Droid Life: Opinionated Android news.

IDC: Google Doubles Smartphone Shipments in 2017, Essential Ships Just 90,000

Kellen February 12, 2018 45

The number of phones a company sells isn't typically an area we focus a lot of our time on, here at Droid Life, but when numbers for companies like Google and Essential pop up, it's worth a minute of discussion. For Google, we get to see if their seriousness...

Verizon Starts SIM Locking Phones Because They Care About Theft, Not FCC Rules (Updated)

Kellen February 12, 2018 54

Jesus, Monday, can we chill already? Verizon is going to start SIM locking the phones you buy from them. That's significant for a number of reasons, but the most important is over the fact that they aren't actually allowed to do that, thanks to a deal in place...

Report: Google’s Only Hope for Android Survival is Notch Support in Android P to Woo iPhone X Users

Kellen February 12, 2018 74

This is the softest Android vs. Apple article I've read in years. Hey, it's Monday, so let's fire up the ol' Android is a trash operating system and can only survive if it copies Apple to try and win over iPhone users storyline. Thankfully, Bloomberg has...

VLC 3.0 is Here and It Brings All the New Features

Kellen February 9, 2018 5

VLC received a big update today to v3.0 "Vetinari," bringing with it stable Chromecast support, voice actions in Android Auto, availability on all Android TV devices (Chromebooks and DeX too), and support for Android's picture-in-picture. Some of this stuff...

T-Mobile Hosting BOGO Line of Service for Those With a Family Plan

Tim February 9, 2018 20

Announced this week, T-Mobile is offering a free line of service when you add a line to an existing T-Mobile ONE family plan. That means, you can go into a T-Mobile store and add one line to your existing plan, then get another line for free. In total, you...

Podcast: Bring on Android iMessage

Kellen February 9, 2018

On this episode of the Droid Life Show, we're diving into the latest rumors on the Galaxy S9 (because why not?), but also talking through a bunch of big Google happenings. From Android Messages possibly turning into Android's iMessage to Pixel Visual Core...

Report: LG ‘V30s’ to be Announced at MWC, Features LG Lens AI Tech to Rival Bixby Vision

Tim February 9, 2018 14

Matching up with an earlier report, the latest news from South Korea is that LG will indeed announce a new phone at MWC later this month, sort of. Reported to be called the V30s, LG is simply taking the existing V30 and throwing in a bit of AI magic for the...

Google Appears Ready to Turn Android Messages Into Android’s iMessage

Kellen February 9, 2018 46

Back in August, a reliable source of ours told us that Android Messages would gain a web portal, just like Allo's, that you would access via QR code. We assumed that Google would have launched it by now (that was 6 months ago), but only yesterday, the folks at...

What’s New in Android 16 QPR3 Beta: At a Glance, Flashlight, Navigation Buttons, More

Kellen December 18, 2025 46

Google may have released Android 16 QPR3 Beta 1 at the worst possible time of the day, but we're still going to dive into it...

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Android 16 QPR3 Beta Program Goes Live for Pixel Devices

Kellen December 17, 2025 46

Android 16 QPR3 Beta 1 released. Google shipped Android 16 QPR2 to stable channels this month as the December Pixel update,...

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Verizon Pixel 8, Pixel 9, and Pixel 10 Devices Get New December Update (Updated)

Kellen December 17, 2025 46

All of Google's still-supported Pixel devices received a huge QPR2 update in early December with new features and tons of bug...

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Google Makes Controversial Pixel Search Bar Change

Kellen December 17, 2025 46

Within the past several days, a group of Pixel owners noticed a change to the way the Search bar at the bottom of their Pixel...

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Samsung December Updates Continue Roll Out to All These Devices

Kellen December 17, 2025 46

Samsung started sending December updates to a batch of devices earlier in the week, but they weren't quite done with 2025....

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Galaxy Z TriFold Sells Out Quick in South Korea, Even With High Price Tag

Tim December 12, 2025 46

We shouldn't be surprised, folks. Samsung launched the Galaxy Z TriFold this week in its home country of South Korea, with in...

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YouTube TV Will Offer 10 Genre-Specific Plans in 2026

Tim December 10, 2025 46

More choice and more flexibility. That's what everyone has been clamoring for lately. If you'll recall, YouTube TV used to be...

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December Pixel Watch Update Rolls Out to Pixel Watch 2 and Above

Kellen December 9, 2025 46

Google announced new features for the Pixel Watch 3 and Pixel Watch 4 this morning, but didn't tell us exactly how those...

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Google’s Latest Ad Pokes at iPhone for Copying Its Features, iPhone 17 Rumors

Kellen May 6, 2025 45

The iPhone 17 won't arrive for months, likely after Google releases its Pixel 10 series. For the most part, all talk around...

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Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro Unboxing and Tour!

Kellen October 11, 2023 45

Some of you have been lucky enough to receive your Pixel 8 or Pixel 8 Pro pre-orders a day early, thanks to Google's wildly...

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Pixel Watch 2 Unboxing and Tour!

Kellen October 11, 2023 45

The Pixel Watch 2 has been on my wrist for a full week and my list of notes has only grown. I've tested sleep tracking, put...

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Video: Galaxy Z Flip 5, Z Fold 5 Unboxing!

Tim July 27, 2023 45

Samsung was gracious enough to send us its latest foldables devices, the Galaxy Z Flip 5 and Galaxy Z Fold 5. Naturally,...

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Google Pixel 7a Unboxing and Tour!

Kellen May 10, 2023 45

Because the Google Pixel 7a is available today for you to run out and buy at $499, you may not want to wait around for our...

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VIDEO: Galaxy S23 Ultra Unboxing!

Tim February 3, 2023 45

Unboxing time, baby! We have the Galaxy S23 Ultra in-house, a bit before they're set to make their way to buyers later this...

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Pixel 7 Pro: First 10 Things to Do!

Tim October 13, 2022 45

Fancy new Pixel 7 or Pixel 7 Pro just show up at your doorstep? Perfect, then this video is for you. As is tradition, we've...

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Pixel Watch: First 10 Things To Do!

Kellen October 13, 2022 45

The day that most of you will receive your Google Pixel Watch from pre-orders is here. It's time for you to slap Google's...

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