Yammer for Android will now display two recipients' name when composing messages before showing "+1".

Microsoft acquired Yammer in order to bring a Facebook-like network to businesses. I don’t how this is faring out, but I do know that Microsoft uses it a lot internally. I’m just not sure for how long tough, but Microsoft seems committed to the app.

In the update that was published today, Microsoft is bringing some small changes when composing messages. Yammer used to show the first recipient’s name followed by a “+1” to save space. With today’s update, Yammer will now display the second name as well because Microsoft believes you do not need to save that much space. Now, should you add more than two recipients, then Yammer will revert back to the “+digit” to save space. This new feature also applies to groups.

If you’re a Yammer user, let us know how this feature works for you. The update is available now in Google Play Store for you to download.

Waze for Android goes hands free.

I’ve given up using Waze a long time ago on my devices for two reasons. First, the app is a resource hog, and second, I live on an island, so I have no use for it. Google Maps and Windows Maps do the job perfectly. And the latter offers offline maps. That is why I still keep my Lumia 1520 close. Even though I don’t use Waze anymore, I still have it installed on my phone because you never know. Plus it’s another post to this blog when it gets updated. Like today.

I assume you all know about the now famous “Ok Google” key words. In today’s update, you now have “Ok Waze”. That’s a long-awaited feature for Waze users. Finally, they’ll be able to talk to Waze and not use their hands while driving, which is not safe and even illegal to use your phone while driving in about every country. Today’s update finally fixes that. Just say “Ok Waze” where’s the closest gas station and it will take you there. Or you can use the key words to tell Waze that you’re stuck in a jam so you’re followers will know to avoid the area. Isn’t that cool?

The other feature in this update is support for motorcycles routing. Riders will know which routes are good for them.

Check out the full change log for details about this update, then use the link below to update.

- Say “OK Waze” and use your voice to navigate, report traffic jams, and more - all hands-free.

- New routing option - HOV! Just add your pass or update your vehicle type (US & Canada only).

- It’s here! Waze now supports routing for motorcycles. Update your vehicle type and hit the road 🏍

- Minor bug fixes and improvements.

Waze is a free download in Google Play Store.

Google releases Datally for Android to help users save and do more with data.

Google released a simple app for Android today called Datally so users can easily keep track of data usage, both cellular and Wi-Fi, on their phones. Now, this feature is baked into Android phones already, but users have to go through some menus to access and enable the feature, not to mention having to navigate back to check data usage. Datally makes this data readily available at the fingertips and helps makes sense of it all. And, better yet, help you save these precious bits and bytes. As Caesar Sengupta, VP of the Next Billion Users Team at Google puts it, “With Datally, you can save more and do more with your data.”

Here are the three things you can do with Datally:

Understand your data. See your usage on a hourly, daily, weekly or monthly basis and get personalized recommendations for how you can save more.

Control your data. Turn on the Data Saver bubble to block background data usage and track real-time data usage while using each of your apps—it’s like a speedometer for your data. You can also block data with one tap if an app’s data usage gets out of control.

Save your data. Sometimes you just need a little more than what you’ve got on your data plan. Datally will tell you if you’re near public Wi-Fi and help you connect. Once you’re done, don’t forget to rate the network quality to help other users.

Money is meant to be spent, I like to say. So, I do not bother to check my data status anymore and always do a refill once it reaches 90% of my data package. While Datally is filled with good intentions, it will be relegated to the just-another-app category on my devices at some point. But that’s me. It might be another story in countries with limited mobile connections. According to Caesar Sengupta, Google has been "...testing Datally in the Philippines for the past few months, and people are saving up to 30 percent on their data." Will you use Datally? Or do you use another data saver app already?

Check out Datally in Google Play Store. The app will work on Android devices with Lollipop and higher.

Source: Google

Formula 1 official app for Android gets a new logo.

The Official F1 app for Android is a definite source that brings exclusive content such as team radio transmissions, DRS usage indicator, live tire information and more. The app also provides the latest news, features and videos, post-race highlights, live leaderboard during every race, qualifying and practice session.

Today, the app was updated with general improvements and updates. The change log does not provide any details about the improvements and which features were updated. The onl.y visible change I spotted is the new logo. I posted the old and new logo above. In case you're not a fan, the old logo is on the left

The season 2017 just ended last Sunday with Lewis Hamilton winning his forth Grand Prix, and Sebastian Vettel finishing second. The next season will start next year on the 25^th of March in Australia and promises to be exciting with Hamilton and Vettel now being even on championships won.

Who will be the 2018 champion? We’ll find out next year. Until then, download the update in Google Play Store. Note that this update is also available on Windows 10.

  

SofaScore now supports Beach volleyball and Table tennis; Automatic forum sign in.

SofaScore is my favorite sports app on my mobile phones and Android Wear watch - I currently use a Zenwatch 2. It's my go-to app for live scores, sports news for all leagues and competitions in 22 sports, a kind of a one-stop shop for your favorite sports.

SofaScore was updated today with support for two additional sports: Beach volleyball and Table tennis. Fans of these two sports will get live scores and other data about their favorite sports and players.

This update also includes other new features like automatic sign in to forums, provided you are already signed in to the app. Check out the full change log below:

·        Link to “Dropping odds” page in app navigation drawer.

·        Option to filter players with minimum number of appearances in “Top Players” tab (50% in Football and 30% in Basketball).

·        Improved suggestions for venue/stadium changes.

·        In Android 8.0, new set of adaptive launcher icons

SofaScore is an app that is regularly updated with new features and one that I strongly recommend if you’re a sports fan. Oh, you can also get live score on your home screen thanks to widgets for all supported leagues.

If you want more features, SofaScore includes in-app purchases to unlock them. Before you can achieve that, download the free app in Google Play Store.

Instagram update lets you remix photos and control photos & videos replays.

Today Instagram is releasing an update that will let you ‘remix’ pictures you received via direct message from your friends. In simple terms, you will be able to edit, resize, move, draw and add stickers to the picture. And there is more to it.

Once you receive the picture via direct message, tap and hold the camera in the message to snap a picture to add to your reply. The original picture will also be included in the reply, thus giving you the ability to edit both using the methods mentioned above.

In addition to ‘Remix’, Instagram also now lets you control replays. You decide whether your friends can view your messages once with “One View” or several times with “Allow Replay”. Instagram says that “photos and videos sent with “Allow Replay” loop automatically and your friends can tap and hold to pause.”

Both features are available starting today in Instagram version 24 which is available for download in Google Play Store.

Source: Instagram

Microsoft Edge for Android now supports password syncing and dark theme.

Microsoft is steadily adding features to its Edge browser on Android and in the latest update, they added two features. The first and most noteworthy is password sync. After you sign in with your Microsoft Account, Edge will now sync your registered passwords to your Android device or any device where you have Edge installed.

The second feature is the addition of a dark theme. Initially, Edge supported a light and default theme. To use the dark theme, tap the 3 horizontal buttons in the bottom right corner of Edge and tap Settings > Appearance > Theme. Select ‘Dark” among the three available options and the app will immediately apply the new theme to settings menu, the home page, navigation and address bar. While the dark theme does make it easier on the eyes, it is quite the opposite when visiting sites with white background.

The preview is open to everyone to download in Google Play Store.

Mozilla temporarily disables newly added pull-to-refresh feature in Firefox Focus for Android following users complaints.

Exactly a week ago, Mozilla published an update that added swipe/pull-to-refresh feature to Firefox Focus, its privacy focused browser for Android. Today, they released another update to remove the refresh feature after users started reporting issues with it.

“…since it has the pull to refresh tab, I can’t scroll back to old messages for example in LinkedIn because it keeps refreshing the page…”, wrote a user in the reviews on Google Play Store. Most of the reports are along the same line. Another user wrote that ”…the refresh gesture triggers far too easily and I find myself constantly and unintentionally refreshing pages.”

Some users were happy to see the new feature go, while others suggested that Mozilla adds the option to disable it. “Glad to see pull to refresh gone. Now to fix tabs and double scroll because of the toolbar’s movement.” “Please make the swipe to refresh optional.”, wrote another.

The good thing is that Mozilla reacted quickly to disable the swipe/pull-to-refresh feature with today’s update which actually reverts the app to the state it was prior to last week’s update. The company did not say when a real fix will be issued, instead encouraging users to update the app through Google Play Store.

Microsoft Launcher for Android updated with support for 12x12 grid layout; migration from other launchers & more.

 

Microsoft Launcher, formerly known as Arrow Launcher, has been updated today with new options, like support for 12x12 grid layout and the ability to add more than five icons to the dock. In addition, Microsoft is making it possible to adjust app title font display and edit folder icon and shape. This beta version also let users perform migration from other launchers or backup/restore settings during setup.

Check out the full change log of Microsoft Launcher version 4.3 below. The launcher can be downloaded free in Google Play Store.

-          Apps grid option: support max 12x12 grid layout and half grid granularity.

-          New user experience: Migration from other launchers and backup/restore on welcome page.

-          Drag /drop apps do not enter edit mode.

-          Some UI adjustment: app title font display & folder icon/shape edit, dock support more than 5 apps, search bar default on bottom; theme support for settings page, settings page restructure.

-          Crash fix, bug fix & performance tuning.

Sphero Mini update lets you talk or sing to move robot faster and use your hands and feet in Desktoy modes.

I recently bought the Sphero Mini for my 7 years old daughter and this has been undoubtedly the best toy purchase I’ve ever made. The app-enabled robotic ball is fun to play with in that you can control it via Bluetooth on Android or Apple-made devices. The Mini itself can transform into a controller to play games right in the app. The latter has been updated today with two new features: Scream Drive and Desktoy modes.

Sphero Mini lets you use your facial expression to move the ball around. While it is not perfect, it is fun to play and get ready for a good laugh with the funny faces as players try to drive the Mini around. Things are about to get even more interesting or annoying with today’s update. With Scream Drive, players will use their voice to make the little robot move faster. You see where this going, right? The louder you talk or sing, the faster the robot accelerates. The app doesn’t offer a built-in karaoke, so you’ll have to either improvise or come up with your own playlist. So, get ready to make some NOISE.

The second feature is equally fun, albeit less noisy or annoying and it’s called Desktoy modes. In most case scenarios, the smartphone is the robot’s controller. You use it to change its color, to roll around. Sure, you use the Mini as a game controller, but you’ll still be holding your phone or maybe it will be sitting on desk, but not far away.

Desktoy modes introduce a new way to interact and play with your Sphero Mini without the phone or tablet. The new games let you put the Mini on a flat surface, say a table, and you have to use your hands to prevent the robot from falling off or escaping. The longer you manage to keep the Mini on the table, you guess it, the faster the robot will move around. You can use your feet too – not on the table though. Sphero Mini will turn green when you win or red if you lose.

Desktoy modes is definitely less noisy than Scream Drive, but be careful with letting that little robot falling off a table, it may not handle that very well in the long run.

If you own a Sphero Mini, download the update in Google Play Store and have fun with these two new features.

Join a friend's live video on Instagram with the new 'Request' button.

Instagram for Android has been updated today with a new feature that lets users join live videos of their friends. Instagram added a new ‘Request’ button in the comments section. So, when watching a friend’s video, simply tap the request button. The broadcaster will see the request and choose to accept or reject it. The broadcaster will see a ‘View’ button to accept or reject a friend’s request. Should the broadcaster accept the request, the screen will split in half “so you can hang out live with your friend.” The video host can also “remove a guest and add someone else at any time.”

This update is rolling out starting today in Google PlayStore. Just be patient if you do not see it yet.

Source: Instagram

Capture and save PDFs with Office Lens while offline and without having to log in.

Office Lens is a powerful scanner on your Android device. The app was designed for easy scanning of documents, images and whiteboards. For the latter Office Lens will remove the glare and other imperfections to make it readable. No matter what you’ve scanned, you can use Office Lens built-in tools to, say, convert a document to PDF. Same can be done with an image and with the integration of Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and OneNote, Office Lens will smoothly convert to these file format as well and save them to OneDrive or your local device. In order to take advantage of all these features, a Microsoft Account is needed. But not always.

Today’s update introduces the ability to save PDF files when your device is offline without having to log in. A feature that is handy when on the go and there’s no internet access. Microsoft says that this update will let you “quickly save PDF captures to your device without having to log in and without a watermark.”

Office Lens new offline feature makes the app even more useful and powerful. So make sure you check it out in Google Play Store for free.

Periscope introduces 'Do Not Disturb' and tap-to-focus in camera.

Periscope for Android has been updated to give users the ability to control when to get notified of any activity going on in Periscope. Dubbed “Do Not Disturb”, it’s a very welcome feature that, in my opinion, should be made mandatory in every app using notifications.

‘Do Not Disturb’ is simple to set up. It can be found in Notification Settings. Navigate to your profile within the app and tap Notification Settings and you’ll find it right there, at the very top. Obviously, it’s disable by default. Use the toggle to enable it and set the Start and End time you do not want to be disturbed. Easy.

There is also a little something for Broadcasters in this update. They will be able to tap to focus “on a specific part in the camera”. I think that is quite self-explanatory.

This update brings the version number to 1.18 and can be downloaded in Google Play for free.

Private browser Firefox Focus updated with swipe-to-refresh and Google as default search engine.

Recently, Firefox introduced a new browser for Android called Firefox Focus which, by default blocks ad trackers and lets you easily erase your history, passwords and cookies. The browser also features a minimalistic design with few configurations options - it does not even support tabs. I use it mostly when doing quick searches or to check some news. Another point that may not make Firefox Focus popular with users is having Yahoo as its default search engine. That is until today.

Version 2.4 of Firefox Focus changes the default search engine for the US, UK and Taiwan to Google. The app still list other engines should you want to change. Currently on the list are: Amazon.com, DuckDuckGo, Twitter and Wikipedia.

In addition to the above, Mozilla also added a swipe-to-refresh feature. Users will be able to refresh a webpage by swiping or pulling down.

If you’re a privacy-minded user, Firefox Focus is definitely the browser you should set as default on your Android device. It will even remind you to erase your history when running in the background by pushing a notification to your device. Simply tap the notification and your history is gone.

Make sure you check out Firefox Focus in Google Play Store. It’s free.

Pocket Casts update fixes Stats sharing, improve Chrome Cast support and more.

I listen to a lot of podcast every day of the week, with two podcasts each day covering technology exclusively. Pocket Casts for Android is my favorite pod catcher app and is also reliable in that I don’t have to remember downloading my podcasts when they become available, Pocket Casts handles that for me. The app is so good that it won the Google Play Top Developer award, a Google Play Editors Choice and Google Material Design award. This is to say that if you’re not happy with your current podcast app, Pocket Casts is one you should consider. It is not free, but it’s well worth the $3.99.

Today, Pocket Casts was updated to version 6.4.2 with a few fixes, no new features this time. The developer has fixed an issue with stats sharing. I did not know until today that Pocket Casts had this feature in its settings. I went to check on seeing this update and indeed, it’s right there under Settings > Stats.

According to the screenshot above, I’ve been listening for 18 days 20 hours of podcast. I’m pretty sure I’ve listened more than that, but it seems the collected stats are exclusive to the Android device I use. Sure enough, I checked Pocket Casts on my Lumia 1520 and it does not even have this feature. I have been switching between both at some point, but I now exclusively use Pocket Casts on Android since the developer stopped updating the Windows Mobile version. No surprises there. There’s more to the Stats screen than just numbers.

Right under the Stats, Pocket Casts displays random data related to the numbers of hours spent consuming podcasts. For example, the app says that 2,714,300,000,000 emails were sent during the time I spent to listening to podcasts or “during which time you released 320 oz of air biscuits. Gross!”. Funny, right? 😊

Besides the stats feature, the developer also fixed other issues. Check the rest of the change log below:

·       Fixed some issues with auto download and manual downloads when leaving/entering WIFI networks.

·       Improved Chrome Cast support.

·       Some other small tweaks and improvements.

Pocket Casts users can update the app in Google Play Store for free.

Google Maps updated with new color scheme and icons.

Google is pushing out an update to Google Maps for Android. With this update, Google wants to make it easier for Google Maps users to easily identify places like a church, gas station or hospital with a new color scheme and icons. For example, Google has assigned the color orange for food and drinks. Restaurants icons in Google Maps will therefore appear in Orange to help users quickly and easily find one closer to their location. The icons will also be different for each place.

While this feature is being gradually rolled out, Google also said that it will make its way to apps that incorporate Google Maps information too, like Assistant, Earth, websites and products that have been built using the Google Maps API.

Check out Google Maps in Google Play Store.

Source: Google

Telegram for Android groups photos & videos into albums; adds saved messages & improves search.

Some new features are making their way into Telegram 4.5, the latest iteration of the messaging app for Android. The update allows users to send multiple photos and videos grouped into albums with each album able to support up to 10 photos or videos. Telegram will automatically arrange the photos and videos “in the chat as elegantly proportioned thumbnails.” The recipient will be notified once, instead of ten times. In addition, Telegram also let users choose the order photos are sent. Still on the photo front, Telegram 4.5 adds multiple profile photos. This comes in handy if you can’t choose which photo is best for your profile.

This update will also allow users to “bookmark important messages” by forwarding them to Saved Messages. These messages can be saved to users’ personal cloud storage. “Each saved message has a “go to” button that takes you to the right place in the chat where it was originally posted.” Telegram will display Saved Messages at the top of the in the sharing and forwarding menus.

Search has also been improved thanks to a new search algorithm. Users will be able to search “for public channels and bots by their titles, and most popular items will always be displayed first.”

All in all, Telegram version 4.5 introduces some nice features. Check the update in Google Play Store. It may not be available right away. So, be patient.

Source: Telegram

Instagram let users add 24 hours old photos and videos to their stories.

Starting today, Instagram is gradually rolling out a much requested update to its Android app that will let users pick photos and videos from their devices to add to their stories no matter when they were taken. Prior to this update, Instagram allowed using photos and videos taken within the last 24 hours to create stories.

Instagram will also add a sticker to photos and videos more than 24 hours old. But rest assured, those can be easily removed, rotated and resized.

As stated above, this is a gradual update, so you may not see it right away on your device. Check it out on Google Play Store.

Source: Instagram