Weekly authority: 📱 Samsung’s self-repair, nothing April Fools’

⚡ Welcome Weekly authorityThe Android authority Newsletter that breaks the best Android and tech news of the week. Here’s the 188th edition, including Samsung’s self-repair scheme, Nothing’s April Fool’s Prank and much more.

🎮 I started the week with Joystick Drift on my PS5’s DualSense, which has now gone to PlayStation Hospital for repairs. I have an extra, but hope to get back home soon!

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This week’s popular news

Samsung:

OnePlus:

Google:

• Google Docs is getting more markdown support using its auto-correction feature to convert markdown formats.
• And almost 14 years after its initial release, the Chrome version 100 comes with a refreshed logo.

Motorola:

Nothing:

Xiaomi:

• Xiaomi commented on the claim that its devices throttle games but not the benchmark app, confirming that it reduces performance, but explains that it still offers a variety of performance modes.

Apple:

Vivo:

• Vivo has announced that it is unveiling a new foldable because space and render have been leaked: the Vivo X Fold is coming April 11, although it has only been launched in China for now, and no plans have been set for a worldwide release.
• Although the spaces look decent: rumored to be an 8-inch LTPO QHD + OLED screen with ultra-thin glass (UTG), ultrasonic fingerprint scanning, 66W charging and 50W wireless charging, powered by the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 SoC.

Location:

Elsewhere:

• Someone made an Android phone with a Lightning port, for some reason.
• The Redmi Note 11 Pro Plus has launched worldwide, offering 120W charging for under $ 400.
• And Dyson has launched the Zone, its air-purifying Bluetooth headphones that will make you look a bit like Ben for Visa design.
• Meanwhile, Intel has announced its new Arc A-Series GPU with dedicated re-tracing hardware for laptops and support for DirectX 12 – the launch starts with the Arc 3, designed more for creativity than gaming.
• WhatsApp voice messaging has gotten even better with six new features, including a simple break / resume recording feature for listening to a voice message from a chat and recording a voice message, which will be rolled out to all users in the coming weeks.
• And LG has killed its phones and taken Motorola to the top three in the US market in 2021.
• Also, it looks like a Xiaomi and Leica partnership could work.
• The stupidest problem with Windows 11 is finally being solved: it’s now a one-click process to change your default browser.
• People seem to be getting spam text from their own numbers: mostly affecting Verizon customers – Verizon responded, realizing that “bad actors” are responsible for the forged messages, but “there is no indication that this fraudulent activity originated in Russia.” The agency is actively working with law enforcement to find out who is responsible and to block messages.
• Speaking of Russia, Russian developers are creating their own alternatives to the Google Play Store: Nashstore (“our store” in English).
• And TikTok is testing a viewing history feature so you can finally find the video you were sure you saved.
• Amazon Glow is now available to all customers in the United States, following an invitation only six months ago.
• Finally: Want to deliver a burrito by drone? For Granbury, Texas residents, this could soon be a reality – Flytrex, an Israeli startup already delivering food via drone to North Carolina under its pilot program, is now expanding to Granbury just outside Fort Worth.

Movies / TV:

Gaming:

• Sony has announced its PlayStation Plus service, competing for Xbox Game Pass – available from June, with three levels: Essential, Extra and Premium, starting at $ 9.99 / month ($ 24.99 quarterly, $ 59.99 per annum), but less if new games are won. Unlike Xbox Game Pass, the service did not launch at the same time as the retail release
• Meanwhile, Microsoft is reportedly launching an Xbox Game Pass family plan later this year, allowing five users to access the service using a single subscription.
• That said, Xbox won’t stop you from sharing clips on Twitter from your console: Microsoft’s latest Xbox beta software means you no longer have to use your phone to share content.
• Death Strengthening Director’s Cut landed on PC on Wednesday, available through the Steam and Epic game stores, including the “Destroyed Factory” location, extended storyline and new stealth missions, as well as support for Intel’s new XeSS graphics technology soon.
• And while the Breath of the Wild sequel has been delayed to 2023, Nintendo apologizes:
• Speaking of Nintendo, a new overview trailer for Nintendo Switch Sports has landed this week.
• E3 2022 Canceled: We already know that the private event was closed this year but now the digital version has also been canceled, with the promise of a successful return to Los Angeles at ESA 2023.
• The second annual Meta Quest gaming showcase is set for April 20 – we hope to hear about GTA: San Andreas as well as some new games from Vertigo Games and VR and Cities: VR among us.
• Enjoy lawn mowing? Now you can do this with a lawn mowing simulator like Zen on your console, which landed for PS4 and PS5 on Thursday and for a while had more Twitch viewers than Call of Duty: Verzon.
• Finally, the Horizon Forbidden West patch makes the game less glamorous – the huge patches on the PS4 and PS5 solve more than a dozen searches.

Review

Features

Weekly Surprise

Friday, April 1 was April Fools’ Day, and we’ve collected some of our favorite weird and wonderful technical pranks from the past decade:

Waymo pets

We mostly know Waymo as a fully autonomous taxi ride provider in major cities around the world. But in 2019, the company made us fun for April Fool’s Day by announcing pet-exclusive taxis. “If pets could travel in self-driving cars, where would they go?” Good question!

Google Nose

Ever wondered what it smells like inside an Egyptian tomb? Google Nose. In 2013, Google Nose Beta promised to give you a “sensational” new search experience by allowing you to search almost any scent. “Google Aromabus” contained more than 15 million “centibytes” from around the world, inhaled and exhaled by its Street Sense vehicles. We really want it to be real …

OnePlus Warp Car

In 2019, One Plus announced its Warp Car, a modular electric supercar made using SLS 3D and ABS 3D printing that you can build at home. The car had no steering wheel, instead relying on the swipe movement on your (OnePlus) phone for steering and using the phone’s flashlight for headlights. You can apparently drive up to 270 miles on a 20-minute charge, but 20 warp chargers are needed to top up the battery. You need to be between 5 feet 6 inches and 5 feet 8 inches to use it.

Samsung’s Internet of Trousers

In 2016, Samsung released a press release for its “Internet of Trousers” smart pants. These include heart rate monitoring, more standing reminders, and “Wi-Fly” features that notify you if your pants have been unzipped for more than three minutes. The pants were also able to detect if the waistband was tight, at which point they would automatically alert you to lock your refrigerator, only allowing it to be opened by an authorized person.

This year: Includes some favorites we see Razor hypersensitivity Haptic suits, Dyson Zone Headphones – oh wait, these weren’t April Fools’ pranks – and Oppo GotchaA small device with a 1,422Hz refresh rate and a “very click button”.

Technology Calendar

• April 5: Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga Landing on PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X / S
• April 11: Vivo X Fold Unveiling (China Only)
• April 20: Meta Quest Gaming Showcase @ 10 AM PT
• May 9-11: Qualcomm 5G Summit (San Diego)
• May 11-12: Google I / O 2022

Tech tweets of the week

Something extra: On this day in 1888 the first floor of the Eiffel Tower in Paris was completed and you can dive deeper into the details of the construction here.

Paula Bitton, copy editor.