Android calendar treasures

Plus a neat new way to save cash with Maps  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ [Android Intelligence](#) [Android Intelligence](#) Whew! What a week. Maybe you noticed — or maybe you're noticing as you stare at this email, right now: We've got a whole new look! A new website, too. And a whole slew of other [exciting new virtual goodies](). But not to worry: Beneath this shiny new exterior, it's the same t-shirt-wearing doofuses here, sitting on our dusty duffs and sharing fun finds about the geeky stuff we all love. (Hiya!) On that note, lemme tell ya: The twist I'm most proud of here, as we look forward to this next phase of our Intelligence journey, is the fact that we've managed to do all of this without wading into rushed-out clickbait terrain or making any of the ad-laden compromises in quality that have become all too common in modern media. And to be perfectly clear: We've been able to do that explicitly because of reader support and your belief in the importance of high-quality, reliable information from sources you know and trust. We've got big plans for the future. And we don't ever want to compromise on our values and the kind of quality we've worked so hard to achieve. If you value the work we're doing, please consider supporting our approach to independent journalism and [joining our newly revamped and expanded Intelligence Insider resource community](. You'll get all sorts of awesome benefits, including a power-packed and fully customizable (even ad-free, if you want!) version of this newsletter and free or discounted access to $200+ of our favorite premium apps and services. And you'll help ensure we're able to keep doing what we're doing long into the future — as a fully independent, quality-conscious, and non-corporate-controlled small-scale media organization. Insider memberships are [25% off]( in honor of our relaunch this week, so there's never been a better time to make the leap and give yourself an incredible reading upgrade while also giving us the gift of a sustainable future. [BECOME AN INSIDER NOW ➜]( Thanks, sincerely, for giving it some thought. Now, let's talk about some fun geeky stuff already, shall we? [JR Raphael, Author] JR Today's read: ⌚ 3 Things to Know: 2 minutes ⌚ 3 Things to Try: 1 minute ⌚ Just for Funsies: 20 seconds ​ [] [3 Things to Know This Week] 1. Texting with your iPals may soon suck a little less ➜ THE SHORT VERSION: Stop the presses — Apple has actually agreed to stop dumbing down messaging between its iPhones and every other phone in the world, though the specifics aren't entirely clear quite yet. 🔎 KNOW MORE: For years now, Apple has deliberately clung to a dated SMS standard as the mechanism for texting between iMessage and any Android texting app. - That's why iPhone owners complain about low-quality images and other "problems" when texting with an Android user. This perception has helped sell massive numbers of iPhones and convince millions of people to stick with the platform, according to numerous market analyses. - After years of outright refusal, Apple now says it'll move to the more modern universal RCS messaging standard, which should lead to a better and more secure messaging experience for anyone who acknowledges that not everyone in the world uses an iDevice. But Apple is not yet saying how exactly that'll work or how deeply it'll be integrated into the main iMessage app. - For context here, European regulators have increasingly been looking at whether iMessage should be considered a "core platform service" and thus required to play nicely with other platforms. So while this is undoubtedly a welcome move, it's also quite likely Apple realized pending regulation was inevitable and decided to get out ahead of that rather than open the door to potentially even more extensive forced measures. 📌 READ MORE: The change is expected to appear sometime next year, [as Apple's official statement explains](=). --------------------------------------------------------------- 2. iMessage is also coming to Android (...sort of) ➜ THE SHORT VERSION: In an amusingly timed twist, one of Android's scrappier device-makers is offering a new feature that'll let its users send "native" iMessage texts to the iFolk right from their Android gadgets. 🔎 KNOW MORE: Nothing, a small company run by the guy who founded OnePlus, is launching a new "Nothing Chats" app on its latest Nothing 2 phone in North America and parts of Europe today. - The app relies on a system created by a third-party service, Sunbird, to essentially act as a bridge between an Android phone and the iOS universe. - It seemingly does that by using actual Macs somewhere to sign into iMessage on your behalf and then route the message for you, though that process should be invisible and nearly instantaneous. - Even with Apple's overdue standard change, this could be appealing to some people — as Apple is still likely to play its whole silly "green bubble" stigma-creating game moving forward, and this system allows anyone to avoid that (gasp!) ghastly status. 📌 READ MORE: [Take a peek inside Nothing's new setup]( for yourself. --------------------------------------------------------------- 3. Google Photos is gaining some new screenshot smarts ➜ THE SHORT VERSION: Android's Photos app is in the midst of getting an update that'll inject a bunch of extra intelligence into all of your screenshots. 🔎 KNOW MORE: This actually sounds like a really useful possibility, provided it works as well as promised. - Starting this week, Photos will rely on AI to automatically identify and organize your screenshots into categories like ID, receipts, and event info. - Cooler yet, it'll boast a new one-tap button for adding a reminder into your Google Calendar to revisit a screenshot or even a photo when a relevant time arrives. - And it'll introduce the ability to auto-archive old screenshots and document pics after a month to keep 'em out of your main gallery view. 📌 READ MORE: [Google's official Photos feature announcement](=) has all the ins and outs around what's coming. ​ [] [3 Things to Try This Week] 1. Dig up some incredible Android calendar treasures Few apps are as important yet underappreciated as the humble smartphone calendar. And Google's Android Calendar app is a perfect example. ➜ The Android Calendar app is absolutely overflowing with awesome out-of-sight options — time-saving shortcuts and efficiency-boosting extras that have the potential to make your life easier in all sorts of worthwhile ways. ⌚ These are some of my favorite finds of all time, and each one will take you no more than one minute to hunt down and try out. 📌 [Check out my freshly expanded Android calendar treasure collection]() and see which trick stands out the most to you! --------------------------------------------------------------- 2. Try out some neat new Android home screen features Speaking of exceptional Android goodies, my personal go-to Android launcher is in the midst of getting a hefty update that adds some interesting new elements into your home screen setup. ➜ It's called [Niagara Launcher](=), and it's packed with inventive, intelligent features that make your phone meaningfully faster and simpler to use. - Niagara replaces your phone's default home screen environment with a much more ergonomic and efficient interface. - It revolves around the idea of a single stacked list showing your most-used apps, along with clever swipe-summoned pop-ups for on-demand widget access. - And as of its latest update, it's adding in a whole new system that makes it especially easy to customize and control your home screen icons. That way, you can take total control of your phone's appearance and give it a fresh new look anytime the urge strikes. ⌚ The new feature shouldn't take you more than two minutes to set up, once the update becomes available to you. 📌 You can [find Niagara Launcher in the Play Store](=), and if the new icon system isn't showing up yet, wait a few days and watch for an update! 🔎 And for extra context, [look back to this launcher guide o' mine]() to explore more about Niagara and what makes it so special. ✨ FYI: Niagara is one of the many apps included in our [Intelligence Insider Perk Pack](, for free premium access. [UNLOCK YOUR INSIDER PERKS ➜]( --------------------------------------------------------------- 3. Let Maps save you cash on gas Here's a neat new feature that popped up out of nowhere at some point recently: ➜ The Google Maps app on your phone can now help you find the cheapest gas around with virtually no effort. ⌚ Seriously, this'll take you maybe seven seconds to do: - Just open up Maps on your phone and tap the search box at the top of the screen. - Type in gas prices and hit the search icon within your phone's keyboard. - That'll pull up a list of gas stations around your current location, with current prices listed for many (if not all) of them. It's a simple way to save yourself a few bucks without even trying — and hey, who among us wouldn't want that?! [] ​ [And Just for Funsies...] We chat plenty about advanced image editing options on Android. And over on the computer side of the equation, our pals at [Windows Intelligence]() have been diving into Microsoft's recent improvements around its desktop editing tools as of late. For any of us who spent any time with early technology, though, there's one amusingly awful app that's impossible to forget. And that's the classic Windows Paint program. Well, my friend, get this: You can now relive the horrors of that old-school Paint app from right within your browser — on your favorite Android phone or any other device you're using. And lemme tell ya, it is absolutely hilarious to do. 📌 [Just open this website](=) in whatever browser you like. And prepare to be zapped back to the past for a delightfully geeky tech-nostalgia adventure. In advance: My apologies — and you're welcome. Happy Thanksgiving! Hey, hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving week, if you're here in the U.S. and celebrating it. We'll have new newsletters for you on Monday and Wednesday next week, but we'll be taking Thursday and Friday off to eat copious amounts of food and pass out observe the holiday and spend quality time with our families. Don't forget: You've got through this weekend to [get in on our Intelligence Insider 25% off launch promo and enrollment period](. Some truly incredible treats await you within those virtual gates, and your support of our independent journalism philosophy really goes a long way. Thanks in advance for considering it, and thanks for being a part of this ever-evolving journey — on whichever path makes the most sense for you. See ya in the early part of next week and then back here on the first Friday in December! 🤚 Wait! Before you go: What'd you think of this issue? [Thumbs Up]() [Thumbs Down](=) Hit the thumbs-up or thumbs-down to cast your vote and let me know. Want less email? [Update your reading preferences](=) to opt out of any individual publications or unsubscribe entirely. New here and not yet subscribed? Take two seconds to [sign up for our newsletters](): Android Intelligence, Windows Intelligence, or Cool Tools (or all three!). Hungry for even more? 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