News Weekly is our column where we highlight and summarize some of the week's top stories so you can catch up on the latest tech news.
This is Android Central's News Weekly, your go-to source for a concise roundup of the week's most significant tech stories. This is where we delve into the top headlines that provide the latest developments and innovations contributing to the digital landscape.
This week took us through OnePlus' decision to stall the launch of its next foldable, Android Beta 2 arrived, Samsung devices got a new One UI 7 feature, TikTok resurrects in app stores, and Spotify premium users faced a unique glitch. Let's dive in.
OnePlus Open 2 won't launch this year
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OnePlus is leaving the foldables scene, at least for this year. In a community blog post on their foldable strategy, Vale G, a OnePlus product manager, said the company is 'recalibrating their foldable strategy' and confirmed that it will be holding off on launching a OnePlus Open 2.
"At OnePlus, our core strength and passion lie in setting new benchmarks and challenging the status quo across all product categories. With that in mind, we’ve carefully considered the timing and our next steps in foldable devices, and we have made the decision not to release a foldable this year," the community post explained.
Since OnePlus and OPPO are sister companies, the two share combined hardware and research teams, as well as a common software codebase. It looks like the focus is now fully on launching the world's thinnest foldable, the OPPO Find N5, in the next couple of weeks. That said, OpenPlus doesn't fully rule out the possibility of launching Open 2 in the future.
"While this may come as a surprise, we believe this is the right approach for us at this time. That said, our decision to pause on foldable for this generation does not signify a departure from the category," the community post added.
While the OnePlus Open 2 won't make an appearance this year, the company's next wearable will still launch as scheduled. The company revealed the first full look of its OnePlus Watch 3, which will launch on February 18 in the US, Canada, and European markets.
In a detailed press release, the OnePlus claims that this new watch is set to blend in with the user's daily needs with a "classic, premium, and durable design." That said, the company is going full throttle on its "Never Settle" mantra by offering the Watch 3 with a whopping 16-day battery life on power saver mode and a prolonged 120 hours of battery on Smart mode. This is a bump from the 100-hour limit on its predecessor.
Android 16 Beta 2 arrives with some fun updates
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Earlier this week, Google released the second beta of Android 16 to Pixel phones enrolled for it. The update came with some much-needed media, camera, and graphics features. The Beta 2 comes with something called the 'hybrid auto-exposure mode,' which allows users manual and auto-exposure options while capturing images.
Right now, users can choose either one of the above and not a combination of the two settings. With Android 16 Beta 2, they can control ISO or exposure time and use auto-exposure algorithms simultaneously. Beta 2 also brings actions for motion photos, a combination of still images and short videos with audio so that developers can decide where the motion photo will be saved.
Google remains on track to meet its new Android release schedule, meaning Android 16 will be released to the public in the second quarter of 2025.
One UI 7 brings fun Home Up Refresh feature
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Samsung's One UI 7 Home Up Module was spotted on a Reddit thread recently, obviously a beta version of the feature. The original poster displayed the "limitless" possibilities of the refreshed module in One UI 7, which showcased apps and folder placement. Pinching inward on their display brought up the usual home screen editing options but with a newly added "DIY Home" button.
What's more, is that tapping on the icon gives users complete freedom over the size and orientation of an app widget or folder. With this, you could basically place any app icon anywhere you'd like on the home screen without following the rules of the usual grid. The user is also able to overlap widgets and apps for a truly chaotic home screen. The demo only shows these changes applying to the apps above the bottom toolbar like messaging, phone calls, contacts, or anything else. Additionally, tapping a folder that's been rotated or upside down will open apps in it as normal.
People enrolled in the beta program can give these customizations a go. However, the company is reportedly pushing back the stable rollout of this OS on the Galaxy S24 due to a display coloring issue. Samsung stated that One UI 7 was preparing to hit older Galaxy S devices "imminently" in Q1 2025.
TikTok is back in US app stores
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After a good 20-day break, Tiktok made a comeback on app stores. in the U.S. following the government's reported "reassurances." According to Mark Gurman at Bloomberg, TikTok was first spotted on the Apple App Store. Several other users took to X, stating that the app had on Feb. 12. It looks like the app was being made available in phases and rolled out to most users today Feb.14.
Additionally, the publication reports that the app has reappeared on the Google Play Store. Android Central has also spotted TikTok's availability via the Play Store, so users who may have deleted the app or never had it can now download it.
While this may be good news for several avid TikTok-ers, Bloomberg states it has 75 days (from Jan 20) to find common ground with the U.S. government over privacy/security concerns. This looks like an interim solution while the company buys time to settle things with the present authorities.
Spotify bug messed with Premium subscribers
Spotify premium subscribers had a frustrating experience this week. Despite paying $12 per month for an ad-free service, they ended up hearing commercial ads that disrupted their podcast or music. There were multiple reports of this issue on Spotify's community forums, dating back to last Friday, Feb. 7. People were reporting issues and reaching out to support in multiple ways, with one user saying that it has been "impossible to talk to anyone at Spotify."
Only a week later, Spotify seemed to look into the issue. Spotify said, "Our tech teams are currently investigating reports of Premium users hearing ads. We'll keep you posted here if we have any news to share, so make sure to Subscribe to the thread to stay tuned."
Initially, the company asked users affected to add to the thread their device information, app version or web player, the type of ad they heard, and any troubleshooting steps they've already taken.
However, a few hours later, Spotify posted an update on its community forum confirming that the issue was the result of a bug and has since been fixed. "We have good news from our teams a fix for the instances where Premium users noticed ads when listening to music has been deployed and you should notice a difference right away," the company said. "It's worth keeping in mind, however, that it is expected that both free & Premium users may still see ads when listening to podcasts."
More stories this week
- YouTube TV reaches temporary deal to keep Paramount channels, including CBS
- Google Contacts gets a sweet, emoji-based profile update for people you've saved
- Duolingo's Duo the Owl and other characters are being taken out, one by one
- Nothing's Qualcomm teaser might signify a budget SoC for the Phone 3a
- Google updates Gemini Live, plans screen sharing and live video support
- The first Galaxy S25 update is here with a trove of security fixes post-launch
- Past-gen Galaxy S phones could miss out on a large part of One UI 7's AI
- New Galaxy A56 and A36 renders surface indicating an imminent launch
- Galaxy S25 Ultra fairs well in iFixit teardown, but Samsung still has work to do
- YouTube wants to use machine learning to figure out who's lying about their age
