Droid Life: Opinionated Android news.

Google Drops Full-Disk Encryption Requirement for New Android Devices Running Lollipop (Updated)

Kellen March 2, 2015 36

Google seems to have backed off of its requirement for full-disk encryption on new devices running Android 5.0 "Lollipop" and higher. No announcement was made to bring this news to light, but the folks at Ars Technica noticed a change that was made to the...

NCAA March Madness Comes to YouTube, Google Search Results

Kellen March 2, 2015 6

Google took to its YouTube blog to announce today that NCAA March Madness is now on Google Search and YouTube. Starting with this year's tournament, you will be able to watch game highlights, pre and postgame shows, and more through the new NCAA March Madness...

Android Distribution Updated for March 2015 – Lollipop Now at 3.3%

Tim March 2, 2015 37

After making its first appearance in the Android distribution charts last month at a measly 1.6%, Lollipop continues its growth in the month March, albeit rather slowly still, now sitting at 3.3%. Kit Kat also saw growth, now running on 40.9% of devices, up...

Google Hosting Play Store 3rd Birthday Sale, Many Apps, Movies, and Books Marked Down

Tim March 2, 2015 33

Ready to spend some money? To celebrate Google Play's 3rd birthday, Google is hosting a very special sale, marking down prices on movies, TV shows, apps, games, music, and books. Seriously, there should be something here for everyone. A few notable markdowns...

And This is How Verizon Will Brand the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge

Kellen March 2, 2015 117

Shortly after yesterday's big MWC announcements wrapped, we poked fun at Verizon's mid-back branding of their variant of the HTC One M9. To keep it fair, we couldn't help but do the same for Samsung's Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge now that we have official photos. As...

Qualcomm Announces Snapdragon 820 and Zeroth Platform, Could Hit Consumer Devices Early 2016

Tim March 2, 2015 22

Exciting mobile news from MWC is over pouring, and today, Qualcomm took the lid off of its Zeroth Platform, enabled by the Snapdragon 820. While just the announcement of the name is pretty good, Qualcomm does not dive too deep into the SoC, instead optioning...

As Samsung Ditches the SD Slot, SanDisk Introduces 200GB MicroSD Card

Kellen March 2, 2015 52

Samsung's new Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge phones have few weaknesses on paper, but one is arguably the lack of a microSD card slot. For years, while the rest of the smartphone industry backed away from expandable storage, Samsung stuck to it, claiming that its...

Deal: LG G Watch R for $269 at Groupon ($30 Off)

Kellen March 2, 2015 5

Groupon is currently hosting a $30-off deal on what many believe is the best Android Wear watch you can buy, the LG G Watch R. There is no denying its premium build, outstanding performance, and solid battery life, that's for sure. With an all-metal body,...

Galaxy Z TriFold In US Samsung Stores Tomorrow, But You Can’t Buy It

Tim January 22, 2026 5

Galaxy Z TriFold launch is literally right around the corner, with units headed to select Samsung Experience Stores across...

Read More
What’s Your Carrier’s Device Unlock Policy: T-Mobile, Verizon, AT&T

Kellen January 21, 2026 5

One of the hottest topics of the moment for the US wireless industry is device unlock policies or SIM unlock policies. With...

Read More
Verizon Wastes No Time Switching Device Unlock Policy to 365 Days

Kellen January 20, 2026 5

When the FCC cleared Verizon of its 60-day device unlock policy a week ago, we talked about how the government agency, which...

Read More
Samsung Makes New Bixby Official in One UI 8.5 With Perplexity AI

Kellen January 20, 2026 5

The betas of One UI 8.5, as well as supposedly leaked screenshots, showed a potentially renewed investment in Bixby from...

Read More
How to Claim the $20 Verizon Outage Credit

Kellen January 15, 2026 5

Verizon announced today that it would give all of its customers a $20 credit after experiencing a 10-hour outage yesterday....

Read More
Android 16 QPR3 Beta 2 Just Released for Pixel Phones

Kellen January 14, 2026 5

Google has released Android 16 QPR3 Beta 2 for all of its still-supported Pixel phones, tablets, and foldables. After...

Read More
Google Just Gave Gemini “Personal Intelligence”

Kellen January 14, 2026 5

Google's Gemini now has Personal Intelligence and can reason across your data, assuming you give it access. For AI as an...

Read More
2026 January Pixel Update Available for Your Pixel Phone

Kellen January 12, 2026 5

We've entered 2026 and the first Google Pixel update of the year is here. For those with a still-supported Pixel phone or...

Read More

YouTube
Swipe

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

Kellen May 6, 2025 36

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

Read More
Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro Unboxing and Tour!

Kellen October 11, 2023 36

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...

Read More
Pixel Watch 2 Unboxing and Tour!

Kellen October 11, 2023 36

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...

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

Tim July 27, 2023 36

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

Read More
Google Pixel 7a Unboxing and Tour!

Kellen May 10, 2023 36

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...

Read More
VIDEO: Galaxy S23 Ultra Unboxing!

Tim February 3, 2023 36

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...

Read More
Pixel 7 Pro: First 10 Things to Do!

Tim October 13, 2022 36

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...

Read More
Pixel Watch: First 10 Things To Do!

Kellen October 13, 2022 36

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...

Read More