With us making way for the second week of June, the smartphone industry is ready to shower updates all around the globe. Interestingly, some of them have the potential of shifting your user experience to a whole new level. Some of the flagship smartphones from Samsung and OnePlus have finally been around long enough to get a stable software experience for users to enjoy. With that being said, let us walk through the major updates that hit the firmware industry over the past seven days.
Which Devices are in today's news round-up?
OnePlus
OnePlus 9R, OnePlus9, OnePlus 9 Pro
Samsung
Samsung Galaxy A52, Samsung Galaxy S10 Series
Xiaomi
Xiaomi Mi 9 SE
Apple
Apple iOS 14
Google Pixel
Google Pixel 3, Google Pixel 3 XL, Google Pixel 3a, Google Pixel 3a XL, Google Pixel 4, Google Pixel 4 XL, Google Pixel 4a, Google Pixel 4a 5G, and Google Pixel 5.
OnePlus
OnePlus 9R Receives a Quick Fix
It has just been mere days when OnePlus rolled an update for its 9-series devices, dealing optimizations in the camera and battery sections. However, it seemed that the new update accompanied some sort of battery drainage issue in the 9R variants. To address that issue, the company has recently released a hotfix.
The hotfix weighs 106MB and comes with the build number Oxygen OS 11.2.3.3. The changelog is considerably tiny, focusing primarily on bug fixes.
- Reduced the power consumption in some of the specific scenarios.
- All the known issues are fixed to ensure a better experience
OnePlus 9 and OnePlus 9 Pro Gets Camera Improvements
It seems like OnePlus is not happy with the recent update as the company has devised another firmware update for its new flagships. Both the OnePlus 9 and OnePlus 9 Pro will get the 107MB weighed update with firmware versions 11.2.7.7. LE25XA and 11.2.7.7.LE15XA respectively.
A quick look at the changelog:
System:
- Power consumption has been reduced in particular scenarios
- All the known issues have been fixed for a better system stability
Camera:
- Improvement in the shooting and recording experience
- The OnePlus 9 Pro will now see a new HDR mode in video recording
Currently rolling in India, the update is expected to roll out in Europe; EU (11.2.7.7 LE25BA, 11.2.7.7 LE15BA), and North America; NA (11.2.7.7 LE25AA, 11.2.7.7 LE15AA) real soon.
Samsung
June 2021 Security Patch Rolls Out for Samsung Galaxy A52 and Galaxy S10 Series
Samsung’s firmware market has been quiet for over a week, but finally, it is making some noise. The Samsung Galaxy S10 (series) and Samsung Galaxy A52 devices in Poland are getting security patches. The June 2021 security build comes with the firmware versions G97XxFXXSBFUE6 and A525FXXS2AEU2, respectively.
Although the update is exclusive for the Poland region, a global release is expected soon.
Xiaomi
Xiaomi Mi 9 SE (Global) Starts Tasting the Android 11-Based MIUI 12.5
A piece of good news for Xiaomi Mi 9 SE users. The global released device launched with Android 9 is getting updated to the latest Android 11. What's more interesting, its that the update will be based on the stable version of MIUI 12.5
Although some of the devices might have to wait a bit before getting the newer firmware, it will be something worth investing some time in.
Apple
Apple Said to Provide iOS 14 Updates in the Near Future
With Apple announcing the iOS 15, users became quite concerned about the update-future of the predecessors. Interestingly according to a report by MacRumors, Apple will provide users with a choice where they can either choose to upgrade to the latest version immediately or stick to iOS 14. The good thing, though, the company will continue to roll out security patches for the older version of iOS 14.
"iOS now offers a choice between two software update versions in the Settings app. You can update to the latest version of iOS 15 as soon as it's released for the latest features and most complete set of security updates. Or continue on iOS 14 and still get important security updates until you're ready to upgrade to the next major version."
The Next-Gen Google Stadia Console is About to Hit Android TV on June 23
Popularly known as a next-level console alternative that can be played on almost any display has been creating a considerable amount of buzz from the past few years. Users were previously allowed to play games on Android Phones. However, if they wanted to experience the same of larger screens, the only way out was Chromecast Ultra 4K.
But days are getting a bit brighter, it seems. According to a blog post, Google Stadia will get its support extended over a few Android TVs on June 23. Talking about the list of TVs, we’ve the following ones
- Chromecast with Google TV
- Hisense® Android Smart TVs (U7G, U8G, U9G)
- Nvidia® Shield TV
- Nvidia® Shield TV Pro
- Onn™ FHD Streaming Stick and UHD Streaming Device
- Philips® 8215, 8505, and OLED 935/805 Series Android TVs
- Xiaomi® MIBOX3 and MIBOX4
Note: In case your Android TV or Android TV-powered device is not listed here, you can put yourself into an experimental build of Google Stadia. To do this, you can simply search for the Stadia app in the Play Store and have it installed. Once done, look if it can be launched and run after accepting the opt-in disclaimer.
Google Pixel Devices Gets the Second Beta for Android 12
Google came up with the second phase of Android 12 Beta recently. This time around, the device lined up includes Google Pixel 3, Google Pixel 3 XL, Google Pixel 3a, Google Pixel 3a XL, Google Pixel 4, Google Pixel 4 XL, Google Pixel 4a, Google Pixel 4a 5G, and Google Pixel 5. Here's the list of new inclusions in Android Beta 2:
Ultimate Privacy Improvement: The update features a privacy dashboard. With that, you'll now be able to check the data which has been accessed on your phone. The dashboard will also indicate the frequency of the access. It basically comprises a specific timeline with stats for the access’ history of the device's microphone, camera, and even the location (within the past 24 hours).
This dashboard is further helpful for users to see why an app has accessed any sensitive data. This will put them in a situation to make quick adjustments to permissions. However, developers can come up with an explanation for why their app handles any kind of sensitive data.
Indicators for Microphone and Camera toggles: The update will make you see indicators in the status bar whenever your device's microphone or camera is being used. You can navigate to the Quick Settings option that disables access to the camera or microphone.
Notification Reading Clipboard: Android 12 Beta 2 will bag in a feature where a message at the bottom will show up whenever any app reads the clipboard section using the “getPrimaryClip” method. However, it is essential to remember that the message won't be shown if the clipboard was previously copied from the same app. In simple words, the update will make sure no app draws useless clipboard data.
An Updated Wi-Fi UX experience: Connectivity experience has been shifted to the next level with the second Beta of Android 12. All you need is a single tap of the "Internet" quick toggle, and this will bring up the list of available connections, even the nearby Wi-Fi connections. In addition, for a slow Wi-Fi experience, you can choose to use cellular data just by tapping on the data connection. This will disconnect your device from any existing Wi-Fi and, for the time being, shall disable the auto-connect.
Google Pixel Came Up with a Feature Loaded June Update
Firmware Versions:
- Pixel 3 XL: RQ31.210605.005
- Pixel 3a XL: RQ31.210605.005
- Pixel 4 XL: RQ31.210605.005
- Pixel 4a: RQ31.210605.005
- Pixel 4a 5G: RQ31.210605.005
- Pixel 5: RQ31.210605.005
New Features:
- The Astrophotography feature is now capable of shooting a short time-lapse
- A lock folder feature has been added to help users move sensitive photos. The folder is accessible only using the registered fingerprint of the passcode
- A new feature has been incorporated within the Digital wellbeing element for detecting an actively walking user.
- The update makes room for three pride-themed wallpapers
- Google Assistant can now be used to accept or reject calls
Improvements:
Devices: Pixel 3/XL, Pixel 4/XL, Pixel 5
- Power: Fixed the issue that caused charging to stop with some wireless charger
Devices: Pixel 3/XL, Pixel 3a/X, Pixel 4/XL, Pixel 4a, Pixel 4a(5G), Pixel 5
- Photo: Fix the issue that was restricting users to edit motion pictures
Devices: Pixel 4a(5G), Pixel 5
- Video: Resolve the issue that restricted a few third-party apps to playback device video
Devices: Pixel 4a(5G), Pixel 5
- Audio: No more notification sound fluctuation.
Additional News
- No Surprises, the Android 12 Beta is by far the most downloaded beta in Android history
A Quick Round-Up
- OnePlus 9R Receives a Quick Fix
- OnePlus 9 and OnePlus 9 Pro Gets Further Camera Improvements
- June 2021 Security Patch Rolls Out for Samsung Galaxy A52 and Galaxy S10 Series
- Xiaomi Mi 9 SE (Global) Starts Tasting the Android 11-Based MIUI 12.5
- Apple Said to Provide iOS 14 Updates in the Near Future.
- The Next-Gen Console is About to Hit Android TV on June 23
- Google Pixel Devices Gets the Second Beta for Android 12
- Google Pixel Came Up with a Feature Loaded June Update
- No Surprises, the Android 12 Beta is by far the most downloaded beta in Android history
Final Words
With that, we're done talking about this week's firmware news. Which update seemed more exciting to you? Is it the second beta for android 12 or Apple's decision to continue rolling out updates for iOS 14 even after the release of iOS 15? Make sure you don't forget to let us know.