Google has reportedly started pushing the February 2021 update for several of its Pixel phones. The company announced the release of February 2021 security updates through its support page. The latest update for Pixel phones comes with some bug fixes and patches for several vulnerabilities. One of the major bug fixes include the sensor issue and touchscreen issues — both have been fixed now. The update is rolling out for Pixel 3 and newer devices in a phased manner.
According to the support page, the February 2021 Android Pixel Security Update will roll out for Pixel 3 / 3 XL, Pixel 3a / 3a XL, Pixel 4 / 4 XL, Pixel 4a, Pixel 4a 5G, and Pixel 5. The issue with sensors getting prevented from being detected at startup has now been fixed. All of the Pixel phones mentioned above will receive this fix. Here’s what the latest security update for Pixel phones brings.
Pixel February 2021 Android Security Update
Image courtesy: CNET
In the Google Pixel 4a 5G and Pixel 5, there was a touchscreen issue that led to unresponsive navigation buttons and edge taps. Now, the latest update for these phones has fixed this issue. Users had witnessed this issue after the December 2020 update, and Google had said that it’ll address these issues in the next update. Though the January 2021 update didn’t fix this issue, the new update claims to address them. Now that the update is already here, users will receive it in the coming days starting today.
Further, the February 2021 update brings various security patches for the Pixel phones. It resolves various features, such as Android runtime, framework, media framework, Kernel components, system, Google Play system, and Qualcomm components. This update fixes critical vulnerabilities present in the media framework, system, Qualcomm components, and Qualcomm closed-source components. In fact, the vulnerability present in the media framework could allow a remote hacker to execute arbitrary code. However, this critical vulnerability is fixed now.
As usual, the OTA update is rolling out in stages on carriers and phones. If you haven’t received a notification for this update, you can check for it manually. Just head to Settings > System > Advanced > System update. If the February 2021 update is available for your Pixel phone, you will see the update there.
Doing things and completing tasks using automation is a trend these days using your smart devices like smartphones, smart TV’s, smart home appliances, etc. Today, I’ll be sharing some tips and tricks with you to make Google assistant smarter as well as faster on your device. Let’s begin!
What Is Google Assistant
Google Assistant is a virtual, smart assistant powered by the artificial intelligence created by Google to help users do more with their smartphones with ease, just by speaking to it. It is one of the most popular virtual assistants out there and also the best at times when compared to Apple’s Siri, Samsung’s Bixby, or Amazon’s Alexa.
Introduced back in 2016, the Google Assistant has evolved and improved a lot since then. Just like real one-to-one communication, Google Assistant also offers a great set of replies, reactions to the defaults stored in its intelligence that makes the talking experience with it quite remarkable.
The next section of the article will guide you on a couple of tips to get the most out of the Google Assistant and make it smarter and faster on your device.
Speed Up The Google Assistant
This section deals with how you can make your Google Assistant faster in responding to your questions and queries.
Home Button
The simplest way to start or switch on the assistant is by tapping and holding the home button of your Android device. This feature is pretty simple as well as popular but, as the full-screen display started to roll out, it removed the use of the capacitive buttons and bought in the ‘Gestures.’ If you still have a phone that has a capacitive home button, you can tap and hold it to enable the Google Assistant and start talking to it right away.
‘Ok Google’ Detection
Using your smart gadgets with your voice is the most convenient way of completing various actions, interacting with your device, and also changing its settings, etc. ‘Ok Google’ is exactly the thing that you need for the voice interaction. Enabling the ‘Ok Google’ detection removes the need of typing things or scrolling to get to something. All you have to do is say the words and, it is at your service. The steps to enable this feature on your device are written below.
Tap the ‘Google search’ bar.
Then tap the more section located on the bottom right side.
Tap the ‘Settings’ tab.
Now, tap the ‘Google Assistant’ tab.
Here, you will see the ‘Voice Match’ option along with a lot of other options. Click on that.
Enable the ‘Ok Google’ toggle.
Google Assistant App
This is not much of a feature that you should use. If you are unable to use the Google Assistant directly from the above tips, then downloading the assistant’s app will let you use the Google Assistant manually on your device.
Make Google Assistant Smarter
This section deals with the steps on making the Google Assistant smarter and unlocking more features on it.
Voice Match
There’s no point talking smart when there is no voice-activated feature enabled. If you want the smart experience with Google Assistant, then you should enable the ‘Ok Google’ detection on your device. It will help you interact with your device hands-free. The steps to enable it has been already covered earlier in this article so you can scroll to that part.
Languages
Google Assistant supports a variety of languages so that you aren’t bound to any specific language. As shown in the screenshot below, the ‘English (United States)’ is set as your language choice, which you can customize.
Personalization
This feature delivers a personal experience with Google Assistant. Under the personalization option, one gets multiple toggles to enable this feature. This provides much-personalized content structure for the overall performance of the Google Assistant.
Routines
With Google Assistant, you can get personalized routines and tasks that are automatically enabled as per the scheduled time and place. As you can see in the screenshot below, there are numerous options to toggle the automatic routines for daily life or weekly life schedule.
The options include workday routines, morning routines, bedtime routines, place routines, travel routines, etc. Just head out to each routine, and edit it as per your schedule or just create a custom routine with your preferences and see the Google Assistant in work.
Conclusion
I’m pretty sure that the Google Assistant on your phone is different now. Go ahead and try these tips to get the most out of the Google Assistant. Lastly, dropdown your views, comments, or any feedback for further assistance, and we shall see you in the next one.
LG has reportedly started rolling out the stable Android 11 update for the Velvet 5G smartphone. Last month, the company had released the Android 11 beta build for this smartphone. Now, it seems like the stable build has already started rolling out for the LG Velvet 5G in South Korea. However, there is currently no information on when the update will release for other regions but, the company will likely release it soon.
According to the reports, the LG Velvet 5G has started receiving the stable version of Android 11 and will expectedly bring all usual Android 11 features to the device, such as chat bubbles. Reportedly, the update has a software version G900N2C and weighs around 2.2GB. Currently rolling out in South Korea for phones with model number LM-G900N, the update will reportedly bring the Android security patch to January 2021.
Android 11 Update for LG Velvet 5G (Stable)
Image courtesy: LG
The stable Android 11 update for LG Velvet 5G has already started rolling out for users in South Korea, as some users have posted screenshots of the update on Reddit. Like most phones, the update will bring the usual Android 11 features, including conversation bubbles, screen recording, improved media controls, one-time-permission improvements, and other privacy upgrades. As said before, the new update is expected to bring January 2021 Android security patch to the eligible devices.
If you are an eligible LG Velvet 5G user then you’ll likely get a notification when the update rolls out for your phone. However, if you still don’t get an update notification, then you can check for it manually in your device’s settings. Just head over to Settings » System » Update centre to check if it’s available for you. You may have to wait for a few more days, if your device doesn’t have the update yet.
As aforementioned, the stable Android 11 update for LG Velvet 5G may come to other regions soon. However, the company hasn’t said anything about it officially.
Undoubtedly, Google Chrome is one of the most popular and widely used web browsers out there. Google makes sure to add new features to its browser to make the user experience smoother and more fun. Here we are talking about a new feature for Chrome on Android, the Tab Grouping feature. Chrome for desktop introduced support for tab groups quite some time back, and now the feature is rolling out on Android, as well. After much testing on Android in 2019, the tech giant is finally rolling out the tab grouping feature on Android.
Earlier this year, Google released the new version of Chrome — the Chrome 88 — and within a month, the company is introducing support for tab groups. The new update also brings a grid tab switcher that users can enable or disable depending on the layout they like. Here’s how to use the new feature:
Enable New Grid Layout in Chrome for Android
Notably, the all-new tab layout will be enabled by default on all Android devices that have the latest version of Chrome. However, if you have the updated version but still can’t see the new layout, then you can enable it manually on Android. To enable the new grid layout, head over to chrome flags by typing “chrome://flags/#enable-tab-grid-layout” in the address bar. Once you enable this manually, you reportedly need to restart your browser twice to make the new layout stay.
How to Group Tabs on Chrome for Android
As said before, Google Chrome is bringing the tab grouping feature to Android, you can now group your Chrome tabs together. To do this, first, make sure you have enabled the new layout successfully, and it’s running. Now, simply drag tabs and place them on top of each other to create groups. This is similar to the way you create folders for apps on your Android home screens.
However, if you don’t like the grid layout and tab groups and want to disable them, you can do so by the following method.
Disable Grid Layout and Tab Groups on Android
You may have many reasons to disable the new grid layout on the Chrome browser on your Android device, but we won’t question that. You can disable it with just a simple step. Just type “chrome://flags/#enable-tab-grid-layout” in the address bar and select “Disabled” from the drop-down menu. That’s all. Your Chrome will now have the old layout that you’re already used to.
All of these new features are meant to save users’ time and make their work more efficient. Well, the feature is now available for most users and will soon become available to all users. All you need to do is just update the Google Chrome for Android to its latest version.
Emojis are a major part of the conversations that we have through our phones. In this article, I’ll be explaining how to manage emojis on Android smartphones with root and without root methods.
Let’s begin!
Emojis play a vital in everyone’s life. Whether it’s for Android users or iOS users, emojis have come along a long path of evolution and improvement. As we are discussing Android emojis, things are different. For every vendor, the appearance of the emoji layout varies independently. For example, the emojis appear more of a 3D version on Samsung devices whereas, the Pixel devices have more of a minimalistic layout.
Manage Emojis With Root Method
The very first way to manage emojis is to root your device. It is one of the advantages of rooting an Android device as a user can change settings on the system level. When you complete the procedure of rooting your device and if your device is fully functional again, install the Emoji Switcher app from the Google Play Store and follow the steps mentioned below to change the emojis.
Install the Emoji Switcher application from the Google Play Store.
Open the app and grant root access to the app.
A drop-down box will be displayed, tap it and select the emoji style you like.
Emojis will now start downloading into your device.
Once the download finishes, it will ask you to reboot your device. So. reboot your device.
You will now be able to use the new set of emojis.
Manage Emojis Without Root Method
Changing things on Android without rooting is possible but, it is less feature-rich when compared to do with rooting. Managing the emojis layout already installed on your device that too on a system-level base is impossible without rooting so, that leaves you with only a few options to customize the default installed emojis, which are listed below.
Download third party keyboards from the Google Play Store to get different emojis.
Go ahead and try adding some new emojis and using it in your conversations. Choose the method you like the best and check out. Lastly, dropdown your views, comments, or any feedback for further assistance, and we shall see you in the next one.
Have you ever seen some animal, bird, or fish and couldn’t identify which creature it is? Or maybe you saw a dog but didn’t know what breed it is! You might have felt helpless in such a situation and wished if someone could tell you. Well, here’s what this article is all about. Luckily, there’s something — a blend of nature and artificial intelligence — that helps you instantly identify dogs, cats, birds, fish, and animals with incredible accuracy. Called NatureAI, the AI-powered tool comes to your rescue when you’re stuck in such a situation. All you need to do is click a picture and let the NatureAI application on your smartphone do the magic.
Developed by a South Africa-based company, the NatureAI: Nature Identification — Nature Scanner can recognize all dog breeds, wild cats, over 200 fish species, over 3000 bird species, and much more. It uses artificial intelligence technology to perform a photo search of the object and identify the animal, bird, fish, fruits, or vegetables accurately. When you select the identified animal or bird species, NatureAI takes you to its Wikipedia page, where you can learn more about that animal. Here’s what you can do with the NatureAI app, how to use it, and our experience with the application.
NatureAI: Nature Identification and Nature Scanner
Before we tell you what NatureAI can identify and what it cannot, let’s know how accurate the company’s artificial intelligence algorithms are. According to the official website of NatureAI, the application passes the international benchmarks in human vision accuracy. What this means is that its accuracy is the same as that of an average human being. It means that if you expose an average human to the same photos, then NatureAI is correct the same amount of time on average as the human being in identifying the photos. However, in case, if the app identifies something incorrectly, it has an option for users to add such photos, which it uses to improve accuracy over time. Here’s what the app can identify:
Identify All Dog Breeds
As said before, NatureAI claims to identify all dog breeds by just doing a photo search in its database. All you have to do is take a picture of a dog. The app will automatically match it and take you to the Wikipedia page of the identified breed. It uses the latest artificial intelligence technology to identify the dog breeds recognized by the AKC from a photo. The company claims to even identify a mixed breed and return the mix of purebreds.
Identify Cat Breeds
Like dogs, the app also claims to identify all known wild cat species from around the world. Not just this, it also identifies most popular domestic cat breeds — all in just a few seconds. Like before, take and upload an image of the cat, and the AI algorithms will find you accurate results for it. The app also identifies mixed breed and returns the mix of purebreds.
Identify Birds and Their Species
NatureAI identifies over 3000 bird species across Europe, North America, Australia, and Southern Africa. If you’re someone who just started birding or may be thinking of taking it as a hobby, NatureAI is what you need.
Identify Freshwater Aquarium Fish
If you recently saw some freshwater fish species in an aquarium or a pet shop but could not identify what species it was then this is the app you need on your phone. This app, NatureAI, acts as an electronic interactive fish identifier that uses the Photo ID feature to identify fish species by harnessing the power of the latest artificial intelligence algorithms. It is capable of identifying over 200 fish species.
Identify Wild Animals Species
If you’re a nature lover and frequently go to jungles or national parks to see wild animals, this app serves as your guide. If you see an animal and can’t identify it, simply take a photo of that animal and let the NatureAI app find it for you. With the help of this app, you can identify all mammals of Europe, Kruger National Park, and Yellowstone National Park.
Identify Fruits and Vegetables
Did you see a new fruit or vegetable but don’t know what it is? Well, this Nature and Artificial Intelligence tool also lets you identify fruits and vegetables. Just take a picture of a fruit or vegetable and allow the app to identify it for you. You can tap the result to learn more about that fruit or vegetable on the linked Wikipedia page. NatureAI claims to have trained its algorithms to identify the most exotic fruits like jackfruit, durian, papaya, dragon fruit, and more. Similarly, it can identify common fruits and vegetables like bananas, green peppers, avocados, etc.
Features of NatureAI and Working
NatureAI combines nature with artificial intelligence to help people identify animal species, bird species, fish, and fruits. It has a Photo ID feature that uses the latest AI tech to identify animals or birds from a photo that a user uploads. It then confirms the best matches and provides dynamic links to the respective Wikipedia pages of the animal or bird that open within the NatureAI app.
Our Experience
NatureAI: Nature Identification — Nature Scanner is an all-in-one mobile application that can not just identify animals but can also identify over 3000 bird species, 200 fish species, dog and cat breeds, fruits and vegetables, and much more. Our experience with the app has been quite exciting when we tried to identify dogs and cats. NatureAI could identify almost all dog photos that we uploaded. The results for cats and birds were also better than we expected.
However, when we tried to identify a few leaves from different plant species, the results didn’t match at all. But even the app doesn’t claim to identify plant species from the images of leaves anyway. We couldn’t get our hands on trying fish but using fish photos from the internet were identified very well. Overall, we found NatureAI probably one of the best nature search tool to identify exotic animals, birds, fish, or species.
NatureAI: Nature Identification — Nature Scanner is available on Google Play Store for download, and you can install it on your Android smartphones for identifying animals or birds. It can be very helpful in identifying a dog or cat breed if you’re thinking of having a pet for yourself.
Xiaomi launched Mi 11 in China last month with the flagship Qualcomm Snapdragon 888. It was the company’s first model to come with this chipset. Now, it is all set for its global launch on February 8, the same day when MIUI 12.5 will have a global debut. According to invites sent out by Xiaomi to several media outlets, the Mi 11 global launch will take place on February 8. Some rumors claim that the smartphone brand is also working on the Mi 11 Pro, which it could officially announce during the global launch event.
According to a report from Techradar, Xiaomi’s invite for the launch event mentions that the event will take place on February 8 at 1 PM CET (5:30 PM IST). The invite reportedly carries a link to Xiaomi’s official blog, though the company yet hasn’t announced the launch in the public domain. However, if the reports are true, then we will see Xiaomi launch both Mi 11 and MIUI 12.5 on February 8. The company may also make an announcement of Mi 11 Pro.
Speaking of the global launch event, the company has said that it’ll live stream the event on its official Facebook page.
Xiaomi Mi 11 Specs, Price
Image courtesy: Gsmarena
Since the phone is already there in the Chinese market, we already know a lot about the Mi 11. The phone runs on Android 11 with Xiaomi’s MIUI 12 on top. It flaunts a 6.81-inch WQHD AMOLED display and features the Snapdragon 888 SoC, paired with 8GB or 12GB RAM and up to 256GB of internal storage. The handset packs a 4,600mAh battery with 55W wired Mi TurboCharge and 50W wireless charging support.
In terms of optics, the Mi 11 carries a triple rear camera setup with a 108-megapixel primary sensor. The other two sensors include a 13-megapixel ultra-wide lens and a 5-megapixel macro shooter. At the front of Mi 11, there is a 20-megapixel shooter for taking selfies and video calling.
Currently, there is no information on the pricing of Mi 11 in global markets. However, the China price of the base 8GB RAM + 128GB storage variant is set at CNY 3,999 (roughly ₹45,300). The other storage model, ie. the 8GB + 256GB Mi 11, carries a price tag of CNY 4,299 (roughly ₹48,700) in China. The Mi 11 series’ top model, the 12GB + 256GB storage variant, is priced at CNY 4,699 (roughly ₹53,200).
OnePlus devices are currently at the epitome of both performance and usability. This is because of the perfect blend of top-notched hardware and the OxygenOS operating system which is considered the best custom skin available out there. Not too stuffed with bloatware, OxygenOS provides a lot of customizations, it is super light and quick and that is what makes it a must-have. It is based on the Android operating system (E.g. OxygenOS 11 is based on Android 11), which means you can do more than you can think. You can install a custom kernel to underclock or overclock the CPU. You can also install custom ROMs, recoveries like TWRP, root the device with Magisk, and more. This is just the tip of the iceberg and there’s a lot of stuff you can do.
While OnePlus’ OxygenOS doesn’t restrict you from rooting the device or customizing it to the next level, one bad step or mistake you risk bricking your device. There are hundreds of reasons why and how your OnePlus smartphone could brick itself and it could be a hard brick or a soft brick. In this post, we have provided you with detailed information on what is bricking, how to unbrick and restore OxygenOS on OnePlus 8/8 Pro and all other OnePlus devices so read along.
What is Bricking
As aforementioned, OnePlus devices allow troubleshooting and customizing almost every aspect of it using various techniques, tricks, tools, and more. Although not everyone tries rooting a phone or side-load an app that is permitted, there’s a dedicated group of users who are trying to get the best of their devices. You may try rooting the phone, installing a custom ROM, kernel, and more. You can do absolutely anything given the fact that you know how to do it or you have someone to guide you.
In any case, there’s a probability that you might end up doing something wrong or skipping a step or so. Well, in most cases, you might end up bricking your phone. In layman’s terms, bricking is a failed software or firmware that wouldn’t load using the secondary bootloader. In some cases, it could be a soft brick where the phone gets stuck in a constant boot loop. For example, a failed rooting could trigger the device to undergo a soft brick where the phone will constantly turn off and restart. This is pretty much easy to resolve as you are still able to access the fastboot and recovery mode and you can unbrick the device pretty easily.
A hard brick would be categorized in a state where the phone’s screen goes black and no matter what configuration of hardware keys you press, nothing would happen. In this case, the secondary bootloader is inaccessible and thus, the phone isn’t able to boot correctly. You cannot even access the fastboot and recovery mode in such a situation. Luckily, there’s a way to unbrick a bricked OnePlus smartphone using EDL mode that we have explained below.
What are the signs of devices getting bricked
Your device might enter in a soft brick state or a hard brick state. There are plenty of pointers that you can look at to differentiate whether your device has entered which particular state. This will help you get the methods right to eliminate the risk of doing more harm than good. Here are a few signs you can look out for.
Your device shows the error message “Your Device is Corrupt” when you try booting up the phone.
Your OnePlus smartphone shows you a black screen and that’s all. No hardware keys are working here. Whenever you try to connect it with a charger, the phone vibrates signifying that it is working but nothing lights up. The reason is the secondary bootloader which is responsible to boot your device isn’t accessible.
No matter how much you try pressing volume buttons and power buttons in any configuration, the phone doesn’t boot into the Fastboot or the Recovery modes.
Once you connect the phone to a Windows PC via USB, you would see your device detected as “QUSB_BULK” on Windows Device Manager. This is a clear indicator that your device is corrupt or bricked.
These are the few ways/pointers that you can check out and understand if your device is bricked or not.
What is EDL Mode
EDL or Emergency Download Mode is a special boot mode for Qualcomm smartphones. Since all OnePlus smartphones have Qualcomm chipsets, it is no wonder all OnePlus devices have EDL mode as well.
EDL mode is the primary bootloader and can be used to force-flash firmware as a countermeasure to unbrick an OnePlus smartphone to stock ROM. This partition isn’t known to all but lets you do a lot more than you can assume. Qualcomm’s EDL uses Firehose or Sahara protocol programmed to accept OEM-digitally-signed programmer in ELF format. It can also recognize MBN files in older smartphones. For those who are unaware, the protocols used here are programmed to accept commands on smartphones from a PC over a USB connection. This is what enables users to flash the firmware using various tools including QFIL, MSMDownload, QPST among others. Once you log into the EDL mode, your device will be recognized as “Qualcomm HS-USB QDLoader-9008” over a USB connection.
Sometimes, the bootloader or the software might corrupt if you are trying to flash something and make a blunder. It can also trigger when upgrading to a new version of your stock OxygenOS (in the case of OnePlus). Once your device gets corrupted, you cannot access any download modes or fastboot mode and thus, you require an EDL for that matter. It is a primary bootloader (PBL) on Qualcomm-powered devices while the one that loads when you turn on your phone is a secondary bootloader (SBL).
Unlike SBL where the system triggers PBL to launch SBL and then turn on the device. When it comes to EDL which is a PBL, it loads in place of SBL and implements Sahara or Firehose protocol allowing users to enter commands that the EDL will have to complete. Thus, EDL can help you recover from a bricked phone, and here’s everything you need to know about it.
Prerequisites to unbrick an OnePlus smartphone
Before you can proceed further, there are a few things that you would need. First of all, you need a bricked OnePlus device (duh). You need to keep a backup of all the data stored on your device since flashing firmware on the device will surely topple all the data. You need at least 60 of the charging on your device but I recommend charging it to its full capacity just in case. If you have a TWRP installed on your phone, taking a backup is pretty simple. You just need to boot into the recovery console and tap on “Backup >> Persist_image” and finally, slide the “Wipe to Backup” and it is done.
As aforementioned, you need the latest Qualcomm and OnePlus Drivers and in case if the latter is not automatically installed. You also need MSMDownload Tool if not included in the firmware packages mentioned below.
How To Unbrick and Restore stock OxygenOS on OnePlus smartphones
Note: Before we can commence giving you step-by-step instructions on how to unbrick and restore stock OxygenOS on OnePlus smartphones, here’s a quick note. Keep in mind that although we have tested and tried this method on unbricking a hard bricked OnePlus smartphone, there’s still room for errors. In case the device gets bricked or anything, we aren’t responsible for it, and thus, user discretion is advised.
The process is quite simple, you can simply use this method to unbrick the stock OxygenOS on your OnePlus smartphone. Here’s how you can do it.
Step #1: Download Decrypted Stock OxygenOS Build
The very first thing you need here is a decrypted stock OxygenOS firmware for your OnePlus smartphone. Note that if you have an OnePlus 8, it has multiple model numbers depending upon which region/carrier you are using. The OnePlus 8 global variant has a model number IN2015 while the European variant has IN2013 and the Indian variant has a model number IN2011. I would suggest you check your model number on your phone or check on GSMArena. Use the link mentioned in the “Tools to Download” corresponding to your phone model and model number.
Step #2: Extract & Launch MSMDownload Tool
You can use multiple tools to access EDL but here, we are using MSMDownload Tool that comes in the same package as the one you just downloaded. As this file is zipped, you need to unzip it. You can use 7-Zip or WinRAR or whichever extraction tool you have to extract the files. Next up, check out the folder and launch the MSMDownload Tool on your computer.
Note that if there’s no MSMDownload Tool available once you download and unzip the firmware package in case if you are using a different source, you need to download it additionally. Here’s the link you can use to download and install the MSMDownload Tool.
Step #3: Boot Into The EDL Mode
This is where you need to enter the EDL Mode that will enable you to flash a stock OxygenOS firmware and unbrick your smartphone. There are several ways you can enter the EDL Mode on your phone and here’s everything you need to know more.
Note: Although we have run this procedure several times on several OnePlus models, you still need to take precautions such as taking a backup of all the data. In case something goes awry, we are not liable for any bricked devices or devices frying up, crashing down, turning into a Mars Orbital, and so on. User discretion is required.
A. Manual Method
This is the easiest of them all. You need to turn off the phone completely. Now, connect the phone to the computer over USB. Next, up, press the Volume Up and Volume Down buttons together for a few seconds and let it boot.
B. Using Fastboot Mode Method
This is again easy to use the method. Here, you are required to use fastboot to enter EDL mode on your OnePlus smartphone.
There are multiple ways you can enter fastboot mode such as by using the “Advanced Reboot Menu” available under the “Developer Options” menu on the Settings app. Select “Bootloader” to enter Fastboot Mode on OnePlus devices. An alternative method includes using a hardware button combination. For that, turn off the phone and long-press the ‘Volume Up’, ‘Volume Down’, and ‘Power’ buttons until the phone boots up.
A third option to enter Fastboot Mode on an OnePlus smartphone is via ADB Command. For this to work, you would need ADB tools installed on your computer plus the latest OnePlus USB Drivers as per your model. Once you have it, here’s a quite snippet on how you can enter EDL using fastboot.
Connect the phone to the PC using a USB Cable.
Enable USB Debugging under “Developer Options” under Settings.
Launch Terminal or PowerShell on your computer from the directory where ADB is installed.
Enter the command “ADB devices”, grant access on your phone to allow USB debugging if you are using it for the first time.
Next up, enter the command “ADB reboot bootloader” and bingo, you are in fastboot mode.
Next up, enter the command “ADB reboot edl” and you have successfully entered EDL mode on your smartphone.
C. Using TWRP
If you have already installed TWRP with v3.3 and above, you get a simple method to boot into the EDL mode. For those who have installed it, log onto the recovery console and tap on the ‘EDL’ button.
Once you have entered the EDL mode in any of the aforementioned methods, proceed with “Step #4” mentioned below.
D. Using ADB Tools
You can download the ADB tools on your computer and install them. Once you are done installing it, you need to enable USB Debugging on your OnePlus smartphone and connect the phone to the PC. Once you are there, launch the command prompt from the ADB binary files and enter the command mentioned below.
adb reboot edl
You can tap here to read more about it. Once you are done, proceed to Step #4.
Step #4: Install Qualcomm USB Drivers
Next up, you need to install the latest Qualcomm USB Drivers. This will further aid in recognizing your device as “Qualcomm HS-USB QDLoader 9008” as detected by the MSMDownload Tool that you would be requiring in the later part.
To check if Qualcomm USB Drivers are installed or not, you need to open the ‘Control Panel’ and proceed to open the ‘Device Manager’. Check the device “QUSB_BULK” or “Qualcomm USB Bulk Download”. You need to install it and verify if the said “Qualcomm HS-USB QDLoader 9008” is detected. Also, verify if the MSMDowlaod Tool on your computer shows that your device’s status as “Connected” to proceed further.
Step #5: Flash OxygenOS Firmware On OnePlus smartphone using MSMDownload Tool
Next up, you need to flash OxygenOS firmware on your smartphone using the MSMDownload tool. Assuming that your phone is in EDL mode and connected with the computer using USB and that MSMDownload Tool is launched, here are the following steps that you must carry out.
First up, you need to download the said OxygenOS firmware based on your smartphone model and variant. For instance, the OnePlus 8 arrives with Global, Indian, and European variants with model numbers IN2015, IN2013, and 2013 respectively.
Run the MSMDownload Tool executable file. Note that if you have downloaded and unzipped the decrypted OOS firmware mentioned in the “Prerequisites” section, the MSMDownload Tool executable file will be in the same package as the downloaded OOS firmware so launch it.
Next up, you will get a Login page with fields like ‘User Type’, ‘User name’, and ‘Password’. Tap on ‘User name’ that should give you a dropdown menu where you need to select ‘Other’. Finally, tap on “Next”.
Now, the main interface will open where you need to select the Target, select “India” if your variant is Indian. This should change based on the variant of your device.
Next up, use any of the two methods listed below to enter the EDL Mode on your computer.
Press Volume UP & Down together and connect the phone to the PC while long-pressing the buttons.
Use Volume Up & Down together to boot into the EDL mode.
Once the MSMDownload Tool detects your device, release the buttons.
Since the MSMDownload Tool comes with the OOS firmware, you can simply tap on the “Start” button on the top left corner to start the flashing process. In case if you have downloaded MSMDownload Tool and the firmware separately, you must get a prompt to add the firmware and start the flashing procedure.
The process could take a few minutes and the phone will automatically reboot after the flashing is over. If everything goes as per the plan, you must get your hands on your phone in an unbricked state and you can use it properly.
Note: Assuming that you actually read the entire post before actually trying to unbricking the device. There are many moving parts involved including the right stock firmware that you must download and flash as per your make, model, and variant. Even though this guide is tried and tested, we still advice you to take user’s discretion as we don’t take any responsibility for any malfunctions or any other ill-effects on the device.
Samsung launched its Galaxy S20 series in February last year with Android 10. Later, it updated the devices of this family to Android 11 by the end of 2020. Now, the smartphone maker has reportedly started pushing the latest update with the February 2021 Android security patch to the Galaxy S20 family in some regions. This time, Samsung has managed to roll out the latest Android security patch even before Google did for its Pixel devices.
According to a new report, the Samsung Galaxy S20 series has started receiving an update with version G98xxXXS6CUA8 that brings the Android security patch to February 2021. Reportedly, this ‘update’ version is associated with the Exynos-powered variants of the Samsung Galaxy S20 series. Apart from the latest security patch, this update brings various stability improvements, bug fixes, and more. Here’s what’s new:
Samsung Galaxy S20 Update With February 2021 Security Patch
Image courtesy: Gizchina
As said before, the Galaxy S20 series has started receiving the update-version G98xxXXS6CUA8 on its family devices. If you don’t know, the S20 series includes three models — the Samsung Galaxy S20, Samsung Galaxy S20+, and Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra. Along with the stability improvements and bug fixes, the update brings improvements to performance and some “New and / or enhanced features.”
Further, the report claims that this update changes the bootloader version from v5 to v6. You should note that you won’t be able to downgrade it to an older version. Other than this, it’s good to see Samsung taking the lead to roll out Android security patches even before Google does.
As usual, this update is also following a gradual rollout, and it may take a while to reach all users. As per the report, this incremental update is 173MB in size and is rolling out in batches for Galaxy S20 series users in some regions. The update hasn’t yet come to the Indian market, meaning S20 series users in India may have to wait for a couple of days.
If you want to learn more about what Android 11 with Samsung’s One UI 3.0 brings to the Galaxy devices and how it takes the user experience to new heights, check out our detailed article by clicking the attached link.
Poco M3, the successor of Poco M2, is all set to launch in India next month. The company has confirmed the news through a tweet that the Poco M3 will launch in India on February 2. The smartphone maker will host an online event on February 2 at noon to introduce this phone in the Indian market. Further, the video shared by POCO also reveals that the phone will go on sale via Flipkart.
To remind you, POCO, a Xiaomi brand, launched the Poco M3 globally in November 2020. The smartphone is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 662 processor and comes with a large 6,000mAh battery. The company will also reveal the phone’s actual pricing and sale details during the launch event on 2nd February.
Poco M3 Specifications, Features
Image courtesy: Gsmarena
As said before, the Poco M3 gets power from the Snapdragon 662 SoC and runs on Android 10 with MIUI 12 for Poco on top. The phone flaunts a 6.53-inch full-HD+ display with 1,080 × 2,340 pixels resolution. It comes with 4GB of LPDDR4X RAM with two storage options — a 64GB variant and a 128GB model. This can be expanded further up to 512GB using an external microSD card.
In terms of optics, the Poco M3 comes with a triple rear camera setup with a 48-megapixel primary sensor. The other two cameras include a 2-megapixel secondary lens and a 2-megapixel sensor. At the front, the smartphone has an 8-megapixel camera for taking selfies and video calling. Further, the handset comes with a side-mounted fingerprint sensor and packs a 6,000mAh battery with support for 18W fast charging.
Poco M3 Expected India Price, Sale
For pricing, the Poco M3 should have a similar price range as the global variant. Having said that, the 4GB + 64GB variant should carry a price tag of around ₹11,000 in India, which in the US sells at $149. Similarly, the 4GB + 128GB storage model in the US is priced at $169, which means it’s India price should be around ₹12,500. Apart from this, the handset is available in three color options — Cool Blue, Poco Yellow, and Power Black.
As per the company, the Poco M3 will launch in India on February 2 and will be available for sale on Flipkart. The online live stream for the launch event will begin at 12 PM that day.
