News

Snapdragon 888 smartphones may get up to 4 years of updates

Software updates are about to get faster too

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Google and Qualcomm just announced a major change related to software updates for Android devices. Phones with Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 and Android 11 will now get three years of major OS updates and four years of security updates, further improving the longevity of devices launching in 2021 and beyond.

This development is possible thanks to years of collaboration between Google and Qualcomm. Simply put, Google applied the principles behind Project Treble to the chipset itself.

For those who don’t know, Project Treble is Google’s solution for ensuring faster delivery of software updates that debuted in Android Oreo. Through this, major system components have been split, allowing phones to support more updates in the long run.

The first chipset to take advantage of this collaboration is the flagship Snapdragon 888. Future Qualcomm chipsets could also launch with support for more years of software updates, though it is unclear if other chipset manufacturers will join the bandwagon.

With Project Treble coming to Snapdragon chipsets, users could expect even faster delivery of software updates. This would really improve the situation faced by most Android users today where updates take ages to come to their devices.

A welcome change, but manufacturers must also be on board

However, there’s a big “if” to all this development. Manufacturers should explicitly commit to updating their devices for longer. In the end, they still have the final say on how many software updates their devices receive. Also, it is up to manufacturers to decide when to release a particular update. So, Android users may still face delayed updates in the future.

As it stands, no other manufacturers have announced any changes yet to their update policy to reflect this development though that may soon change in the near future.

See also: Samsung commits to three years of updates

Still, Android users should welcome this development favorably. The best that a user could hope for is two years of updates, with some manufacturers like Google providing additional support for its devices. With this, three years of updates could quickly become the norm, which could prove beneficial to every consumer.

Apps

Netflix expands its cheaper ad-supported tier to Southeast Asia

This also includes more countries in Europe and South America.

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If you don’t care about seeing a deluge of ads on your platforms, you’re an incredibly rare breed these days. That same skill will come in handy for those nicely priced subscription tiers that comes with ads. Netflix, for one, has one of those tiers, and it’s now coming out in more countries.

As is prevalent in other platforms today, an ad-supported subscription tier lowers the price you have to pay every month. The catch, however, is that there will be an occasional sprinkling of ads here and there.

Netflix offers this service, which allows subscribers to get the service for cheap at the expense of their time. Currently, it is limited to only a few major markets in the world. However, the platform is expanding the tier’s reach to more countries in Europe, South America, and Southeast Asia.

Starting in 2027, Netflix’s ad-supported tier will expand to 15 countries: Austria, Belgium, Colombia, Denmark, Indonesia, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, the Philippines, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, and Thailand.

Netflix says that the ad-supported tier is a popular option for subscribers. Currently, the tier has around 250 million subscribers worldwide. Since some of the new countries have a more budget-conscious attitude when it comes to purchasing services, this number will likely go up after the expansion in 2027.

SEE ALSO: Netflix does the unthinkable: Mayweather-Pacquiao II set for September

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Apps

Google might limit free storage to only 5GB

The change will affect new users.

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Google One is a monthly subscription that gives you at least 200GB of cloud storage for your files and photos. For most people, a Google One subscription starts when Google inevitably tells them that their free storage space is running out and will soon stop backing up files. Starting today, new users might get that warning sooner rather than later as Google tests a lower limit to free storage.

Historically, Google offers users 15GB of free storage as a start. However, especially these days, 15GB can run out rapidly, prompting a Google One upgrade. Still, despite how “little” it is, Google’s free storage is generous compared to its contemporaries.

Now, Google is reportedly going to be more at par with the rest. As spotted on Reddit (via 9to5Google), new users will receive only 5GB of free storage. Based on Wayback Machine, the company changed its policy sometime between February to March.

Notably, 15GB is still available as an option, but users have to link their phone numbers to their accounts first.

According to Google, the policy change is meant to encourage users to upgrade their security. However, critics will point out that it just enables the company to collect more data about their users. Of note, the platform is already pushy about linking phone numbers before the change, but this adds another layer to entice people.

Also, Google confirms that the new policy is only a regional test for now. They have not announced when (or if) the change comes out for real.

SEE ALSO: Gmail now makes it easy to unsubscribe from all marketing emails

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Gaming

The Steam Controller literally screams when you throw it

Please throw it at padded surfaces only.

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We love harmless Easter eggs. Think of Chrome’s jumping dino or Android’s yearly quirk. It’s always fun when a device or app hides a special surprise for those in the know. Today, Valve is keeping the tradition alive by putting a screaming Easter egg in its new Steam Controller.

The first of its trio of new hardware, the Steam Controller converts the iconic layout of the Steam Deck into controller form. Besides offering an accessible controller, it also connects seamlessly to Steam, offering an easy doorway to plug and, literally, play.

Since it launched on May 4, users have already been playing around with their Steam Controllers. Presumably, this also includes a few rage moments that involve throwing the controller over a frustrating game.

If you threw your controller already, you might have heard an interesting surprise. As spotted by users online, the Steam Controller lets out a Wilhelm scream whenever it’s thrown.

For the unaware, the Wilhelm scream is the world’s most iconic scream. If you’ve watched a few movies, there’s a high chance that you’ve heard it before, as it’s often used as a background scream in many, many movies.

Notably, this has a cooldown of approximately one minute, so you can’t spam it over and over again. This also works on padded surfaces, so you don’t need to throw your controller at a hard wall. It’s just one of those nice Easter eggs that add a little spice to a favorite controller.

All that said, please don’t throw your Steam Controller at hard surfaces.

SEE ALSO: The Steam Controller is coming out on May 4

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