and private lives. Therefore, we should try to ensure they last as long as possible. Many take precautions like installing anti-virus software and closing background apps, but are these steps really necessary? Here are five things you're doing wrong with your Android device.

Make sure you're not doing anything wrong with your device or you could have problems.  / © ANDROIDPIT

1. Using task killers or manually closing applications

Many of us use task killers or close applications manually from the recent apps menu. But without realizing it that could be harming the performance of our device.

When we first open an app, part of its data is becomes stored in the RAM. This means that when you open the app a second time, it will load faster because of the existence of this previously cached data.

If you remove the app from the recent apps menu, or delete the cache, the data stored in the RAM is lost also. If you then wish to reopen it you have to start this process again.

Only close applications if you must, for instance, if they are draining a lot of battery or occupying too many resources while in the background.

Task killers often kill more than intended. / © ANDROIDPIT

2. Using more than one antivirus app

If you feel that you need an antivirus program on your Android device then you should bear in mind that they take up resources like RAM and battery: these are intensive applications that run in the background all the time. But having more than one doesn't make you safer. If you decide to use an antivirus app then make sure you choose wisely among the many available and only use one at a time.

If you decide to protect your device with antivirus software make sure you only use one at a time. / © ANDROIDPIT

3. Ignoring software updates

The operating system of your smartphone needs to be updated periodically to repair deficiencies in security. As soon as you notice an update, accept it. You can even set up your Android device to update automatically. The security of your phone will thank you. It will perform better and be more efficient. 

4. Downloading applications from unreliable sources 

Android APK files can be manipulated to contain malicious software which can infect your device. Make sure all your downloads come from reliable sources such as the Google Play Store, for example. Have a look at our article on how to download an APK for more information on how these work and how you can avoid problems.

Beware, downloading APKs from unreliable sources can hurt your device. / © ANDROIDPIT

5. Not restarting your smartphone

There is a lot of controversy surrounding this topic. However, rebooting your device once a week is 'healthy'. On the one hand, memory is saved and temporarily cached data is deleted because it is no longer needed. On the other hand, sometimes memory is blocked and that temporary data is not deleted, which can lead to slowdowns.

Do you have any more common mistakes Android owners make? Let us know in the comments.

WhatsApp Now Have New Interface For Unknown Numbers

We're always keeping an eye out for the latest WhatsApp news and features, and the latest update brings a new look to the interface that determines what you want to do with messages from unknown numbers. 

What's new in the latest WhatsApp update? / © EnTech

WhatsApp adds a new interface for messages from unknown numbers

June 28, 2016: While we continue to wait patiently for video calls to make their way to WhatsApp, a small change has been made to the WhatsApp UI. In version 2.16.139 of the app, when you receive a message from an unknown number, a slightly modified interface now appears. The options are to report spam, block, and add to contacts. The feature itself is not new, rather the appearance has changed. As always, you can press on add to contacts then new to save the number to your phone book, if you trust the sender.

A new interface lets you decide what to do with unknown numbers. / © EnTech

WhatsApp gets persistent notification for web client

May 20, 2016: WhatsApp 2.16.90 beta has one feature that really stands out: a persistent notification that appears when the web client is active. While the move makes sense from a privacy and security perspective (in case you forget you've left the web client open or someone opens it while you're away from your computer), the notification appears at the top of the screen as though you have a message,  and there's no way to disable it without disabling all notifications from WhatsApp.

By pressing on the notification, you are given the option to log out from all active web sessions. 

Whether the notification will feature in the next stable release remains to be seen, but hopefully, if it does, there will be added options to disable it.

The new persistent notification for when the WhatsApp web client is in use. / © EnTech

WhatsApp video calling spotted in beta app update

May 17, 2016: WhatsApp's rumored video calling feature has been spotted in a beta app update. Available for a short time in the Play Store, some users with WhatsApp version 2.16.80 could see video calling options in the app, though they couldn't actually make any calls.  

We suspect that the final implentation of this feature could be on its way shortly. For more, head to our original news story at the link and check out the interface in the image below.

Is this what WhatsApp's video calls feature will look like? / © fonearena

WhatsApp adds rich text formatting, reply from notification shade, more

April 30, 2016: WhatsApp has migrated several features from the beta version of WhatsApp to the final version and added some previously unseen ones, too.

Firstly, all users can now use and view bold, italic and strikethrough text. You can use these with the following special characters: *bold*, _italics_ and ~strikethrough~. 

Rich text formatting has now moved from beta to final.. / © EnTech

You can now also reply to messages quickly from within a notification, set block colors as chat backgrounds, and tap the quick camera button in a chat window to browse your camera roll.

Finally, there's the option to archive, delete or mute multiple chats at once. A long press on a chat in the Chats tab will select it, and then you can tap on other chats to select multiple entries. The controls for archiving, deleting and muting remain the same.

If you're fully up to date, your WhatsApp will be sitting on version 2.16.57, but updates take a while to fully roll out sometimes, so remain patient.

WhatsApp adds end-to-end encryption on all its platforms

April 5, 2016: Things have been heating up in the tech security world, so it's high time to hop into the encryption pool. Following closely in the footsteps of Apple's conflict with the FBI over a locked iPhone belonging to one of the San Bernardino gunmen and an almost entirely united front from the tech world on the issue, WhatsApp has now expanded its end-to-end encryption across all its platforms, covering all forms of communication – voice calls, videos and chats involving multiple people.

Nietzsche demonstrates the message users now see, verifying their communication are encrypted. / © Open Whispher Systems

This move from WhatsApp results in extremely strong protection for its users. And that's end-to-end encryption for over one billion people. let's not forget. WhatsApp will no longer allow unencrypted messages to be sent.

End-to-end encryption means that any data transferred can be read only be the sender and the receiver. In the space between them, the data is heavily encrypted. Even WhatsApp employees couldn't decipher the information if they wished to.

Some data does, however, remain unencrypted. The date and time stamp of messages, as well as phone numbers, may still be gathered.

WhatsApp beta tests text formatting include bold and italics

March 11, 2016: The latest beta version of WhatsApp has introduced bold and italics to the text formatting options. By using asterisks on either side of a word or phrase you can bold it and underscores can be used to add italics.

WhatsApp has extended the formatting to the notification shade bar, too, where you will see senders' names show up in bold and any formatting that has been used in the message will be displayed.

This is currently only in the beta version of the app, but a full rollout seems likely. However, if you want to receive this feature now, along with future beta versions of the app, then you can sign up to become a WhatsApp beta tester here.

WhatsApp gives the Settings screen a makeover

March 8, 2016: WhatsApp has given its Settings menu a shakeup in this update. Not only has it been changed aesthetically, but there are also some small intuitive changes, too. For example, Account has been moved to the top of the list and Data Usage has received its own top-level option. The Payment info  option has now, given the removal of a subscription fee, been dropped entirely from the menu. Also, on the Profile page, your picture will now appear in a circle, where normally it was a square.

The old (left) and new Settings menu. / © EnTech

WhatsApp adds link copying, document sharing and granular chat clearing options

March 2, 2016: Throughout a spate of minor updates, WhatsApp has seen several new features added.

Firstly, there is now the option to long press on a link to copy it. Previously, this was a nuisance, as you had to copy the entire message within which the link was contained and then paste that and edit it down to the link. Now a simply long press lets you copy just the URL, as you would normally do in every other app ever.

It's now been made extremely easy to share documents (.pdfs) in a conversation. Just press the paperclip then Document and choose the file you wish to share.

On the media page for a conversation, a new tab has also been added that contains a history of all the documents that have been shared in a conversation or group chat.

The final notable addition is granular control over how much of a conversation you delete. Instead of just clearing out a chat entirely, you can now choose whether to delete everything or just messages older than 30 days, or messages older than six months. 

Two of the new features WhatsApp has seen added recently. / © EnTech

WhatsApp finalizes update with new emoji, Google Drive backups and more

February 17, 2016: Although almost of all of these features have been seen at some time or another on a huge number of devices, it seems WhatsApp has now finalized the addition of over 100 new emoji (as detailed below), Google Drive chat log backups (as also detailed below), Marshmallow permissions (notably, that WhatsApp will now ask when it wants to use your microphone, rather than having permission to use it at all times), and support for Kazakh, Tagalog, Uzbek, Marathi and Malayalam languages.

The version number for this update is 2.12.453.

WhatsApp drops subscription fee

January 18, 2016: WhatsApp announced, via its blog, that it is starting to remove fees from all versions of the app and will no longer be charging any money for use of the service. The change may take a few weeks to come into effect for some users, and if you are charged in the meantime, there is nothing for it but to pay.

In reply to theoretical questions regarding the insertion of third-party ads to make up for the loss of income, WhatsApp says it doesn't plan to introduce such a measure. Instead, the company has plans to allow companies to pay to use the service to contact users directly, if users consent to being contacted. WhatsApp gives the example of being able to contact an airline regarding a delayed flight.

WhatsApp adds slew of new emoji

December 6, 2015: Version 2.12.374 saw the addition of a host of new emojis. To accommodate the influx, WhatsApp also added several new category tabs: a bulb, flag, football and beverage. Among the new emojis are the fabled unicorn, the loathsome spider and the celebratory champagne bottle. 

Take advantage of these new modes of expression by waiting patiently for the update to automatically arrive via the Google Play Store, or download it directly from APKMirror or WhatsApp.

WhatsApp lets you star messages to view later

November 3, 2015: Version 2.12.338 beta adds the ability to 'star' certain messages, so you can easily locate and read them at a later point. This is particularly useful, and arguably long overdue, given how long and confusing WhatsApp conversations can get. 

To use the feature, you will need to download the WhatsApp beta APK and load it onto your phone. Then you can simply long-press on any message and press the star icon that appears. All your starred messages are then collated in their own dedicated starred messages section. 

The new beta version also includes support for document files, such as PDFs, which you can also specifically search for now, too.

Download the latest version of WhatsApp from the official website.

You can now star messages, and view them on a separate screen. / © EnTech

WhatsApp rich previews for URLs and extra 'clear chat' options

October 20, 2015: Version 2.12.323 brings URL previews, although they are limited to a small image and a snippet of text, and currently only visible to the sender. They aslo don't work on image links – just regular URLs – so there's still plenty for WhatsApp to iron out. This feature is currently in the beta version, so we're sure there'll be many more small updates in the next few weeks, downloadable from the WhatsApp webpage or APK Mirror.

The 'clear chat' option in any chat window now has an expanded set of options. Instead of just clearing the entire chat, you can now choose to delete all messages, messages older than 30 days, or messages older than six months. 

WhatsApp now allows Google Drive backups

October 8, 2015: Version 2.12.306 of WhatsApp includes the ability to back up your WhatsApp chat history, voice messages, photos, and videos to Google Drive. It had been possible to make local backups for a while, but that didn't help if your phone was lost, stolen or broken. Now, you can back up everything up to the cloud, in safely encrypted form, and easily restore it all at any time. This feature is expected to take a few months to roll out to all WhatsApp users, but keep an eye on the updates and you should receive a prompt to set up the Google Drive backup once it's ready.

Mark WhatsApp messages as read/unread

August 25, 2015: You also have the option to mark a conversation as read, without even going into it. Simply long press the chat on the main screen and a pop up menu will appear. right down the bottom you'll see the option for 'Mark as Read'. You can do this in reverse too and long press to 'Mark as Unread' so you don't forget to return to a message later.

Simpy long-press an unread message to mark it as read. Long-pressing a read message marks it as unread. / © EnTech

Use Google Now to send a WhatsApp message

July 29, 2015: This isn't strictly an update to the WhatsApp app, but it could affect how you interact with it. You can now use a Google Now voice command to send a WhatsApp message to one of your contacts, just say "Ok Google, send a WhatsApp message to [contact name]." You will then be prompted to dictate the message you want to send.  

Alternatively, you can record it all in one statement, such as "Ok, Google, send WhatsApp message to Malcolm, I'm still in love with you," or something else. 

If you're new to Google Now voice commands, hit the link to see a list of what else can be achieved with Google's handy personal assistant. 

You can now send WhatsApp messages with Google Now. / © EnTech

WhatsApp calls low data usage

July 22, 2015: The low data usage option can be found in the Chats and Calls menu within WhatsApps settings. It affects how much mobile data is consumed during WhatsApp calls. This could be an excellent addition for those who often make calls using mobile data, although we don't yet know to what extent it reduces the data consumed.

Add custom notifications to WhatsApp contacts

July 22, 2015: Feel free to add custom notifications to your contacts now too. Simply open a contact's profile page and you'll see you've also got a setting for Custom Notifications. Tap it and check the box to activate the options, then choose custom notification sounds, notification colors, popup actions and more.

Left: Chats and Calls menu with the low data usage settings. Right: new custom notifications for users. / © EnTech

WhatsApp Messenger Install on Google Play

How do I update WhatsApp?

The easiest way to update WhatsApp is through the Play Store, where updates will work their way to you automatically. Make sure it's not waiting for an update by opening the Play Store, pressing on the trio of lines in the top left to open the menu. There, select My apps & games and see if it's listed at the top of the screen.

If you want to update WhatsApp manually, you can download the latest version of WhatsApp by visiting the WhatsApp update download page, or you can download the WhatsApp update APK through APK Mirror, where the latest version is always uploaded (including beta builds).

To install an APK, make sure you head into Settings > Security > Unknown sources and ensure the toggle is on. Then, press on the downloaded APK file and follow the instructions.

Have you got the latest version of WhatsApp? What do you think of it? 

7 Best Methods To Bypass Lock Code or Android Pattern

After reading below methods, You will probably be able to bypass pattern lock in any android device.

and If None Of This Methods Works For You - Unfortuntlly You Probably Must Full Wipe Your Device

METHOD I

Solution For Everyone With Recovery (Cwm, Twrp, Xrec,Etc...) Installed:

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Download this zip Pattern Password Disable (Download from attachments) on to your sdcard 

(using your PC, as you cant get into your phone, right )

2. Insert the sdcard into your phone

3. Reboot into recovery mode

4. Flash the zip

5. Reboot

6. Done!

Note : If You See The Gesture Pattern Grid Or Password After Restarting, Don't Worry. Just Try Any Random Pattern Or Password And it Should Unlock.

METHOD 2

Solution For Everyone Without Recovery Installed - ADB :

What You Need:

=>A computer running a Linux distro or Windows+Cygwin

=>USB cable to connect your phone to the PC

=>Adb installed

How to install adb:

1. Open Terminal

2. Type:

Code:

sudo apt-get install android-tools-adb

-> Hit [Enter]

3. Follow the instructions until everything is installed.

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Connect you (turned on) Phone to the Computer via USB.

2. Open a terminal window.

3. Type:

Code:

adb devices
adb shell

cd data/system
su

rm *.key

4. Done...Now You Just Have To Reboot.

Note : If You See The Gesture Pattern Grid Or Password After Restarting, Don't Worry. Just Try Any Random Pattern Or Password And it Should Unlock.

METHOD 3

Solution For Everyone Before Lock Accident :

SMS Bypass - Download Link - Install It On Your Device (Download from attachments)

This App Allows You To Remotely Bypass Your Phone's Screen Lock By Sending A SMS.

It Removes Your Gesture Pattern Or Password After Receiving A Preset Keyword Along With A Secret Code Via SMS.

SMS Bypass App Requires Root.

INSTRUCTIONS:

1.First, make sure you give permanent root access to the app.

2.Change the secret code to your preferred choice. The default password is : 1234

3.To reset your screen lock, send the following message from another phone:

Code:

secret_code reset

Example:

Code:

1234 reset

Note 1 : There is a space between your secret code and reset. Also the secret code is case sensitive.

Note 2 : There is an option available to change the preset keyword. Default is : reset - Your phone will restart and your lock screen will be reset.

Note 3 : If You See The Gesture Pattern Grid Or Password After Restarting, Don't Worry. Just Try Any Random Pattern Or Password And it Should Unlock.

METHOD 4

Solution For Everyone Via Adb - SQL Command :

INSTRUCTIONS:

=>Type This Commands Separated In Your Terminal (CMD Prompt) :

Code:

adb shell

cd /data/data/com.android.providers.settings/databases
sqlite3 settings.db

update system set value=0 where name='lock_pattern_autolock';
update system set value=0 where name='lockscreen.lockedoutpermanently';

.quit

=>Now You Just Have To Reboot.

Note : If You See The Gesture Pattern Grid Or Password After Restarting, Don't Worry. Just Try Any Random Pattern Or Password And it Should Unlock.

METHOD 5

Solution For Everyone Via Adb - File Removal :

INSTRUCTIONS:

=>Type This Command In Your Terminal (CMD Prompt) :

Code:

adb shell rm /data/system/gesture.key

Note : If You See The Gesture Pattern Grid Or Password After Restarting, Don't Worry. Just Try Any Random Pattern Or Password And it Should Unlock.

METHOD 6

Solution For Everyone With USB Debugging Enabled :

INSTRUCTIONS:

Primary Step for all method:

1.Download & Extract to anywhere - Bypass Security Hack (Download from attachments)

2.Open SQLite Database Browser 2.0.exe in SQLite Database Browser.

3.Run pull settings.db.cmd inside By-pass security Hacks folder to pull out the setting file out of your phone.

4.Drag settings.db and drop to SQLite Database Browser 2.0.exe program.

Navigate to Browse data tab, At table there, click to list down the selection & selete secure

Instruction To Remove Pattern Lock:

1.Now, find lock_pattern_autolock, Delete Record

2.Close & save database

3.Run push settings.db.cmd and reboot your phone

Instruction To Remove PIN Lock:

1.Now, Find Or Create lockscreen.password_type, double-click & change it's value to 65536, Apply changes!

2.Now, find lock_pattern_autolock, Delete Record, If doesn't exist, Ignore

Close & save database

3.Run push settings.db.cmd and reboot your phone

Instruction To Remove Password Lock:

1.Now, find lockscreen.password_salt, Delete Record

2.Now, find lockscreen.password_type, Delete Record

Close & save database

3.Run push settings.db.cmd and reboot your phone

Note : If You See The Gesture Pattern Grid Or Password After Restarting, Don't Worry. Just Try Any Random Pattern Or Password And it Should Unlock.

METHOD 7

Solution For Everyone With Recovery Installed :

INSTRUCTIONS:

1.Download and Copy Aroma File manager.zip (Download from attachments) to your memory card.

2. Open your recovery (press volume Down + Power button or it can be different according to the phones. Generally the phones who have press able button on the middle they have to press all three buttons. Google for you pattern there are lots)

3. There’ll b an option in recovery called “mount”. Go in that option and then mount all the cache and everything it is there.

4. Then select “update” and select “apply update from SD/external” and select aroma file manger.zip file that you downloaded using above QR code above.

5. After Flashing or updating, the aroma file manger will open. Use volume keys for up/down and power button 2 select like you use to get into recovery.

6. In aroma File manager , Go to menu , which is located in bottom strip and then select Settings.

7. Go to bottom n select “mount all partition in startup ” then exit from aroma file manger.

8. Now after exit , re-update that aroma file again and it will open again.

9. Go to data >> and then System.

Then find ‘gesture.key’ (for pattern lock) and ’password.key’ (for password lock) then

long touch on gesture.key or password.key and sum option will be prompted , choose delete and delete that file and restart.

Note : If You See The Gesture Pattern Grid Or Password After Restarting, Don't Worry. 

Just Try Any Random Pattern Or Password And it Should Unlock, and if you have any other way let us know on the comment.

[How To] Save Battery Life On Your Android SmartPhone Device

Smartphone batteries don't last forever, and some devices have an almost-embarrassing screen-on time. Those big luscious AMOLED and LCD screens are an obvious drain on your battery, but there are lots of things you can do behind the scenes to make your Android last longer. Read on for our best battery saving tips.

How Android batteries work

First, some background: most smartphones have either a Lithium Ion battery or a Lithium Polymer battery. Both are Lithium Ion though, and as such, do not have a 'memory', which means you don't have to fully charge or discharge them at the beginning, and partial charging is fine throughout their life.

In fact, these types of batteries suffer from low voltage problems, so it's actually better to partially charge them (say, from 20 percent to 90 percent) than to fully charge and fully drain them. Battery care is always open for debate though, so for every accepted tip there will be someone that says it makes no difference. Just find the ones that work for you.

1. Black wallpaper can save battery

If your phone has an AMOLED screen (like most Samsung devices), use a dark-colored background. Black wallpaper can save your battery because AMOLED screens only illuminate the colored pixels. Black pixels are unlit, so the more black pixels you have, or the more darker pixels, the less power is needed to light them up.

2. Doze

With the arrival of Marshmallow comes a new feature called Doze, which helps you get more out of your device's battery. Along with Google Now on Tap, Doze is the most notable addition to Marshmallow. It is enabled by default and essentially allows your device to enter hibernation mode when it has been sat unused for a prolonged period of time.

The effect of this is that your phone now sleeps when you sleep, and will lose just 3-5 percent of its battery power during and average night, rather than up to a quarter, as it would have done without Doze.

applications are not obliged to use Doze, and you can view which ones use it and which don't in Settings and edit the list if you want to.

In addition, Sony has said it's planning to incorporate its own enhanced stamina mode into Marshmallow for its Xperia range.

3. Use Greenify

Unlike many Android applications that claim to optimize performance and improve battery life, Greenify actually works. Greenify allows you to put other applications into hibernation when they aren't in use, preventing them from operating in the background.

This frees up system resources and boosts battery performance, but requires a bit of thought. For Greenify to be effective you can't just hibernate every installed app. But since there are a lot of Android applications that perform actions you don't know about, or necessarily want, this is a useful tool.

Greenify Install on Google Play

4. Don't use adaptive/auto brightness

Don't use display auto-brightness. It may sound useful, but auto-brightness is usually way brighter than you really need. It's better to manually set the brightness to a level that is low but comfortable, and bump it up when necessary. This is one of the best ways to improve your battery life, because the screen is one of the biggest battery suckers.

5. A shorter screen timeout setting saves battery

Set your display's screen timeout to as short a time as is practical for you. Just think, if your screen timeout is set to a minute, it'll use four times more power than if it were set to 15 seconds.

Studies report the average smartphone user turns their smartphone on 150 times a day, so the difference between a long screen timeout and short one soon adds up. Reducing it will help keep your battery running for longer.

6. Your phone doesn't have to be smart all the time

Turn off smart features like air gestures and smart scrolling, especially if you have a Samsung. Unless you really use these features every day, they're just using battery power for no reason.

7. Turn off vibrate and haptic feedback to save battery

Switch off vibrate. Unless you really need that added awareness, turn off vibration alerts for incoming calls. It actually takes more power to vibrate your phone than it does to ring it. Turn off haptic feedback too (that buzz you get from typing on the keyboard). Sure it feels cool, but it doesn't really add anything to your experience, and it's another battery drainer.

8. Use lock screen notifications

Lock screen notifications can also help save you battery life, especially if your phone has an AMOLED screen. This is because you can see your notifications at a glance without having to turn your whole screen on. This is especially useful if you get lots of notifications that aren't worth following up on immediately. Lock screen notifications come standard on Android Lollipop.

If you're using Android KitKat, try using lock screen widgets or notifications if your ROM supports them, or install an app that does it for you like Dynamic Notifications. You'll be able to get basically all your content without having to unlock your phone fully and navigating around. You'll still need to light your whole screen up, but you'll have it on for much less time than normal.

DynamicNotifications Install on Google Play

9. Only use original batteries

Only use original batteries or respected third party manufacturer batteries. Saving a few bucks on a battery that might damage your beloved smartphone is a poor choice indeed, and may also deliver sub-standard battery performance.

10. Set your 'Do Not Disturb' or 'sleep' schedule

Set sleep times or blocking mode to switch off Wi-Fi and mobile data when you don't need them. If your phone is basically off limits at work, set your device to not ring, vibrate or connect to the internet while you're at work. Many phones have a Do Not Disturb setting for just this purpose.

Likewise, you can set your phone to airplane mode when you're asleep or use sleep or blocking modes to set up limits for what your phone does during certain times of the day, whether that's while you're asleep, at work or in a meeting. Cool applications such as IFTTT let you create rules that can help you save battery life too.

IF by IFTTT Install on Google Play

Get to know the specific settings your ROM offers. Not only will you have to fiddle with your phone less throughout the day (or night), but you'll be saving on battery life too.

Greenify Install on Google Play

11. You don't need to be connected 24/7

Turn off GPS, Bluetooth, NFC, Wi-Fi and mobile data whenever you don't need them. Turning off location data, or changing your Location settings to use Wi-Fi or 3G data rather than GPS works perfectly well.

Only turn on Bluetooth and NFC as long as you need them (even though they consume very little power), and there's no need to have both Wi-Fi and mobile data turned on at all times, especially if you know exactly when you'll need one or the other.

If you use Wi-Fi a lot though, say at home and at work, then it makes sense to keep set your Wi-Fi to 'Always on during sleep' as this uses less power than to have your Wi-Fi reconnecting every time you wake your phone.

12. Don't get bogged down by widgets

Ditch widgets you don't need, especially those connected to the internet, such as weather widgets. If you have multiple widgets across several home screens, which are constantly syncing and updating (Twitter, reddit, weather, Gmail and the like), you're not doing your battery any favors. Just hit the applications when you need them.

13. Don't let your applications fall behind the times

Keep your applications updated. There's a reason developers constantly update applications, and most of the time it's memory or battery optimization. Keeping your applications updated also means you have the best optimizations available. Likewise, delete old applications you no longer use, because these may be running background processes that chew up RAM and battery life.

14. Explore the battery saving features on your phone

All ROMs, whether stock Android, OEM UIs such as TouchWiz or custom ROMs like CyanogenMod, have various settings in the menu to help conserve or optimize battery consumption.

HTC has Extreme Power Saving Mode, Samsung has Ultra Power Saving Mode, Sony has STAMINA mode and so on. Find these various options for your device and ROM and make them work for you.

15. Use your basic battery saving mode

Even if your phone doesn't have layers of battery saving features like some (or you simply don't want disable so many features), at least make use of the basic battery saver mode. Even stock Android Lollipop has it by default and Android M has the great Doze feature (as mentioned above) to help reduce battery consumption while your phone is asleep.

16. Don't fall into the auto-sync trap

Turn off auto-syncing for Google accounts. If you don't need every single Google account updated every 15 minutes, just go into Settings and Google account and turn off auto-sync for those applications you don't need constantly updated.

Some applications – like email – let you manually refresh when you launch them, rather than multiple times throughout the day when you may not need them to. The same goes for Twitter, reddit and co. Unless you need constant updates or push notifications (like for Facebook or your calendar) just sync when you actually use the app.

17. Manually update applications when it's convenient for you

If you're concerned about conserving battery life, the last thing you want to see is a whole slew of applications automatically updating. Just take a look at the screenshot below: if this happened when you were running low on juice you'd be in trouble. You'd also have no data left. You can manage your app auto-updates in the Play Store settings or individually for each app.

18. Turn off Google hotwords

Stop your phone from always listening. Google's OK Google voice searching is a fantastic and often very functional feature. The problem is that it can play havoc with your battery. Especially if you don't actually use it or only use it occasionally.

Go into Google settings from your app drawer and tap Voice heading. On the next page, select OK Google detection. In this menu, the best option for battery life would be to untick all the boxes, but if you are a fan ofOK Google, just tick the From the Google app box to ensure your device is only listening when you're in the Google app.

19. Change your carrier

Every carrier is different. The way they transmit data, the frequency bands they use, etc. But if you want one sure way to dramatically change battery performance, this is it.

Of course, often you are locked into certain contracts for two years or more, and can't change your carrier in that time. But next time you upgrade, it might be worth doing some research into which network is going to provide the best standby times for your handset.

20. Don't be so mobile obsessed

This may sound weird, but because the screen is the biggest battery sucker on any Android, not turning your phone on as much is the best thing for your battery. I'm not saying to never check your phone, but do you really need to check it every 10 minutes? Probably not. Try to exercise a little restraint throughout the day and watch your battery life grow.

Did we miss anything? What are your best battery saving tips? Tell us about them in the comments.