This feature was added in 2024, but it didn't receive much attention until the release of Android 16. What is Identity Check? Let's say you're away from home (which you've designated as a trusted location -- more on that in a bit). While you're gone, someone gains access to your phone and either goes to make changes to critical security settings or attempts to access saved passwords or other sensitive information. Because the phone is away from your trusted location, when that person tries to make those changes, biometric authentication will prevent them from accessing those features or data.
Well, this is highly irregular. For the first time in many moons now, Google's giving us not one but two new full-fledged Android versions in a single year. Android 16 officially arrived into the world this summer, and it'll soon be followed by another release this fall. Keeping up with what's new and noteworthy isn't easy at a pace like this - and that's to say nothing about the ever-streaming updates to core system apps like Gemini, the Google Phone app, and other Android-associated elements.
Honor is gearing up to launch its Magic8 series later this month, and we've already seen plenty of leaks about the pair. The latest one is a Geekbench run for the global Magic8. Honor Magic8 (BKQ-N49) Geekbench run The device was spotted on Geekbench with the BKQ-N49 identifier, which is different from the BKQ-AN80 on the Chinese Magic8 from last week.
Xiaomi officially announced HyperOS 3.0 based on Android 16 for its phones and gave a list of devices that are eligible for beta testing. It's important to note that the announcement was for the Chinese market, so some features may vary, and the release dates will likely be different as well. The new HyperOS 3.0 brings a slight visual revamp with new icons, a new status bar and the addition of Super Island. Additionally, 3.0 also offers AI capability improvements and under-the-hood tweaks for enhanced performance.
That frustration might soon be over, as the latest beta version of Android 16 is bringing expanded support for dark mode -- including apps that don't have it built in. Also: Your Android phone just got a major upgrade for free - including these Pixel models In a recent developer blog post , Google announced that Android 16 QPR2 Beta 1 can "intelligently invert the UI of apps that appear light despite users having selected the dark theme."
