Reliance Jio has introduced 20 percent cashback on few prepaid recharges for its subscribers. This cashback offer is applicable only when users recharge via the MyJio app or the company official website. The cashback has been introduced on Rs. 249, Rs. 555, and Rs. 599 prepaid plans. Jio says this cashback will be credited to the user's account and it can be used for future recharges. This offer comes just ahead of the festival season. The three prepaid plans offer up to 84 days of validity.
Jio has updated its website to introduce a new 20 percent cashback section for its prepaid recharge microsite. The section includes three recharges with denominations Rs. 249, Rs. 555, and Rs. 599. The Rs. 249 prepaid recharge comes with 28 days validity, 2GB per day data, unlimited voice calls, and 100 SMS messages per day. Post the data limit, Jio will cap the speed to 64Kbps.
The Jio Rs. 555 prepaid recharge comes with 84 days of validity, 1.5GB data per day, unlimited voice calls, and 100 SMS messages per day. The Jio Rs. 599 prepaid recharge offers the same benefits and 84 days validity, but the data is capped at 2GB per day. All the three plans come with additional benefits like JioTV, JioCinema, JioNews, JioSecurity, and JioCloud subscriptions.
The 20 percent cashback, as mentioned, will be credited to the user's account. To avail this cashback, Jio subscribers need to head to the MyJio app and Jio.com site. The telco recently introduced new prepaid plans with one-year Disney+ Hotstar Mobile subscription as well. These recharges start at Rs. 499 that brings 3GB of high-speed data access on a daily basis, along with “unlimited” voice calling and SMS message benefits for 28 days. The most premium plan in the series is the Rs. 2,599 that carries 2GB high-speed data on a daily basis, coupled with unlimited voice calling and SMS message benefits for 365 days validity.
Affiliate links may be automatically generated - see our ethics statement for details.
Free Fire Max download, release time: Free Fire Max, the enhanced version of the popular Free Fire BR title is set to hit the servers today. Alongside, Garena is gearing up to release the next big Free Fire OB30 update as well. Here’s all about Free Fire Max release time, download update, file size. Also Read - Free Fire MAX released in India: Google Play store download link, system requirements, file size, more
Free Fire Max release time, download size
Free Fire Max is releasing today, September 28 globally, including India. The developers haven’t mentioned the release time, however, reports speculate that the new Free Fire version could hit the app stores between 9:30-11 AM. As for the download size, early birds who managed to pre-register for the game have reported that the game weighs a file size of 1.5GB, which means users will require a minimum of 2GB to download and try the new Garena designed game. Also Read - Free Fire OB30 update release today: Maintenance timing, new features, how to download
Free Fire Max rewards
For those who have pre-registered for the game, they will be eligible to claim the rewards listed by Garena that include- Max Raychaser (Bottom), Gold Royale Voucher (two), Max Raychaser (Facepaint), Cyber Max Skyboard, Max Raychaser (Head). The Max Raychaser (Head) will be available if the game reaches 30 million pre-registrations. Also Read - Free Fire redeem codes today: Latest codes to win gun skins, diamonds in Free Fire
Free Fire Max features
As for the features, Free Fire Max will get a significant boost in terms of graphics. From in-game item rendering to improved character designs, players will witness tons of changes. The game will include new characters, lobbies, abilities, bring a customisable map- Craftland to levitate gaming experience. Players will get the chance to showcase their in-game accessories in the 360-degree lobby. Garena has implemented Firelink technology that will allow users to log in to their ‘existing Free Fire account to play Free Fire MAX.’
“You can play all game modes with both Free Fire and Free Fire MAX players together, no matter which application they use,” Garena cited. While the new FF game promises enhanced graphic quality and content, it will take a lot of space to run all the resources, hence it is advised to free up storage on your device before downloading the game.
Samsung Galaxy M52 5G will be launching in India today at 12pm IST, as per a microsite on Samsung's website and Amazon India. The smartphone will feature a Snapdragon 778G SoC, a 120Hz refresh rate full-HD+ Super AMOLED plus display, a thickness of 7.44mm, and support for 11 5G bands. Samsung Galaxy M52 5G was silently launched in Poland over the weekend, and its other USPs listed in the country include a triple rear camera setup with a 64-megapixel primary sensor, a 5,000mAh battery, and 25W charging support.
Samsung Galaxy M52 5G availability
The Samsung Galaxy M52 5G will be launching in India at 12pm IST (noon) and will be available to purchase via Samsung's official website and Amazon, according to the microsites available on both platforms. There is no information on the price of the smartphone as of now. As per a report, the Samsung smartphone will cost PLN 1,749 (roughly Rs. 32,900) in Poland. The smartphone is available in Black, Blue, and White colour options in Poland.
Samsung Galaxy M52 5G specifications (expected)
Samsung Galaxy M52 5G India variant is confirmed to come with a Snapdragon 778G SoC, a 120Hz refresh rate full HD+ Super AMOLED plus display, 7.44mm thickness, and 11 5G bands, as seen on the microsites. Going by the specifications available on the Samsung Poland website, the Galaxy M52 5G will get a 6.7-inch full-HD+ (1,080x2,400 pixels) Super AMOLED display with a 20:9 aspect ratio and up to a 120Hz refresh rate.
Under the hood, along with the Snapdragon 778G SoC, the Galaxy M52 5G is said to get 6GB of RAM and 128GB of onboard storage — expandable via microSD card (up to 1TB). For optics, the Galaxy M52 5G in Poland got a 64-megapixel primary sensor, a 12-megapixel secondary sensor, a 5-megapixel macro sensor, and a 32-megapixel selfie camera.
The Poland version of the Samsung Galaxy M52 5G gets a 5,000mAh battery with 25W charging support. The phone measures 164.2x76.4x7.4mm and weighs 173 grams, as per the listing. Onboard sensors include accelerometer, ambient light sensor, gyroscope, magnetometer, proximity sensor, and a side-mounted fingerprint sensor. Connectivity options include 5G, 4G LTE, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth v5, GPS/ A-GPS, NFC, and USB Type-C.
Are the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Z Flip 3 still made for enthusiasts — or are they good enough for everyone? We discussed this on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.
Affiliate links may be automatically generated - see our ethics statement for details.
Google is expected to release the next major update to Android, Android 12, next week, but ahead of its release, we’re already hearing about Google’s plans for a follow-up update. Earlier this month, XDA first reported that Google is planning to release an interim update before 2022’s Android 13, which we’re tentatively calling Android 12.1 in line with Google’s naming convention for past point releases. Now, a source has provided XDA with an Android 12.1 build, allowing us to do a hands-on of the update to provide your first look at some of the new features.
Overview of Android 12.1
In case you haven’t been following our coverage, you may be wondering how we know an Android 12.1 update is coming. Our first hint came from code changes submitted to the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) Gerrit, which bumped the API level for Android 13 from 32 to 33. For reference, the API level corresponding to Android 12 is 31, so if Android 13 corresponds to API level 33, then that means API level 32 must correspond to some interim release. Comments from Googlers suggest that interim release is code-named “sc-v2”, which we believe is short for “Snow Cone v2.” Snow Cone, by the way, is the rumored dessert name for Android 12, a convention that Google publicly dropped a few years ago but their engineers still follow internally. Thus, we’ve taken to calling the upcoming interim release Android 12.1, but it may end up being marketed as something else.
The next thing you may be wondering about is why a point release is even necessary, considering Google hasn’t released one since Android 8.1 Oreo in 2017. While we don’t have the complete picture yet, we’ve seen evidence that Google is adding new APIs and features aimed at improving the foldable phone experience. It’s possible that Google plans to release its upcoming Pixel Fold device soon with this new OS version and all the new foldable features therein, so they couldn’t just wait for next year’s Android 13 release as that would push back the phone’s release. Since Android 12 already reached platform stability last month, any new APIs that need to be added have to wait until the next release, which would otherwise be Android 13.
The timeline for Android 12’s preview program. The OS reached platform stability with Beta 4 in August, so new APIs have to be included in the next release.
We don’t know when Google plans to launch the Pixel Fold, nor do we know when Google plans to release Android 12.1. We suspect the two will go hand-in-hand, but we don’t know for sure. What we do know is that the update is still in active development, so all of the features we show off below are subject to change. If that happens, we’ll provide updates on what we discover.
New features in Android 12.1
Dual pane notifications panel, Settings, and lockscreen
While digging through early builds of Android 12, we learned that Google is adding a dual pane layout in the stock launcher app and notifications panel, as well as a size-adjusted lock screen. At the time, we believed these UI changes were aimed at tablets, but Google made no mention of tablet changes in any of its blog posts or developer documentation. It turns out these UI changes are part of a broader effort to make Android look better on big screen foldable phones. Here’s a new look at the upcoming dual pane UI for the notifications panel, as well as a first look at the dual pane Settings app and lockscreen.
When the device’s screen is sufficiently large, the Quick Settings and notifications panel can both be shown at the same time on Android 12.1, with the Quick Settings on the left half and the notifications on the right half. In contrast, large screen devices running Android 12 can only show the Quick Settings panel when the status bar is fully expanded. Android 12 doesn’t make effective use of the extra screen real estate afforded by foldables, but Android 12.1 will. We’ve also learned that Android 12.1 will show a 3 column Quick Settings panel when the screen density exceeds a certain value, but we could not get this UI change to appear in the build we have access to.
Similarly, Android 12.1 takes advantage of the bigger screens on many foldables by showing the top-level Settings on the left, and any sub-screens on the right, when the Settings app is open.
The lockscreen, meanwhile, is also split in two, with the clock and date info on the left and notifications on the right. The lock icon is still centered but is now much larger. The icon could use a bit of work, as the icon’s color currently clashes with the white background. This UI is likely still a work-in-progress, though.
Lastly, as we previously mentioned, the lockscreen PIN/password entry shifts to the side to make it easier to unlock the device with one hand. The PIN/password appears on the side of the screen that the user touched to dismiss the lockscreen, but it can be moved to the other side by tapping anywhere on the other half of the screen.
Taskbar
Perhaps the most important feature Google is adding in Android 12.1 to improve the foldable phone experience is the taskbar. We saw a glimpse of this feature in an early Android 12 build, but Google has since refined the taskbar feature in its internal code branches. The taskbar is integrated with Android’s existing multitasking and split-screen features, and it looks quite similar to what you’ll find in many desktop operating systems. You can use the taskbar to quickly switch between apps, drag and drop an app to launch it in split-screen mode, and touch and hold the taskbar to hide it from view. Once enabled, the taskbar and the launcher’s app dock become one and the same, with the taskbar seamlessly transitioning into the dock whenever the user exits an app. Up to 5 apps can currently be added to the dock/taskbar, though it’s likely this will change in the future.
New split-screen and recent apps UI
The UI for Android’s split-screen mode and recent apps have also been slightly tweaked to work better on large screen devices like foldables. For starters, the split screen’s divider line is now more prominent, using a dark gray instead of black color and visuals that more clearly inform the user that the divider can be dragged. The larger divider does very slightly cover parts of both apps, but it’s not large enough to be distracting or cover up important UI elements. The UI is likely still a work-in-progress, though, so we can expect it to change before the formal release of Android 12.1.
App Pairs, a feature that will let you create a pair of apps to launch in split-screen view simultaneously, has seen some progress since we last saw it in Android 12. We still couldn’t add an app pair to the home screen, but we believe the feature will be fully working before Android 12.1 reaches stable status. We were able to get one of its promised features working — namely, the ability to double tap the split screen divider to swap the positions of each app. We were also able to see the two split-screened apps appear as one task in the recent apps overview, but we couldn’t find a way to pin the pair.
Speaking of the recent apps overview, Google made a subtle tweak to the layout in Android 12.1. The cards are no longer uniform in size; rather, the most recent one has been enlarged, while the rest have been shrunk and arranged in a 2 row grid. Underneath the most recent card is also a new “split” button that launches split-screen mode; previously, you had to long-press on an app’s icon in the recent apps overview to access split-screen mode.
Open a notification in a split-screen window
A new feature called “notification to window” is being considered for Android 12.1, though it hasn’t been enabled by default yet. Once enabled, this feature lets you launch an app activity in a split-screen window by long-pressing a notification and then dragging and dropping it to either half of the screen. The code change says you can also drag and drop a heads-up notification, but we weren’t able to get it working. We also weren’t able to get the feature to open apps in a freeform window, which is also supposed to be working according to the feature’s description.
(Opening Telegram like this in a split-screen view alongside Chromium seems kind of buggy, but you hopefully get the picture behind this feature.)
Interestingly, the code change implementing this feature was submitted by a Samsung engineer, so we’re wondering if this feature is a one-off contribution from Samsung or part of a broader collaboration between the two companies to improve how Android behaves on foldable devices. Samsung is, after all, the most popular and technologically advanced company when it comes to foldables, so it makes sense they’d want to improve the OS for the form factor they’re betting big on.
Open-source dynamic colors, new boot animation
When Android 12 launches next week, only Pixel users will have access to Google’s wallpaper-based theming system, code-named “monet.” That’s because the theming system isn’t fully open-source, but that’s set to change with the release of Android 12.1. As we first reported last week, Google has added the source code for its “monet” theme system to the AOSP internal branch for Android 12.1. That means that OEMs like Samsung, Xiaomi, OPPO, and OnePlus will have full access to the code behind Google’s theming system, allowing them to incorporate it into their own forks of Android 12.1.
Below are some screenshots our source shared with us last week. These screenshots were taken on the same build we were provided access to, and they confirm that “monet” is working on the open-source version of Android.
In addition, we’ve learned that Google plans to expand dynamic coloring to Android’s boot animation in Android 12.1. Dynamic coloring, as a reminder, is what Google calls Material You‘s wallpaper-based theming system, code-named “monet”. Internal documentation viewed by XDA describes how dynamic coloring can be applied to the boot animation. Instead of directly rendering the PNG images within the boot animation file, the new dynamic coloring render mode treats the R, G, B, and A channels of each image as area masks, interpolating between the start and end colors based on the progression of the animation. OEMs can enable the feature by adding a line to the boot animation’s description file that specifies the starting color and reading from four system properties that specify the end colors, which are presumably set when the user changes their wallpaper while the OS is booted.
The typical structure of an Android boot animation involves lots of PNG images saved to subdirectories labeled ‘part0’, ‘part1’, etc., the playback of which is determined by a text file called ‘desc.txt.’
We don’t have a working demo of a boot animation with dynamic coloring, so we’ll have to wait to see if it looks good in practice. Android’s stock boot animation has only seen a handful of subtle changes over the years, with the most notable one being the addition of dark mode support in Android 10. More recently, we discovered that the boot animation can show a progress bar when the system is applying a Google Play System Update that updates the ART Mainline module.
Press & hold duration for power button
One of the most useful additions to Android in recent years — at least in our view — is Device Controls. This feature gives you quick access to your smart home controls without needing to open an app or tap a widget. In Android 11, Device Controls was integrated into the power menu, but in Android 12, the power menu no longer holds Device Controls (or the Quick Access Wallet feature, for that matter.) The reason is that Google wanted to simplify the power menu and make a long-press of the power button trigger the Assistant instead of the power menu.
When the “Hold for Assistant” feature is enabled, holding down the power button for 500ms will launch whatever is set as the default Assistant service. On Android 12, you can’t change the duration for how long you need to hold down the power button, but you’ll be able to do so in Android 12.1. A new “press & hold duration” slider has been added under “Settings > Gesture > Press and hold power button” that lets you adjust the sensitivity of the long press power button gesture. You can choose from short (250ms) to long (750ms), or somewhere in between (350, 500, or 650ms).
As a sidenote, if you aren’t a fan of the changes that Google made to the power menu in Android 12, friend of the Portal Kieron Quinn made an app called “Classic Power Menu” that brings back the old look and feel, complete with integrated Device Controls and Quick Access Wallet. Check that out if you have a phone with root access.
New wallpaper
One minor new addition in Android 12.1 is a new wallpaper. This wallpaper is included in the AOSP codebase, but it may or may not be visible on consumer devices since OEMs are free to ship their own wallpapers. The new wallpaper replaces the “Pink Sky” image included in AOSP releases since Android 7.0 Nougat.
AOSP wallpaper starting from Android 7.0 Nougat
AOSP wallpaper starting from Android 12.1
If you’re interested in setting this image as the wallpaper on your current device, you can download it from here.
That’s everything we’ve found so far from our brief hands-on of Android 12.1. It may not seem like much, especially considering the breadth of features added in Android 12, but that’s exactly why it’s only a point release. If you’re expecting to see more, you’ll have to wait for the Android 13 update in 2022.
And now we’re learning that the iPhone 13 series isn’t working properly with ‘unlock with Apple Watch.’ And this is strange because it appears the iPhone 12 and older iPhones are not affected at this time.
As reported by The Verge, Apple has identified an issue where the “unlock with Apple Watch” feature might not work with the new iPhone 13 devices. This is according to a note on Apple’s own support page.
The page details that “you might see ‘Unable to Communicate with Apple Watch’ if you try to unlock your iPhone while wearing a face mask.” Or you might not be able to set up the feature at all.
A popular thread on Reddit was one of the first sources online that flagged this iPhone 13 problem, with one user saying that fully resetting your iPhone can fix the issue.
Apple says that the iPhone 13's unlock with Apple Watch issue will be fixed in an upcoming software update, but no timetable has been given. For now, the company says “you can turn off Unlock with Apple Watch and use your passcode to unlock your iPhone 13.”
As someone who is wearing a mask right now while traveling, having to punch in a passcode each and every time I want to unlock the iPhone 13 is annoying.
Here’s hoping a fix for this issue is released soon.
A new malware sold on dark web forums is being used by threat actors to steal accounts for multiple gaming platforms, including Steam, Epic Games Store, and EA Origin.
Kaspersky security researchers who spotted the new trojan in March dubbed it BloodyStealer and found that it's capable of collecting and stealing a wide range of sensitive information, including cookies, passwords, bank cards, as well as sessions from various applications.
This malware explicitly targets gaming platforms, like Steam, Epic Games, EA Origin, GOG Galaxy, and more, as it can harvest accounts for its operators, which later sell them in underground markets.
"While BloodyStealer is not made exclusively for stealing game-related information, the platforms it can target clearly point to the demand for this type of data among cybercriminals," Kaspersky said.
"Logs, accounts and in-game goods are some of the game-related products sold on the darknet in bulk or individually for an attractive price."
The information stealer is sold through private channels to VIP members of underground forums under a subscription model for roughly $10 per month or $40 for a lifetime "license."
BloodyStealer dark web ad (Kaspersky)
BloodyStealer is also marketed as coming with detection evasion and with malware analysis protection capabilities.
The complete list of capabilities, as described by its developers, includes:
Grabber for cookies, passwords, forms, bank cards from browsers
Stealer for all information about the PC and screenshots
Steals sessions from the following clients: Bethesda, Epic Games, GOG, Origin, Steam, Telegram, VimeWorld
Steals files from the desktop (.txt) and the uTorrent client
Collects logs from the memory
Duplicate logging protection
Reverse engineering protection
Not functional in the CIS
Used to attack gamers worldwide
Since its discovery, Kaspersky has detected BloodyStealer being used in attacks targeting victims from Europe, Latin America, and the Asia-Pacific region.
"BloodyStealer is a prime example of an advanced tool used by cybercriminals to penetrate the gaming market. With its efficient anti-detection techniques and attractive pricing, it is sure to be seen in combination with other malware families soon," Kaspersky researchers added.
"Furthermore, with its interesting capabilities, such as extraction of browser passwords, cookies, and environment information as well as grabbing information related to online gaming platforms, BloodyStealer provides value in terms of data that can be stolen from gamers and later sold on the darknet."
You can find further info on BloodyStealer's anti-analysis and data exfiltration capabilities in Kaspersky's report.
While Kaspersky did not share info on the attack vectors used to deliver this malware, gamers are usually targeted by threat actors with malware-laced modding-related and game cheat tools if they are willing to cheat their way to victory or want to further mod their games.
San Francisco, Sep 27 Apple has acknowledged an issue where the "unlock with Apple Watch" feature might not work with its new iPhone 13 devices and promised to fix this issue with an upcoming software update.
"You might see 'Unable to Communicate with Apple Watch' if you try to unlock your iPhone while wearing a face mask, or you might not be able to set up Unlock with Apple Watch," the iPhone maker said in the support document.
This issue will be fixed in an upcoming software update. Until the update is available, you can turn off Unlock with Apple Watch and use your passcode to unlock your iPhone 13.
To turn off Unlock with Apple Watch, go to Settings > Face ID & Passcode.
Earlier, multiple users found that they cannot unlock their iPhone 13 with the Apple Watch and instead received an error.
User Monzilla88 on Reddit first reported the issue to the subreddit r/AppleWatch.
They stated that both their iPhone 13 Pro and Apple Watch SE are up to date with the newest iOS and watchOS updates.
"Whenever I try to enable unlock with Apple Watch on my phone I get an error saying "Unable to communicate with Apple Watch," they posted.
Monzilla88 claimed that they had tried unpairing and repairing, hard resetting both devices, turning on and off passcodes, but not no avail, the report said.
More than 20 other users self-reported the same problem, with others noting that the feature works fine on iOS 15 on older models of iPhone, including the iPhone 11 Pro Max and the iPhone X.
Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor
