Everything that’s new in the OxygenOS Open Beta

Wondering what’s new in the latest Open Beta? You’re in the right place.

There are a lot of reasons to like OnePlus phones, but one aspect that’s remained since the beginning is the excellent software experience they offer. All OnePlus phones now run OxygenOS, and if you want to test out new software features before anyone else, you can sign up for the OxygenOS Open Beta.

OnePlus updates the Open Beta quite frequently, with each new version including bug fixes, security patches, and feature galore.

To make sure you never miss a beat, here’s everything new in the beta right now.

July 3, 2018 — Project Treble and a new UI come to the OnePlus 5 and 5T!

Open Beta 13 and 11 for the OnePlus 5 and 5T is rolling out to users now, and it certainly sounds like one of the most exciting upgrades we’ve seen in a while.

Right off the bat, this Open Beta brings Project Treble support to both phones. This is the new update system from Google that allows for much faster turnaound times with new software, so it’s great to see that it’s making an appearance with the 5 series.

Some other big highlights include “a brand new user interface” for the phones and “supported accent colors” (some users think this means support for custom colors, but we aren’t entirely sure quite yet).

Here are some of the other goodies you’ll find:

• Improved search tags in the app drawer.
• A “New installs” category tag in the app drawer.
• Improved app list for hidden space and toolbox.
• Optimized log for the contacts page (Phone app).
• Brand new design + improved user experience for the Weather app and all forecasts are now integrated under a single interface leading to a fully immersive experience.

As always, Open Beta 13 and 11 are rolling out to users incrementally right now and will expand to everyone enrolled in the beta over the next few days.

June 13, 2018 — OnePlus 5/5T and 3/3T get June 2018 Android security patch and camera enhancements

There’s a new Open Beta in town for the OnePlus 5, 5T, 3, and 3T! Here’s what you need to know!

For all four phones, you’ll get the June 2018 Android security patch and bug fixes for the OnePlus Switch app.

Specifically for the 5 and 5T, there’s “camera clarity improvement and optimizations to reduce ‘oil painting effect.’”

How do you install the Open Beta?

If you’ve got a OnePlus phone, enrolling in the Open Beta is fairly simple.

You’ll need to manually download the latest available version for your device from OnePlus’s website and sideload it, but once you do this, any future versions will be sent to you as over-the-air updates.

Harish wrote up a step-by-step guide walking you through the whole process, and I highly recommend checking it out to ensure nothing goes haywire.

How to install the OxygenOS Open Beta on your OnePlus phone

What phones are supported?

Right now, the list of phones supported by the OxygenOS Open Beta include:

• OnePlus 3
• OnePlus 3T
• OnePlus 5
• OnePlus 5T

The Open Beta isn’t available for the OnePlus 6 quite yet, but that should be changing in the very near future.

OnePlus 5T and OnePlus 5

• OnePlus 5T review: Come for the value, not the excitement
• OnePlus 5T specs
• Should you upgrade from the OnePlus 3T?
• OnePlus 5T vs. Galaxy S8: Beast mode
• All of the latest OnePlus 5T news
• Join the discussion in the forums

OnePlus
Amazon

Android P Beta 3 (Dev Preview 4) released for Pixels with subtle design changes, stability fixes

The latest software is available right away for Pixels and coming soon to other phones in the Developer Preview program.

Plenty of us have gotten in on the Android P Beta fun already, but Google has released yet another update to improve stability and fix bugs in the yet-to-be-named new Android release. Android P Beta 3 is now available for Google’s own Pixel devices through the Android Beta Program, which will push out over-the-air updates to anyone who has enrolled or enrolls now. If you have one of the many phones from other manufacturers — like Vivo, Essential, OnePlus and Xiaomi — you’ll have to wait for a little bit to get your update; Google says they’ll be pushing out the latest version “in the coming weeks.”

So what’s in this update? Well as you can imagine at this point, things haven’t changed dramatically from Beta 2. Installing the new software you’ll see very subtle iconography changes throughout the system including the status bar, notification shade and setting screen. The back button is also now a thinner little arrow (but functions the exact same), and the scrub bar area when using the gesture navigation button is nearly the full width of the screen.

Google has already finalized all of the APIs in Android P, which is important for developers who are making their apps compatible with the latest version. (For the developers out there, Beta 3 is analogous to Developer Preview 4.) Google says Beta 3 is focused on “stability and polish,” as well as getting the latest July security patch out to phones running on the Beta software. Google says that the system is “near-final” and is labeling it as a “release candidate build” — so what we see here shouldn’t be far off from what’s finally unveiled as the official version.

If you’re clamoring to get Android P on your own phone, there are several ways to do it — the easiest is to simply wait a few hours and receive an OTA update. But you can also download and install the software manually if you wish — we have full instructions on how to do so.

Android P

• Android P: Everything you need to know
• Android P Beta hands-on: The best and worst features
• All the big Android announcements from Google I/O 2018
• Will my phone get Android P?
• How to manually update your Pixel to Android P
• Join the Discussion

How to manually turn on dark mode in Android P

Let’s do this thing.

Beta 3 / Developer Preview 4 for Android P is officially here, and while it’s not a drastic change over the previous version, there is one highlight feature worth pointing out — a manual dark mode. Google told us this was coming in mid-June, and now that that day has finally arrived, we’re here to tell you just how to enable it.

In order for this to work, you’ll need to have a Pixel phone running the latest available version of the Android P beta (currently Beta 3 / Developer Preview 4). Assuming you do, manually turning on dark mode is pretty simple.

Open Settings.
Tap Display.
Tap Advanced.
Scroll down and tap Device theme.

Tap Dark.

By default, the device theme is set to Automatic (based on wallpaper) like we’ve had since the Pixel 2 came out last October. However, with this latest version of the Android P beta, you can manually toggle the dark or light setup no matter what wallpaper you have.

As it stands, device theme changes the appearance of your app drawer, quick settings panel, folders, Google Feed page, the outline surrounding the Google Search bar and app shortcuts when viewing your recently opened apps, and the power menu/volume level popups.

Now, only one question remains — light or dark?

Android P features we love: Better, faster biometrics

Android P

• Android P: Everything you need to know
• Android P Beta hands-on: The best and worst features
• All the big Android announcements from Google I/O 2018
• Will my phone get Android P?
• How to manually update your Pixel to Android P
• Join the Discussion

Apple Seeds Third Beta of macOS 10.14 Mojave to Developers

Apple today seeded the third beta of an upcoming macOS Mojave update to developers for testing purposes, two weeks after releasing the second beta and a month after introducing the software at the Worldwide Developers Conference.

macOS Mojave introduces a new method of installing software updates, so after you’ve installed the appropriate profile from the Apple Developer Center, additional betas can be downloaded clicking on the Apple in the menu bar, choosing “About This Mac” and clicking “Software Update.” Alternatively, open System Preferences and choose the “Software Update” icon.

The macOS Mojave update brings a long-awaited systemwide Dark Mode, with Mojave users able to choose between a light theme or the new dark theme. Dark Mode is accompanied by Dynamic Desktops, aka wallpapers that subtly change throughout the day.

Stacks, a new Desktop organization system, keeps all of your desktop files neat and organized, while Finder has been enhanced with a Gallery View, a Sidebar, a revamped Quick Look option and Quick Actions, so you can do more in the Finder window than ever before.

Screenshots can now be edited using Markup tools, while Continuity camera, a new feature, allows you to import photos and document scans directly from the iPhone to the Mac.

Apple News, Stocks, Home, and Voice Memos apps have been ported from iOS to macOS as part of a multiyear project Apple is working on to make it easier to bring iOS apps to Macs, and Apple has introduced several privacy protections to keep your data safer.

Apple is also making it harder for websites to track you with a range of new tools, plus there’s an entirely revamped Mac App Store that makes it easier to discover apps.

Related Roundup: macOS Mojave
Discuss this article in our forums

How to Organize Your Mac’s Desktop With Stacks in macOS Mojave

If you’re someone that has a lot of files on your desktop, you’re going to love the new Stacks feature in macOS Mojave, which is designed to organize all of your files into neat little piles on your desktop, getting rid of clutter.

Unfortunately, Stacks is an option that’s limited to the desktop and not available within individual file folders.

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Enabling and Disabling Stacks

Toggling Stacks on and off is done with just a couple of clicks on the desktop. When at the desktop, right click to bring up the desktop options menu, and then choose the “Stacks” option.

You can also use the Finder to enable Stacks.

Open a Finder window.
In the menu bar at the top of the Mac, go to View.
Check the “Use Stacks” option.
Turning on Stacks will automatically organize your files by file type. Some of the available Stacks include documents, images, PDF documents, spreadsheets, other, and screenshots.

Files on the desktop before enabling Stacks.
If you want to turn Stacks off and go back to a full view of all the files on the desktop, right click again and uncheck the Stacks option. Alternatively, reverse the Finder steps.

Files on the desktop after enabling Stacks.

Viewing Files in a Stack

If you want to view all of the files that are contained within a Stack, just click, and it will expand the Stack and put a little arrow on the Stack’s name so that you know which Stack you’re viewing.

With the Stack expanded, if you click on a file, it will open up in whatever app is set to be the default app for that file type.

Click on a stack to expand it to see the files inside.
When done, click the Stack again to collapse it back down into an organized pile.

To open up all of your Stacks at once, option click on the any Stack, which will expand all of the desktop Stacks at once. Option click again on any of the open Stacks to close them all.

Option click on any Stack to expand all Stacks.
Tip: If for some reason you want to open up or close all of your Stacks with a slower expanding/collapsing animation, shift click instead of just clicking regularly.

Customizing Stacks

Stacks are organized by file type by default, but you can change the Stack organizational system, grouping your files by Date Last Opened, Date Added, Date Modified, Date Created, and Tags.

Open Finder.
In the menu bar, click on the View option.
Select the “Group Stacks By” option.
Choose one of the available options to change the way your Stacks are sorted.
The most powerful sorting option in Stacks is of course Tags, which are user set and can be used to identify certain types of files, such as all documents relating to a specific topic.

When grouped by one of the date options, Stacks will be listed in increments of Today, Yesterday, Previous 7 Days, Previous 30 Days, and then after that, by year.

Stacks when sorted by creation date.

Further Stacks Options

If you want to stick one of your Stacks into a folder, you can do so by right clicking on one of the Stacks and selecting the “New Folder With Selection” option.

Using the same right click options that are available when a Stack is selected, you can open the files, open them in a specified app, rename files, share files, compress files, send files to trash, and more. You basically have all of the same organizational options that you would have selecting any group of files on your desktop, but without the need to select them manually.

Related Roundup: macOS Mojave
Discuss this article in our forums

Huawei might be making a powerful phone for mobile gamers

Andy Boxall/Digital Trends

Razer wasn’t being crazy when it made the gaming-focused Razer Phone — turns out it was ahead of the curve, and making a smartphone that’s optimized for games is apparently the new hotness, with both the Asus ROG Phone and the Red Magic Phone on the horizon. Huawei is apparently looking to be the latest addition to that list, and rumors say that the Chinese company will be looking to release a gaming-themed smartphone. While details are scarce, here’s everything we know about Huawei’s gaming phone.

Software

It’s safe to expect that Huawei’s proprietary software will feature heavily in this phone, and we expect the recently released GPU Turbo addition will play a central role in keeping this gaming phone ticking. According to Huawei, GPU Turbo will boost the gaming efficiency of Huawei’s Kirin chips by 60 percent, while also cutting battery consumption by a third. That makes for impressive reading, and according to some sources, Huawei will be further optimizing and advancing that same tech for its gaming phone.

What could that mean for Huawei’s gaming phone? We haven’t had chance to get our hands on the GPU Turbo update yet, but if it’s anywhere near as a revolutionary as Huawei claims it to be, and can make a mid-range phone pulls the sorts of framerates you’re more used to seeing on a flagship device, then seeing it used on a device made just for gaming could be incredible.

Specs

As you might expect from a gaming-focused device, Huawei’s gaming phone is likely to have some pretty impressive specs. It’s safe to expect that it will either equal or exceed the specs of the Asus ROG Phone, and since that includes the extremely powerful Snapdragon 845 and 8GB of RAM, that’s already plenty powerful.

Since the Huawei gaming phone is expected in the later months of 2018 at the very earliest, it’s possible that the phone will come packed with a newly upgraded version of Huawei’s proprietary Kirin processor. The Kirin 970 chip, used on the Huawei P20 Pro, is already pretty darn powerful, sitting between the Snapdragon 835 and 845 in terms of benchmarking results, and delivering strong performance. An upgraded version of the Kirin chip could be enough to top the Snapdragon 845 in terms of raw power, and deliver a show-stopping performance.

Release date and price

Like most of this phone, we don’t know a huge amount about the planned release date yet. According to an interview with Huawei Consumer Business President Jim Xu, Huawei is aiming to have this phone released by the second half of 2018. That’s a pretty big ballpark, and considering we’re already more than halfway through the year already, it might be safe to assume that it’ll be further towards the tail end of the year.

We know even less about the planned price. Since it’s likely to be a device with high-end specifications, it’s not unfair to expect this device to push into the upper echelons of flagship pricing — $800-$900 might not be far off.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Huawei’s got a free way of turning your phone into a monster gaming machine
• Here’s everything you need to know about the Huawei P20
• Huawei MateBook X Pro review
• Asus ROG Phone shrinks your gaming PC and puts it in your pocket
• Huawei has a clever way to put Windows on phones

Microsoft’s Surface Tablet clears final hurdle before launch

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has cleared the way for Microsoft to launch its rumored low-cost Surface Tablet in the United States. The publication of the Surface Tablet’s regulatory filing documents by the agency suggests that not only is a launch imminent, but also reveals some details about the slate that we did not know before. Microsoft requested that the FCC keep details about its Surface Tablet under “short-term confidentiality” until December 28, 2018, so we can expect the slate to launch before the year is over.

Microsoft’s documents with the FCC simply refers to the device as Model 1824 and describes it as a portable computing device, a term that Microsoft had used in the past to describe its mobile Surface products. And although it was previously speculated that Microsoft would switch to Qualcomm’s ARM-powered Snapdragon processor for the low-cost Surface Tablet, this might not be the case. FCC documents show that Model 1824 comes with a separate Wi-Fi/Bluetooth communications module by Qualcomm, suggesting that this new device will use a separate processor, likely an Intel-based one. If a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor had been used, these radios would have been integrated into the system-on-a-chip (SoC) design, negating the need for separate radio modules, WinFuture commented.

Microsoft had used both ARM-based and Intel’s low-powered x86 architecture on its low-cost Surface in the past. The Surface RT debuted with an ARM-based Nvidia Tegra processor, but it failed to take off since it was not capable of running the full version of Windows 8 at the time. For the Surface 3, Microsoft switched to a low-powered Intel processor, which brought full Windows 8.1 support to the hardware, but users complained about the sluggish performance of the processor compared to faster mainstream Intel Core i-series chipsets.

Prior to the release of Microsoft’s FCC filing, the Surface Tablet was believed to have switched back to an ARM-based design as part of Microsoft’s Always-Connected PC push with optional LTE connectivity. Even if the Surface Tablet ships with an Intel processor, battery life shouldn’t be a concern. It’s revealed that the battery that ships in the slate will be the same model from last generation’s Surface Pro 4, but with a slight difference in voltage.

Microsoft is expected to launch its low-cost Surface Tablet later this year, and the device could help Microsoft compete against Apple’s recently launched iPad and Google’s Chromebook devices in the education market. In addition to the Surface Tablet, Microsoft was also widely expected to launch a dual-screen portable computing device with a codename of Andromeda, but that device was recently reported to have been canceled at the last minute to follow the same fate as Microsoft’s Courier project from nearly ten years ago. Microsoft is also expected to refresh its more powerful Surface Pro detachable hybrid, which could arrive either later this year or early next year. Some reports suggest that Microsoft may update the Surface Pro this year, giving it a more modern processor from Intel, and refresh the design next year with a major overhaul.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Microsoft leak hints dual-screen Andromeda device targets launch later this year
• 5 things the rumored Surface tablet will need to beat the iPad
• Is Microsoft planning a $400 Surface tablet?
• Everything we know about Microsoft’s Surface Pro 6
• Acer Switch 7 Black Edition vs. Microsoft Surface Pro

Philips claims ‘world’s first’ with a new 4K HDR desktop display

The Philips 43-inch Momentum 4K HDR Quantum Dot monitor introduced in April is now up for grabs on Amazon and other online retailers for $999. At the time of its announcement, parent company Envision Peripherals deemed it as the world’s first DisplayHDR 1000 panel, residing at the top of the Video Electronics Standards Association’s (VESA) new certification system for HDR-capable displays. Since that time, Asus revealed an HDR1000 display that is twice the price: The ROG Swift PG27UQ for gamers.

Launched at the end of 2017, VESA’s DisplayHDR certification sets out to simplify display purchases by throwing HDR-capable desktop displays into three categories based on their specifications: 400 (baseline), 600 (mid-range), and 1000 (high-end). Based on the requirements, those numbers seemingly reflect the display’s peak brightness, but other factors come into play such as contrast ratio and color depth.

“As with any new technology, there can be confusion out there regarding HDR specs and benefits. VESA’s new DisplayHDR standard will make monitor shopping easier by offering consumers a comparable standard to judge HDR picture performance between monitors,” Chris Brown, Philips Monitors Global Marketing Manager, said in April.

The new Philips Momentum 436M6 panel is based on quantum dot technology promising rich, deep colors and extreme darks. Quantum dots are nano-sized crystals that absorb and then emit light. The size of a crystal’s core determines the color it emits, which is pure and precise. They’re also more power efficient, enabling higher brightness levels.

The panel itself is based on multidomain vertical alignment (MVA) technology. This tech is known for its high contrast ratio and high refresh rates, but it falls behind the now-standard in-plane switching (IPS) panels regarding color depth, response time, and viewing angles. Backing this panel is Ambiglow technology that essentially “bleeds” the current on-screen colors outside the screen and into your surroundings for a cool halo effect.

Here are the specifications:

• Model: 436M6VBPAB
• Panel type: MVA
• Screen size: 43 inches
• Resolution: 3,840 x 2,160 @ 60Hz
• Viewing angles: 178(H) / 178(V) degrees
• Pixel density: 103.64 PPI
• Brightness (typical): 720 nits
• Brightness (peak): 1,000 nits
• Color gamut: 145-percent sRGB, 119-percent NTSC
• Display colors: 1.07 billion
• Response time: 4ms
• Contrast ratio (typical): 4,000:1
• Contrast ratio (dynamic): 50,000,000:1
• Aspect ratio: 16:9
• Audio: 2x 7-watt speakers with DTS Sound

Now here are the ports:

• 1x HDMI 2.0
• 1x DisplayPort 1.2
• 1x Mini DisplayPort 1.2
• 1x USB Type-C
• 2x USB Type-A (both fast-charging)
• 1x PC audio input
• 1x Headphones out

According to Envision Peripherals, the Philips Momentum 436M6 panel includes Multiview technology so you can connect two devices and view their output simultaneously on the same screen. That means you can still watch your game while working on documents without having to strain your neck to view two different displays.

“We are very excited to launch the world’s first DisplayHDR 1000 monitor,” Brown added. DisplayHDR 1000 level of picture performance will offer a more intense gaming and entertainment experience. The contrast and color really bring action scenes alive, like we’ve never seen before.”

You can get the new Philips Momentum 436M6 panel from Amazon here.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Philips claims a ‘world’s first’ with a 4K HDR display for PC arriving this summer
• The latest Asus gaming monitor will be insanely expensive
• The best HDR monitors
• Acer’s new 4K, HDR, 144Hz G-Sync gaming monitor will cost $2,000
• Vizio’s 2018 TV lineup includes models as low as $350, and a quantum surprise

Goodbye to Hello, Moves, and tbh: Facebook is closing three mobile apps

Facebook announced it is shutting down Moves, Hello, and tbh, a trio of apps the company created and acquired the past four years. The tech giant states it made the decision to shutter the apps “due to low usage”.

Moves, originally acquired by Facebook in 2014, is the oldest of the three to get the chopping block. The app was created to allow users to easily track exercise and movement automatically by using their smartphones. While it started off strong, with nearly 4 million users when it was purchased by Facebook, things appear to have stalled since. It’s been more than a year since the Moves app has been updated, and Tech Crunch reports it only has 13 million installs. Facebook is offering an option for Moves users to download their data before the app closes permanently on July 31.

In 2015, Facebook announced Hello, a caller identification app that used Facebook’s data to share pertinent information about callers. The app was only available for Android smartphones and worked only in the United States, Brazil, and Nigeria. Like Moves, Hello already appeared to be abandoned by Facebook before the announcement: The company had not updated the Hello app in over a year.

Of the three apps to hit the chopping block, tbh is the most surprising. A social media app for high school students, tbh lets you post compliments about friends and classmates. The app is heavily moderated and removes any negative or hurtful comments immediately. After a widely successful launch (the app hit No. 1 on the Apple App Store), Facebook purchased the app in October 2017.

It’s not unusual for Facebook to discontinue apps or features. The social media company states it regularly reviews and assesses app performance has decided to close the three apps after a long period of trial and error. The decision will allow the company to “prioritize our work so we don’t spread ourselves too thin.”

Facebook plans to close Moves and Hello by the end of July.  It has not yet announced a date for tbh, however, it should be in the near future as well. Facebook intends to have all apps shuttered and user data removed from them within 90 days.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Facebook bans 200 apps following audit as Cambridge Analytica scandal grows
• Apple is removing apps that overshare your location data with third parties
• App downloads and revenues continue to grow on Android and iOS
• All the new features coming to the Facebook app and Messenger
• 9 things to know about Facebook privacy and Cambridge Analytica

Samsung’s Android Go phone revealed in numerous hands-on photos

Spoiler alert — there’s no stock Android.

We’re expecting Samsung to launch its first Android Go phone at some point this year, and leading up to its official unveiling, SamMobile’s provided us with numerous hands-on photos that showcase the device from a few different angles.

It was previously rumored that Samsung’s Android Go phone (currently rumored to be the Galaxy J2 Core) would ship with a stock build of Android, but as we can see from the above photos, that’s not the case. Instead, the J2 Core will come equipped with a slimmed-down version of the Samsung Experience and Google’s official Go apps.

The back of the phone is home to a single rear-facing camera and LED flash, and even though you won’t find any fancy Infinity Display here, Samsung’s using on-screen navigation buttons, anyways.

We still don’t know when the Galaxy J2 Core will be released or how much it’ll cost, but even so, this is shaping up to be a solid handset if you want a Samsung handset while staying on a strict budget.

These are all the Android Go apps you can download right now