Galaxy S9 Android Pie beta released in the US, here’s the changelog

The Galaxy S9 One UI (Android Pie) beta program has gone live in the US, a few hours after it debuted in South Korea. The Germany release of the beta seems to have been delayed, as confirmed to us by Samsung’s customer support (yes, Samsung support representatives were misinformed… again). Germany should, however, get it before the week is over. Or, well, perhaps by the launch of the beta program in the UK on November 20.

In the US, the beta program is available for T-Mobile customers and to those using an unlocked Galaxy S9 or S9+. It’s not known whether other carriers will run the beta test as well. To register in the program, you will need to open the Samsung+ app and tap the notice that says “One UI with Android 9.0 on Galaxy S9/S9+.” The update can then be downloaded by going into the Settings app on the phone, tapping Software update, then hitting the Download updates manually option.

One UI and Android Pie bring plenty of changes

Thanks to the US release, we now have a changelog for the update. There are plenty of changes and new features in addition to the various visual changes brought by One UI. Some of the new features include new adaptive themes for the keyboard that change based on the app you’re currently using, charging information in Always On Display, Scene Optimizer for the Camera app (Flaw Detection should come as well with a future update), and the ability to run DeX with a USB Type-C to HDMI cable while also being able to use the phone when DeX mode is active.

The November 2018 security patch is included as well. The update is a nearly 2GB download over the air, so it’s best to get it over a Wi-Fi connection. And remember, should you choose to enroll and then want to go back to Android Oreo, a data wipe will be required. Make sure to backup all important data before going ahead using Samsung Smart Switch.

Have you managed to enter the beta program?

The post Galaxy S9 Android Pie beta released in the US, here’s the changelog appeared first on SamMobile.

from SamMobile https://ift.tt/2PY7Xb3
via IFTTT

SamMobile Daily Recap, November 15, 2018: Android Pie beta, security updates, and more

We publish a lot of stories on a daily basis. Unfortunately, the majority of news breaks during our European hours of operation, which makes it difficult for our readers in the US (and other regions) to keep up. However, we think we’ve come up with a fantastic solution — a daily recap.

Here’s what we covered today.

Firmware News

Galaxy S9 One UI (Android Pie) beta program now live!

Remember: Going back from Android Pie beta to Oreo will require a data wipe

Galaxy Note 9, Galaxy S7, and more getting November 2018 security update

Phones

Customize nav bar on the Galaxy Note 9 and S9 with Good Lock 2018

Polls/Samsung Pay

[Poll] Samsung Pay usage surged 58 percent in South Korea last month

General

Samsung to invest $22 billion in 5G and AI

Themes

Android Pie to introduce time limit to using free themes on Galaxy phones!

The post SamMobile Daily Recap, November 15, 2018: Android Pie beta, security updates, and more appeared first on SamMobile.

from SamMobile https://ift.tt/2Q1K4zj
via IFTTT

Samsung to invest $22 billion in 5G and AI

Samsung is looking to have at least 20 percent of market share in 5G by 2020. And for that, the company’s willing to spend quite a lot of money, $22 billion to be precise. Youngky Kim, president and head of Samsung’s network business, made the company’s intentions clear during the recently held WSJ D.Live in California. The $22 billion figure was also announced at Samsung’s developer conference.

Samsung to invest $22 billion in 5G and AI

Samsung produces half a billion electronic devices yearly and is the world’s largest electronics maker in terms of revenue. The company also overtook Intel as the world’s largest semiconductor maker last year. However, in network equipment, Samsung is placed fifth, behind Huawei, ZTE, Ericsson, and Nokia. In Q2 of this year, Samsung held 11 percent of the 4G network equipment share. The company wants to have a bigger share in 5G and is making early inroads by spending big. Alongside 5G, Samsung will also be looking to bolster its artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, as well as related areas like auto-components.

Speaking at the WSJ D.Live, Kim said that 5G and AI is the perfect next-generation technology combination. Only 5G can unlock the true potential of AI, he said, describing 5G as “oxygen” for AI. “AI needs a lot of data to respond to you,” Kim said. “This amount of data can be provided by 5G, not 4G.”

Samsung recently acquired the networks analytics startup Zhilabs in order to ease the transition from 4G to 5G technologies. The company also signed a partnership agreement with Japan’s NEC to expand the 5G business. For AI, Samsung opened its seventh research center in Montreal earlier this month.

While 5G is likely to be commercialised next year, Samsung will be deploying the network earlier in its semiconductor factory in Austin.

The post Samsung to invest $22 billion in 5G and AI appeared first on SamMobile.

from SamMobile https://ift.tt/2Pw2fh6
via IFTTT

Samsung Pay usage surges 58 percent on-year in South Korea last month

Samsung Pay, the Korean giant’s mobile payments service, was first launched in its home country of South Korea and with good reason. It was quickly adopted there by the Samsung faithful. Samsung Pay has seen considerable success on its home turf. It was the top mobile transaction app in October 2018.

The latest data from industry tracker WiseApp shows that Samsung Pay usage in South Korea was up 58 percent in October 2018 compared to the same period last year. It was the most popular financial application for the month with an estimated 10.4 million users.

Samsung Pay was South Korea’s most popular payments app last month

The data comes from a survey of 23,000 Android smartphone users in South Korea. It does not include transactions made through other operating systems such as iOS. Transactions made through services like Naver Pay and Kakao Pay are excluded since they don’t require a separate app.

The number of users relying on this service to make payments on the go has more than doubled from October 2017. A similar survey had revealed that 6.6 million people used Samsung Pay for payments in October last year. The figure stood at 10.4 million in October 2018, a 58 percent surge. Toss, a popular payment app in South Korea, stood second with 4.56 million users in October up almost 2x from 2.25 million last year.

Samsung continues to improve its mobile payments offering through incentives in order to retain users. It’s also gradually expanding the service to more markets across the globe to expand its footprint and user base.

Have you ever tried out Samsung’s mobile payments service? Is it something that you use frequently to make payments on the go? Vote below and share your thoughts about it in the comments below.

How often do you use Samsung Pay?

• Samsung Pay isn't available in my country
• Daily! Makes my life easier
• Sometimes, but the novelty has worn off
• Tried it once or twice, don't use it anymore

Results

• Samsung Pay isn't available in my country 100%, 1 vote
  1 vote 100%

  1 vote - 100% of all votes
• Daily! Makes my life easier 0%, 0 votes
  0 votes

  0 votes - 0% of all votes
• Sometimes, but the novelty has worn off 0%, 0 votes
  0 votes

  0 votes - 0% of all votes
• Tried it once or twice, don't use it anymore 0%, 0 votes
  0 votes

  0 votes - 0% of all votes

Total Votes: 1

15 November 2018

×

You or your IP had already vote.

• Samsung Pay isn't available in my country
• Daily! Makes my life easier
• Sometimes, but the novelty has worn off
• Tried it once or twice, don't use it anymore

×

You or your IP had already vote.

Results

The post Samsung Pay usage surges 58 percent on-year in South Korea last month appeared first on SamMobile.

from SamMobile https://ift.tt/2RUGynH
via IFTTT

Remember: Going back from Android Pie beta to Oreo will require a data wipe

So the Galaxy S9 Android Pie beta program is kicking off today, and many of you will be rearing to jump in and start testing the new software and user interface. And we thought it would be a nice idea to remind our readers that going back from the Android Pie beta to Oreo will require a data wipe.

It’s all fun and games until you have to reset your phone

Most folks interested in beta tests already know the risks going in. There will be plenty of bugs, possible battery drain issues, and some features from the initial betas may disappear by the time the final Pie update comes out. And should you want to get back to stable software, all the data on your phone will be reset. So before you install the Android Pie beta update, you should backup all your phone data through Samsung’s Smart Switch program for Windows or Mac.

You can also use Smart Switch on your Galaxy S9 or S9+ and backup everything to an external USB drive using an OTG connector (instructions for this can be found in our Smart Switch guide). Of course, if your Galaxy S9 or S9+ is the only smartphone you own, it’s best to steer clear of the beta program. Well, unless you don’t mind running unstable software, in which case you have probably stopped reading this article already.

The post Remember: Going back from Android Pie beta to Oreo will require a data wipe appeared first on SamMobile.

from SamMobile https://ift.tt/2QK0BFg
via IFTTT

Customize nav bar on the Galaxy Note 9 and S9 with Good Lock 2018

It’s now possible to completely customize nav bar on the Galaxy Note 9 and the Galaxy S9 with Good Lock 2018. Samsung first released this powerful customization app for Marshmallow-powered devices. The app didn’t receive an update for Nougat so it was forgotten. Samsung revived it earlier this year by releasing a new version compatible with Oreo.

Good Lock 2018 plays host to many apps that can customize the look and feel of a compatible device. We have already discussed what these apps can do in great detail before. Samsung has now added another app to the list called NavStar. It allows for complete customization of the navigation bar.

Customize nav bar on your Samsung flagship with Good Lock 2018

NavStar allows you to add two custom buttons to the navigation bar for easy access to features like screen capture, camera and even media playback controls. It even lets you center the icons or align the navigation bar to the right and left.

All navigation bar icons can be changed with NavStar. You can choose from the variety of custom options ranging from burgers to dogs. We’re a bit dog obsessed here so you can see the doggo buttons on our test device.

Those who already have Good Lock 2018 up and running can now get NavStar from the launcher. You can get the Good Lock 2018 APK from our APK section. That’s also where you can download the NavStar APK.

Do keep in mind that NavStar works on devices running Android 8.1 Oreo or the Android Pie beta. The Galaxy Note 9 is the only device running Android 8.1 Oreo while the Android 9 Pie beta for the Galaxy S9/S9+ will be kicking off soon.

Don’t forget to follow our guide to enable Good Lock 2018. Questions? Leave a comment down below and we’ll help you out.

The post Customize nav bar on the Galaxy Note 9 and S9 with Good Lock 2018 appeared first on SamMobile.

from SamMobile https://ift.tt/2RWgKaD
via IFTTT

Galaxy S9 One UI (Android Pie) beta program now live!

The day you have been waiting for is finally here. The Galaxy S9 Android Pie beta program has been launched today. Available for the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+, the beta program will give you the chance to test Samsung’s new user interface, dubbed One UI, along with the latest version of Android. The program is live in South Korea at the moment but will also be available in Germany and the US.

Galaxy S9 One UI beta program kicks off

You can register for the beta in the Samsung Members app (Samsung+ for folks in the US). Just open the app, tap the Notices button, and you should see an option about enrolling into the beta program. Once enrolled, you will be able to download the Android Pie beta build from the Settings » Software update menu by tapping Download updates manually. You will need a Samsung account to do this, as expected.

Don’t fret if you don’t see a notice about the program in Samsung Members just yet. It may take some time to become active for everyone, although you’d want to be as quick as possible with registering as there are going to be limited slots. It’s also a good idea to back your data up through Samsung Smart Switch before installing the beta.

We will be testing Android Pie out on our Galaxy S9 to see what’s new and what’s changed. You can check out our hands-on experience with One UI on the Galaxy S9 in the meantime and can also look forward to further coverage on Android Pie for all the nitty-gritty details.

The post Galaxy S9 One UI (Android Pie) beta program now live! appeared first on SamMobile.

from SamMobile https://ift.tt/2PXMUFr
via IFTTT

Android Pie to introduce time limit to using free themes on Galaxy phones!

Samsung is set to introduce a major change to its theme store policies with Android Pie. It’s a change you won’t like if you use free themes on your Galaxy smartphone. A notice in the Samsung Themes store says that starting with Android Pie, free themes will only be usable for fourteen days after they are applied. The device will then revert to Samsung’s default theme.

Free Samsung Galaxy themes to have time limit on Pie

Samsung isn’t offering a clear explanation for why this change has been introduced. The notice states that the company has “changed the policy in order to help our designers continue to create high quality products and also to provide stable and satisfactory services for you.” That suggests Samsung wants theme makers to be able to make money by limiting free theme usage. Users will get a pop-up notification a day before the 14-day usage period for the applied theme is about to end and also 10 minutes before the device reverts to the default theme. Suggestions for other themes users can try out will also be included in this notification.

Again, it’s unclear why this policy has been introduced. Perhaps Samsung believes that the incentive to earn through themes will ensure theme designers do a higher-quality job that matches the new user interface (One UI) that Android Pie will introduce to Galaxy smartphones. The company will hopefully make things clearer in the coming days once the Android Pie beta program has started for the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus.

What’s your take on Samsung’s new policy for free themes?

The post Android Pie to introduce time limit to using free themes on Galaxy phones! appeared first on SamMobile.

from SamMobile https://ift.tt/2Terd2S
via IFTTT