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Verizon shakes up 5G Mix & Match plans

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Verizon on Monday announced it is adjusting its unlimited plans to provide more value at the same price points. The new options take effect starting August 20.

The revised rate plans will see select Mix & Match plans bundling Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+ at no additional cost. Previously, these plans only offered Apple Music and a year of Disney+ streaming service.

As part of the shakeup Verizon has clarified that all of its unlimited plans will include access to the carrier’s nationwide 5G network once it goes live. It currently provides 5G Ultra Wideband in select cities across the country which is much faster. The trade-off here being that coverage isn’t as pervasive.

Subscribers who wish to access the faster network can still do so, but it will require a higher plan. Verizon terms this “Premium Network Access” and it’s available on those plans which cost $45 or higher.

While it might be a little redundant or even strange to have five different “unlimited” rate plans, each of them is a little different. Features that differ from one to the next include mobile hotspot amounts, cloud storage, and network speeds. If 5G doesn’t matter to you or your family members there are lower priced options.

One notable change in the Just Kids plan is that it now includes unlimited 4G data as opposed to an allotment of 5GB. Speed is limited to 5Mbps, which is enough to stream video.

Opinion: It’s time to reconsider face unlock on the Pixel line

Andrew Allen
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It’s time to talk. I think it may be time for us users and smartphone manufacturers to consider moving forward without face unlock as a primary biometrics option. I know that it’s cool to unlock your phone with just a look, but in practice, it’s not ideal.

I was already hesitant with alternative methods to the tactile options of optical sensors, but after spending nearly a year with the Pixel 4 XL, I am over facial recognition. Add that to the current pandemic and masked faces and I’m convinced it’s time to maybe take a step back.

Could it just be me?

Let’s start with the just general use of the Pixel 4 XL with face unlock as the primary biometrics. Over the last nine months of ownership, I swear the overall performance has worsened. I have more and more daily instances of it just not working on the first or even second attempt.

This is not an abused device. It’s not suffered a significant drop and has lived in a case while in my pocket. I honestly think it’s just from debris and oil build up on the screen.

Yes, this happens on capacitive fingerprint readers at times too. Yes, I can clean it. However, after using years of fingerprint unlock, I’ve never gotten consistent failed attempts like this.

Masked Life Complicated Things

Then the world had a global health crisis that currently requires many of us to wear a mask over half our faces. I don’t want to be insensitive to the significant health threat of COVID-19 by any means, I’m just trying to add a real-world effect it’s had on our daily technology.

This makes using things like mobile pay at checkout lines damn near impossible. You have to remove your mask amidst the crowd to try to attempt. The timing couldn’t be worse. In a moment when contactless payments should be shining as an alternative to touching a kiosk, you find yourself passing it over.

Payments Were Already Awkward

Current masked society aside, mobile payments with face unlock was already a mess. One, Google seems to have you confirm the payment scan with biometrics. This leads to you having to essentially unlock the phone twice. Once to open the menu, and another to confirm the NFC transaction.

The first one you’ll have to do regardless, but the confirmation of the wireless transfer is the major fail. The motion forces you to keep your phone at eye level which is pretty awkward in most retail settings. The card terminal is rarely this high at any storefront.

This leaves you with a likely scenario of having to awkwardly hunch over a checkout counter. After two or three tries at this, you’ll most likely just never use it as I have. Know what would make this much easier? A fingerprint scanner.

Solutions are Available

The radar powered unlock mechanisms in my Pixel 4 XL simply solve a problem no one had. I appreciate a good proof of concept. In an age of bigger and better-designed displays for our consumption, it actually seems counterproductive with creating a giant notch.

There are a few different hardware layouts that allow for phone makers to still offer biometrics outside of face unlock. You have the “traditional” rear fingerprint sensor. It’s tried and true with great consistency. This option can also add functionality like bring down the notification shade with swiping on the reader.

The less traditional capacitive scanner is the side-mounted edition. A few manufacturers like Moto and Sony have embraced this model on several phones. The placement is a little more uncomfortable to position correctly at times but is also a solid alternative to other measures.

Lastly, you have the more recent optical readers built under the display on smartphones. Phones like OnePlus and Moto have moved to this on many of the flagships being sold by those companies. This brings the reader to the most forward view of the user. Literally. It’s directly on the screen.

The drawbacks have been consistency and screen protectors. By default, this optical tech is less mature and still has room to grow to get the performance seen by the older capacitive hardware sensors. Another issue is that you can’t just use any screen protector and still have the reader work correctly.

Maybe We Already Had it Right

Despite some of these pitfalls, the alternative options of biometrics seem like a better overall solution over the beta feel of face unlock. These sensors are more mature, reliable, and readily available in the market. You also don’t have to find real estate on the front of the device to the detriment of less display.

And I haven’t even mentioned that many apps have never updated to even use face unlock. Two out of my four banking institutions still rely on either fingerprint or PIN and you’ll never get prompted to use face unlock.

While there is a multitude of reasons leading to my disdain of face unlock, and many are outside of Google’s control, I do think it’s not dismissable information. The industry should be open to trying new things, but also recognize when something doesn’t work and give users a more solid solution.

That time is now. Maybe you keep some of the 2D face unlock standards as a buy-in option from users, but the default should return to a more complete offering in fingerprint sensors.

The glass half full news is that we are hearing rumblings that Google may do this with the release of the Google Pixel 5. I know you can’t see them, but my fingers are crossed.

Productivity apps for Android: which are the best options?

AndroidGuys
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EDITOR NOTE: This is a promoted post and should not be viewed as an editorial endorsement.

Have you ever got an awesome idea and wrote it somewhere, but failed to explain visually to team members or investors?

Or an ongoing project gone in the wrong direction because of a lack of communication?

In both scenarios common things are communication. According to 59% of U.S workers, the major obstacle in success of a project is proper communication.

For Handling multiple projects you need more than only communication because you need to delegate tasks and collaborate with the entire team.

Today smartphones exist and almost every person is using it because we all want to be more productive. They work like a mini super computer in our pocket. They allow us to connect with the internet and let us do work.

Because mobile phones we always keep in our pocket, it makes them the best product to help us to become more productive. You can install multiple applications from ton’s of productivity apps.

That’s why today we are going to discuss the best productivity apps, an android app that you can use to organize and share your ideas and thoughts with your team, client or Investors.

Top 5 Productivity apps

MindMaster

MindMaster is the best app which works on cross-platform for mind mapping by Edrawsoft. You can use MindMaster on multiple platforms like PC, laptop, tablet, mobile and web.

MindMaster allows you to present your idea accurately with its feature to add hyperlinks, relationships, summaries, notes, callouts, notes and many more.

System supported: Android, Windows, MacOS, Linux, iOS and Web

Key Features

  • Brainstorm Ideas: Brainstorming mode allows you to conduct group brainstorming sessions efficiently. In the left panel, simply write the ideas with different colors and drag them on the right side panel to create a mind map.
  • Manage Tasks: To manage and monitor the whole process, the MindMaster gives you a powerful task panel.
  • Present Work: To present your wonderful idea you can switch to the presentation mode and turn your mind maps into a presentable slide show.
  • Take Notes: It’s a brilliant tool for taking notes and helps you to capture and organize every idea so nothing slips from your hand.
  • Pricing: MindMaster is available in both Free and Paid versions. Free versions have some limited features as compared to paid which you can find here.

Download: MindMaster Desktop  |  MindMaster Online |  Apple | Android

Trello

Trello is an easy to use drag and drop tool. You can manage your task board on both devices either it is web apps or mobile apps. Trello is very helpful in both personal and professional ways, especially when you want to plan something big with family or team members. The idea behind it is to help users to stay organized at home and at work. A pretty darn task manager makes it easy to use. You can create boards for each project, which make it organized and separate boards allow you to work on one task at a time.

System supported: Android, iOS,  Windows, MacOS, Linux, iOS and Web

Key Features

  • Trello has a range of templates for different projects, from business to education which can enhance your personal productivity.
  • On trello you can attach media like images to your card on any board.
    You can customise workflow stages to see the actual process.
  • To move your cards through workflow stages you can simply drag and drop them.
  • Pricing:Trello is free to create unlimited personal boards, cards and list and upto 10 team boards. The paid plan starts from $9.99/user per month.

Download: Apple | Android

Todoist

To create a powerful, interactive to-do list, Todoist is simple but still a powerful tool. Todoist allows you to assign priority levels to to-do items and can be assigned to people in your team and flagged with – custom reminders(only in premium subscription). The actionable feature can be categorised into various projects, which make a simple, easily understandable structure where every list has title and series of actions. All this feature makes this tool highly flexible, customisable to do your work.

System supported: Android, iOS,  Windows, MacOS, Linux, iOS and Web

Key Features:

  • To guide and inspire this tool have lots of templates.
  • It allows recurring due dates for recurring tasks.
  • It has productivity visualisation and “karma” points for tasks and streaks.
  • To keep organized it has labels, discussion feed and notifications.
  • Pricing: Todoist is free with an option to premium upgrade for 3$/user per month which add some extra features.

Download: Apple | Google Play

Evernote

Evernote has the tagline “Meet your second brain” which not only shows what they can do but also reflects what they want to be. Evernote is one of the most powerful note taking apps. We can add audio, text pictures and various other types of notes which can be organized and sync across different devices.

The web clipper tool which you can use to capture the ideas, thoughts, arguments and memorable links from the internet.

System supported: Android, iOS,  Windows, MacOS, Linux, iOS and Web

Key Features

  • Web clipping
  • You can save important web pages
  • Store geolocation
  • Take photo, audio and video notes
  • It have Evernote food to collect for moments
  • It has a skitch and penultimate.
  • Pricing: Evernote has a free plan, Basic Plan($7.99/month) and Premium Plan($14.99/month).

Download: Apple | Google Play

Forest

Forest is not like the above four apps it’s a different kind of productivity app. Sometimes you need to get off the phone and it is the number one time-tracking app in the app store, and its main goal is to keep you off the phone.

It counts the time you spend on your phone and gives a report, but only time tracking is boring so forest adds something interesting. It gives you a reason to not use your phone. Forest grows a tree which dies if you use your phone. It’s a kind of game in which you can collect various trees as you progress.

System supported: Android, iOS

Key Features

  • Help you to track time spent on mobile
  • Give reason to stay away from phone
  • Give you feeling of a game
  • Reward you as you grow
  • Pricing: Free but have in-app purchase

Download:  Apple | Google Play

EDITOR NOTE: This is a promoted post and should not be viewed as an editorial endorsement.

How to migrate your data to a Vivo phone

Rizwan Anwer
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With smartphones becoming increasingly more affordable, buying one can be a semi-regular occurrence. However, moving data between your old phone and the new one can be cumbersome.

Many people will opt to transfer the data to a computer and then to the new phone. Historically, that was what one had to do. Or, users would back up what they could to a microSD card. Today, smartphone manufacturers have dedicated apps that make this process easy, efficient, and seamless.

This guide will teach you how to move all your personal data (SMS, calls, apps, photos, etc.) from your old phone to a Vivo branded phone. With this, you won’t have to worry about copying data on a computer or removable storage.

Vivo phones are becoming increasingly popular in the Western market. You might have bought your first Vivo phone and are excited to try it out, but not before you carry over your precious data to your new phone first!

Just like Huawei and Xiaomi, the Vivo product line has many products under it – the V, Y, S, P, and X series of phones. All of these are united by the Funtouch OS. As long as your Vivo phone is on the proprietary OS, you should be able to seamlessly use the transfer app.

Pre-Requisites

Install the Vivo EasyShare app on your old phone and the new Vivo phone. Make sure both phones are at least at 80% charge and are on a flat surface as this is another wireless transfer.

Let’s Get Started

Once you have installed the app on both phones, launch the app on each phone. You will be greeted with a splash screen walking you through each part of the app.

If it doesn’t do it for you automatically, tap at the top right of the app for the transfer icon shown below.

On your old phone, tap on the I’m Old icon and on the new Vivo phone, tap on the I’m New icon.

On your new phone, you will be prompted to choose the OS of the old phone, choose accordingly but this guide covers Android devices.

You will have to scan the QR code on your old phone via the QR code reader on your new phone. Once you have done so, this screen will show you have successfully paired both phones:

Now choose the content which you wish to carry over to your new Vivo phone, and depending on the amount of data being transferred this can take as little as a few minutes and up to an hour.

We highly recommend not using either device during the transfer process as this can interfere with the data transfer.

Once the data has been transferred, you will get an on-screen notification on both phones informing you of the completed data migration.

With that, all of your data is now successfully ported over to your new Vivo phone, ready to use.

Other Helpful Guides

How to get Android 11’s coolest feature on your phone today

Rizwan Anwer
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With Android 11, users user can look forward to a feature called “back tap”. In short, it is a unique physical gesture carried out on the back of the device with your finger. Double tapping the back of the device can carry out an action that you can customize. This can vary from launching the camera, to starting Google Assistant and many other functions.

Credit to developer Kieron Quinn over at XDADevelopers for making the app. It works with any Android smartphone running Android 7.0 and above, so you should be good to go on any modern device.

A special mention here is how the device is a bit fickle, as Google designed this gesture to work with the Pixel family of devices, and was built using their dimensions in mind. XDA has confirmed that they were able to make the gesture work with the ASUS ROG Phone 3 and the Huawei P40 Pro.

Here is a quick demonstration of the app in action:

Results May Vary

I was able to replicate the gesture on my Pocophone F1 and OnePlus 7T. I had to remove the phone case for the Pocophone, but it worked with the 7T even with the case on. It was also very finicky on the Pocophone, getting the gesture to work around two out of every five times.

Let’s Get Started

All you have to do is sideload the app on your Android device. You can download the app via this link.

Setting up your device

Once you have the app installed, it will either appear on your home screen or your app drawer, depending on your phone’s OEM software.

Launch the app and you will have to grant it accessibility. This can vary from one OEM to the next, but for the OnePlus 7T tap on the Accessibility service at the top of the app, look for Tap, Tap and switch the toggle to on.

From here, try to double-tap the back of your phone (with and without cover). If you feel haptic feedback, it means your device is running on the default Pixel 3 XL sensitivity. If you don’t feel any haptic feedback after 2-3 attempts, head into Gestures, and tap on Device model.

Keep switching between the Pixel 3 XL, Pixel 4, and Pixel 4 XL until you feel the haptic feedback of the device on every attempt.

Setting up your actions

After you’ve set up the gesture, go into Actions, and choose what you want to be done. By default, the app is set to launch Google Assistant, or take screenshots.

I have already added a preset and made it the top action in the app.

This is what the camera launch function looks like on my OnePlus 7T.

If you want to add an action, tap at the bottom center of the screen and choose Add Action.

In the first Alpha build you can carry out the following commands:

  • Launch
    • an app
    • Google Assistant
    • Camera
  • Utilities
    • Turn on Flashlight
  • Actions
    • Take a screenshot
    • Open notifications
    • Open quick settings shade
    • Simulate pressing the home, back and recent apps button
    • Lock the screen

When you have chosen the command you want to take preference over the others, drag it by the two lines at the top right of the tile and take it all the way to the top.

Understanding Gates

A gate is basically a barrier that stops the action from being carried out involuntarily. By default, your phone won’t carry out the action you’ve assigned above if your display is off or you’re on a call.

This prevents you from accidentally toggling your action when you don’t want it to.

By default, the current preset should suffice, but you are free to adjust it to your desired settings.

Closing notes

  • The app is a hit or miss depending on your phone. It may or may not work. It’s highly recommended that if you’re unable to get past the Setting up your device part of the guide, to not pursue the app or settings any further.
  • This is the first Alpha build of the device. If you’re looking to follow the app and its development, you can occasionally check in on the official XDA thread here.

Get a 7-course Python 3 masterclass education for just $30

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There’s no time like the present to tackle a new hobby or get started in a new career path. It’s important to do something you enjoy, and for some people, this means creating and tinkering, or even coding.

It’s 2020 and it’s easier than ever to learn. What’s more, we seem to have more time on our hands — now that we’re not getting out as much.

It’s a perfect time to tackle a new hobby or pick up a side hustle. Really, it’s never to late to chase down a passion. If teaching yourself coding languages like Python sounds interesting, you’ll want to check out the latest promotion in the AndroidGuys Deals Store.

Called the Python 3 Complete Masterclass Certification Bundle, it’s over 630 sets of lessons spanning seven different courses. It’s everything you need to get started and on your way to a new passion.

Includes

  • Become a Python Developer From Scratch & Make Your Job Easier with Python 3
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  • Build Your Own Network Scripts & Upgrade Your Network Engineering Skills
  • Following Up on the Famous Python 3 Network Programming Course, You Will Build 5 More Network Apps from Scratch
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Normally valued at nearly $1,400, each of these courses would cost $200 on their own. But, for a limited time, AndroidGuys readers can scoop up the full bundle for just $29.99.

Best Sellers

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First Time Buying?

If this is your first time buying, you are also eligible for 10% discount! Just be sure to subscribe for email updates.

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Not looking to spend any money today? No worries. You can still visit the AndroidGuys section for freebies and pick something anyhow.

You can still install Fortnite on Android; here’s how

Rizwan Anwer
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With the recent removal of Fortnite on the Google Play Store, fans are worried about being able to play Fortnite on Android devices and receiving future updates.

There is good news on that front — you will have to revert to the original method of installing the game, but you will still get updates from Epic Games. Not only that, but you can continue playing on your favorite Android devices!

Until things are ironed out between Epic Games and Google, you’ll have to manually install Fortnite. Here’s how you’ll want to go about doing it.

Pre-requisite

Throughout the whole process, you have to keep the phone screen awake. Epic Games app doesn’t download in the background or if the screen is turned off.

Let’s Go!

Uninstall the Play Store version of the game completely. Simply find the app icon in your app drawer, long-press on it until you get the option to uninstall.

Once you have successfully uninstalled the Play Store version of Fortnite, open up https://fortnite.com/android on the web browser on the Android device you want to install the game on.

 

You will be prompted to download an APK file. While that is downloading, you can follow our guide on side-loading an app if you haven’t already as this is required to install the Epic Games app.

Once you have the Epic Games app installed, open it up and select the Fortnite tile. This will download the latest version of the game for you.

Once it loads, tap on Launch.

Once you launch the game, you will be prompted into signing into an Epic Games Account, or the associated account with your Fortnite account.

Tap on Yes, Find my account, followed by the account you wish to sign in with.

Once signed in, you will be prompted to download the game files, keep your screen on for the whole process as this will download and install the game for you.

Epic Games app doesn’t support background downloading.

 

Once the game is downloaded, you’ll have to sit through the installation of the game. Once installed, tap on the Play button and you’re all set.

You can also switch the toggle on at the bottom to launch the game instantly if you don’t want to press the button manually every time.

Once you boot up the game, you’ll be taken to the main menu. Now you’re ready to play the game and start dropping in!

How do I update the game?

If you want to update the game, you can open up the Epic Games app and choose Fortnite, followed by tapping the Update button.

Alternatively, you may find that when you launch Fortnite you will have to tap the Update prompt where Launch is normally found.

The update will download and then install when you can press the Launch button replaced by the Update button.

How to choose a good thermal label printer

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EDITOR NOTE: This is a promoted post and should not be viewed as an editorial endorsement.

Are you planning to purchase a thermal label printer? The market is flooded with all manner of thermal label printers, and it can be challenging to choose a printer that is ideal for your organization.

Before you embark on your quest, you need to know the ideal label printer features. Here is everything you need to know.

Print Method

The print method affects the quality of your print. A thermal label printer can use three printing methods, namely, inkjet printing, thermal transfer printing, and direct thermal printing. Thermal transfer printing involves the transfer of heat to a thermal transfer ribbon made of resin and wax. It is this heat that transfers an image onto the canvas. On the other hand, direct thermal printing transfers heat directly to a label. The ink on the label is activated, and an image is produced. This is a more cost-effective method.

The other printing method is inkjet printing. This method uses dots of ink in the image creation process. Unfortunately, these dots can bleed on the image. Therefore, a thermal label printer that uses the inkjet print method is not ideal.

Future-Proofing and Connectivity

A slow printer is irritating and wastes time. It’s possible to find a brand with more than 30 versions of the same label printer. Therefore, you should select a printer that meets your short-term and long-term connectivity needs. For the best connectivity, choose a printer that is in the 203dpi-300dpi range. Also, check if the printer uses WIFI and Bluetooth. A printer with USB ports and Serial connections is also ideal. Finally, check if the printer is 5G enabled.

The Label Software

The software of a thermal label printer is as important as the hardware. You can buy a cheap printer and then realize the software costs more than the printer itself. Therefore, you should examine the software costing plan. Avoid printer software that is licensed per user because it can end up being too expensive. This is because you will need to buy a new software package for each printer. Instead, select a printer that comes with a full version of its software. Full version software is ideal because you can use it to run many printers, provided they all have the same hardware.

Print Resolution

The structure of the barcode includes a system of bars with varying width. For these bars to be legible, you need to print a clear barcode. Consequently, the resolution of a thermal label printer becomes an important factor. Resolution is measured in the number of dots per inch. Generally, the higher the resolution of a label printer, the better the quality of the barcode it prints. Ideally, you need a thermal label printer with at least 300 dots per inch.

Compatibility

Choose a thermal label printer that can handle your organization’s label printing tasks. To accomplish this, audit all the software that is running on your devices. Is the software compatible with the thermal label printer you are about to buy? Also, check the network connectivity, drivers, and device inter-connectivity.

Use of the Label

The purpose of your label also determines the type of printer that you should buy. If you are printing labels that won’t have to last long, then you should purchase a direct thermal printer. However, a direct thermal printer is not ideal for printing labels that need to last long.

Print Volume

You should also consider the number of labels you are planning to print. While most thermal printers can handle a fairly large number of labels, there are printers that can handle a massive volume.

Additionally, some printers are designed to handle minimal output. If you plan to use the label printer for occasional runs, then any printer will do. However, you may need a special printer if your label demand is high.

Label Size

Labels come in different sizes and shapes. Similarly, each printer version can only print specific label sizes. Small printers are ideal for labels whose width is less than four inches. If you need labels wider than four inches, buy a thermal printer with a larger unit. Also, remember that you will need larger sheets.

Font

The font also plays a significant role in choosing the type of printer that you need. Smaller fonts require printers with a higher resolution, while printers with a lower resolution can print larger fonts. Although high resolution starts at 600dpi, it is possible to get a high resolution with 300dpi printers. Remember to ask for a sample before purchasing a printer.

Ultimately, your budget, needs, and preferences will determine the type of thermal label printer you will buy. It is also a good idea to do additional research and consult experts before making the final decision. We hope these tips can help you make the right choice.

EDITOR NOTE: This is a promoted post and should not be viewed as an editorial endorsement.

IMAGE: By Robert Martin from Pixabay

Chromebooks and Google are the constant for students in the pandemic

Andrew Allen
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Something came up at my gym this week that has my wheels turning. Yes, I’m still going to the gym. That’s the one interaction I’m currently willing to risk, but I digress. Many of the patrons there are teachers and an ongoing discussion in warm-ups has been about how the pandemic will change the upcoming year.

Of course, the precautions and safety are the main concerns. However, the topic quickly evolved to the tech students will need if forced to stay at home. And the almost unanimous answer was Chromebooks. This is the one constant for students whether in the classroom or at home.

Google has won the classroom

When I was in school, you had one, maybe two, PCs in the class running Windows. You also might have one at home if you were lucky. Either way, Microsoft was more than likely running that machine. The company had a stronghold on the entire PC market, but specifically business and education.

Over the last five years, that paradigm has shifted. IT departments in education are often underfunded for both hardware purchases and maintenance of services required to run a traditional desktop. This left a huge opening for a fairly cloud-first operating system like Google’s Chromebooks.

Google recognized this need and has spent the last several years entrenching itself in the educational sector. The company offers G-Suite for education to school districts around the United States at a very high adoption rate. It’s paired this initiative with extremely affordable hardware that can handle the cloud-centric operating system making it perfect for schools.

Built for the unexpected

Chrome OS is much less dependent on hardware than Windows. With only your account information, you can have almost instant access to everything you need within minutes of logging into your Chrome OS device. This makes it easily manageable by admins and super clean experience for the kids too.

Johnny needs to get some work done on his Chromebook at home. Easy. Just log in and get to that homework assignment in Google Docs. His laptop fails in a week or gets stolen. Just as simple to issue him a loaner or replacement. Within minutes Johnny is back up and on that same Google Doc.

This also makes it very seamless to deploy if students need to work from home to complete the school year at this time of the pandemic. Many educational districts already have a one laptop per student policy and can easily translate those hardware resources for kids at home.

Even if the school-issued hardware fails, the magic of Google’s cloud could technically run anywhere. As long as you can get access to a web browser, students can perform their assignments regardless of the system. Windows, iPads, or even my favorite Linux systems are all capable of using G-Suite for Education.

Trying times with a familiar solution

Google couldn’t have planned on the COVID-19 virus shocking the globe. None of us did. However, the company has created an amazing combination of cloud software and almost disposable hardware to make sure the education of our children doesn’t stop.

And in its own way, it’s given our kids a familiar option in uncharted territory. They will be forced to learn how to adapt to many of the solutions offered if they have to do at-home learning, but learning a new operating system won’t have to be one of them. They just need Google and an internet connection.

TicPods 2 True Wireless Earbuds review

Jason England
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Mobvoi has made a name for itself over the past few years making several high-quality accessories, including its popular lineup of smartwatches and headphones. In fact, we’ve previously reviewed the TicWatch Pro 4G and TicPods 2 Pro here on our site. Now, Mobvoi has provided us with a pair of the standard TicPods 2 for review.

Design

There’s nothing too unique about the design of the TicPods 2; they don’t do much to stand out in a crowd of other AirPod clones. However, I was immediately impressed by how lightweight the buds and case are. After trying several pairs of true wireless headphones over the years, the TicPods 2 buds and case are among the lightest I’ve used.

The case itself is a pillbox shape with two LEDs on the front used to convey battery life and Bluetooth pairing status. On the back, you’ll find the USB-C port for charging. Most Bluetooth headphones I’ve reviewed still use the outdated micro USB port, and I give Mobvoi a lot of credit for including USB-C on its midrange headphones.

The body of the earbuds are made entirely of plastic without a silicone tip. That means two things, you’re not going to get a seal to help isolate your ears from outside noises, and they are unlikely to make your ears sore during long listening sessions.

While the stems on the TicPods 2 mimic the AirPods design, they also serve a purpose by being touch-sensitive. This is where you will be able to manage calls, adjust the volume, and control music playback.

Comfort

When it comes to headphones, comfort is often king, and due to the TicPods 2’s style, they are extremely comfortable to wear. Without a silicone tip, they simply rest inside of your ears, combine that with the lightweight design, and you’ll be able to wear these for hours with ease.

User Experience

In day to day use, the TicPods 2 were a joy to use. They sound good and provide some smart features, such as automatically pausing music when an earbud has been removed. Mobvoi was also clever enough to make the gestures require a double-tap, instead of a single-tap, which prevents you from accidentally activating them when handling the buds.

For all the TicPods 2 do right, I did encounter two minor issues. The first being, that when opening the Mobvoi app it causes the music to cut out for a moment. The second is a personal complaint I have about adjusting the volume. There seems to be a huge jump between the third and fourth steps, where music goes from being barely audible to entirely too loud. I wish there were a couple more steps in between for a finer adjustment when controlling the volume.

App

If you care about music quality, the first thing you should do is download the Mobvoi app from the Play Store. Then, make sure you’re running the latest firmware. Next, you’ll want to enable aptX in the settings, which provides higher quality sound, and finally, adjust the equalizer.

The Mobvoi app doesn’t give you extensive controls over the equalizer settings, but it does give you several presets to choose from. In my experience, anything was better than the default, so make sure you find one that suits your tastes.

Besides improving the audio quality, the Mobvoi app offers other features that make it worth getting. One of the most useful is the ability to check the battery level of each bud along with the amount of charge left in the case. That’s very helpful for knowing when you’ll need to charge up next.

Unfortunately, I was only able to view the battery level of the case from a pop-up when first opening the app. It would have been much more convenient if there was a way to view it on demand.

Along with the battery levels and equalizer settings, there are also options to change the actions when using the touch-sensitive stems on the earbuds. The bad news is, the actions are quite limited and so are the gestures. Essentially, you are restricted to a single action controlled by double-tapping on either bud.

I would have preferred assigning an action to each individual bud. For example, being able to double-tap the right bud to skip forward and the left bud to go to the previous track.

However, I did find the sliding gesture to adjust the volume to be rather ingenious. The tickle gesture, as it is referred to, works well, and provides an easy way to adjust the volume without any physical buttons. Finally, there is also an option to long press to bring up either Google Assistant or Alexa.

One last trick the Mobvoi app has up its sleeves is the ability to translate between several languages. It’s not exactly the real-time translation you can expect from the Pixel Buds, but it is a nice feature to have quick access to when you need it. Hopefully, you won’t need it too often though, because in my experience, it failed more often than it worked.

Unfortunately, over half the time I was met with an error about my Wi-Fi connection, despite none of my devices having any issues on my network.

Sound Quality

As I mentioned above, sound quality can be improved on the TicPods 2 by enabling aptX in the settings and choosing one of the provided equalizer presets. Once you’ve set the TicPods 2 up to your liking, the sound quality is pretty impressive for a pair of headphones without silicone tips for isolation.

There is plenty of volume, and the highs help with instrument separation and vocal clarity. The biggest downside is that without isolation, the bass is never going to be as deep as headphones with silicone tips. Don’t get me wrong, there is still a low-end present on the TicPods 2, but if you’re someone who enjoys your bass, then you’ll probably come away disappointed.

Battery Life

Mobvoi rates the TicPods 2 for four hours of continuous playback and up to 23 hours overall when using the charging case. I was surprised to find they lived up to these claims, mostly because of how lightweight the buds and case are in comparison to other true wireless headphones I’ve used.

Rest assured, even though these are so light you can forget you even have them in your pocket, they still have plenty of battery life to get you through the day.

Final Thoughts

When it comes to true wireless headphones these days, there is an abundance of choice out there. If you prefer a pair that rests in your ears, then Mobvoi’s TicPods 2 are a compelling choice. For only $100 you’ll get up to 24-hours of combined battery life in one of the most compact and lightest packages around, along with good sound quality.

The Mobvoi app also sweetens the deal by adding some additional features, and the gesture controls are convenient while being intuitive to use. If you’re looking for even more smart features, take a look at the TicPods 2 Pro, which include head gestures controls as well as hands-free voice assistant activation.

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