A Digital Wellbeing widget will soon arrive to Android devices to help users keep a track of screen time and how much time they spend on Google apps. While the exact release date is currently unknown, it is expected that this widget will eventually be released to all Android devices. Notably, this is a feature that’s already available for iPhone users since iOS 12, so Google is very late to the party by comparison.
As per 9to5Google, Digital Wellbeing will soon get this widget. A teardown of the APK file that Google uploaded to the Play Store revealed that the version 1.0.416751293.beta supported the Digital Wellbeing widget.
Google’s more recent widget additions have been appreciated for their usefulness. The Google Photos widget enabled users to decorate their home screens with photos of their closest companions and favorite shots. Meanwhile, YouTube Music also introduced a “recently played” widget for Android 12 users that was available in three size options depending on the home screen layout. The widget provides quick access to played videos, playlists, albums, and more.
The screen time checking feature is especially useful to those who suffer from bedtime procrastination and internet addiction. Apps like Instagram have a feature for checking the average amount of time spent on the app in the past week, with an option for setting daily reminders that appear once users reach their time limit, so the fact that Google hasn’t had one up till now has been a pretty big omission.
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.