Telegram’s feature creep continues with the latest update

After gaining lots of new users ever since WhatsApp’s new privacy policy created havoc in the instant messaging app market, Telegram is doing all it can to make sure those users stick with it by adding new features to the app pretty much every month.

Back in August, Telegram added features such as the ability to have virtually unlimited number of people join your livestreams, download trending sticker packs, new animated emojis, and unread comment counters on channels. This week, Telegram has released another update for the app that makes the user experience better.

Telegram gets better… just like it did last month, and the one before that

Personalization is getting a major boost with Telegram version 8.0.1. The app now allows you to change themes for individual chats, with eight theme options to choose from (and more on the way in future updates). You can also send interactive emoji in chats – clicking on interactive emojis, such as a thumbs up or heart, will “unleash a fullscreen effect,” as Telegram puts it.

Telegram is also bringing read receipts for messages inside groups on par with what you get in WhatsApp. Two tick marks next to a message tell you if at least one other member has read your message, and you can now tap a message to see which group members have seen it.

Finally, Telegram is further improving the live streaming capabilities of the app. Group admins can now record live streams and video chats and share them in the group for later viewing by members who may have missed the live version. There’s the option to record both video and audio or just audio, and the video’s orientation (portrait or landscape) can be selected, as well.

If you use Telegram on your Galaxy phone or tablet, you can download the app from the Play Store. The latest version (8.0.1) should already be available. Also, check out the official SamMobile Telegram channel to get uninterrupted updates about all things Samsung.

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Samsung might end up producing Pfizer’s COVID vaccines

South Korean President Moon Jae-in is in the U.S. this week. And while his travel plans largely revolve around the UN General Assembly, Korean media report Moon’s itinerary also includes a meeting with Albert Bourlar, the CEO of Pfizer. That would be one of the world’s top suppliers of COVID-19 vaccines.

Back in May, Moon and U.S. President Biden reached a joint vaccine development agreement between the two countries. One that’s expected to be detailed this week, following a singing ceremony which Moon will attend. Either way, the partnership is at the heart of a $2-billion investment plan meant to position South Korea as Asia’s largest vaccine production hub.

South Korea wants to become Asia’s top vaccine production hub

Unsurprisingly, Samsung is meant to play an integral role in this R&D push. And in this instance, “Samsung” refers to Samsung Biologics, a Songdo, Incheon-based biotechnology unit of Samsung Group. The Korean side of the deal also includes the manufacturing capabilities of SK Bioscience, as per today’s report.

Apart from vaccine production, the chaebol has also been involved in combating the global pandemic on other fronts. For example, it was only last month that it introduced a way for Samsung Pay users to store their digital vaccine credentials on their devices. The feature, developed alongside the Commons Project Foundation, started rolling out globally in early September.

But in order to take advantage of it, you first have to become a CommonHealth user. And judging by the latter’s abysmal Play Store reviews, many are still struggling with getting it to work.

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Samsung’s self-owning Galaxy M series phone now coming on September 28

Samsung had revealed last week that it would introduce the Galaxy M52 5G on September 19, but it appears that the launch has been delayed. The smartphone wasn’t launched in India yesterday. The phone’s teaser page on Amazon’s website now mentions that the Galaxy M52 5G will be unveiled on September 28.

The Galaxy M52 5G is quite similar to the Galaxy A52s 5G, but it will probably feature a lower price tag and be a better value proposition as a result. It will feature a Super AMOLED Infinity-O display, a triple-camera setup at the rear, and a 5,000mAh battery. Samsung also claims that its upcoming phone is slimmer than previous-generation Galaxy M series devices.

M52 5G might end up being a better deal than the A52s, except in software updates

Previous leaks and rumors had revealed that the Galaxy M52 5G would feature a 6.7-inch Super AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, a side-mounted fingerprint reader, and 25W fast charging. At the front, the smartphone could sport a 32MP selfie camera. At the rear, it could have a 64MP primary camera with OIS, a 12MP ultrawide camera, and a 5MP macro camera.

The device will come equipped with the Snapdragon 778G processor, similar to the Galaxy A52s 5G. It could also feature 6GB/8GB RAM, 128GB internal storage, and a microSD card slot. However, the Galaxy A52s 5G could still lead in terms of software updates. None of the Galaxy M series smartphones have received three major Android OS updates.

The Galaxy M52 5G could be launched in three colors: black, blue, and white. Other features of the upcoming smartphone could include GPS, a dual-SIM card slot, 5G, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC, a USB Type-C port, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. Hopefully the device won’t suffer from the same mysterious problem found in some other Galaxy A and Galaxy M devices.

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Google is bringing Samsung-like foldable optimizations to stock Android

Samsung has made various hardware and software-related improvements with its foldable smartphones over the past couple of years. With the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and the Galaxy Z Flip 3, the company introduced One UI 3.1.1, which brings multi-column UI to many stock apps and multitasking improvements. Now, it is being reported that Google could bring such improvements with the next version of Android.

According to a report from 9To5Google, Google is developing two Pixel foldable smartphones codenamed ‘Jumbojack’ and ‘Passport.’ Jumbojack appears to be running Android 12. The internet giant reportedly used the device to test various new Android APIs named ‘posture,’ ‘opened,’ ‘closed,’ ‘half-opened,’ and ‘flipped.’ All these APIs point towards a foldable smartphone’s states. The company could be adding UI improvements for such devices to take full advantage of larger displays.

The second foldable device from Google reportedly handles split-screen multitasking like the Galaxy Z Fold 3. However, these new APIs won’t be available for non-Pixel foldable smartphones until Android 12.1. It is still unclear whether Jumbojack is a Flip 3-style clamshell device or a Z Fold 3-like bigger foldable.

It appears that Samsung is at least one step ahead of Google in terms of foldable smartphones. The company has already released three generations of Galaxy Z devices and has made various improvements on the software side. With Android 12-based One UI 4.0, the company could introduce more UI improvements to its Galaxy Z series foldable devices. The South Korean firm is rumored to be working on a Galaxy Z-series tablet with two hinges.

 

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An Android 11 feature is coming to your Samsung phone… without Android 11

Google’s been making Android more secure with every major new release. One way Android keeps your data secure is through app permissions, with recent versions of the OS asking you to allow or deny an app from accessing device features such as camera or location the first time you install and run it so you have greater control over your privacy.

With Android 11, Google added automatic reset of permissions for apps that haven’t been used for a few months, similar to how Samsung’s software — which runs atop Android — can disable unused apps so they don’t run in the background unnecessarily. While the permissions auto-reset feature has been exclusive to devices running Android 11 all this time, it will soon come to your Samsung phone even if you’re not running Android 11.

Starting December, if your Galaxy smartphone or tablet runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow and above and has access to Google apps and services, it will gain support for auto reset of permissions for unused apps. The feature will be enabled for any app that targets/supports Android 11. For older apps that haven’t been updated with support for Android 11 and only officially supports older versions of the OS, you will be able to manually enable the feature from device settings.

We’ll learn more about how the permissions aut0-reset feature will work on devices that run an OS version older than Android 11, but we’ll let you know once it actually rolls out to the millions of Galaxy smartphones and tablets Samsung has sold over the last half decade.

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Google Stadia now fully supports Galaxy S21 and Galaxy Note 20 phones

Stadia is Google’s game streaming service that makes it possible to play console games on a variety of devices including smartphones. Since all of the heavy lifting is done in the cloud, console games can easily be played on mobile devices.

Several Samsung devices have been fully compatible with Stadia since last year. Google has now expanded the list with 11 more Samsung devices. They include the Galaxy S21 and Galaxy Note 20 phones.

Samsung tablets also pick up Stadia support

Stadia has supported some of the best Samsung phones since February last year. With this latest update, all Galaxy S handsets from the Galaxy S8 onwards and Note handsets from the Galaxy Note 8 onwards are now fully compatible with Stadia.

It’s technically possible to steam Stadia games on any Android device. However, that’s done in an experimental capacity. Google maintains a list of devices that it supports officially for the game streaming service.

They include devices from Samsung and other manufacturers. These devices deliver the best possible Stadia experience without requiring any tweaks from the user. Since the games are being streamed over the internet, a great internet connection is obviously of vital importance.

The list has now been expanded to include the Galaxy S21, S21+ and S21 Ultra in addition to the Galaxy Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra. Some of the best Samsung tablets are now on the list as well. They include the Galaxy Tab S5e, Tab S6, Tab S7 and S7+, the Galaxy Tab A and A7.

It’s interesting to note that Samsung’s latest foldables are still missing from the list. One could argue that the Galaxy Z Fold 3 is the perfect candidate for official Stadia support. There’s no saying when it will get it, though.

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Some Galaxy A and M series phones have a mysterious auto restart issue

The Galaxy A and Galaxy M series have done very well for Samsung. The company has sold millions of units across the globe, particularly in emerging markets. Customers love them for the features and functionality that they offer at attractive prices.

For the most part, they have been exceptional devices with little or no underlying issues. However, it appears that some Galaxy A and Galaxy M models are suffering from a mysterious issue that causes the device to freeze up and restart automatically.

Mysterious Galaxy A and Galaxy M devices’ issue seems to have no fix

The reports have come from users who own the Galaxy M30s, Galaxy M31, Galaxy M31s, Galaxy A50, Galaxy A50s and Galaxy A51 handsets in India. This suggests that whatever the root cause, it’s likely limited to a batch of devices sold within that particular country.

Reports indicate that the devices often freeze up and get hanged. Frequent auto restarts are also a problem. That makes it very difficult to use the device. Some users have even claimed that their devices are stuck in a boot loop. They don’t go past the Samsung logo at startup.

Samsung India’s official forums have reports about these issues going back at least a couple of months. There has been no word as yet from the company about the root cause. So it’s unclear whether this is being caused by a software or a hardware issue.

Device owners who have taken their units to a Samsung service center have been told that they need to get the motherboard replaced, a job that costs over $100. Naturally, not many are willing to spend that much money to fix an underlying problem they did nothing to aggravate.

The chipsets are a common thread between these devices. The Exynos 9610 and Exynos 9611 are used in the devices mentioned above. Whether that’s related to the issue in any way remains unclear. There have also been no reports about similar issues being faced on these devices by users outside India.

With a factory reset not working and a costly motherboard replacement that customers want to avoid, one can only hope Samsung can provide some clarity on the matter. Those who are facing these issues might also be hoping that whatever fix is needed, the company does it for them at no charge.

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