Android's invisible camera shortcuts

Plus fresh Pixel features and Google's AI addition  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ [Android Intelligence](#) [Android Intelligence](#) Brought to you by: [Babbel logo](=)​ Hold onto your hat, my fellow alleged human: We're in for a whole new round of hilariously ~magical~ Android reinventions. I swear I'm not making this up: Some new reports suggest Apple's big innovation for its 2024 iGadget is — wait for it... — a dedicated camera button. Yep. A dedicated camera button. In 2024. Y'know, like what Android devices had back around 2009, before everyone realized they could build that same exact function into the other buttons already present on our phones. Oh, and it's meant to be a "key selling point for the device." All amusement and preemptive facepalming aside, this chatter made me realize it'd be worth revisiting Android's existing camera shortcuts now — 'cause seriously, this same exact stuff has been possible in our part of the mobile-tech universe for ages. And if you aren't taking advantage of it, you're really missing out. Refresh your memory and enhance your camera convenience in this week's Things to Try section, below. And brace yourself for the likely celebration of a 15-year-old concept's ~magical~ comeback a little later this year. --------------------------------------------------------------- Hey! Real quick, before you move on: Do you have two minutes to [take a short 'n' sweet survey]( about your thoughts on this newsletter? You'll help us better understand who's actually reading and what we could do better — and we'll enter you in a drawing for a chance to [win one of two $50 gift certificates to your choice of Amazon or Best Buy](=) as a special thanks for your time. [START THE SURVEY ➜]( Thanks in advance for your help! [JR Raphael, Author] JR Today's read: ⌚ 3 Things to Know: 1 minute 15 seconds ⌚ 3 Things to Try: 1 minute ⌚ Just for Funsies: 30 seconds ​ [] [3 Things to Know This Week] 1. Samsung's meddling with Android in an annoying new way ➜ THE SHORT VERSION: The latest version of Samsung's software disables one of Android's most useful elements by default — which means most people will never even realize it's available. 🔎 KNOW MORE: The Samsungized version of Android 14 present on the new Galaxy S24 phones has the operating system's notification channels feature off and hidden, and you have to dig deep into a series of menus to find and re-enable it. - Notification channels first came into Android back in 2018's Android 8 update. They let you get more nuanced and control exactly how specific types of notifications from different apps behave. - That way, if you're so inclined, you could adjust or turn off some of an app's alerts — say, updates about news stories from the Google app — without affecting every notification the app creates. - It's one of Android's most powerful possibilities, and it's not at all clear why Samsung saw fit to bury it in this way. For the moment, all we can do is remain aware of how to work around this — and remain grateful that the change only seems to be affecting the Galaxy S24, at least, and not other Samsung devices receiving the upgrade. 📌 READ MORE: [Dive deeper into this perplexing move]() and review [the instructions on how to get around it](=). --------------------------------------------------------------- 2. Android's getting aggressive with app security alerts ➜ THE SHORT VERSION: Google's stepping up its efforts to make sure your phone stays as secure as possible when it comes to app updates. 🔎 KNOW MORE: A pair of platform updates is paving the way for two new types of app-update-related alerts across Android devices. - First is a new option for app developers to pop up a prompt asking you to update an app to its latest version whenever you open it. - That's joined by an Android-14-specific addition that shows an explicit warning anytime you try to update an app that was installed from a source other than the Play Store — where security is less robust and the likelihood of trouble is higher. - Some people are complaining about the changes being annoying, but in actuality, they're there to encourage proper security hygiene and make sure mainstream Android phone-owners are setting themselves up for the safest, most up-to-date environment possible. 📌 READ MORE: See [Google's announcement about the app update alerts]() and [explore the external app warning addition](=) for yourself. --------------------------------------------------------------- 3. Microsoft's cookin' up a new Android browser surprise ➜ THE SHORT VERSION: Some freshly spotted code suggests the Android version of Microsoft's Edge browser could soon support extensions — opening up the door to all sorts of interesting new web-wading options. 🔎 KNOW MORE: Extensions allow you to add extra functions into your browser setup, but they've traditionally been available only on computers. - Popular browser extensions include tools for blocking scripts and trackers around the web as well as customizing websites and changing how they look. - Firefox added support for extensions into its Android app just over a month ago, and now, a prerelease build of Edge shows signs of similar support showing up there. - That'd be an especially interesting twist, since Edge uses the same foundation as Chrome and consequently supports the sprawling selection of extensions from the Chrome Web Store. 📌 READ MORE: [Get an early glimpse at what's in the works]() and keep an eye out for more before long. SPONSORED MESSAGE What can you accomplish in 10 minutes a day? Unload the dishwasher? Think about how to spend your next ten minutes? How about learn a new language? [Man with wine glass and baguette saying "bonjour"](=)​ This New Year, [let Babbel be your guide](=) with quick and fun 10-minute lessons that will have you speaking a new language conversationally in just three weeks. Make 2024 the year of new adventures. The Intelligence readers can jumpstart their language skills with a special New Year’s offer: 55% off their subscription. Imagine the places you'll go and the conversations you'll have! ➜ [Transform your language goals into reality with your 55% off offer from Babbel.](=) [​START YOUR 2024 LANGUAGE JOURNEY​ ➜](=) ​ [] [3 Things to Try This Week] 1. Start using Android's invisible camera shortcuts So, our iPhone-carrying comrades might soon be sporting dedicated camera buttons on their iDevices ([yes, really!](=)). Here in the land o' Android, we had those — 15 years ago — and have since moved on to a simpler, more space-efficient setup where our phones' other physical buttons can perform the same camera-controlling functions. ➜ Yes, indeedly: On most reasonably recent Android devices, you can use your physical power, volume-up, and volume-down buttons to manage all sorts of common camera-related feats — without ever having to futz around with fiddly on-screen icons or even turn your screen on in the first place. ⌚ It'll take you roughly one minute to learn or maybe just refresh your memory on each of these shortcuts and start putting 'em to good use — no fancy new hardware or overpriced "2024-exclusive features" required. 📌 Check out [my guide to three Android camera shortcuts that make iPhones look amusingly antiquated]( and remind yourself just how good we've got it. --------------------------------------------------------------- 2. Explore the Pixel's latest additions If you've got a Pixel 8 or Pixel 8 Pro, take note: Google's latest and greatest features should be showing up on your device any day now, if they haven't already. ➜ Google announced the arrival of human temperature-taking on the Pixel 8 Pro and its new Circle to Search system on both the Pixel 8 Pro and regular Pixel 8 model last week. And now, both of those capabilities are showing up on those devices around the world, with no real fanfare or indication that they've arrived. Both showed up on my personal Pixel 8 Pro within the past few days, but I only knew because I poked around to find 'em. ⌚ It'll take you about one minute to do the same: - On a Pixel 8 Pro, open up the Thermometer app that came preinstalled on your phone. If the update has reached you, you'll see a new option for "Body temperature" there that'll walk you through the next steps. - On either Pixel 8 model, try pressing and holding your finger to the bottom-center area of your screen — right on top of the navigation bar indicator. If Circle to Search is there and ready, you'll see its overlay pop up with instructions. If either option isn't showing up for you yet, make a mental reminder to check back in another day or two. They should be there soon! --------------------------------------------------------------- 3. Take Google's new AI image generator out for a spin Feeling creative — and/or eager to be amused and possibly also horrified by the inconsistent absurdity of generative AI in its current form? ➜ Well, good news: Google just announced a hefty upgrade for Bard, its AI-based chatbot, that brings on-demand image generation into the tool. ⌚ It'll take you about 20 seconds to try. 📌 Just [pull up the Bard website]( in any browser on any device you're using (so long as you're in [a country where the service is supported]()). Then type create an image of into the Bard prompt box and let your imagination run wild. Here, for instance, is Bard's take on "the Google Android mascot eating olives while dancing merrily": [A Bard-generated image of the Google Android mascot eating olives and dancing] ​ Spicy! And here, meanwhile, is its image of "a male Android newsletter writer cackling with glee while wearing a shirt that says 'THE INTELLIGENCE' and eating a gigantic piece of meatloaf": [A Bard-generated image of a male Android newsletter writer cackling with glee while eating a gigantic piece of meatloaf] ​ I'm suddenly finding myself both horrified and hungry. [] ​ [And Just for Funsies...] We've been talking a ton about Google Assistant lately, but one thing I'd never before known is what the original source of Assistant's soothing voice looks like. Well, the Intelligence Insider @BrandonT stumbled onto the website of a woman who seems to have a strikingly familiar sound. Her name is [Antonia Flynn](=), and she's a voiceover professional who's done work with all sorts of big-name brands — including Bose, with [an ad](=) that sure sounds a lot like a certain virtual companion I know: [[video preview]​](=) Digging around a little, it seems there's been [speculation for some time]( that Flynn is the voice behind our beloved Assistant. Google, for its part, has never weighed in on the subject — and it seems like they've gone to great lengths to ensure that anyone involved with the voice doesn't discuss it publicly. But, I mean, just listen: [[video preview]​](=) That's gotta be her — right?! Let's test this in the court of public opinion: What do you think? Is Antonia Flynn​ the voice of Google Assistant? ✅ [Yes, that's totally her!]()​ ❌ [No, I don't think it's her.]()​ Cast your vote, and let's see how the results shape up! Until next time... Thanks for playing — and thanks as always for being a part of this ever-evolving adventure. And hey, you know what I just realized? We're officially into February! And that means we've got some massive mobile moments just ahead of us, with the international Mobile World Congress event a little later this month and the start of the spring hardware launch season soon after. It's gonna be an interesting year — that's for sure. And I don't know about you, but I cannot wait to see what twists and turns we encounter. 🤚 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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