Google Play: Everything you need to know!

How to get the most out of the Google Play Store

Google Play is the cornerstone of Google’s ecosystem of content and has become a critical part of Android. It reaches almost all of Android and through Play Services is capable of fixing many of Android’s problems, especially in regards to updates and security. Google Play also is a content library and ecosystem that is accessible on more platforms than almost any other.

Born as the Android Market, it’s grown from just a home for apps and is now the one-stop shop for applications, books, movies, music, TV shows — basically anything and everything that you can buy and use on your Android phone or tablet.

Downloading and managing apps

The first thing you’re going to want to do when getting a new Android phone is downloading new apps, or re-installing ones that you previously had on another phone. It’s easy to do this, and there are plenty of tools to help you get there!

• How to download and manage apps from the Google Play Store

Sharing and review apps

When you’ve downloaded a new app, you may want to review it, or share with your friends. The reviews really help the developers with feedback for their changes, and sharing helps spread the word.

• How to share and review apps in Google Play

Downloading and sharing movies, music and books

Google Play isn’t just about apps. You can buy and rent movies and TV shows, subscribe to Google Play Music’s unlimited streaming service, or buy the latest books from your favorite authors!

• How to download and share movies, music, and books on Google Play

Sharing apps and movies through Google Play Family Library

Sharing is caring, and Google understands that when we buy things we like on Google Play, we want to share them with our family. Enter Google Play Family Library, which allows you to share your favorite paid apps, movies and books with members in your Family Library.

• Top 5 thigns to know about Google Play Family Libraries

How to use a Google Play gift card

Did someone give you a gift card to Google Play that you need to spend? Wondering how to get your gift card into Google Play, or what to spend it on? We’re here to help!

• How to use a Google Play gift card

Updated December 2017: Updated and expanded with changes to Google Play.

Stable Oreo update now rolling out to the LG V30 in South Korea

LG V30 starts receiving the Android 8.0 Oreo update.

LG has been beta testing the Oreo update for the LG V30 in its home market for nearly a month, and the company is now rolling out the stable build. Like the beta update, the stable Oreo build is initially rolling out to V30 users in South Korea.

In the announcement, LG says it implemented feedback from over 500 customers enrolled in the beta program, with the company optimizing the software for a smoother experience. The update includes Oreo features like system-wide autofill, picture-in-picture mode and native support for Sony’s LDAC audio codec, along with a slew of performance and stability fixes as well as battery tweaks.

The OTA update is now going out in South Korea, and while we don’t have an official confirmation on when it’ll arrive in other markets, it is likely LG will commence the update sometime in early 2018.

LG V30

• LG V30 review: The no-BS flagship
• Top LG V30 camera features
• Full LG V30 specs
• LG V30 vs. G6 vs. GS8
• The V30 is the first phone to support 600MHz spectrum
• Join our LG V30 forums

Garmin’s new Vivofit lasts for a year with an always-on color display

It’s hard to stand out in the fitness tracker world when you can easily cover the fundamentals at a very low price. Garmin, however, is trying its level best. It just launched the Vivofit 4, which combines an always-on color display with its predecessor’s claimed year-long battery life. You can now check your activity goals or the time without having to either wake up the screen, kill your battery or settle for a drab monochrome display. Logically, the band includes Garmin mainstays like Move IQ automatic activity detection and the Connect online community to get you motivated.

The biggest deal for many might just be the price of the new band, which is available on Amazon today. Garmin has lowered the price again, dropping the Vivofit 4 to $80 where its ancestor cost $100. Accessory bands are available between $20 to $30. That doesn’t quite bring the Vivofit to impulse purchase territory, but it’s now inexpensive and feature-laden enough that it’s easier to justify over a more advanced fitness watch or a smartwatch.

Source: Garmin

Elon Musk’s massive Australian battery just chalked up another record

Elon Musk’s battery in South Australia made international headlines earlier this month for being the biggest of its type in the world.

And now, just weeks after being activated, the very same battery is claiming another world record for the time it took to spring into action following a power outage.

Built by Musk’s Tesla company, the lithium-ion battery has 100 megawatts of capacity and is reportedly three times larger than the next biggest battery. Paired with the Hornsdale wind farm 120 miles north of Adelaide and operated by French renewable energy provider Neoen, the battery stores excess energy created by the wind turbines and is used when the region’s power sources suffer outages.

Last week the battery bounced into action just 140 milliseconds after a power plant in the neighboring state of Victoria suffered a failure that would ordinarily have led to a lengthy power cut, the International Business Times reported. The battery fed its stored energy into the national power grid, preventing an inconvenient blackout from affecting numerous homes in nearby towns and cities.

“That’s a record and the national operators were shocked at how quickly and efficiently the battery was able to deliver this type of energy into the market,” South Australia Energy Minister Tom Koutsantonis told 5AA radio.

He said that the battery’s fast response time exceeded expectations and performed far better than others sources of backup power, adding that usually one of its power stations “would take half an hour to an hour to energize and synchronize into the market; the battery can do it in milliseconds.”

Musk became involved in the project to build a battery for South Australia when he heard that the local government was looking for solutions after the region was hit by a huge storm in September 2016. It was described as a once-in-every-50-years weather event and temporarily knocked out power for 1.7 million residents.

No slouch when it comes to grabbing headlines, Musk hit Twitter to make his pitch, saying that if Tesla failed to meet his own 100-day deadline to build the battery, he’d foot the $50 million bill. Tesla completed the project with about a week to spare.

The news of the battery’s record-breaking performance will be music to the ears of Musk. While Tesla is better known for its electric cars than the batteries that power them, their need for such a power source prompted the company to diversify into the field, going beyond vehicles to explore the home and commercial energy market. It’s now manufacturing batteries at its Gigafactory in Nevada, believed to be the largest facility of its kind in the world.

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Tokyo 2020 Olympics could deploy facial recognition tech on a huge scale

While the jury is still out on the extent to which facial recognition technology will be used globally years from now, many tech firms are continuing to push ahead with its development, with big players like Apple going so far as to incorporate it into its flagship iPhone X handset.

Now the organizing committee of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and Paralympics is taking notice of the technology, and wants to use it on a huge scale at the global sporting extravaganza, sources told the Japan Times recently.

Developed by NEC Corp., the committee said the system would aid security by eliminating the problem of forged or stolen ID cards, and also speed up the flow of athletes, officials, and media personnel entering the various venues. It’s estimated the system will manage up to 400,000 people, marking the biggest ever deployment of facial recognition technology at an Olympic Games.

To set up the system, photos of faces will need to be submitted to a database so the technology can compare them with the faces of athletes and workers when they arrive at a venue.

The logistics of the system have been deemed too challenging to operate for spectators, who will be asked to show their tickets at venue entrances as usual.

With the Olympics still more than two years away, the technology is expected to be refined through testing to prevent any delays at the gate that could cause inconvenience and stress to athletes preparing for possibly the biggest moment in their sporting careers.

NEC has been developing facial recognition technology for many years, and in 2014 hit the headlines with a system called NeoFace that apparently helped the Chicago Police Department to track down a suspected criminal. NeoFace analyzes faces in live-streaming security footage and searches for identical faces in its database, alerting the authorities to any matches.

NEC’s technology also showed up recently in a CaliBurger kiosk that the fast-food company is currently testing at one of its restaurants. The machine recognizes customers from previous visits and uses the data to suggest meal orders based on past selections.

But while advancements in the platform have resulted in growing interest from companies and organizations around the world, it’s not all been plain sailing for facial recognition technology. Privacy advocates, for example, are worried that it could lead to increased public surveillance and the potential erosion of civil liberties. Others, meanwhile, question its effectiveness regarding matters of security, an issue that the organizers of the Tokyo Olympics will be studying carefully.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Is Face ID everything Apple claims? This unscientific test finds out
• Can facial recognition really replace fingerprints? We asked the experts
• Australian companies may soon be using a national facial recognition database
• Facial recognition and hidden cameras will speed up airport security lines
• Apple opens some iPhone X facial recognition data to developers

Things to do once you set up your new PlayStation 4

Did you just unwrap a new PS4? Here’s where to start.

So you got a brand spanking new PlayStation 4 for the holidays and you couldn’t be more excited. You have your gorgeous new console all set up and ready to go but the only problem is you don’t know where to start. That’s OK! The sheer volume of things you can do with your PlayStation 4 can be a little overwhelming. Let’s take a look at a few of the cool things you can do with your sparkling new PS4.

Customization

Make that baby yours! There are quite a few ways that you can make your PS4 unique to you. You could pick up some accessories, or you can set up a custom theme which will give your dashboard a special look that’s different from the default. You can also set up a custom profile picture. The ways in which you can tweak your PS4 gaming experience is nearly endless so get in there and explore the options!

Apps apps apps

Just like any modern day console Sony has aimed to make the PlayStation 4 a one-stop shop for your living room entertainment. One of the ways they work toward that goal is in the wide wide world of apps. From movies and TV to sports and music, if it can be streamed you can probably do it on PlayStation 4.
Just go to the PlayStation Store, select “Apps” and start downloading to your heart’s content.

Dive into some demos

A great way to taste test the options available to you in the world of games is to download some free demos. There is a whole litany of free demos available to you on the PlayStation store. Just go to the store and select “demos”. It’s just like wandering around in Costco but with way fewer people standing in the way and the free samples are games instead of summer sausages.

The power of Plus!

One thing you might want to consider is signing up for a PlayStation Plus account. There are a few reasons to go ahead and take the plunge but one of the best is that nothing else will help you build a kick-butt game library like a Plus account. As a PlayStation Plus member you will have exclusive access to great discounts and free games. What a beautiful modern world we live in!

Stream the dream

Speaking of beautiful modern worlds, there is no longer any reason to game in a vacuum. The ability to stream your gaming sessions is built right into the PS4. Streaming is no longer relegated to those that bought all sorts of specialized hardware and software. All you have to do is press a button! Simply press the share button on your controller, select Broadcast Gameplay, and then select the service of your choice. Once you’re connected you are ready to share your epic victories and crushing defeats with the viewing public.

The PlayStation app

There’s no reason to leave the PlayStation experience when you’re away from the house. Thanks to Sony’s PlayStation app you can stay connected to the action from your Android or iOS device. It’s actually a pretty well designed little app. You can get notifications, status updates, and message friends but the best functionality is that while you sit at your desk at work you can use the app to purchase a game and have it download directly to your PS4. That way when you finally get home from a long day at the factory you can kick back and start a brand new game without any waiting involved.

There are all sorts of things you can do on your new PlayStation 4 but the most important thing of all is to have fun. Dive in and explore all that is possible but don’t forget to play a few games every now and then!

Why are we reviewing PlayStation 4 games on Android Central? Let us explain.

PlayStation 4

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‘Star Trek: Bridge Crew’ drops its VR headset requirement

There’s no question that Star Trek: Bridge Crew benefits from VR — it helps fulfill that fantasy of helming a starship. Most people don’t have the VR headset you need to play the game, however, which makes gathering a crew rather difficult. Red Storm and Ubisoft’s solution? Make the game playable for everyone. It just released a “non-VR” update that makes the game playable for anyone with a PS4 or sufficiently capable PC. You can play with others whether or not they have headsets, and there are even graphical enhancements for non-VR players to take advantage of the lighter processing requirements.

We’ve seen a few games drop VR requirements before, but this is still an unusual move when many games are adding VR modes. It’s not surprising that the developers would branch out, though. While VR headsets are increasingly affordable, there’s no question that the majority of gamers don’t have them. That makes VR gaming a tough sell, and it’s not a very sustainable business. Unless studios can afford to experiment, they may have little choice but to write games for regular players first and tack on VR support as a bonus.

Via: Rock Paper Shotgun

Source: Ubisoft

How to download and manage apps from the Google Play Store

How do I download and manage apps and games through the Google Play Store?

Whether this is your first smartphone or just your first using Android, there’s a lot to love here, and it all starts with finding some apps to fill that new phone (or tablet) with. Google Play is the app store that Google runs, and it’s also an important piece of Android’s security as it scans apps before and after they’re downloaded and monitors them for unusual activity. It can be a bit overwhelming when you first open up Google Play, but don’t worry, we’re here to help you get started!

• How to search for apps on Google Play
• How to browse apps in Google Play
• How to download free apps
• How to buy paid apps
• How to update apps
• How to toggle auto-update
• How to uninstall apps
• How to remove apps from your app history

How to search for apps on Google Play

If you already know the name of the app you’re looking for, or have a specific app type in mind, you can search for it rather than browsing through app categories.

Tap the Google Play icon on your home screen.
Tap the white search bar at the top of the screen.

Enter the name of the app (or type of app) you’re looking for.
Tap the search icon on your keyboard (should be in the location of the Enter key).

If you’re not quite as sure what you want, or your search results don’t help you (don’t worry, it happens to all of us), there are other ways to find apps on Google Play.

How to browse apps in Google Play

You can browse through Google Play’s Top Charts to try and find a new app you want to install.

Tap the Google Play icon on your home screen.
Tap Top Charts.

You’re now ready to browse the charts for new apps. Swipe left and right between the charts for Top Free, Top Paid, Top Grossing, Top New Free, Top New Paid, and Trending.

You can also browse through Google Play by category:

Tap the Google Play icon on your home screen.
Tap Categories.
Tap the category you’d like to browse.

Now, some app categories are just a series of Top Charts narrowed to that category of app, but other categories have featured apps and subcategories in addition to the Top Charts for that category.

Once you’ve found one you like, it’s time to install it.

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How to download free apps

Tap on an app in the search results or categories.
Read through the app’s description and reviews to ensure the app seems right for you.
Tap Install.

The app will now download and install itself, usually in a few seconds depending on how large or small the app is. If you’re on a device running an older version of Android, you’ll have to agree to an app’s permissions before it downloads. Read the permissions before clicking Agree. Once it is finished installing, an Open button will appear in the same place the Install button previously occupied.

How to buy paid apps

The process for buying a paid app is just a hair different than downloading a free one, and it goes like this:

Tap on an app in the search results or categories.
Tap the price to bring up the payment options.

Your default payment method will be shown. If you want to change your payment method, tap the down arrow next to your current payment method.

Tap Payment methods.
Tap one of your established payment methods. If you don’t have one, you’ll be prompted to add a credit card, PayPal account, or carrier billing.

Tap Buy.

Confirm your Google Play password.
The payment is processed and the download will begin. Tap Continue to close the window.

How to update apps

Apps need updates from time to time, and if you need to manually update your apps, here’s how you do it.

Tap the Google Play icon on your home screen.
Swipe in from the left edge of the screen OR tap the three line menu icon in the top white bar to open the menu.
Tap My apps & games.
App needing updates will appear at the top of the list. Tap Update All to update all the apps needing updates.

If you want to update a single app rather than all of them, you can do that, too. Follow the same steps above, but instead of tapping Update All:

Tap the app you want to update.
Tap Update.
If there are any new permissions, read them over before tapping Accept.

How to toggle auto-update

Rather than manually updating apps, which is easy to forget, Google Play is set to automatically update apps for you when you’re on Wi-Fi. If you’d prefer that it install updates automatically even when on cellular data — or not auto-update at all — you can change the setting easily.

Tap the Google Play icon on your home screen.
Swipe in from the left edge of the screen OR tap the three line menu icon in the top white bar to open the menu.

Swipe up to scroll down.

Tap Settings.
Tap Auto-update apps.
To turn off auto-update, select Do no auto-update apps. To enable auto-update on cellular data, select Auto-update at any time.

If there are apps you do not want auto-updated, you can opt them out of auto-update while allowing your other apps to stay updated.

Swipe in from the left edge of the screen OR tap the three line menu icon in the top white bar to open the menu.
Scroll down and tap My apps & games.

Scroll down and tap the app you don’t want auto-updating.

Tap the three dot menu icon in the top right corner of the screen (next to the search icon).
Tap to uncheck Auto-update.

How to uninstall apps

Tap the Google Play icon on your home screen.
Swipe in from the left edge of the screen OR tap the three line menu icon in the top white bar to open the menu.

Tap My apps & games.

Scroll down and tap the app you want to uninstall.
Tap Uninstall. Note: if this is a paid app and it’s still within the refund window, you will tap Refund instead.
A window will open confirming you want to uninstall the app. Tap OK.

The app will now uninstall and remove itself from the device.

How to remove apps from your app history

If you install an app, don’t like it, and uninstall it, it’s still attached to your app history in the All section of My apps & games. If you don’t want an app in that list anymore, here’s how you get rid of it.

Swipe in from the left edge of the Google Play store screen OR tap the three line menu icon in the top white bar to open the menu.
Tap My apps & games.

Tap All in the green bar.

Scroll down and find the app you want to remove.
Tap the X in the top right corner of the listing for the app.
The app will disappear.

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Your turn!

What do you love about the Google Play Store?

Updated December 2017: Formatting and minor fixes to ensure steps match updates to Google Play.

Redbox deal with Universal eliminates rental window delay

This week, Redbox, the company behind all those movie rental kiosks, extended its distribution deal with Universal, . The studio had previously held fast on a 28-day window between when it released movies for home purchase and when people could rent them from Redbox. Now, that window has been eliminated. The new terms apply to both the physical locations as well as the company’s new streaming service, which was announced earlier this month.

This matches recent deals that Redbox has put in place with other film studios. Both Sony and Lionsgate have similar same-day rental licensing agreements, while Warner and Fox have a week-long window. Disney has long been a holdout for Redbox; the rental company has found itself in some hot water after selling the digital download codes that came with the Disney movies it purchased. That lawsuit is still ongoing.

Source: Variety

Obama-era plans to ‘zap’ Russian trolls collapsed under Trump

Before departing office, Barack Obama ordered US spy agencies to plan operations to combat Russian cyberthreats, according to the The Washington Post. But, more than a year into Trump’s tenure, his administration remains reluctant to pursue those counter-measures, claims the report.

In its assessment in January, the US intelligence community said that Putin used a mixture of english-language propaganda outlets (such as RT, formerly known as Russia Today) and social media trolls to influence the 2016 US presidential election. Russia had been honing its efforts since at least 2014, when it annexed Crimea, claims the Post. Around March of that year, Obama aides floated the idea of creating Russian-language channels to provide a counter-narrative to RT, and its ilk.

Another potential plan of action involved using cyberweapons to take down Russia’s state-funded online empire and “zap” servers powering fake Russian trolls. US spy agencies even mulled giving Russia a taste of its own medicine by creating fake sites and social media accounts to rebuff the Kremlin’s trolls in Europe.

“Those actions were cooked,” a former official told the Post. “They had been vetted and agreed to in concept.” Ahead, of Trump taking office, a US delegation also reportedly briefed America’s NATO allies on their findings.

Despite Russia’s misinformation campaign showing no signs of stopping, it seems Trump’s administration has been reluctant to implement Obama’s road map. The policy talks have been made trickier by the President’s stance on the special counsel’s investigation into Russia’s collusion with his administration, which he described as a “witch hunt.”

The FBI told the Post that it is utlizing cyber, criminal, and counterintelligence tools to deal with Russia’s disinformation threat. But, officials warn that Russia will escalate its efforts when it returns for the second round in 2020.

Source: The Washington Post