Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 receives official LineageOS 15.1 support

We recently talked about how the Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 received official support for TWRP and now the device has just received its first official build of LineageOS 15.1. XDA Recognized Developer mikeioannina brought this to our attention here in our own forum for the Mi Mix 2 and we're already seeing a lot of people using the build. mikejoannina recommends those who want to install LineageOS 15.1 after coming from another custom ROM will want to factory reset the device first.

However, some have reported getting a "Google services framework has stopped" error when switching from another custom ROM. This seems to be from a conflict with the encryption method, so you may need to do an advanced wipe, install the ROM, reboot into recovery, and then do another advanced wipe before you can install the ROM and the recommended Gapps package. You can download this first build directly on the LineageOS website here and then choose your preferred variant of OpenGapps from here.

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Check out this build of LineageOS 15.1 in our Mi Mix 2 forum

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Samsung Galaxy A6 and A6+ are official: here are the specifications

Samsung has been using the Galaxy A series as a step down from their current flagship duo. The devices have skirted on the edge of mid-range to high-end when it comes to specs, but have been able to offer flagship level build quality and overall design elements. We've seen the company release devices like the Galaxy A3, A5, A7 and the A8, but today they have announced two new 18.5:9 display smartphones called the Galaxy A6 and the Galaxy A6+. They are slated for release in select European, Asian, South Korean, African, Chinese, and Latin American markets this year.

Unsurprisingly, one of the focus features of the Galaxy A6 and Galaxy A6+ are the front and rear cameras. Samsung has made it a point to talk about the adjustable front LED flash that will let you take stylish selfies no matter the lighting conditions. They have also focused on the rear camera by using a low-aperture (F1.7) lens to assist when you're trying to take a photo of something that isn't lit very well. Both the A6 and A6+ come with a 16MP low-aperture rear camera and the A6+ is also equipped with a secondary rear camera with an F1.9 aperture lens.

The front camera of the Galaxy A6 uses a 16MP F1.9 camera while the Galaxy A6+ gets a bump in megapixels to a whopping 24MP. Both options from Samsung will have 3GB and 4GB RAM variants to choose from (with accompanying 32GB/64GB internal storage modules), but it's the A6+ that comes with a 3,500mAh capacity battery, while the smaller Galaxy A6 ends up settling with a 3,000mAh battery.

Samsung Galaxy A6 and A6+ Specifications

	Samsung Galaxy A6	Samsung Galaxy A6+
Display	5.6" HD+ (720×1480) Super AMOLED	6.0" FHD+ (1080×2220) Super AMOLED
Camera	Rear 16MP AF (F1.7) Front 16MP FF (F1.9)	Rear 16MP AF (F1.7) + 5MP FF (F1.9) Front 24MP FF (F1.9)
Dimension	149.9 x 70.8 x 7.7 mm	160.2 x 75.7 x 7.9 mm
AP	Octa Core 1.6GHz	Octa Core 1.8GHz
Memory7	3GB / 4GB RAM 32GB / 64GB Internal Storage Up to 256GB Micro SD	3GB / 4GB RAM 32GB / 64GB Internal Storage Up to 256GB Micro SD
Battery	3,000mAh	3,500mAh
OS	Android 8.0
Network	LTE Cat.6, 2CA
Connectivity	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n (2.4/5GHz), HT40,  Bluetooth® v 4.2 (LE up to 1Mbps), ANT+, USB Type-B, NFC(optional*), Location (GPS, Glonass, BeiDou**) *May vary by country **BeiDou coverage may be limited.
Sensors	Accelerometer, Fingerprint Sensor, Gyro Sensor, Geomagnetic Sensor, Hall Sensor, Proximity Sensor, RGB Light Sensor
Audio	MP3, M4A, 3GA, AAC, OGG, OGA, WAV, WMA, AMR, AWB, FLAC, MID, MIDI, XMF, MXMF, IMY, RTTTL, RTX, OTA
Video	MP4, M4V, 3GP, 3G2, WMV, ASF, AVI, FLV, MKV, WEBM

We don't have any information about pricing at this time but we're told these devices will be launched in select European, Asian, and Latin American markets this month. A global rollout to additional markets throughout South Korea, Africa, and China will be coming a bit later.

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Source: Samsung Newsroom

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Action Launcher v35 adds Pixel Launcher enhancements from Android P

The Home Screen is one of the many ways Android stands apart from other mobile operating systems. This is the part of the smartphone that we are constantly looking at before we open up that next application. It's something we can use to customize the device so that it fits our own tastes and needs. Action Launcher is one of the most popular custom launchers available on the platform. Chris Lacy recently announced a new update for Action Launcher. This update brings us up to version 35 and it adds in some Pixel Launcher features that have been introduced in the first developer build of Android P.

Version 35 of Action Launcher is the third update the application has received in 2018 and Chris Lacy starts off by showing us the new Android P enhancements that have been added. This includes the transparent dock search box and the tinted dock effect to help your aging smartphone feel as if it's running Google's latest user interface changes. Customization options are vital with custom launchers as well, and this update to Action Launcher lets you choose how you want these UI elements to look.

One of the most highly requested features that Chris Lacy has received for Action Launcher is the ability to create folders within the application drawer. We've had the ability to add folders on the Home Screen panels, but some people like to keep their app drawer organized. Now that is possible with this new update. Speaking of folders, we have learned that there has been some work done with the folder system of Action Launcher as well. They have received the Android P style rounded look and the ability to add multiple apps to a folder at once.

Those who want to keep their folders organized will also like to know we can now sort a folder's contents with this new update. The custom launcher has even received a new "Show desktop shortcuts" option where shortcuts will not appear in the app drawer if you have the feature disabled (although you can still search for them). To wrap things up, there has been a lot of work put into fixing a dozen usability bugs and over 20 stability bugs as well.

Action Launcher - Oreo + Pixel on your phone (Free⁺, Google Play) →

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Source: Chris Lacy

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The LG G7 ThinQ is official: here are the specifications

After months of rumors and leaks, LG officially announced the LG G7 ThinQ today. The phone is the successor to last year's LG G6. It has a refreshed design, a display notch, the latest-generation system-on-chip (in the form of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845), and a new dual camera setup.

The ThinQ branding for the phone follows the release of the LG V30S ThinQ at Mobile World Congress, which is an upgraded variant of the LG V30 with more RAM and added "AI" features. Let's take a deeper look at the specifications of the LG G7 ThinQ:

LG G7 ThinQ – Specifications at a glance

LG G7 ThinQ	Specifications
Dimensions	153.2 x 71.9 x 7.9 mm
Software	LG UX 6.0 on top of Android 8.0 Oreo
CPU	Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 (4x 2.8GHz Kryo 385 Performance cores + 4x 1.8GHz Kryo 385 Efficiency cores)
GPU	Adreno 630
RAM and storage	4GB of RAM with 64GB of storage / 6GB of RAM with 128GB of storage; microSD card slot
Battery	3000mAh
Display	6.1-inch QHD+ (3120×1440) (6.09-inch – full rectangle, 5.94-inch – excluding notch region) notched FullVision "Super Bright" LCD with a 19.5:9 aspect ratio, 1000 nits brightness
Wi-Fi	802.11a/b/g/n/ac
Bluetooth	Bluetooth 5.0
Ports	USB Type-C, Nano SIM, 3.5mm headphone jack
Audio	Boombox Speaker DTS:X 3D 7.1 Surround Sound Hi-Fi Quad DAC
Rear cameras	16MP camera with f/1.6 aperture, 71-degree field-of-view 16MP wide-angle camera with f/1.9 aperture, 107-degree field-of-view
Front-facing camera	8MP front-facing camera with f/1.9 aperture

The LG G7 ThinQ has a metal frame and a glass back. The fingerprint sensor is on the back of the device, and it's separate from the power button. The dual rear cameras are oriented vertically, unlike the horizontal arrangement of the V30's dual camera setup. The volume and power buttons are on the left and right-hand sides of the device, respectively, along with a dedicated hardware button to launch the Google Assistant. The phone is also water- and dust-resistant.

Display

The LG G7 ThinQ has a 6.1-inch Quad HD+ (3120×1440) FullVision "Super Bright Display" with an extra-tall 19.5:9 aspect ratio. It has a display notch which can be hidden via software. Despite the notch, the phone has a small bezel at the top, along with narrow side bezels and a chin at the bottom.

The display is an LCD, and it can reach up to 1000 nits of brightness thanks to extra white sub-pixels. The "Super Bright Display" also has 100% coverage of the DCI-P3 color space and can switch between six different color settings depending on the display content, including Auto, Eco, Cinema, Sports, Game, and Expert. When users are watching a video, the display will automatically activate the cinema mode, for example.

The display bezel is 50% smaller than that of the LG G6, according to the company. Also, the profile-switching feature helps the display to be 30% more power efficient than the G6's display. In earlier LG G series devices, there was no way to adjust color settings, but the LG G7 ThinQ has an adjustable RGB color level option in each of its display modes that allow users to tweak RGB gamut while the display modes are active.

Performance

The LG G7 ThinQ is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 system-on-chip. The SoC has four Kryo 385 Performance cores clocked at 2.8GHz and four Kryo 385 Efficiency cores clocked at 1.8GHz, paired with the Adreno 630 GPU. In the U.S., the G7 has 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage along with a microSD card slot. In international markets, it will ship with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage.

Cameras

The LG G6 had 13MP + 13MP dual rear cameras, while the V30 had 16MP + 13MP rear cameras. The LG G7 ThinQ's dual rear camera setup is upgraded from the V30, as both the standard-angle and wide-angle sensors have a 16MP resolution. The standard-angle camera has a 16MP sensor with a 71-degree field-of-view and a f/1.6 aperture. The wide-angle camera has a 16MP sensor with a 107-degree field-of-view and a f/1.9 aperture. (For reference, the LG V30's wide-angle camera has a 120-degree field-of-view).

The dual camera module has many "AI" features that are branded as "AI Cam." AI Cam analyzes subjects in a photo and provides recommendations on how to improve the photo.  It also comes with filters such as Person, Flower, Landscape, Sky, Low Light, etc. The "Super Bright Camera" mode kicks in when conditions are extremely dark and automatically increases the brightness of each photo. (For now, the jury is still out on whether bright camera modes like this are a good idea or not.)

The cameras can do Portrait Mode to blur the background of the subject. The bokeh effect can be applied in real-time or after the shot is captured. Also, the wide-angle camera now is said to have less distortion.

Audio

The LG G7 ThinQ has a "Boombox Speaker." The phone uses its inner space as a resonance chamber to "amp up the bass and deliver a premium, loud and room-filling audio experience."

The phone also has "Super Far-Field Voice Recognition." According to LG, the G7 will be capable of hearing the user from a further distance, and it will pick up the user's voice even in noisy places.

The LG G7 has a 32-bit Hi-Fi Quad DAC, making it the first G series device to have a Quad DAC. It also has 7.1 channel DTS:X 3D Surround Sound.

Connectivity

The LG G7 ThinQ is powered by a 3000mAh battery, which is much smaller than the 3300mAh batteries of the G6 and the V30.

In terms of connectivity, it has a USB Type-C port, Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.0, nano-SIM, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. It runs LG UX 6.0 on top of Android 8.0 Oreo, which means that it has Project Treble support.

Pricing and availability of the G7 will vary by carrier in the US.

Let us know your thoughts about the LG G7 ThinQ in the comments below.

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How to install official Android Oreo on the Samsung Galaxy S7/S7 Edge (Exynos)

Official Android Oreo for the Exynos Samsung Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge started to roll out yesterday. When Samsung releases updates to devices, they release them by CSC (Country Specific Code). The update has been rolled out to the BTU CSC, which is the United Kingdom unlocked version.

This is the first release of Android 8.0 Oreo for Exynos Samsung Galaxy S7 devices and it brings a bunch of new features and improvements. On top of all the new features that come with Android Oreo, such as picture-in-picture mode, notification channels, background app optimizations, notification snoozing, and more, there are also plenty of Samsung-specific changes with Samsung Experience 9.0. This update also contains Samsung's Bixby.

With Samsung Experience 9.0 comes a new keyboard with stickers and GIFs built in, the App Pair feature from the Samsung Galaxy Note 8, which was previously for the S7 Edge only, and much more. The build comes with the latest April security patches. The update also brings native support for Overlay Manager Service (OMS), the theme framework behind Substratum. Before, the Sungstratum plugin was necessary to apply custom themes, but now you should transition over to the Andromeda plugin which is more stable.

If you are using another CSC values and want this update, you can install it using our guide below. This will require an unlocked bootloader and TWRP. It has been over two years since the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge were released, so you probably shouldn't have to worry about voiding your warranty, which unlocking the bootloader will do. However, keep in mind that unlocking the bootloader will trip Knox and make it so apps like Samsung Pay and Secure Folder will not work.

Install Android Oreo on the Exynos Samsung Galaxy S7/S7 Edge

How to install TWRP on your phone:

1. Go to Settings and then About Device. Click on Build Number 7 times to enable Developer Options. Go to Developer Options and enable USB debugging and OEM unlock settings.
2. On your Windows PC make sure you have ADB installed first. Open the command prompt on your computer and type the command adb reboot bootloader.
3. Download Odin 3.12.7 and the TWRP images for your phone. This is for the Galaxy S7 and this for the Galaxy S7 edge. Use the latest version on the list.
4. Open Odin and select the AP tab and select the TWRP files for your device.
5. Click start. Once you click start you will not be able to undo the bootloader unlock. This will trip Knox and make it so Samsung Pay and Secure Folder will not work.
6. Your phone will reboot to the system.

How to install Android Oreo on your device with TWRP:

1. Download the files linked below. You are going to want to extract the zip file for the system. For the Magisk v16.4 and no-verify-opt-encrypt-6.0 zip files, don't extract them and transfer all the files to your phone.
2. Open CMD on your computer and type adb reboot recovery
3. Select once TWRP opens, select restore then the files you extracted onto your phone.
4. Once they restore, you are going to want to go back to the home screen of Odin and click the install tab.
5. S7 Edge users, ignore this step. S7 users, flash the S7oreoboot.zip, no-verify-opt-encrypt-6.0, and Magisk v16.4.
6. S7 Edge users flash no-verify-opt-encrypt-6.0 and Magisk v16.4.
7. One you flash those, select wipe cache/dalvik.
8. Go back to the home screen then select wipe. Slide the bar at the bottom that says "Swipe for Factory Reset." This will erase your data, but if you do not do this, your phone will not boot properly. Then once it is done, click reboot system.
9. After this you will be running Android Oreo and rooted with Magisk v16.4.

System restore files for the S7
S7 Oreo Boot Image
System restore files for the S7 edge
Magisk v16.4
no-verify-opt-encrypt-6.0.zip

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Facebook Messenger is getting redesigned soon, and it’ll have a dark theme

Despite recent privacy concerns of Facebook, both the main application and Messenger are still incredibly popular. But despite the popularity of these apps, they've gained a reputation for wreaking havoc on battery life and RAM usage, partly because they are overloaded with too many features and gimmicks like stories, AR filters, recommendations, and more. Recently, Facebook executives recognized that Messenger had become too bloated, and promised that a simplified experience would be coming very soon.

Following on their word, CEO Mark Zuckerberg, during Facebook's F8 conference, announced that a simplified Facebook Messenger redesign would be coming very soon. The new interface—which was only shown off on its iOS variant—looks a lot more streamlined than the current version. While it maintains most features like the heavily criticized Messenger Day, it supposedly organizes features better. The app's interface has been simplified to 3 tabs, and the actual chat screen has been uncluttered and cleaner. Facebook Messenger now looks a lot more like a simple chat application without sacrificing much functionality.

Among other things, the app is set to receive a dark mode which is appreciated since it's easy on the eyes. Unfortunately, the redesign will not be rolling out to iOS or Android devices now, but it has been promised to come very soon. So, if you're a Messenger user, you should be looking forward to the rollout of this redesign. As is the norm, we'll probably see a staged rollout of the app over the course of this month, though you'll easily be able to sideload the latest APK once it's available.

Via: The Verge

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Xiaomi Mi Box Android Oreo update may roll out soon as beta testers receive update

At this year's Mobile World Congress we saw a number of great devices unveiled. Sony, Samsung, Nokia and more had something special to show, and this year even Xiaomi joined in—though with a different kind of unveiling. The Xiaomi Mi Box was seen running Android Oreo, despite the fact that the Android TV box still hasn't even received an official update to Android Nougat (other than a buggy beta build you have to flash yourself). Now it appears that the Android Oreo update may finally roll out soon, as beta testers on Reddit are now being upgraded to a version that is interestingly not labeled as "beta."

Credits: /u/dragnu5

Note that the update is only out for beta testers, but the fact that it's out in the first place and isn't marked as beta bodes well for the future. What's strange is that the Xiaomi Mi Box is getting the update before the Nvidia Shield, even though Nvidia supported their device more in terms of software updates and additional features. This is apparently because of the UI changes in Android Oreo on TVs, where Nvidia feels that they have to fix some of the changes that Google has made.

How the new Android Oreo TV interface looks

For those wanting to get in on the beta program on the Xiaomi Mi Box, you're out of luck. The beta program enrollment ended a year ago, meaning that those who want to officially beta test the update won't be able to. What's more, it's unclear if you'll actually be able to receive OTA updates officially, so even flashing the beta build of Android Nougat and updating that way may not be a sure-fire method of actually getting the latest update. In other words, you're just going to have to wait and hope that an official build is released or this build is leaked like with the Android Nougat beta.

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