Android 16 arrived last month, and users have been enjoying new features including live updates from apps like food delivery or ride hailing, audio sharing so you can listen to music with friends over Bluetooth, and support for adjusting screen refresh rates to keep up with newer displays. However, there have been a few annoyances with the new features too, like issues with the haptic feedback. Now, Google is rolling out a new beta version of the OS, Android 16 Beta 3.2, to address these issues.
The fix for haptic feedback is the biggest change in the new release. In Android 16, Google added more options for developers to control the way your phone buzzes when taking certain actions or getting certain notifications. The light vibrations help with navigation and awareness, though these aren’t changes to the Android notification system itself — rather, there are now more options for app developers to make use of fine-grained haptics.
However, there were issues with the new haptic system, with users of some Google Pixel phones in particular complaining that their phones were vibrating too hard. The haptic vibrations were much stronger than previously, particularly when typing. And this didn’t appear to be an intended change, as it only impacted users of certain phone models.
Now with the release of the new beta version of Android, Google says it is “[fixing] an issue that caused haptic feedback to be miscalibrated in some cases.” That will be welcome news to the Pixel users who have been annoyed by this change.
Other updates in the new beta include fixing a battery drain issue and fixing a screen flickering issue when using the camera. If you’re in the Android Beta Program you can download the new version now, but if not then you shouldn’t have to wait too much longer for these small annoyances to be fixed.
Two new highly requested iCloud plugins just got added to ChatGPT, giving people who rely on Apple’s Mail and Calendar services a way to search emails, check appointments, and manage their schedules directly through the chatbot.
The integration is rolling out to all ChatGPT plans, including the free tier. You can access it on the web, desktop, and iOS.
Google Play is borrowing one of the Nintendo Switch’s most useful little tricks. A new Sidekick tool called Playbacks captures a short clip after something interesting has already happened, sparing players from running a screen recorder throughout an entire game.
Playbacks is part of Google Play Store v53.8 and keeps saved clips on the phone. Google first announced it earlier this month, but the new Play Store update marks its arrival for players. Anyone who has watched a perfect win vanish because the record button came too late already understands the appeal.
Samsung’s scandal over its Game Optimizing Service, or GOS, has returned with a bill attached. South Korea’s Fair Trade Commission has tentatively fined the company 20.1 billion won, or about $15.1 million, over gaming claims made for the Galaxy S21, Galaxy S22, and Tab S8.
The regulator says Samsung promoted the devices as gaming powerhouses without disclosing that GOS placed preset CPU and GPU limits on certain demanding games. Samsung disputes that conclusion, calling GOS a legitimate way to manage heat.