Android may soon get a helpful feature for those that use Bluetooth headphones — the ability to tell you exactly how much battery your Bluetooth devices have left. The feature recently gained support from the Android Open Source Project (AOSP), XDA Developers reports. What that means is that Android, by default, will allow users to check their Bluetooth devices battery on their phone.
Now, as noted by some engineers in the original post, some third parties — including Samsung, LG, and OnePlus — have supported the feature in their software for some time now, as has iOS. So in this case, Google is finally adding a feature to stock Android devices that others have been thinking about for a while. It is also not clear exactly when the feature will make its way to a full Android release — though considering the next Pixel is rumored to do away with the headphone jack, it wouldn’t be all that surprising to see it pop up in Android O.
Recommended Videos
We also do not yet know exactly how the feature will be implemented on Android. As noted in a report from The Verge, the battery status may show up in a notification or somewhere in the settings. Thankfully for phone manufacturers, it looks like the feature is customizable, so they can have it show up wherever they want or wherever it fits into their software.
Android O is the next major release of Android and its set to bring a number of new features. For example, as we noted in our hands-on review of the latest Android O Developer Preview, notifications are set to get revamped with Notification Dots — making the operating system a little more like iOS. On top of that, users will now also be able to snooze alerts and set them to pop up at a later time. To do that, you drag a notification to the right-hand side of the notification shade, and a little clock icon will appear. Tap on that will bring up the ability to reschedule the notification. Another major new feature in Android O is “Copy Less,” which basically uses machine learning to predict when you want to copy and paste text and the feature will do it automatically.
What is Bluetooth multipoint and why your next earbuds or headphones should have it
Wouldn't it be great to quickly and easily switch between audio sources with your Bluetooth headphones, without having to manually disconnect and pair them to one device at a time? As with most consumer tech wonders, the dream has already become a reality, and in the case of today's deep dive, we'll be tackling an awesome audio feature known as Bluetooth multipoint.
Introduced back in 2010 with the rollout of Bluetooth 4.0, Bluetooth multipoint was a saving grace for every Tom and Jane using a Bluetooth headset in the workplace. Allowing for a second phone line's unanswered calls to be instantly placed on hold, this was only the beginning of Bluetooth multipoint's range of capabilities and compatible devices.
Wireless charging not working on your Pixel with Android 13? You aren’t alone
Android 13 has been hotly anticipated for months, but following its rollout to Pixel users last Monday, many have been reporting issues with wireless charging. As first spotted by 9to5Google, Pixel owners have been posting their issues to Reddit in hopes of finding a simple community fix, but based on the number of complaints, there seems to be more at work.
While the hope is always that companies like Google will put their best foot forward when launching new software, sometimes new bugs are found after pushing an update globally. If your Pixel is having trouble with wireless charging, don't worry: you're not alone.
What does the issue look like?
Android 13 is here, and you can download it on your Pixel phone right now
The day has finally arrived for Android phones to get their big yearly update. Google released the stable Android 13 update today, and if you have a Pixel 4 or later model in your hand, the update notification will pop up soon. I’ve already got it on my Pixel 6a, and installation is underway.
Google says that phones from Samsung, OnePlus, Nokia, Oppo, Realme, and Xiaomi, among others, will start getting the update later this year. You can expect these brands to make an official announcement regarding the update road map for their respective phones in the next few days.
