Trusted devices returns to Smart Lock on Samsung, Google smartphones
Some Google Pixel and Samsung owners recently noticed that a useful feature of Smart Lock called Trusted Devices disappeared from their devices. Now, Google has fixed the Trusted devices missing issue and users can now again use this feature.
Smart Lock allows users to keep their phones unlocked when connected to a trusted Bluetooth device, such as a smartwatch or a car system. This feature is part of Smart Lock on Android 13 and older and is renamed to Extend Unlock on Android 14.
However, in recent days, many users have reported that the Trusted Devices option is no longer available in Smart Lock/Extend Unlock settings on Samsung and Pixel devices. They can only see On-body detection and Trusted places options. This issue seems to affect both Android 13 and 14 devices, regardless of the Google Play services version.
If you are still experiencing this issue on your device, check if there is a Google Play system update available. If yes then the update is now to enjoy a smooth and bug-free experience.
Aside from this, Google is also working on a new feature called Watch Unlock, which will let users unlock their phones with their smartwatches. However, this feature is not ready for public release yet.
Google app has added a new Sports widget for Android users, which lets you follow the teams and games that interest you. The Sports widget is currently available in the beta version of the Google app 14.49.38.29.
The Sports widget is similar to the Finance Watchlist widget that Google introduced earlier this year. It shows the upcoming, live, or past matches of the teams you follow in cards with the date, time, score, and league. You can tap on any card to open the full details of the game in Google Search.
The widget has two views: “Your games” and “Trending games”. The first shows the games of the teams you selected, while the other shows the popular or relevant games based on your search activity.
The widget also supports Dynamic Color, which adapts the widget’s background color to your wallpaper. You can resize the widget to fit your home screen and refresh it manually from the top-right corner.
Google Messages app is testing a new design for the compose text field. The new design has a shortcuts bar that lets users access emoji, Magic Compose, gallery, and more options while typing a message.
The old design is used to hide the buttons for attachments, gallery, and Magic Compose as the user types more text. The new design is left-aligned and keeps the buttons visible. The voice memo button is now outside the text field and has a new look.
Aside from this, the voice recorder also has a new feature called Moods, which lets users change their voice effects. Some users have pointed out that the text field alignment does not match the message bubbles, which are right-aligned for the sender.
The new design is not widely available yet, as Google is rolling it out to users in the beta program.
December 2023 has started and Google has rolled out a new update for its Play System for Android devices. The new update enhances Adaptive Connectivity Services to provide a better performance.
The Play System December 2023 update includes improvements to stability, bug fixes, and performance optimizations for Android smartphone users.
Adaptive Connectivity Services can help users save battery life, data usage, and network congestion by choosing the most suitable connection for each app or task. The company is making this service more useful with the new update.
WHAT’S NEW
Adaptive Connectivity Services p.2023.48 (2023-12-01)
- [Phone] Improvements to stability, bug fixes and performance optimizations
Users can check for the update by going to Settings >> Security >> Google Play System Update. The update will be downloaded and installed automatically, without requiring a device restart.
However, no new features or changes have been noted yet but the company will update the changelog on the official page soon.
