techhub.social is one of the many independent Mastodon servers you can use to participate in the fediverse.
A hub primarily for passionate technologists, but everyone is welcome

Administered by:

Server stats:

4.6K
active users

#android16

32 posts25 participants8 posts today

While Apple’s Liquid Glass is getting a lot of... ahem... attention these days 👀 😐 😡, if you’re maintaining an #Android app, there are 3 under the radar and potentially breaking changes in #Android16 you should know about.

Find out more from our Android team on the Steamclock blog:

steamclock.com/blog/2025/07/an

Steamclock SoftwareThree Changes in Android 16 That Might Break Your App - Steamclock SoftwareGoogle rolled out a flurry of AI demos, developer announcements, and… AI demos at Google I/O 2025. But looking past...

Samsung stops the One UI leaks

As internal builds kept leaking to the public to let users know about what Samsung has done to One UI 8.0 in the smallest of the details, Samsung has become aware of the situation and has hardened their official OTA servers to prevent unauthorized access to the internal One UI builds for all devices, known as the “test builds.”

A user, Farlune, has discovered what was happening behind the scenes in the huge leak scene that happened even before Samsung has opened the beta program. Gerwin van Giessen from SammyGuru has reposted a report from Farlune that was sent to the official Samsung security team through the bug bounty program. Here’s the report:

Subject: Unauthorized Access and Decryption of Internal Samsunc OTA Test Builds

Dear Samsung Security Team,

I would like to report a possible security and confidentiality breach involving the unauthorized access and distribution of internal OTA test builds.

A .cs (C#) source file is circulating which appears to interact directly with Samsung’s OTA servers. The file is capable of retrieving internal test firmware builds and uses a method compatible with tools like CheckFirm to decrypt metadata or access pre-release firmware, potentially bypassing standard access controls.

The tool may be leveraging:

  • Internal URLs or endpoints related to FOTA (Firmware Over-The- Air) services.
  • Key decryption logic embedded in the .cs file
  • App signatures or tokens meant for internal use only.

This poses a significant risk as builds meant for internal testing are being accessed and shared publicly (e.g., on Telegram or forums). violating confidentiality and potentially exposing unpatched software.

If vou’d like, I can share more technical details or code excerpts privately, without disclosing anything publicly or violating terms.

Please let me know the best way to proceed securely.

Some other articles that talk about the same topic said that those who have installed the leaked internal builds can get updates to newer internal builds through the normal software update procedure.

Another SammyGuru writer, That Josh Guy, believed that this leaking scene happened at the time the community were being very desperate for the One UI 7 update that took a significant amount of time. One UI 8 was being tested on the Galaxy S25 at the time One UI 7 was yet to be released.

This kind of act, which is leaking internal One UI builds, violates the confidentiality, so Samsung’s response to the report is very good. This is because leaking confidential information from any company, such as the internal One UI build files, is illegal.

Apple, Can we get multiple users please? Thank you

to expand on this request - Apple, thank you for adding "Require FaceID" functionality. I think the feature works well in a pinch if its something that doesn't need to be installed in its own space. that being said, I do think apple should take things further *while still keeping the basic "require FaceID" functionality and add a separate, more comprehensive setup for folks who want the extra data separation.

To expand on the topic a bit, some phones already have a feature called "multiple users". on a phone, however, its sort of a misnomer because the feature is meant more for "multiple personal spaces" for a *single user* to be able to add and setup a few separate spaces for app/data separation for *only them*. and that's fine, but I think apple could innovate in this area and take what pixel does, but take it further, using their software prowess to help users with screen time. Also, on pixel, while there is a toggle to enable sms text messages to work in all the different users, the feature sometimes feels like maybe it doesn't work properly. that's another area where maybe apple can innovate and fix.

also, within the last year, Google added the ability to setup private space when still logged in to the default user. it works great, but I think again, apple could take that functionality and go further. one thing that could be improved is accessibility of getting to the private space itself. currently you have to scroll all the way down your app drawer to get to it, but apple could innovate a bit and give users the option to enable a launcher icon for quick access to private space, if desired.

Also, all of this doesn't have to *replace* the "Require FaceID", which still works well in instances where getting into a whole other "space" isn't required. But again, would be a solution for those of us who want a more comprehensive solution.

Samsung releases the Z Fold/Flip7 series!

Samsung has finally released the Galaxy Z Fold/Flip7 foldables, which sport the most powerful processor, along with the more immersive foldable experience, while keeping the slimness of the device to the minimum. You can now buy the Galaxy Z Fold/Flip7 devices from the below links:

Galaxy Z7 series features the thinnest foldable phones yet, with the Z Fold7 being the powerful AI foldable that maximizes your productivity to the max, and the two Flip7 phones sporting the brand new FlexWindow that spans 4.1 inches across the whole screen to make your phone more gorgeous. Even so with One UI 8 that provides new features that allow your foldable to be customizable to your heart’s contents.

The Z Fold7 also gets bigger with wider main display that maximizes your productivity, because it increases the screen real estate to allow more content to show up in your screen. You can even use this foldable outdoors with the highest brightness at 2,600 nits maximum, while the colors also pop with the Dynamic AMOLED 2X display.

The foldables also become tougher than never before, with Corning Gorilla Glass Ceramic 2 protecting your cover screen that features crystals embedded within its glass matrix, increasing your foldable’s durability. As for the hinges, visible creases are now history, thanks to the improved Armor FlexHinge that became thinner and lighter.

Finally, there are improvements in both the processor and the camera of the new foldables. Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite powers the new foldables, which gives those phones performance boosts of 41% in NPU, 38% in CPU, and 26% in GPU in comparison with the previous generation. The 200MP wide-angle camera has now landed to the Galaxy Z foldables that allow your pictures to become more clear than before. Also, the 100° camera has been given improvements, with the 10MP resolution. Taking group selfie and valuable moments has become easier than before when you unfold your phone!

Learn more about the new foldables here.

Z Fold7 Z Flip7

Samsung releases the Galaxy Watch8 series!

Samsung has finally released the Galaxy Watch8 series, which provide improvements and additions over the previous Galaxy Watch7 series. It also features the squircle design found in all Galaxy Watch8 smartwatches, which were inspired by Galaxy Watch Ultra released last year, while providing you with access to Gemini on your smartwatch running the latest One UI 8 Watch software. You can now pre-order the Galaxy Watch8 devices from the below links:

The following features will make it to the latest smartwatches:

  • Bedtime Guidance (Android 11 or later, Samsung Health v6.30.2)
  • Vascular Load (Galaxy Watch Ultra or later)
  • Running Coach (Galaxy Watch7 or later)
  • Antioxidant Index (Galaxy Watch Ultra or later)

Bedtime guidance allows users to utilize such tool to optimize sleep based on the recommendations for the most optimal sleep according to the lifestyle and the sleep patterns. It also uses reminders to make users stay consistent in their sleep.

Vascular load meter measures the stress on the vascular system. The vascular system on your body is responsible for carrying blood through the entire body to deliver oxygen and other important nutrients and for getting rid of waste. Normally, when you sleep, stress on the vascular system gets reduced, but excessive fluctuations may negatively impact cardiovascular health. With this feature to land on the latest Galaxy Watch, you can receive insights into vascular load.

Running coach helps users train safely for running marathons through optimized intensity and injury-preventive routines. Due to over-pacing or under-training, many runners experience injuries during their running session. It offers real-time guidance during your run, along with the motivation, to create a personalized experience.

Finally, antioxidant index gives you an analytical data of how much balance of your antioxidant that you maintain. To support healthy aging and to prevent chronic illnesses, your Galaxy Watch will be able to measure your carotenoids in your skin.

draft - Google thank you for multiple users on pixel. It supports 4 slots, but 6 would be ideal, as well as the ability to setup private space when logged into an alt user

draft - can we get apple to enable multiple users on iOS? and also for Samsung to do the same for it's phones? Pixel Phones have this important security feature built in to the OS, and it works great, allowing users to have complete data separation if desired. Would like to see apple and samsung add this feature as well.

and regarding separating our own data, Thank you to google for not just multiple users (which on a phone can also be thought of as "multiple personal spaces"). They also added Private Space within the last year, which works great on Pixel. Only thing is, Private Space uses one of the "slots" for multiple users. And we only get 4. Considering that on a phone, multiple users is more about "multiple personal spaces", it would be nice if we could get two extra slots.

how I, and others may use the four multiple user slots, and why we need two more slots

slot 1 is default space

slot 2 - similar to default but with fewer "tracking apps" when we need a break without having to uninstall a bunch of apps

slot 3 - a "kiosk" mode of sorts.

slot 4 - private space. it uses one of the slots

now, I'd like to see them add the ability to set up private space, not just within the default user space, but in a second user as well. part of the reason I initially used multiple users was that i'd have my alt Google account in a separate user and avoid logging into my default Google account while logged in to the alt space as a way to keep data separate. and while that works, one thing that's missing from an "alt" space, is the ability to securely and separately sign in to our default profile just like we can from the default space, where we can use private space

Samsung is testing One UI 8.0 on Galaxy Tab S8

Samsung has recently started testing One UI 8.0 on the Galaxy Tab S8 Series in both the Wi-Fi and the cellular versions. First spotted by an enthusiast on X (via SammyGuru), who discovered the first build of One UI 8 for Russia, Europe, and Türkiye, Samsung is currently working on optimizing One UI 8 for the Galaxy Tab S8 Series.

Alongside all that, we’ve also discovered that there are many more countries that joined the internal testing in both Wi-Fi and cellular versions. For example, here are the testing builds for the Tab S8 in India and the UAE, in addition to the cellular versions that are also being tested on Saudi Arabia and Thailand.

One UI 8.0 will be the last update that the Galaxy Tab S8 Series will receive. After that, it will only receive security updates for a whole year before all updates stop. If you want to continue using the newer version (Android 17 and beyond), you’ll have to opt for an upgrade.

One UI 8 Beta 4 will be released next week

In the beta board notices for the Korean Samsung Members forums, the beta moderator has officially confirmed that One UI 8 Beta 4 will be released next week based on the following text (translated):

Hello, Beta participants,

We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused by the delay in updates after Beta 3.
We are currently preparing Beta 4 and are doing our best to release it next week.

We deeply appreciate the error reports and valuable opinions you have sent us. We will reward you with a more stable version based on this.
We ask for your continued interest and support.

thank you

Samsung is apologizing for the delay of updates that happened after Beta 3 was released on June 30th. We’re only six days shy from being a month since the third beta was released. Meanwhile, Good Lock was actively being worked on in preparation for One UI 8 prior to the official rollout that may happen next month.

Alongside the apology, Samsung has officially revealed that they’re currently preparing Beta 4 and that they’re planning to release it “next week.” This means that Beta 4 could make its way as early as July 28th and as late as July 31st. Also, they’ve expressed their appreciation for the Beta users leaving feedback.

For those who are in the second wave countries, such as India, you’ll be able to identify the next beta version as Beta 3.

To install One UI 8 Beta 4 once it gets released, make sure that you’re in the beta program, then follow these steps:

  1. Open Settings
  2. Navigate to Software update
  3. Tap Download and Install
  4. You should see an update page that has the changelogs of One UI 8 Beta 4
  5. Press the install button.

Make sure that your phone is fully charged before performing the update. When downloading the update, you’ll need to use your Wi-Fi connection, since data charges from your mobile data provider can be expensive, depending on the size of the update. Never interrupt the update process in any way, or problems may occur.

Google Play System Update (July 2025) rolls out for Samsung devices

Google Play System Update was a feature that was introduced for devices that ship with Android 10 or newer. It’s mandatory for device manufacturers that plan to release their devices with Android 10 to support Google Play System Updates. As a result, non-Google devices, such as Samsung Galaxy phones and tablets released with Android 10 (One UI 2.1), can receive such updates, too.

These updates don’t require security updates from the manufacturer to work, as Project Mainline modules work independently to give you better experience with Android phones and tablets.

On July 23rd, a new Google Play System Update has been pushed to Samsung devices. This update upgrades your Project Mainline modules to the July 1st, 2025 version. This update weighs around 87 MB.

To be able to get this version, follow these steps:

  1. Go to your device’s settings
  2. Open the security settings
  3. Find “Google Play System Update” and tap on it
  4. If everything goes OK, you should see the below update dialog:

Click on Download and Install, wait for it to download, then reboot your device by clicking on the blue Restart button. The next time your device boots up, the revised update gets installed, so it’s going to take about 3 minutes maximum to install all the updates.

There is no progress bar, so don’t panic if it looks stuck. Your device will eventually boot up. Now, open your settings app and check your Google Play System Update. If everything is well, you should see July 1st, 2025 below the appropriate button.

In case your device didn’t receive the update, wait for a few days, and it will be available shortly.

Stay tuned for the August patch of 2025!

Google play icons created by Pixel perfect – Flaticon