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Google announced September 2023’s “Feature Drop” update
Google is aggressively working on Android 14 development; the company has recently rolled out the 5.2 beta update. It is expected that the stable update will go public in the next few days. Which will be available to all eligible Android devices. On the other hand, the company is also testing some features for Android devices, and now it is releasing them. Let’s find out what you’ll get.
What’s the September “feature drop”?
The September “Feature Drop” is a different software update that is provided by Google every three months. It provides all the new changes to Google’s owned applications and services. Most of the time, these updates are installed on the Android devices automatically from the server side; alternatively, you can also get new features by installing the latest update for the new services.
September’s feature drop brings five new features.
As said earlier, the feature drop update brings changes to Google’s services, so here are five new features that will enhance the Android ecosystem.
At a Glance widget: Google will introduce a new widget named At a Glance, which will provide all the useful information on the home screen. It is pill-shaped and will inform you about weather alerts, updates on planned or ongoing trips, event reminders, and much more.
Google Wallet: Google will add a new feature to its wallet service called “Pass photo import”. It will improve productivity. Now users will be able to store any passes virtually on their smartphones. For instance, you can save your gym or library card in the digital version within the app.
Google Assistant provides information about health. As you know, Google Assistant is able to do several tasks based on your voice command, such as weather information, news, scores, and many more. With the new update, Google Assistant will be able to provide data about your health. To obtain the information, the user can simply pronounce good morning, and then it will show you the routine information.
Android Auto will get Webex and Zoom support. As Android Auto was introduced to provide convenience to the drivers, the company is now ready to announce two new utility applications, including Zoom and Webex. With these applications, users will be able to attend important meetings and do video chats from the car screen.
Lookout’s Vision Assist application will also benefit from the September feature drop. The application now supports more than 11 new languages; now it supports more than 34 languages. Along with this, the application has also gotten AI integration improvements; now users can ask about the images with their voice by typing on the keyboard.
When will you get all these features?
As of now, Google has just announced the features for distribution, so it will take time to reach every supported device. As per past records, it took a maximum of a couple of weeks to expand; however, if you get any updates to any apps related to the Google application mentioned, then you may also get the functionality of new features by updating them.
Samsung appears close to introducing its sixth-generation foldable phones, the Galaxy Z Flip 6 and Galaxy Z Fold 6, in July at the Galaxy Unpacked Event. Now the Galaxy Z Fold 6 is spotted on the Geekbench database. Let’s take a closer look at the detailed information.
Although the Galaxy Z Flip 6 is already spotted on the Geekbench database, Now, luckily, in development, its sibling’s forthcoming Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 smartphone appeared on the Geekbench 6.3.0 benchmark database with the model number SM-F956U.
The last letter ‘U’ in the model number points to the fact that this mode refers to a variant for the US market. It scored 1,964 points in the single-core round of the test and 6,619 points in the multi-core round. The listing reveals the existence of an octa-core processor with the codename pineapple, a 1+3+2+2 core configuration, and an Adreno 750 GPU. Apart from these, one chief core is clocked at 3.40 GHz, and the remaining three performance cores are at 3.15 GHz.
This points out that Samsung could power the forthcoming Galaxy foldable with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3processor. The Geekbench database suggests that the Galaxy Z Fold 6 will arrive with 12GB of RAM and Android 14. However, the Galaxy Z Fold 6 already appeared on the 3C certification website, which suggested support for 25W fast charging, and now it is expected that this device will also visit other certification websites soon.
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Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Galaxy Z Flip 5 devices are counted as the top smartphones that grabbed the One UI 6.1 update in the first phase. Then, the company introduced more software updates in the form of the April 2024 security patch and is continuing it now that these devices are getting the latest May 2024 security patch as well.
The unlocked Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Galaxy Z Flip 5 are getting a May 2024 security patch
The unlocked variants of the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Galaxy Z Flip 5 are getting a May 2024 security patch update with the firmware version numbers F946U1UES3CXE3 and F731U1UES3CXE3, respectively. The latest software update for both of the devices comes under 500 MB. With the latest update, the company has only focused on providing some security enhancements.
For your information, the May 2024 security patch has brought some new changes under the system software, where it has grabbed more than 50 fixes. Google has introduced 31 patches to enhance the overall performance of the devices, while Samsung has also added 25 fixes that will improve the functionalities regarding the Galaxy devices.
Moreover, the latest update for the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Galaxy Z Flip 5 may also bring some new features that may enhance the overall performance and stability of the devices. So if you are having any issues while using the devices related to One UI 6.1, then the update may help you get rid of the issues.
If you are using the Galaxy Z Fold 5 or Galaxy Z Flip 5 in the US, then you should start getting a new update notification, and by tapping on that, you can easily update your device. Alternatively, you can do it manually as well by going to the software update menu in the system settings.
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The first quarter of 2024 is already over; during this interval, Samsung has introduced several Galaxy smartphones of particular belonging, such as the flagship Galaxy S24 series, the Galaxy A55 and Galaxy A35, the mid-range ones, the Galaxy A15 and Galaxy F15, the budgetable ones, and many more. But the fact is, after being the latest smartphones, they have a lack of ‘charging speed.’
Undoubtedly, Samsung is leading the tech industry with its top-notch features, design, and larger batteries, as compared to other Android manufacturers, but despite all this, it has a massive lack of charging speed. Samsung usually attaches larger batteries to its Galaxy smartphones to enhance the users’ non-stop-using experience. But a larger battery isn’t worth it unless it has a good charging speed.
On the other hand, Chinese manufacturers are equipping their smartphones with charging speeds north of 100W, whereas 45W is the maximum speed you can get on Galaxy smartphones. However, even 45W charging is quite rare among Galaxy phones. Samsung has launched most of the Galaxy devices in the last couple of years, including the flagship with support for 25W.
Here we are making things easy for you if you are looking to buy a Galaxy smartphone that debuted in 2024 with the support of 45W charging speed by mentioning a list of devices:
- Galaxy S24 Ultra
- Galaxy S24+
- Galaxy F55
- Galaxy M55
- Galaxy C55
The list is quite short, even considering that the Galaxy F55, M55, and C55 are just rebranded variants of the same smartphone for different regions. Now Samsung is setting up to launch its next-generation foldable devices, the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Galaxy Z Flip 6, in July, but it is yet to be confirmed whether these devices will get a boost in charging speeds from 25W or not.