Some Google Pixel users reporting microphone issues

Some Google Pixel owners are reporting issues with their smartphone's microphone. Hundreds of users have chimed in saying that their devices are having issues with some of their microphones, rendering audio unusable in some cases even when shooting video.

"The most common problem is a hairline crack in the solder connection on the audio codec," said Google employee Brian Rakowski. "The other related problems are due to a faulty microphone."

This isn't the first issue that's affected the HTC-built Google Pixel, which had early LTE-disconnection issues with certain carriers. In the case of the microphone issues, these are hardware related, possibly because the Pixel had a short time to get to market.

Google is aware of the issue, it is helping customers get replacements for their faulty devices. Is this issue affecting your Pixel phone?

Source: Engadget

You won’t see any Pixel-branded laptops anytime soon

Looks like we’ve seen the last of the premium Pixel-branded laptops. Let’s clarify, though, that this doesn’t mean the end of Chrome OS or Google’s laptop initiatives. According to Rick Osterloh, senior vice president for Hardware at Google, the company will not use the Pixel brand for laptops in the future. Pixel has been associated recently with Google’s new and well-received line of smartphones, which have, unfortunately, been having some issues with supply and demand recently.

Osterloh says during an interview at Mobile World Congress that there might be new product categories that will carry the Pixel name, though. As TechCrunch points out, if you head to the Google Store, there are no Pixel laptops for sale at the moment. But as Osterloh qualifies, there might be Google-branded laptops in the future still but they “don’t have any plans to discuss at this time.”

New handy Instant Tethering feature for Android comes to Pixel and Nexus devices

One of the things we expect from our gadgets is that they just work. No need to toggle anything, they just have to work. Google is turning that into a reality with its own devices. Called Instant Tethering, the feature will let a select number of devices instantly use the same cellular data connection of a smartphone when it sees that there is a connection and sufficient battery life. At the moment the feature is available to any Pixel, Pixel XL, Nexus 6, Nexus 5X, or Nexus 6P running Android 7.1.1. All the aforementioned smartphones can serve as the host for another support device as long as it’s signed into the same Google account. You don’t even need to turn on the hotspot anymore or input any passwords, it’ll just work.

And you don’t even have to shut it off, too. When 10 minutes have passed when you last used a device that tethered to your smartphone, it’ll cut off the connection itself. Saving battery is something Google is paying attention, too. While this isn’t the first time tech manufacturers have done this. It’s good we have one more option. And hopefully more tech companies follow suit.

Source: The Verge

Pixel file transfer issues with Mac due to old Android File Transfer software

In computer years, 2012 seems so ancient. And that’s partly the reason why Android File Transfer on Mac is causing some problems. The version running there is still from four years back. But aside from the dated software, a big issue with the program is it doesn’t have proper USB Type-C support. Some files it can copy, but not all. It makes sense if you think how a four-year-old program won’t have USB Type-C support as that didn’t exist then. Android Authority also seems to be pointing out the cable itself. Hopefully, Google pays better attention to this software and help make lives easier for Mac users with Pixel phones. An alternative app Android Authority suggests is Handshaker. This will supposedly work with both the Pixel phone and its accompanying cable.