The most interesting feature on the Samsung Galaxy S7 may not a better camera, or some new gimmick, but a piece of software that could change the way you take actual phone calls. The manufacturer announced a plan to integrate smartphone caller ID service Whitepages to the S7 at the system level, layering public listings on top of user contacts, making unknown calls feel a lot less random.
In other words: No more staring a phone lock screen, trying figure who’s on the other end based on the area code.
Pre-order the Galaxy S7 at: Samsung, AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, Verizon
To minimize the number of unwanted calls, Whitepages adds a call-checking spam filter. Users can flag and block calls from telemarketers or other aggressive calls as spam, which builds a database of unwanted numbers to warn others. When users get a call from a known “spam” number, they will see a stop sign with an X, with a warning that explains why the number has been flagged.
On the other hand, Whitepages integration adds searchable public listings to your contact search bar. No more switching to Chrome for a business listing to grab a number, it’s all “in” your contacts. The search can also draw on geo-based services, such as Yelp, to help local business in a pinch.
Obviously, caller ID has been around forever. Whitepages, in fact, already offers this service via an app available on iOS and Android. However, integrating it at the system level makes it easier to use and cultivates a larger, more effective database to draw on.
The Galaxy S7 will offer Whitepages support 15 in countries as part of the Samsung integration; Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Israel, Italy, Mexico, Philippines, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, the U.K., and the United States.
The Samsung Galaxy S7 will be available in 11 countries March 11.
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.