Google TV adds over 300 free live TV channels with Pluto TV integration

In September we learned that Google was in talks with several ad-supported streaming channels providers to bring free live TV channels to its platform. Today the search giant announced that it has struck deal with Pluto TV, adding yet another live TV option to Google TV’s “Live” tab.

In a new blog post (via Protocol), Google revealed that it’s joining forces with ViacomCBS-owned Pluto TV to bring over 300 free live TV channels to the Chromecast with Google TV stick and smart TVs running Google TV. Once the integration is live, Google TV users will be able to access free channels from the “Live” tab. In addition, users will also see live TV recommendations in the “For You” tab.

“Starting today, we’re partnering with Pluto TV so you can access more than 300 free live TV channels on Google TV. Visit the Live tab to see what’s on now or check out the Free Live TV recommendations in the For You tab. This new integration with Pluto TV will be available on all Google TV devices in the coming weeks,” Google wrote in a blog post.

The Pluto TV integration will be rolling out to all Google TV devices in the US “in the coming weeks.”

Google TV’s Live tab originally only worked with YouTube TV but Google later added support for Sling TV and Philo, giving users more ways to access live TV channels. Pluto TV is the first free service to be added to the Live tab as Sling TV, Philo, and YouTube TV all require paid subscriptions.

Google TV isn’t the first TV platform to provide free streaming channels, mind you. Samsung, Roku, Amazon, and LG have long offered such free channels on their platforms.

In addition to the Pluto TV integration, Google is also offering six months of Peacock Premium for free to all Google TV users in the US. To claim the offer, subscribe to Peacock Premium through the promotional banner on the “For You” tab.

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Latest Pixel Buds A-Series update brings a few new features

Google is rolling out a firmware update to its affordable TWS earbuds — the Pixel Buds A-Series. The update brings several new features to the earbuds, including a Bass slider in the companion app, a Loudness compensation toggle, and more.

Google Pixel Buds A-Series Review: Buy it for the convenience, not just for the sound

According to 9to5Google, the Pixel Buds A-Series firmware update started rolling out to users alongside the latest Pixel Feature Drop. It adds a new slider in the Pixel Buds companion app that lets you adjust the bass from -1 to +4. Google claims that the new slider gives users access to “twice the bass range” on devices running Android 6.0 and above. The update also includes a new Loudness compensation toggle in the Sound settings that helps you tune and improve the bass and treble at lower volume levels.

Furthermore, the update brings improved device switching capabilities to the Pixel Buds A-Series. This allows users to “search and connect to the second to last connected device when undocked from the charging case, if the last connected host device is unavailable.” In addition, the update packs general bug fixes and stability improvements for the TWS earbuds.

The Google Pixel Buds A-Series firmware update (version 3.223.0) has already started rolling out and it should reach all users “over the coming days.” It’s worth mentioning that Google hasn’t released a similar update for the 2nd-generation Pixel Buds, though.

Do you own a Pixel Buds A-Series? Have you received the latest firmware update? Let us know in the comments section below.

In case you missed it, you can learn more about all the new features included in the December 2021 Pixel Feature Drop by checking out our recent coverage.

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OnePlus launches its Red Cable Club rewards program in Europe

OnePlus has launched Red Cable Club in Europe. Launched two years ago, the Red Cable Club is a rewards program that offers exclusive benefits and handy discounts on OnePlus phones and other products. The program so far has been exclusive to the Indian market, but at last, the company is finally bringing it to Europe.

Red Cable Club in Europe has quite different benefits from what’s available in India. The membership program offers a 2-10% discount on smartphones, a 10-50% discount on the OnePlus Watch and OnePlus Buds Pro, up to 20% off on accessories like cases, cables & power adapters, and free shipping. However, these benefits are only applicable to purchases made via OnePlus.com and OnePlus Store.

There are four membership tiers: Explorer, Insider, Elite, and Supreme:

• Explorer (0-349): 2% on Phones, 10% on Accessories & IoT
• Insider (350-999): 5% on Phones, 20% on Accessories & IoT
• Elite (1000 – 4999): 8% on Phones, 30% on Accessories & IoT
• Supreme (5000 and above): 10% on Phones, 50% on Accessories & IoT

If you want to become a Red Cable Club member, you can sign up for a free account here. When you purchase something on OnePlus.com or take part in engagement activities across OnePlus platforms you’ll earn Growth Values. Earning more Growth Values unlocks higher membership tiers and thus even more benefits and discounts.

Alongside the Red Cable Club announcement, the company also teased an upcoming audio product for the European market.

OnePlus will be bringing multiple additional benefits to European Red Cable Club members, including securing early access to buy the next premium OnePlus audio product in early December.

While OnePlus didn’t go into detail about this next premium audio product, it could be referring to the OnePlus Buds Z2 earbuds that were launched in China two months ago. The new earbuds come with an updated design, Active Noise Cancellation, Dolby Atmos support, IP55 rating, and up to 35 hours of battery life.

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Unlocking the bootloader no longer kills the Galaxy Z Fold 3’s cameras

Shortly after the Galaxy Z Fold 3 landed in the hands of developers on our forums, we learned that Samsung had added yet another roadblock for aftermarket development to the device. XDA Senior Members 白い熊 and ianmacd found that unlocking the device’s bootloader disabled its cameras, preventing them from using all camera-related features. At the time, we weren’t sure why Samsung would go to such lengths to prevent users from modding their own devices, but the company now seems to have backtracked on this implementation.

According to XDA Senior Member exocetdj, Samsung has addressed this issue in the second One UI 4 beta release for the Galaxy Z Fold 3 (firmware version ZUKA), and all camera functions continue to work after unlocking the bootloader on this version of the software. exocetdj has also isolated the file that can be modified to fix the camera issue on the first One UI 4 beta release, but hasn’t shared any details to prevent users from accidentally breaking their phones by flashing it on an Android 11 release.

If you own a Galaxy Z Fold 3 and want to unlock its bootloader for whatever reason, you can now do so on the second or third One UI 4 beta releases without breaking camera functionality. However, the issue only seems to be resolved in certain regional variants of the Galaxy Z Fold 3 (model numbers F926B and F926N), so we recommend that you proceed with caution.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3

The Galaxy Z Fold 3 is Samsung's latest and greatest foldable phone. It brings several improvements over the previous model, including high refresh rate displays, an under-screen camera, and top-of-the-line hardware.

Buy from Samsung

Now that this extra roadblock has been removed, advanced users and enthusiasts will be able to unlock the Galaxy Z Fold 3’s bootloader and root the device to unleash its true potential. We also expect third-party development for the device to ramp up on our forums.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 XDA Forums

Do you own a Galaxy Z Fold 3? Will you be unlocking its bootloader now that Samsung has addressed the camera issue? Let us know in the comments section below.

H/T: Mishaal Rahman

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December 2021 Android security updates now rolling out to select Pixel phones

We’re now in the final stretch of 2021, with the holiday season in full swing, and now Google has a gift for anyone using an Android device. The latest Android security patch is now available, and while it should start arriving on third-party devices soon, it’s rolling out now to select Pixel phones. This is the second security update to arrive for Android 12, and the Google Pixel 6 series will be getting it a week later alongside this month’s Pixel feature drop.

December 2021 Android Security Update Bulletin

The December 2021 Android Security Bulletin can be viewed here, and it outlines a total of 18 vulnerabilities in the Android Framework and system components and a total of 30 vulnerabilities in the kernel and vendor components. The CVE numbers, type of vulnerability, threat severity, and affected OS version/component are listed in the tables published by Google. Nearly all of the vulnerabilities in the Android Framework and system components have been addressed with the security update to the 2021-12-05 patch level, while the vulnerabilities in the kernel and closed-source vendor components have been addressed with the 2021-12-05 patch level, except for one kernel component fix. For more information on how the monthly Android security update process works, we recommend reading our explainer available here.

Pixel Update Bulletin/Functional Update

The December security update with patch level 2021-12-05 is rolling out for the Pixel 3a series, Pixel 4 series, Pixel 4a series, Pixel 5, Pixel 5a, and will soon be released for the Pixel 6 series. The Pixel-specific update addresses a few additional vulnerabilities in the kernel, Pixel software, and both open and closed-source Qualcomm components, the details of which can be viewed here.

• Global:
  • Pixel 3a (XL): SQ1A.211205.008
  • Pixel 4 (XL): SQ1A.211205.008
  • Pixel 4a: SQ1A.211205.008
  • Pixel 4a (5G): SQ1A.211205.008
  • Pixel 5: SQ1A.211205.008
  • Pixel 5a (5G): SQ1A.211205.008
  • Pixel 6: N/A
  • Pixel 6 Pro: N/A
• VzW & VzW MVNOs
  • Pixel 3a (XL): N/A
  • Pixel 4 (XL): N/A
  • Pixel 4a: N/A
  • Pixel 4a (5G): N/A
  • Pixel 5: N/A
  • Pixel 5a (5G): N/A
  • Pixel 6: N/A
  • Pixel 6 Pro: N/A
• Telstra, Optus, Vodafone AU
  • Pixel 4 (XL): N/A
  • Pixel 4a: N/A
  • Pixel 4a (5G): N/A
  • Pixel 5: N/A

If you don’t want to wait for Google to push the update to you, you can manually flash it to your device using either the OTA files (if you’re on the previous update already) or the factory images (if you’re behind on updates, or want to switch back to the stock ROM). The links to both options are below. We’ll be sure to update this article with more build numbers as we get them.

Pixel Factory Images | Pixel OTA Images

This article was written with additional input from Corbin Davenport

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Google’s latest Pixel Feature Drop brings Pixel 6 features to older phones

Google has rolled out new features to Pixel phones outside of the usual Android OS updates for years, but more recently, the company has started calling them “Feature Drops.” The last such update was in June, which added Astrophotography videos in the camera application, Locked Folder support in Google Photos, car crash detection, and other changes. Now another Feature Drop has arrived, which brings some Pixel 6 functionality (and a few completely new features) to all Pixel phones.

The main addition in the December Pixel Feature Drop is Quick Tap to Snap, which was exclusive to the Pixel 6 series, but is now available for the Pixel 4a 5G, Pixel 5, and Pixel 5a. This allows you to double-tap the back of your phone to quickly open Snapchat’s viewfinder. Snapchat is also adding a special “Pixel Face” filter exclusively for Pixel phones. If you don’t care for Snapchat, you can use Tasker to change the gesture to perform a different action.

Google has also added a new Conversation mode to Sound Amplifier, which uses on-device machine learning to block out surrounding noise. The Sound Amplifier app is available on the Play Store for non-Pixel devices, but while it’s in early access, Conversation mode is exclusively available to Pixel phone owners. Speaking of sound, you can now manually activate Now Playing with a new search button on the lock screen, if it doesn’t activate automatically.

The December Feature Drop also enables Ultra-wideband support on the Pixel 6 Pro (which only benefits Nearby Share for now), car crash detection in Taiwan, Italy, and France, a new option for adjusting the Google Assistant button’s activation duration, and support in the Recorder app for German, French, and Japanese.

Google says the Feature Drop is rolling out today for the Pixel 3a series, Pixel 4 series, and Pixel 5a series. The update will arrive next week for the Pixel 6 series.

Sound Amplifier (Free, Google Play) →

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Download: OnePlus 9 and OnePlus 9 Pro receive stable Android 12 with OxygenOS 12 update

The OnePlus 9 and OnePlus 9 Pro are two fantastic devices that have been released this year, and we’ve been waiting for quite a while to see what the company does when it comes to the OxygenOS-ColorOS merger. While it’s pretty clear that the Android 12 previews for both devices were based on ColorOS, they still retain the look and feel of OxygenOS — for now. With that said, OnePlus appears to be rolling out a stable build of Android 12 for the OnePlus 9 series for some users now, and we have some of the download links already.

OnePlus Android 12 Tracker: Here are all the official OxygenOS 12 beta builds to download and install

The highlights of OxygenOS 12, other than the rebase to Android 12, are a few new quality of life features and improvements, such as the always-accessible Shelf from the notifications bar. Since this is the stable release, we expect this to roll out to all users over the coming week, unless any major bugs are spotted. You can wait for your device to get picked up on the staged rollout, or you can sideload the update using the download links provided below. The next major update for the OnePlus 9 series will ship the unified operating system that combines the best of both OxygenOS and ColorOS, and that operating system will also ship on the next OnePlus flagship.

OnePlus 9 XDA Forums || OnePlus 9 Pro XDA Forums

Users have already received the OTA and have installed it, and it looks similar to the Android 12 developer preview that we’ve already seen before. OnePlus has yet to officially announce the update on its forums, but we expect the company to soon.

The complete changelog is below.

Changelog for OxygenOS 12 stable update based on Android 12 for the OnePlus 9 and OnePlus 9 Pro

• System
  • Optimized desktop icons with improved textures, by using a design inspired by brand-new materials and uniting lights and layers
• Dark mode
  • Dark mode now supports three adjustable levels, bringing a more personalized and comfortable user experience
• Shelf
  • New additional style options for Cards, making data contents more visual and easier to read
  • Newly added Earphone Control Card with Bluetooth earphone one-click adjustment
  • Newly added access to OnePlus Scout in Shelf, allowing you to search multiple contents on your phone, including Apps, Settings, Media Data, etc
  • Newly added OnePlus Watch Card in Shelf, to easily glance at your health stats
• Work-Life Balance
  • Work-Life Balance feature is now available to all users, allowing you to effortlessly switch between Work and Life mode via quick settings
  • WLB 2.0 now supports automatic Work/Life mode switching, based on specific locations, Wi-Fi network, and time, also bringing customized App notification profiles according to the personalization
• Gallery
  • Gallery now allows you to switch between different layouts with a two-finger pinch gesture, intelligently recognizing the best-quality pictures, and cropping the thumbnail based on the content, making the gallery layout more pleasing
    Canvas AOD
• Canvas AOD
  • Canvas AOD brings you new diverse styles of lines and colors, for a more personalized lock screen experience with inspiring visuals
  • Newly added multiple brushes and strokes and support for color adjustment
  • Optimized software algorithm and improved face recognition to better identify the features and skin color of different figures

---

Download: Stable OxygenOS 12 update based on Android 12

You can download the update and sideload it onto your phone. Download the appropriate package for your phone, go to Settings > System > System Updates, and then click on the top-right icon and select “Local Upgrade” option. From there, select the update package that you have downloaded and proceed. We’ll be sure to update this with more links as we receive them.

OnePlus 9

• Europe: Waiting
• Global: Waiting
• India: Full update

OnePlus 9 Pro

• Europe: Waiting
• Global: Waiting
• India: Full update

Thanks to XDA Senior Member Some_Random_Username for the download links, and thanks to Telegram user @JishnuSur for the screenshots!

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