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Android - page 12

Smartphone sales decline for first time ever in 2017

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iPhone X
iPhone X didn't come out early enough to give Apple a sales boost.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The world may have passed its peak smartphone moment last year.

Smartphone sales data released today from the number crunchers at Gartner revealed that worldwide smartphone sales declined for the first time ever during the last quarter of 2017. Both Apple and Samsung saw their market share decline just slightly, but good news could be on the horizon.

Swype kills its virtual keyboard for iOS

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Swype iOS
Swype is no longer available on iPhone and iPad.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Nuance has confirmed that it has killed off its Swype keyboard with Dragon Dictation for Android and iOS.

Swype is no longer available to download from the App Store, and existing users won’t receive any new features or updates.

This cheap iPhone X clone comes with a massive battery

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U18
It looks just like the iPhone X.
Photo: Oukitel

Battery life on the iPhone X got you down? Consider downgrading to an iPhone X knock-off fresh out of China.

The Chinese company Oukitel unveiled its newest iPhone copycat this week that comes with a lot of the same features for a fraction of the cost, including a vertically stacked dual-lens camera and face unlocking.

Nintendo is already ditching its first mobile game

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Nintendo Miitomo on iPhone
Miitomo is no more.
Photo: Nintendo

Nintendo has confirmed plans to shutdown its first mobile game less than two years after its launch.

Miitomo wasn’t exactly the Nintendo name fans were hoping to see when the Japanese company finally embraced Android and iOS. Unsurprisingly, the game couldn’t sustain our interest for long and now it’s no longer worth Nintendo’s time.

Microsoft is bringing Xbox party chat to mobile

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Xbox One controller Apple EarPods
Controller support is better than ever.
Photo: Evan Killham/Cult of Mac

Xbox players will soon be able to chat with friends wherever they may be. Microsoft is bringing a new Xbox party chat app to Android and iOS. You can try it now in beta before it makes its official debut.

Teenage developer finally brings iMessage to Android

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weMessage
With no thanks to Apple!
Photo: weMessage

iMessage is finally available on Android, thanks to 16-year-old developer Roman Scott.

The free-to-download weMessage app supports group conversations, sending attachments, and lots more. But there’s one big catch.

Need a stable smartphone? Buy iPhone, not Android

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iphone x
iPhones suffer fewer issues, claims new report.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The “failure rate” of Android devices is nearly double that of iOS device, although iOS apps crash 7x more frequently than Android apps.

Those are two of the findings from respected mobile diagnostics experts Blancco Technology Group, who have just released their latest mobile device performance and health report.

Huawei reveals details of its upcoming Face ID competitor

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Face ID
Face ID uses 30,000 invisible dots to map your face.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Face ID on the iPhone X could soon face some stiff competition from one of Apple’s biggest rivals in China.

Huawei unveiled its latest tech today that is destined for its Android smartphones and it looks like the company may have come up with a facial recognition solution that’s already better than Face ID.

Animal Crossing enjoys crazy first week on mobile

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Nintendo introduces 2 paid subscriptions for Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp
Nintendo introduces 2 paid subscriptions for Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp
Photo: Nintendo

Animal Crossing made the leap to mobile last week, and it’s proving to be another smash hit for Nintendo.

Pocket Camp attracted 15 million downloads across Android and iOS during its first six days of availability, according to the latest estimates. That’s more than double the number of downloads achieved by Fire Emblem Heroes over the same time.

Affordable Android beats iPhone X in new speed test

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iPhone X
iPhone X wasn't the first, but it certainly boosted the trend.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple’s new A11 Bionic makes iPhone X blazing fast. It’s faster than its biggest rivals, despite fewer processing cores and slower clock speeds. But there’s a new Android that narrowly beats Apple’s latest in a real-world speed test.

And believe it or not, that Android costs half as much as iPhone X.

How to get Animojis on any phone (kind of)

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iPhone X Animoji
Animoji are too much fun!
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Want Animojis on any iPhone? While you need the iPhone X’s TrueDepth sensors to create Apple’s animated emojis, some apps produce results that look very much like Animoji.

In the video below, I’ll show you how one of them works.

Animal Crossing lands on iOS this week

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Nintendo introduces 2 paid subscriptions for Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp
Nintendo introduces 2 paid subscriptions for Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp
Photo: Nintendo

Nintendo has something sweet up its sleeve that will keep you entertained over Thanksgiving. Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp is finally coming to Android and iOS this week.

iPhone X guts Foxconn profits

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Foxconn Wisconsin
Foxconn workers in Shenzhen will not report next week until further notice.
Photo: Foxconn

Production issues with the iPhone X caused Apple’s biggest supply partner to suffer its biggest decline in profits in nearly a decade.

Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., aka Foxconn, posted its latest earnings today and disappointed investors by posting a 39 percent decline in net income compared to the same quarter last year.

Everything we know about iPhone X’s Face ID

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Michael Cohen Face ID
Michael Cohen was forced by a court warrant to open his iPhone with Face ID.
Photo: Apple

When the iPhone X arrives November 3, it will bring a new age of security with it.

Apple is ditching fingerprints for facial scanning when it comes to unlocking your device, thanks to the iPhone X’s all-new Face ID feature. Not all Apple fans are excited about this. But if Face ID works as well as Apple says it does, it could be the most innovative iPhone addition in years.

Here’s what you need to know about Face ID.

Nintendo is bringing Animal Crossing to iOS next month

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Nintendo introduces 2 paid subscriptions for Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp
Nintendo introduces 2 paid subscriptions for Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp
Photo: Nintendo

Nintendo is bringing another one of its beloved game franchises to mobile. Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp lands on Android and iOS in late November. Enjoy a 13-minute preview of the game in the video below.

Like the original iPhone, Essential Phone gets early price cut

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Essential Phone
Essential Phone is now surprisingly affordable.
Photo: Essential

Andy Rubin’s Essential Phone has received a massive price cut just two months after it started shipping.

The device was billed as a top contender to iPhone X when it made its debut in May. But supposedly weak demand has forced Essential to slash $200 off its price tag already.

Google investigates potentially disastrous Pixel 2 display fault

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Pixel 2
OLED display is causing issues for Google.
Photo: Google

Apple’s not the only company that’s had issues with OLED displays this year. According to early reviewers, Google’s Pixel 2 XL suffers from screen burn-in, which leaves faint outlines of the phone’s navigation buttons on the display.

Needless to say, that’s a bit of an issue if it turns out to be widespread. Google says that it is “actively investigating” the potential problem.

Feel the future with wireless charging and more [Week’s Best Deals]

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Wireless charging, distraction-free writing, and more are part of this week's best deals.
Wireless charging, distraction-free writing, and more are part of this week's best deals.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

This week’s best new deals in the Cult of Mac Store include some futuristic goodies. From a wireless charging pad to ultra durable wireless earbuds. There’s also a powerful planning platform for iOS and a distraction-free writing app, all of it discounted by half off or more. Read on for more details:

WhatsApp adds live location sharing and keeps it secure

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WhatsApp live location sharing
Now your friends will know exactly where you are.
Photo: WhatsApp

It’s now easier than ever to let your friends know exactly where you are. WhatsApp has added live location sharing to its mobile apps, and promises to keep it secure with end-to-end encryption.

There’s a serious security flaw in Wi-Fi and we’re all at risk

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KRACK Wi-Fi attack
Beware the KRACK attack.
Photo: Mathy Vanhoef

A major security flaw has been discovered in Wi-Fi and we’re all at risk.

Researchers discovered the weakness in WPA2, the protocol that secures all modern Wi-Fi networks. Any modern device with a wireless connection could be open to a KRACK attack that would expose information like credit card numbers, passwords, messages and more.

One of Android’s best file transfer apps comes to iOS

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AirDroid file transfer on iOS
AirDroid has made the leap to iOS.
Photo: AirDroid

One of Android’s best file transfer apps has finally made the leap to iOS. AirDroid makes it incredibly easy to wirelessly transfer all kinds of file formats between your devices. And unlike AirDrop, it’s not exclusively for Apple devices.

Google’s most underrated app finally comes to iPhone

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Google Opinion Rewards
Google Opinion Rewards pays real cash for your opinion.
Photo: Google

Google Opinion Rewards, the company’s most underrated app, has finally landed on iPhone.

For the first time, iOS users have the chance to answer surveys that earn them real cash. More than 10 million people are already using the service on Android.

Simple Android app lets AirPods activate Google Assistant

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AirPods in ear
AirPods now work even better on Android.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

AirPods can be paired with any smartphone, just like other Bluetooth headphones. But you don’t get full functionality on third-party platforms. On Android, however, they just became a lot more useful.

You can now use AirPods to activate the Google Assistant — thanks to one simple app.

Microsoft admits the Windows Mobile platform is dead

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Windows 10 Mobile
Windows phones could be about to make a comeback.
Photo: Microsoft

Microsoft’s effort to compete with Android and iOS is over.

In a series of tweets, the company’s vice president of operating systems admitted that there will be no new features or hardware for Windows 10 Mobile in the future. He blamed the decision on a lack of support from third-party app developers.