To further decouple its apps from Android, Google has just published its Calculator app to the Play Store.
The app is the same exact one you would find on stock Android, but it’s not the first built-in app Google has brought over for people to download onto non-stock devices. Last year, Google moved the stock Clock, Phone, Contacts, and Google Camera app to the Play Store. Unfortunately, the Phone and Contacts app is only compatible with Nexus, Android One, and Google Play Edition devices running Android Marshmallow and higher.
That’s not the case for the rest of them, though, but the new Calculator app still requires Android 6.0 Marshmallow.
The app itself is more or less the same as the stock version, except Google has added Android Wear support. Now you can relive the memories of owning a calculator watch, by solving mathematical equations on the go.
Google’s recent move to decouple these apps from the operating system is a boon for those on other devices with skinned-Android versions, but want a stock Android experience. For example, if you preferred the look of Google’s Calculator app as opposed to the one bundled on the Samsung Galaxy S7, now you have the option to download it. It’s also easier for Google to offer updates to these apps through the Play Store, unlike how it had to rely on system updates before.
But the search giant’s actions are likely results of increasing scrutiny of how it bundles and promotes its services and apps on almost all Android devices. When you get an Android device, you’ll likely see many Google apps pre-installed like Google Maps, Chrome, and more. Manufacturers have increasingly been looking to replace most of these apps for their own variants, and have complained that Google’s practices are anti-competitive.
Either way, breaking free more of the pre-installed apps from the Android operating system is a good thing. Though it’s unfortunate that some of them are only compatible on devices with Marshmallow or higher, considering that Android 6.0 is only on 2.3 percent of devices.
Are you tired of paying for streaming services you never watch just to get a phone plan feature you actually want? T-Mobile has good news for you! The carrier is rolling out new plans, called T-Mix, in early November to replace its old Experience lineup with a build-your-own perks system called Picks.
The benefits you choose vary from streaming and gaming to food delivery, AI, satellite service, and phone discounts. But if you are satisfied with your existing plan, you can keep it.
Merely days after the iPhone Duo hit the shelves, images of broken screens on the phone started popping up across social media. Until now, it’s been unclear what’s causing the line of defective pixels that appears vertically along the crease, as well as horizontally, on the phone’s inner display.
Apple has finally acknowledged the issue, which has shown up on iPhone Duo units owned by customers as well as demo units in stores. In a statement shared with Bloomberg, Apple says that not all iPhone Duo units are affected and that those that are tend to show the display fault early on. The company added that users who experience problems with their iPhone Duo display should contact AppleCare for a replacement.
Not long ago, Apple treated independent repair like an act of outright hostility. The Cupertino giant locked down parts with serial-number pairing, while repair tools remained firmly out of reach of anyone outside its authorized repair network. More importantly, the company waged a legal and lobbying battle against right-to-repair legislation.
I've covered enough of these fights over the years to know what a shift looks like. That's why what happened in October 2026 genuinely caught me off guard. The day the iPhone Duo went on sale, what may be the most mechanically complex iPhone to date, Apple pulled off a surprising about-face. It published teardown-style repair manuals for a handful of major components.