A better dark mode for your phone

Plus the wild Android phones of the future  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ [Android Intelligence](#) [Android Intelligence](#) Brought to you by: [The Hustle logo](=)​ Man — this is one of those weeks where you've just gotta love gadgets. Between the Consumer Electronics Show in Vegas and a handful of other vaguely related announcements, we've absolutely got our paws full of quirky, geeky goodies right now. To be fair, most of 'em won't have any immediate practical impact. But all of 'em offer tantalizing glimpses at the types of technology companies are cookin' up in their kitchens this year — and the types of technology that might just make their way into our eager mitts eventually. Of course, as I love to remind you, you don't need any newfangled gear to find something new and useful you can do with your tech this minute. So after we think through some of the latest and greatest twists in our Things to Know section, we'll move on to some awesome tips that'll work on whatever device(s) you're using now — including a killer new dark mode discovery I can't wait to share with you. Great Scott! We're living in the future. And just think: We didn't even need a flux capacitor to get here. [JR Raphael, Author] JR Today's read: ⌚ 3 Things to Know: 2 minutes ⌚ 3 Things to Try: 1 minute 30 seconds ⌚ Just for Funsies: 20 seconds ​ [] [3 Things to Know This Week] 1. Our future phones could sport some wild new twists ➜ THE SHORT VERSION: At this week's Consumer Electronics Show, device-makers are showing off everything from rolling screens to paper-like displays and even a dual-purpose Android/Windows combo. 🔎 KNOW MORE: Android has long been the place where this type of wacky cutting-edge tech shows up first, and this year is already no exception. - The latest rolling- and sliding-screen prototypes — along with a mind-boggling display that can fold both ways — all come courtesy of Samsung, who's constantly experimenting with that type of tech. Both Samsung and LG are also demoing different forms of transparent displays, which is about as futuristic as it gets. - In a more immediately-available sense, TCL is showing off its first U.S.-destined device with an e-reader-like, paper-emulating screen — which is a really intriguing notion, even if the phones themselves are nothing to write home about. - And Lenovo's launching a dual-purpose device that runs Windows as a laptop and then detaches from its keyboard to run Android as a tablet. It's an interesting idea, though it lacks any type of advanced interaction between its two forms — which keeps it being a truly groundbreaking and compelling concept. 📌 READ MORE: Get up close and personal with hands-on tours of [the Samsung screens](, the [Samsung]( and [LG transparent display technology](=), the [TCL Nxtpaper phones](, and the [Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Hybrid](. --------------------------------------------------------------- 2. Google Assistant could soon sense when you need it ➜ THE SHORT VERSION: Forget the upcoming Bard-based enhancements: Signs suggest Google's at least looking at some seriously significant upgrades for Assistant that'd let it lean on your phone's sensors to offer extra-intelligent help. 🔎 KNOW MORE: The info around this all comes from a recent patent filing, so there's no telling if or when it'll actually be developed. But Google's clearly at least thinking about the possibilities. - The expanded system would allow Assistant to provide "contextual triggering" based on your motion, location, speed, gaze, and even the sounds around you. - That'd let it detect when you're likely to need a specific type of assistance — offering to read an article aloud for you when you're viewing text while walking, for instance, or asking if you want to switch to Bluetooth when you're listening in a noisy environment. - Such a system would certainly raise fresh questions around privacy. But provided it's opt-in and with sensible controls, it could be a compelling new way for Assistant to get even more useful — and a logical-seeming return to the type of context-driven awareness we sampled with the short-lived Google Now system some years back. 📌 READ MORE: Explore [the patent](more closely​ for yourself and travel back in time to [revisit Google Now]( for that added platform perspective. --------------------------------------------------------------- 3. Android's wireless sharing setup is in for a shake-up ➜ THE SHORT VERSION: We talked about this as a distinct possibility last week, and now it's officially official: Google's renaming its Android-centric Nearby Share system to Quick Share and combining it with Samsung's awkwardly overlapping effort. 🔎 KNOW MORE: It never made sense for Samsung to maintain its own separate system for wireless sharing, so bringing the two platforms together can only be a good thing — especially for folks who use Samsung's products. - Samsung's sharing system, which was already called Quick Share, has traditionally existed alongside Nearby Share on Galaxy gadgets — creating a healthy heap of confusing redundancy. - Google's setup does the same basic thing as Samsung's, only with even broader support for any Android device, not only a Samsung-made model, as well as support for Chromebooks and Windows computers. - So this move mostly just involves streamlining and simplifying, especially for folks on the Samsung side — though the dizzying renaming of the platform-wide feature will force an unfortunate if extraordinarily Googley adjustment for us all. 📌 READ MORE: See [the full official announcement]( for all the ins and outs of what's happening. SPONSORED MESSAGE Design charts and graphs like a pro 📊 [Lisa Simpson grabbing a chart and saying, "In fact, I made a graph."](=)​ If a picture is worth 1,000 words, how many words is a compelling chart effectively communicating your data worth?! The limit does not exist! The [Introduction to Data Visualization course](=) will teach you how to turn raw data into charts, maps, and graphs to tell stories and convey ideas, just like the pros. *No Stats PhD required.* Why you should download this FREE course yesterday: 🧠Simplifies data visualization for anyone — in any career — to use ⏰ Built for busy schedules to be completed at your own pace 👑 Created by HubSpot (the gurus behind The Hustle, which is read by 3+ million) Ready to WOW your CEO or colleagues and decipher large data sets? ➜ [Kickstart your data visualization skills and download the Introduction to Data Visualization course today!](=)​ [​CLAIM YOUR FREE COURSE HERE​​​ ➜](=) ​ [] [3 Things to Try This Week] 1. Give your device's dark mode a delightful new upgrade Android's dark mode is a splendid way to offer your eyes a break from the standard screen brightness during the evening hours — or maybe even all the time, if you're among the many dark-side devotees out there. But while that setting does make most of what you see impressively dim, our devices' darkened environment doesn't extend to one prominent part of the mobile experience. And that's the web. Or so it'd seem. ➜ I found an incredibly powerful hack that'll spread Android's dark mode across the entire internet for you and automatically adjust any website to make it dark, too, whenever your device's dark mode is active. ⌚ And it couldn't be much simpler to set up. In fact, it'll take you all of 20 seconds to dig up and enable. 📌 Just [follow the steps in this sweet new guide o' mine](), and get ready to take your Android dark mode experience to a whole new level. --------------------------------------------------------------- 2. Raise your hand for simpler selfies Unless you're a professional hand-yoga master, trying to snap a photo of your own freckly face can be an exercise in frustration. But make yourself a mental note: On many Android phones, there's a much easier option that revolves around the effortless raising of your opened hand. ⌚ And it'll take you a whopping 10 seconds to set up and start using. 📌 I've got everything you need to know in [this easy-to-follow guide](=). --------------------------------------------------------------- 3. Snap a selfie by speaking While we're thinking about simpler ways to snag selfies, it's worth resurfacing one of Android's best and most easily forgotten camera command options — one that lets you skip the palm entirely and go completely hands-free. ➜ So here it is: On most reasonably current Android devices, you can use your device's built-in assistant to capture a photo without so much as lifting a single finger — no matter what you're doing on the device or if its screen is even on in the first place. ⌚ It'll take you two seconds to pull off: - If you've got a Google Pixel or another phone that embraces the Assistant-camera connection (as many Motorola models do, for instance), say Hey Google, take a selfie — or add in a specific amount of time, like in 10 seconds, for an extra countdown. - On a Samsung phone, you'll instead have to activate Bixby and then issue that same kind of command. All that's left is to make your finest platypus face and hope for the best. [] ​ [And Just for Funsies...] Every now and then, an ad campaign comes along that's so damn clever, you've just gotta sit back and clap. This week, as every tech company scrambles to show us how AI is magically transforming its products, Tropicana, of all places, came out with a hilarious sendup of all the AI hype. And it did it right in the middle of CES. The company [set up shop in Vegas]( to show off a new "limited edition 'AI-free' packaging" for its orange juice that — oh, yes — simply removes the letters "A" and "I" from the name. ["Tropcn," the new "AI-free" version of Tropicana's orange juice] ​ We can argue all day about which tech company won the week with its wares. If you ask me, though, no gadget-maker even came close to this. Well-played, Tropicana. Well-played. (Thanks to The Intelligence Insider member Buzz B. for bringing this to my attention!) Cheers to you Whew! What a week. And remember: This season of tech insanity is just getting started. We've got Samsung's grand Galaxy revelation next week, our first official peek at Android 15 sometime soon after, and plenty of other launches and yet-to-be-seen surprises as we make our way toward the spring. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm suddenly feeling inexplicably thirsty. Gulp. 🤚 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? [Learn about becoming an Intelligence Insider](=) to gain access to our one-of-a-kind community, power-packed advanced resources, on-demand help desk, and tons of free apps and services. 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