When we speak about iOS versus Android, one area where Android generally comes out on top is notifications. However, Android still has some issues when dealing with it in that regard. For instance, heads-up notifications are way too distracting when users are watching a video or playing a game. Thankfully, Google will be fixing this particular issue with the Android 15 release.

The heads-up notification was brought nearly a decade ago with the launch of Android 5.0 Lollipop. It’s a type of notification that appears in a floating window on the top of the screen that users can immediately see and interact with, no matter what app is being used. It’s intended only to be used for important notifications that users need to know about immediately, such as messages from a close friend or family member.

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Android 15 Wants To Make Your Life Easy

Notifications of this type can appear when they are part of a channel with a high importance level or when an app is in fullscreen mode. When a heads-up notification appears over a fullscreen app, it can be annoying, which is why many users complain about this feature.

Android allows users to opt out of heads-up notifications on a per-channel basis, but it can be a hassle to do this every time it happens. Users can also use ADB to disable heads-up notifications entirely on several Android versions. Though users might want to do this if they are only bothered by them when they appear over fullscreen apps. Thankfully, Google is working on a new layout for heads-up notifications that makes them less distracting.

Heads-up notifications that use the new compact layout will take up much less space. Most of the text in the notification is truncated, and any embedded images are hidden by default until users tap the dropdown arrow to expand it.

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Google Is Removing ‘Low Quality’ Android Apps

Google is raising the bar for apps on the Play Store. The company is raising minimum quality requirements for Android apps and will soon remove those that don’t meet expectations from the Play Store.

According to the company’s latest spam policy update, apps that demonstrate “limited functionality and content” — such as text-only apps, single wallpaper apps, or those that are literally designed to do nothing at all -- will no longer be permitted on the Play Store starting August 31.

These join existing restrictions that barred broken apps that are not responsive, don’t install, crash, other otherwise not functioning properly. Google claims to have added the additional requirements to “ensure apps can meet the uplifted standards for the Play catalog and engage users through quality functionality.”

Apple has acquired the creator of the popular image editing app, Pixelmator. The Lithunian-based company was founded in 2007 and has apps such as Pixelmator, Pixelmator Pro, and Photomator.

In a blog post, Pixelmator confirmed the acquisition. “Pixelmator has signed an agreement to be acquired by Apple, subject to regulatory approval. There will be no material changes to the Pixelmator Pro, Pixelmator for iOS, and Photomator apps at this time,” said the company.

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Pixelmator Wants To Reach Bigger Audience With Apple

Pixelmator has been developing apps for iOS and Mac and has been name-checked by the Cupertino tech giant several times during its product launches. “We’ve been inspired by Apple since day one, crafting our products with the same razor-sharp focus on design, ease of use, and performance,” said Pixelmator.

The company also said that it is looking forward to reaching a bigger audience. “It’s crazy what a small group of dedicated people have been able to achieve over the years from all the way in Vilnius, Lithuania. Now, we’ll have the ability to reach an even wider audience and make an even bigger impact on the lives of creative people around the world,” said Pixelmator.

Apple has yet to make an announcement regarding the acquisition but that has been the company’s policy as it rarely talks about its acquisitions. The acquisition is also in line with Apple’s approach as unlike other big firms, it has focused on acquiring ‘small’ companies. Some recent acquisitions by Apple include the weather app Dark Sky in 2020 and Workflow in 2017.

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Apple Launches MacBook Pro With M4, M4 Pro and M4 Max Chips

Soon after launching its iPhone 16 series, Apple has now announced the long-awaited next-gen MacBook Pro. The company first announced the new iMac and Mac Mini, and now it has announced its new MacBook Pro models that are backed by Apple’s in-house M4 chips.

Speaking of the design, Apple has not made any major changes to the laptops. The newly launched MacBook Pro comes in two sizes, 14-inch and 16-inch. This time the laptops are more powerful and feature-packed and also support Apple Intelligence.

The standard MacBook Pro which comes with an M4 chipset packs an 8-core CPU, 8-core GPU, and 16GB RAM. On the other hand, the M4 Pro chip packs a 14-core CPU with 10 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores. It comes with a 20-core GPU that provides twice the performance compared to M4 and has support for up to 64GB of unified memory.

For people who seek more power, they can opt for the MacBook Pro with the newly launched M4 Max chipset which packs a 16-core CPU, a 40-core GPU, and up to 128GB of unified memory.

Asus is set to launch its ROG Phone 9 series at an event on November 19. Even prior to the release, the company has already confirmed that the ROG Phone 9 will join the likes of phones to be powered by Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 9 Gen Elite SoC. However, a new leak has now suggested that Asus could take the refresh rate game on smartphones to another level with the ROG Phone 9 Pro.

As per a post by tipster Digital Chat Station on Weibo, the Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro will come with a 185Hz LTPO display, the first ever on a smartphone. For context, the ROG Phone 8 Pro came with a 164Hz display while the recently launched iQOO 13 comes with a 144Hz refresh.

Also Read: ASUS Unveils New AI Laptops In ROG And ZenBook Series

ROG Phone 9 Expected Specifications

ROG Phone 9 series is also said to pack an IP68 rating for water and dust resistance. However, it is still unclear if the smartphone will also be accompanied by an IP69 rating like the recently launched OnePlus 13 and in 13.

ROG Phone 9 is said to come with a 6.78-inch LTPO AMOLED display with 2,500 nits of peak brightness and Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 protection. Apart from being powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite processor, the ROG Phone 9 is also rumored to pack with up to 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM and up to 512GB of UFS 4.0 storage.

As for cameras, the ROG Phone 9 is likely to feature a 50MP Sony LYTIA 700 primary shooter, a 50MP macro sensor, and a 13MP ultra-wide angle lens. The phone could pack a 32MP camera for selfies and video calls. The smartphone comes backed by a 5800mAH battery pack with support for 65W of fast charging. Similar to other flagship launches in 2024, ROG Phone 9 will also come with several AI features.

Also Read: Asus ROG Ally X Handheld Console Launched In India: Price, Specs

Asus ProArt PZ13, Vivobook S15 laptops With SD X Plus

Asus has announced the launch of two new laptops, the ProArt PZ13, and Vivobook S 15 OLED, backed by the Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus chipsets. The new laptops are targeted at professionals and creators. The company claims that these laptops bring high-end performance with AI-driven features and vibrant OLED displays.

The ProArt PZ13 comes at a starting price of Rs 1,39,990, while the Vivobook S 15 OLED starts at Rs 1,04,990. Both laptops will be available online through Asus e-shop, Flipkart, and Amazon, and offline through Asus stores and authorized dealers.

The ProArt PZ13 weighs 0.85 kg and sports a 13.3-inch 3K Asus Lumina OLED touchscreen display, Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus processor, 16GB LPDDR5X memory, and 1TB SSD. It comes with AI tools such as Microsoft’s Copilot+ and Asus StoryCube, along with a detachable keyboard, Dolby Atmos audio, and a 70Wh battery.

Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, recently announced that it is working to commercialize tactile sensors for AI. Developed in collaboration with GelSight and Wonik Robotics, the new Meta devices aren’t designed for consumers but instead cater to scientists so they can train AI to “perceive and interact with their surroundings as well as coexist safely with humans.”

The company noted that it worked with GelSight to develop Digit 360, “a tactile fingertip with human-level multimodal sensing capabilities.” This tech will enable AI models to sense and detect changes in their surroundings.

Digit 360 also comes with on-device AI models that allow the sensor to process information locally and reduce latency when responding to touch. Meta is publicly releasing the code and design for Digit 360, which it claims might help in the development of more realistic virtual environments.

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Meta Released PARTNR To Evaluate AI Effectiveness

Meta also announced the launch of Digit Plexus, a hardware-software solution that can use and integrate various fingertip and skin tactile sensors on a single robotic hand and transmit the data to a host computer.

While GelSight will manufacture and distribute Digit 360, which will be available sometime in 2025, the South Korean firm Wonik Robotics will be responsible for the fully integrated robotic hand dubbed “Allegro Hand,” which uses the Digit Plexus platform.

The company also released Planning And Reasoning Tasks in humaN-Robot Collaboration (PARTNR), which serves as a benchmark to evaluate the effectiveness of an AI model when used with humans on day-to-day tasks. Developed using the company’s simulated environment - Habitat, PARTNR features 100,000 natural language tasks involving 60 houses and 5800 plus unique objects.

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Meta Reportedly Working On AI-Powered Search Engine

Meta seems to be working on an AI-powere search engine to decrese its reliance on Google and and Microsoft, according to a report from The Information. The search engine would reportedly offer AI-generated search summaries of current events within the Meta AI chatbot.

The Meta AI bot built into Instagram and Facebook currently leverages Google -- whose parent company, Alphabet, will report quarterly earnings tomorrow - and Microsoft Bing to answer questions about recent news and events.

That might eventually change, as the company’s web crawler was spotted roving the web months ago. The Information’s source indicates a team has been working for about eight months to build a database of information for its chatbot.

Meta has worked on gathering location data that could be taken on Google Maps, and in September, Bloomberg reported that Apple’s work on search tools in the App Store showed how it “has what it needs” for its own AI-powered Google Search replacement.

Samsung is said to be planning to launch its next flagship Galaxy S-series in early 2025. According to a report from Gadgets 360, the company, during its latest earnings call, confirmed that the Galaxy S25 series will debut in the “first half of next year.” Samsung also hinted at the development of a more affordable foldable smartphone model.

During its latest quarterly earnings announcement, Samsung’s Mobile department confirmed plans to pursue sales growth and improved profitability for flagship products, including the Galaxy S25 series and foldable devices. The company expressed intentions to expand sales of other ecosystem devices like Galaxy tablets, laptops, and wearable devices.

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Cheaper Galaxy Fold Smartphone In The Works

Samsung has also indicated it could be developing more affordable foldable smartphones in the coming days. The report suggests that the company is considering ways to lower entry barriers to allow more customers to experience foldable products. Previously, Samsung was said to be working on a more affordable version of the Galaxy Z Fold 6.

However, the company ultimately launched a sleeker version of its latest foldable with slightly larger displays in its home market. As per a report from Tom’s Guide, Samsung might also move away from its “Galaxy” branding for all its products. Citing E-Today, the report stated that Samsung is contemplating a rebrand of its flagship smartphones with a non-Galaxy name.

During the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2024, Samsung’s head of global marketing, Lee Young-hee, mentioned, "Galaxy has so many lineups that I know people are expecting a new name when there is an innovative turning point." As of now, Samsung brands its premium smartphones under the Galaxy S and Galaxy Z series, while it also has the Galaxy A, M, and F series for other segments.

Also Read: Samsung Has No Plans For Cheaper Galaxy Z Fold Smartphones

Samsung Could Launch Triple-Screen Foldable Phone In 2025

Huawei swept headlines when it unveiled the Mate XT earlier this year. This might be the beginning of the dual-folding triple-screen phones, although it’s currently limited to China. So, when will other brands release their own commercial devices?

Well, ZDNet Korea (via SammyGuru) reports that Samsung is planning to release a triple-screen foldable phone next year. And it seems like the pieces are in place for mass production.

“Samsung Display’s partners have also completed the development of parts for the trifold model and are already ready for commercialization,” an industry insider was quoted as saying by the outlet. “Of course, the final release of the product depends on the decision of Samsung Electronics’ MX division, so we will have to watch the trend a little more closely.”

WhatsApp is now making it easier to sort through the mess in your DMs by introducing the new custom lists features. The custom lists enable users to filter their contracts in different customizable categories, basically decluttering the inbox while also providing a way to add important conversations in a separate category.

The new custom filters can be added alongside the already existing, All, Unread, Favorites, and Groups list available on the platform. A custom list can be added by tapping on the ‘+’ icon in the filter bar. WhatsApp gives users the ability to add any custom names to the lists such as family, friends, annoying relatives, and so on, without notifying the person on the other end that they are part of a custom list.

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How Will WhatsApp’s New Feature Work

WhatsApp also lets users edit the list, such as adding or removing contacts or changing its name, by long pressing on that particular list in the filter bar. Users will be able to create up to 20 custom lists and WhatsApp enables them to add both groups and individual chats to any list they create.

The new feature on the platform could come in handy for power users who use the app to handle their businesses or work, providing them a way to segregate their personal lives from the professionals within the same app.

WhatsApp says it has already started rolling out custom lists feature to all users. However, for users who haven’t received the new update yet, the Meta-owned personal messaging platform says that all WhatsApp users will get access to the feature in the coming days.

Also Read: WhatsApp To Let Users Manage Contacts From Linked Devices

WhatsApp To Soon Let Users Verify Links They Get Or Send

The popular messaging platform WhatsApp is widely used to attract users from clicking shady or unverified links for scamming. Although the Meta-owned app offers many safety tools to safeguard its users from such spam, including automatic spam detection and timely security alerts, several WhatsApp users unknowingly click on these verified links, which gives spammers or fraudsters access to their devices.

However, due to a recent beta of WhatsApp for Android, we are witnessing a new feature on the app that enables users to get link info on Google. As per a new report by WhatsApp beta tester WABetaInfo, with the WhatsApp beta version 2.24.22.19, users can easily verify the authenticity of any link shared in individual or group chats.

The report has also added some screenshots of this upcoming feature, which showcases the whole process. After a long press on any link shared on WhatsApp, users will get a menu with the option to search for information about any link on Google Search. The new ‘Get link info on Google’ tab lets users look for the relevant information about the selected URL.