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T-Mobile wants to be your new sweetheart for National Break Up with your Carrier Day

Jason England
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If your carrier has been taking you for granted then this February 13 on National Break Up with your Carrier Day it’s time to say goodbye. To make things even easier T-Mobile has some specials to help woo you away from your current carrier.

If T-Mobile Tuesdays, free Netflix, and having all fees and taxes included weren’t enough to make you switch already. Then watch out for this February 13, where you’ll be able to get two lines of service along with two new phones on T-Mobile Essentials for $100 a month with autopay and 24 months of bill credits.

If you’re wanting to take advantage of free Netflix and travel benefits then you can choose T-Mobile ONE for $130 a month with two free phones as well. The list of phones includes the T-Mobile REVVL, REVVL Plus, REVVL 2; the LG Aristo, Aristo 2 Plus, K20 Plus; the Samsung Galaxy J3 Prime, Galaxy J3 Star; or Motorola e5 Play.

If you’re currently on a contract then no worries because with Carrier Freedom T-Mobile will pay off your device and contract up to $650 per line. All you have to do is trade in your current device for a new one on a qualifying plan. This includes you Verizon customers, with their #GetOutoftheRed program T-Mobile covers some of the most popular phones out there such as the Samsung Galaxy Note8, Galaxy S9 or Galaxy S9+, Pixel 3 or 3 XL, and others.

This next part is for all of you, whether you decide to join the Uncarrier or not T-Mobile will be giving out prizes for your funniest break up stories. All you have to do is tweet out to @TMobile using the hashtag #MyFunnyBreakUpStory on Twitter. Then on Valentine’s Day John Legere will pick his favorites to win great prizes like phones and more.

Weekend Recommender: Gadgets and tech we love

AndroidGuys
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It’s officially February and the new year is in formally full swing. Have you stuck to your resolution? That’s okay, neither have others.

Try as we might to get rid of things in an effort to clean our house, we find ourselves buying new gadgets. It’s not our fault that CES has so many cool things. Right?

If you’re like us, and love to check out new stuff, you’ll like what we’ve got in store for you here. Before you go off blindly buying something you’ve never heard of just because it’s on sale, do a little homework. Ask around, check reviews, and turn to others for help.

The Weekend Recommender is our way of highlighting the cooler devices we’ve encountered along the way. Generally, it’s an assortment of tech and mobile-related things, but it’s also a handy place to learn about other items, too.

Jaybird Tarah

As one of the first headphones to feature the Google Fast Pair technology, there’s a lot to love about the Tarah. For starters, we’re fans of the affordable price tag. At $80 these are the least expensive earphones from Jaybird.

You’ll get upwards of six hours of playtime from a full charge so there’s more than enough for your workouts and runs. Speaking of which, the IPX7 rating ensures you’ll be protected against water and sweat.

The last thing you want is to think about headphones or earphones when working out. To that end, the earphones come with an array of eartips and fins to create a comfortable fit. Further, the “Speed Cinch” lets wearers manage the cord so that it doesn’t drape too loosely or slap against the head and neck.

Charging is done via a proprietary cable so you definitely will not want to lose it. It might sound like a nuisance but it helps the engineers create a lighter and less obtrusive control — another box to tick in the area of mindless wearing.

Though they are designed for runners and workouts, the Tarah work well as an everyday pair of earphones. With decent clarity and a fair amount of bass, they’ll sound good for music at the gym or podcasts on the bus. For added personalization, a mobile app gives wearers more control of bass and treble.

You can pick these up in three colors: Black Metallic Flash, Nimbus Gray-Jade, and Solstice Blue-Glacier. In regular speak this means black and electric green, gray and jade green, and dark blue with light blue. $80 at Jaybird

Limitless Innovations ChargeHub X5 Elite E3005

We all have a bunch of gadgets and gear that need regular charging. Some require daily charging while others can go much longer without plugging back in for more juice. What happens, though, when you have a number of devices fighting for wall outlets? The problem only worsens when you have a spouse, children, or co-workers who want that same access.

The ChargeHub X5 Elite is an excellent desktop companion that lets you charge up to six devices at one time. With four standard USB ports, one USB Type-C port, and a wireless charging coil, it’s something for everyone.

Whether you’ve got a pair of headphones, a Nintendo Switch, a Galaxy S9, or any combination of devices, you’ll be able to use the all-in-one charging device.

The unit is built like an overstuffed hockey puck with all five ports easily accessible from the front. The USB Type C port is centered and flanked by two sets of standard USB ports. The top is where you locate the wireless (Qi-ready) charging platter. Underneath is a non-slip pad that makes sure things don’t sliding around.

We really liked the speeds at which the charger refills the batteries on our phones and accessories. The standard ports allow for up to 2.4A each while the USB C has 2.5A with Power Delivery. The latter is especially convenient when stopping by the desk with a laptop or other power-hungry device.

Offered in black and white, this is the sort of product that grows with you and doesn’t find itself outdated when new technology arrives. $80 at Limitless Innovations

Puppyoo T10 Home Cordless Vacuum

There’s nothing quite like the feeling of a clean room. Whether it’s the living room, kitchen, or office, there are many benefits to picking up and keeping the floor tidy. If you’re a pet owner, you likely know that simply running the vacuum once a week is not enough.

The problem a lot of people face is that a solid sweeper often seems cumbersome or bulky. Who wants to be bothered by lugging around a heavy vacuum just to keep up with Fido’s hairs? What’s more, a good cleaner can get to be expensive, too.

The Puppyoo T10 Home is a great solution for homeowners looking for a decent vacuum on a budget. It’s lightweight, highly flexible, and runs off of a rechargeable battery. In other words, it addresses a lot of common pain points.

We liked the way in which this vacuum switches from standard upright mode to a more portable handheld experience. This makes it efficient for getting to the steps and in hard-to-reach places like under car seats.

Thanks to the numerous heads, the Puppyoo T10 Home handles carpet and hard surfaces such as tile or wooden floors; furniture is a breeze, too. It’s not just dust that you’ll sweep up, either, as the vacuum remove mites, pollen, and allergens.

The Puppyoo comes with a variety of attachments, each of which speaks to different needs. Among them are a crevice tool for corners and in between cushions, a soft dust brush for curtains, picture frames, and fragile surfaces, and a 2-in-1 tool for upholstery. Then there’s also an extension wand and EVA hose for added assistance.

When it comes to cleaning up, there’s no bag to worry about. Simply pop open the dust tank and dump it into the trash. If any of the vacuum components need cleaned, you can wash ’em off in the sink.

Battery life comes out to around one hour and charging is done automatically when you hang the unit up. That might not sound like a ton of time but you wouldn’t spend any more than that in practice.

We mounted our charging station/dock on the wall just inside of the garage and find that it’s always fully charged when we go to use it. From zero you’re looking at around 2-1/2 hours to completely charge up.

Nyrius Orion Home

Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you wanted to display a video or HDMI signal on a TV or screen in another area? Perhaps you have a gaming console that’s in one room but want to play it on a larger TV that’s in another room. That’s exactly what you get with the Nyrius Orion Home.

Comprised of two components, you’ve got one piece that plugs into your HDMI source and another that plugs into your display. In essence, whatever passes through one gets sent to the other.

You can transmit wirelessly up to 40 feet away, keeping things in high definition and free from lag. We can think of a variety of use cases for the Nyrius, including game consoles, laptops, Roku, Bluray, and digital satellite receivers. A centrally-located unit on a conference table that broadcasts to a large TV or monitor makes great sense in business environments.

We’ve placed our review unit on the TV stand where it can be used for a whole array of devices. It has been fun hopping from one device to another, streaming the content to a different room. Should we, or anyone else, need to scale, we can add up to two more receivers.

The transmitter and receiver have the same footprint and take up very little space. They’re 3-1/2-inch squares that are about one inch thick. Light, and easy to tuck away, you can also mount them to a wall. $150 at Nyrius

iLive Portable Bluetooth Tailgate Speaker

Football season might be over but that doesn’t mean we pack everything up for a few months and go dormant. Quite the opposite, really. Summer will be here before we know it and that means pool parties, backyard barbecues, and trips to the beach.

While you’re working on toning up and shedding that winter weight, give yourself a proper soundtrack. Pump out the jams with this all-in-one portable speaker solution.

Connect via Bluetooth, 3.5mm headphone jack, USB/microSD (MP3 files), or kick it old school with the built-in FM radio. No matter your source, the speaker is ready to drop a beat indoors and outdoors. What’s more, there’s a microphone input so you can use it for giving an impromptu speech or for singing Happy Birthday.

Battery life is pegged around three-five hours, depending on volume levels, and should be sufficient to last through most get-togethers or afternoon parties. The microUSB port plugs into the wall or your favorite external power source so you can keep the party going all night.

Speaking of which, there’s a fun visual component to enhance the experience. The LED light effects flash a variety of colors to add a little something extra.

There are physical buttons and knobs to control playback, audio sources, and tune the digital radio. Setup is virtually instantaneous as it starts pairing upon powering up.

Although the Wireless Tailgate Speaker isn’t weather resistant, it does have a plastic shell that takes scuffs and scratches in stride. Don’t worry about this one tipping over in the parking lot or on the deck. It’s lightweight and feels designed to be thrown in the back of a truck without any thought. $60 at iLive

Motorola Moto G6 Play review

AndroidGuys
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While the early part of the year belongs to flagships and high-end phones, the latter half often belongs to Motorola. The Moto G6 line, for instance, is the perfect counter to those pricey handsets with hardware specs that rarely get tapped.

When we published our review of the Moto G6 we found it to be one of our favorite phones of the year, particularly in the mid-range. It’s a lot of phone for just $250 (or less) and is more than what most people need as we get settled into 2019. Its sibling, the Moto G6 Play, is another example of an incredible amount of phone with a wallet-friendly price.

As much as we might want a flagship or something from the top of the line, we know we can get away with much less. Sure, lots of phones are more sleek and outwardly attractive, but it’s the insides that count, right? After all, most of these look the same once inside of a protective case.

The Motorola Moto G6 Play is a fine example of a phone that ticks nearly all the boxes necessary for users in the first half of 2019. It’s not the be-all-end-all experience by any means, but it’s a fantastic all-around experience. And, when you consider the $180 price tag, it’s definitely not a risky gamble.

With the Moto G7 family arriving in the next few months we thought it worth sharing our impressions of the Moto G6 Play. It’s not clear if the price will drop here or if Motorola will do away with the sixth-gen device. Either way, it’s definitely worthy of your attention.

Design

With a modern design that’s slowly evolved over the last few years, the Moto G6 Play is decidedly a Motorola phone. It’s is somewhat utilitarian in its looks but has a pinch of panache. It might be mistaken for something a bit more expensive but there’s nothing specific that jumps out. The Moto G6 Play is proof that cheap phones don’t have to be cheaply made.

The phone has a plastic backside which gives off the appearance of glass; the fingerprint sensor is located on the rear, integrated into the Motorola logo. It’s easy to locate the fingerprint reader with your finger as it has a slight indentation and textured feel.

The front houses a 5.7-inch display with an 18:9 aspect ratio, one of the first models from Motorola to offer this sort of screen. The bezels above and below are minimal and it generally feels good in hand. We were happy to see how easy it was to manage the phone with one hand.

At 1,440 x 720 pixels it’s technically an HD screen, but it’s far lower than what you can get in other models and brands. The good news? You’re likely not going to see that difference or feel like you’re missing out. Text and photos look as good as you’d hope and it keeps the price in line. What’s more, the fewer pixels mean the battery doesn’t have to work as hard.

The right edge side of the phone is where you located the power and volume buttons. Each responds well to touch, providing solid, tactile feedback. Up top we find the headphone jack and, down below is the microUSB charging port. Yeah, that part stinks for sure, but it’s part of what keeps that price down.

Getting back to the topic battery, there’s a capacious 4,000mAh unit tucked inside the Moto G6 Play. It’s like a double helping of juice when you go this big on the battery and work with the lower resolution.

That’s to say nothing of the efficient Snapdragon 427 processor, too. Clocked at 1.4GHz, the quad-core CPU is strong enough to handle the tasks that come with daily usage with enough reserved for a touch of gaming, too. Forget all-day life, we’re well into two days territory. Don’t be surprised if you even get into a third day on light usage.

Although the phone isn’t rugged or touted as being waterproof, it does feature Motorola’s signature water-repellent coating. It’s good enough to protect against rain or splashes from the pool but don’t go tossing it in the deep end. There’s no IP protection here.

Battery

Long battery life is hallmark of sorts for Motorola’s mid-range phones and the Moto G6 Play is no exception. The 4000mAh battery is considerably larger than what you find in most phones, particularly those with a similar price.

If you are a heavy phone user, you will find that you end the day with plenty of energy left in the reserves. Don’t confuse usage with demand; we’re talking about people who love to have their face in the phone but don’t necessarily push it too hard.

More casual types will probably squeeze out two days of usage without worry. Factor in a quick top-up on the charger at lunch or dinner time and you’ll definitely be in business for hours on end.

Camera

To no real surprise, the Moto G6 Play camera performs similarly to other models in the G series. In other words, daylight provides great opportunity for shots with color, dynamic range, and overall quality.

Performance in low-light and night time is often at or just below par. You’ll find your fair share of noise in pictures taken in the evening and detail is rather low at times.

The camera itself is a little slower to shoot than we might have liked and we experienced the occasional delay from tapping to snapping to saving. Given the price of the phone we are a little forgiving, but it can become aggravating to miss out on a candid shot.

Software

It’s no secret that we like what Motorola does for its phones. If you don’t know what that means, it’s simple: they don’t mess with a good thing. Google’s current vision of Android is cohesive, intuitive, and snappy. Motorola understands this and doesn’t get in the way with any custom apps or heavy enhancements in the user interface.

What Motorola does do is offer up a handful of features and settings that are opt-in and only speak to efficiency and user delight. You can pick and choose what you want to use and leave the other stuff alone.

If you’ve ever spent time with a “stock” Android experience or used a Nexus or Pixel phone for extended periods, you know how quick and clean it is. Moreover, going back to something else that’s “skinned” from the likes of Samsung, LG, or HTC feels cluttered and sometimes clunky.

Take that a step further when you buy a phone from a wireless service provider. Often those devices come with carrier-branded apps and services. In other words, we hate that junk.

Motorola’s stuff is far from junk. It’s minimally invasive at worst and downright helpful at best. It’s easy to get used to flicking your wrist to open the camera or quieting a ringing phone by simply picking it up.  Reiterating here, we really appreciate being able to opt into only the things we use.

Performance

If you don’t care a lick about mobile gaming, there’s nothing to worry about with the Moto G6 Play. It’s not that it doesn’t handle casual and somewhat graphic-intense stuff, it’s just that you will need to temper expectations. Really, you ought not be looking at a $200 phone in the first place. There are phones built with that in mind.

Should you have lesser demands of your phone, then the Motoroloa Moto G6 Play is perfectly suited for the job. Games like Monument Valley, Super Mario Run, Pokemon Go, and others play absolutely fine.

If you’re the type of person who spends a large part of the day sending and receiving texts and emails, and/or browsing social media, the G6 Play is an excellent option.

We used our review unit for Facebook, Reddit, Gmail, Instagram, and a host of messaging apps on a daily basis. There were no noticeable stutters or lag and the performance was on par with other mid-range phones.

One thing to keep in mind with regards to the screen resolution is that it is somewhat prohibitive in VR. When you get that close to pixels you’ll notice the difference. It works, but it’s not something you’ll want to do regularly.

In trialing a few games from the Play Store, goofing around with photo editing, and watching video we also found the G6 Play worked well. Once, every so often, we’d get a game that might be slower to initially load.

Hopping to and from a handful of open apps and games also felt occasionally sluggish but, to be fair, we were trying to trip the phone up. We don’t normally act like that or treat our phones so “recklessly”.

Conclusion

It is amazing what sort of phone you can get for $200 (or less) today. We’ve been in this game for more than 11 years now and we’re constantly impressed with what handset makers are able to squeeze into devices.

It wasn’t that long ago that we were content with a $200 phone — with a two-year contract. Just a couple of years back almost all phones ran $600 or more without a plan and we were cool with it.

Today we demand more from our phones, even if only on paper. The game has changed so much that now we look at a device for what it doesn’t have instead of what it does. “But it doesn’t have wireless charging!” “Oh, no USB Type C? Fail.” What a terrible way of thinking.

For less than $200 you can now get a solid phone from a respected and trusted brand that’s not only powerful enough for everyday usage, but its batteries ensures 2-3 days usage at a clip. Better yet, it’s unlocked and works with all of the major carriers, including Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, and Sprint.

If we didn’t spend as much time as we do with annual flagships, we’d have zero problems picking up a Motorola G series phone once a year. When we look ourselves in the mirror and are brutally honest we can admit that the G6 Play is a great benchmark device. Not in the sense of scoring and ranking, mind you, but in the “this is all I need at this time” sense.

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AndroidGuys
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It has never been easier to teach yourself how to become a developer. Whether it’s mobile apps or something for the web, we’re in an age where having access to tools and teaching is only a mouse-click away.

We’ve got a collection of training designed specifically with the would-be web developer in mind. Called the Complete Full Stack Web Development Master Class Bundle, it gives you all of the resources and education you need to gain an advantage in an increasingly competitive market. We’re talking more than 46 hours of instruction spanning 265 lessons.

Get started on a new career or take your current one to another level with the seven-course bundle from AndroidGuys Deals.

What makes a Full Stack Developers so sought after? For starters, they can personally take ownership of every aspect of an app or site, understanding things anywhere in the development process. Moreover, they’ll understand languages that many other people do not and can debug, clean up code, or enhance an existing framework with new capabilities.

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Motorola intros G7 family of phones

AndroidGuys
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Motorola on Thursday announced its G7 line of phones for a number of markets, giving consumers new affordable, unlocked options for 2019. When most companies spend their time focused on high-end devices that fetch $1,000, Motorola has its eyes on the wider market.

As has been the case with previous generations of the G series of phones, the seventh generation will be sold in different configurations. Each is aimed at a different user base and/or will be sold with various carriers.

The Moto G7, Moto G7 Plus, Moto G7 Power, and Moto G7 Play all share common specifications. Each runs Android 9 Pie, have full-screen displays with slim bezels, headphone jacks, and microSD card slots for up to 512GB external storage.

Moto G7

The standard bearer for which all other models deviate, the phone offers up a 6.2-inch display (2,270 x 1,080 pixels) with a thin frame and waterdrop cutout display.

The rear houses a dual camera setup with 12-megapixel and 5-megapixels for better depth of field. This makes portraits pop nicely and gives your backgrounds a blurred effect. Around front is an 8-megapixel camera for selfies.

Power comes from a 1.8GHz (Snapdragon 632) processor with 4gB RAM and 64 GB internal storage. Battery life is no slouch at 3,000mAh and the TurboPower charging means less time plugged into a wall.

Wrapped in a water-repellent nano-coating, this phone will run $300 when it’s offered in the US later this spring. The phone is available stating immediately in Brazil and Mexico; Latin America, Europe, and Asia Pacific will pick the phone up over the coming weeks.

The new moto g7 will be released in the U.S. starting this spring and will be universally unlocked at Best Buy, B&H Photo, Walmart and on Amazon.com with subsequent availability at Google Fi, Republic Wireless and Ting.

Moto G7 Power

As the name implies this one is all about the battery. With a 5,000mAh power source, it promises more than two days of life on a single charge. And, the TurboPower charging means just 15 minutes of being plugged in is good enough to add 9 more hours of usage.

Priced around $250, the phone trades out some of the performance in favor of the battery. Memory drops to 3GB with storage at 32GB but the processor remains the same.

The display is the same size but resolution drops down a smidge to 1,520 x 720 pixels. Also, the secondary rear camera is absent, relying on software to handle depth.

The Moto G7 Power is available today in Brazil and Mexico and it will arrive in Europe and India in a few weeks. Various countries in Asia Pacific, Latin America and North America will receive the phone in the ensuing months.

The new moto g7 power will be released in the U.S. starting this spring with subsequent availability at T-Mobile, Metro by T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless, Cricket Wireless (moto g7 supra), Consumer Cellular, Republic Wireless, Ting and Xfinity Mobile, and will be universally unlocked at Best Buy, B&H Photo, Walmart and on Amazon.com.

Moto G7 Play

Designed as the most accessible and basic take on the family of phones, the G7 Play carries just a $200 price tag. It’s slightly smaller at 5.7-inches but retains the 1,520 x 720 pixel resolution.

Performance is dialed down with 2GB RAM but this should still be sufficient for its intended user base. In terms of cameras, the rear has a 13-megapixel shooter while the front sees an 8-megapixel selfie snapper.

The Moto G7 Play is available now in Brazil and Mexico and it will expand to Europe in mid-February. Over the coming months, various countries in Latin America and North America will carry the phone.

The new moto g7 play will be released in the U.S. starting this spring with subsequent availability at Boost Mobile, Virgin Mobile, U.S. Cellular, Republic Wireless and Ting, and will be universally unlocked at Best Buy, B&H Photo, Walmart and on Amazon.com.

Moto G7 Plus

For 2019 the Moto G7 Plus gets a punched-up camera experience but largely mimics the standard Moto G7.

Here we find a rear 16-megapixel camera with a 5-megapixel secondary camera. New software and AI help users get better pictures; lower lighting conditions and movement are countered with technology. Around front is a 12-megapixel camera which should capture great selfies and group shots.

The memory and storage are largely the same as the Moto G7 but the processor is just a touch stronger with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 636.

The Moto G7 Plus can be purchased immediately in Brazil and Mexico with Europe close behind. Australia and select countries in Latin America will also offer the phone. This one will not be sold in the US.

The moto g7 family be available in Canada starting this spring with varying availability at Bell Mobility, Virgin Mobile, Videotron, Rogers, Fido and Freedom Mobile.

Motorola Moto Z4 Play could pack a 48-megapixel camera

AndroidGuys
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As 2019 hits its stride and we start to look at the upcoming generation of smartphones things get really fun and interesting. If you’re a fan of cutting-edge hardware and like flagship handsets, spring is the best season of the year.

While most of the interest is in whatever Samsung and LG have up their sleeves, it’s time to start looking at what others are working on, too. Motorola, for its part, figures to have a number of devices in the pipeline for the next few months.

According to a source close to 91Mobiles, the Motorola Z4 Play will feature 4GB-6GB of memory with 64GB-128GB of internal storage. Moreover, it should have a SM6150 chipset, expected to be a Qualcomm Snapdragon 675 processor.

Other specifications that could be found in the Motorola Moto Z4 Play include an in-display fingerprint sensor, AMOLED display with notch cutout, and a 3,600mAh battery. And, keeping with its predecessors, the phone will offer support for the proprietary line of Moto Mods.

Where things get particularly interesting is in the camera. Reportedly, the Z4 Play will house a 48-megapixel rear camera. Instead of going with Sony, it’s alleged that a Q Technology sensor is in order.

If accurate, these details indicate the Z4 Play could be a solid mid-range smartphone. What’s more, it sees Motorola moving the needle in all the right places.

We’re curious about the camera and whether Motorola ditches the dual setup. The previous generation offers a secondary 5-megapixel camera for depth. Then again, we’re seeing really fun and interesting results from single-sensor models.

It’s not clear when Motorola might introduce its Moto Z4 Play but Mobile World Congress is fast approaching. Then again, Motorola tends to march to its own drum as it pertains to announcements.

Motorola render courtesy of OnLeaks

Double SMS Messages on Android Auto? Here’s how to fix it

Andrew Allen
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Android Auto has been a great addition to the Google portfolio. It has allowed the company to expand its platforms to a whole new field of consumer products. Auto also expands Google’s push of its in-house AI initiative behind Google Assistant. However, Android Auto is not without some bumps in the road.

You see, Android Auto is obviously designed to be mainly used with Google’s own product lineup of software. It has Google Maps, Messages, and Play Music tightly integrated into the system. It wants you to be using first party solutions from Google for the most seamless interaction — and rightfully so. This is a Google solution to automotive entertainment.

What’s the Problem?

Unfortunately, all of this synergy sometimes leads to issues. If you are like me, you enjoy trying different apps than the default offerings by Google.

My SMS/Messages app is Pulse for instance. I love Pulse. I get that it doesn’t have the new RCS features of Android Messages, but you know what, most of my family is using iOS so it’s a moot point. Pulse allows me to text my loved ones regardless of the device as well: desktop, phone, and my bedside tablet.

How to fix the Issue

As you may have surmised by the title of this post, I was getting double the notifications in my car on Android Auto. A little checking around and playing with my phone and I found there’s a quick and easy fix:

  • Find the Settings App in your app drawer
  • Go to Apps & Notifications
  • Click Advanced at the bottom
  • Select App permissions
  • Tap SMS
  • Toggle the Android Auto option to OFF

Less Noise While Driving

Congrats! You should now only received notifications from your alternate SMS app while using Android Auto. If you ever decide to return to Android Messages, just follow this tutorial and toggle the SMS setting back to ON in the final step.

T-Mobile promises no price hikes* if Sprint merger approved

Matt Adams
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T-Mobile is in limbo. The company announced a merger with fourth place carrier Sprint what feels like years ago. Since then, Team Magenta has been on a full court press to convince the government to approve the deal. This includes making the case that the country needs real competition to AT&T and Verizon, not just another couple of also-rans.

To further gain favor with the government, T-Mobile is making a new promise. Read my lips: no new price hikes. Well, kind of. Much like George Bush who uttered the famous “No New Taxes” line, there are some qualifiers here. T-Mobile isn’t promising that it’ll never raise rates, just that it won’t for the next three years. According to T-Mobile CEO John Legere, customers will see “same or better rate plans” if the merger is approved.

Read more: T-Mobile customers may have had their personal information leaked

But, much like George H.W. Bush who did end up raising taxes, there’s nothing to hold Legere to his word. T-Mobile has also repeatedly promised “lower prices” but what does that mean? Does that mean lower than its current prices? Does it mean lower prices than competitors? We don’t know because T-Mobile is being intentionally vague, but I think today’s statement should tell us quite a bit.

Right now, T-Mobile still plays the part of the disruptor but the truth is, its prices are in the same ballpark as everyone else. A single line of unlimited data is $70 with taxes and fees included while a family of four can expect to pay about $140. A similar single line plan from Verizon is $75, whereas AT&T and Sprint charge $70. Family plans are $40 per line at Verizon and AT&T while Sprint charges $140 for four lines, all in.

T-Mobile will be a new powerhouse if the Spring merger is approved. It’ll have roughly the same amount of subscribers at AT&T or Verizon and major clout in the industry. Will that mean more jobs, more competition and lower prices as T-Mobile has promised or the complete opposite? Let us know what you think down in the comments.

Small but powerful: Ten useful Android apps under 10 MB

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Most popular Android apps. while effectively serve their purpose, are often memory and storage hogs and while a lot of Android smartphones these days have a minimum of 4 and a maximum of 6 or sometimes even 8 GB of RAM with over a 32 GB of internal storage space, some Android users still have phones with a 2 or 3 GB of RAM and internal storage space ranging from 8 to 16 GB.

Such users might experience problems like insufficient storage space or frequent performance drop in their Android phones as Android apps tend to increase in their size as you keep using them and thus affecting the internal storage and the RAM on your device.

So, here is a list of ten useful Android apps that serve different purposes and are also under 10 MB, so users with both low and high-end Android phones don’t have to worry about running out of storage space or performance issues on their device.

Since these apps are so small in size, they do not need a lot of resources to function, which means along with improving the performance of your Android device, these apps would also improve its battery life.

Ten useful Android apps under 10 MB

ColorNote Notepad Notes

Color Note is a simple and a lightweight note-taking app and while it is not even 1 MB in size, the app is still packed with a lot of interesting and useful features which you might expect from a note taking app. The app allows you to create both normal notes and checklists and you can also set a reminder on your notes through the calendar in the app.

There are a lot of other interesting features like password protecting your notes, backing up your notes to SD card or your cloud account, reminder notes on your notification panel and as widgets, ability to share your notes and so on. Color Note has managed to include almost all of the essential features of a note-taking app in an app of a size less than 1 MB.

Play Store Link: ColorNote Notepad Notes

Evie Launcher

While Android launcher apps are one of the best ways to customize your Android device, they might also have a negative impact on the performance and the battery life of your device as they have to be running on the background at all times. So, it is important to choose the right launcher for your device and it might be a difficult task as there are a lot of popular Android launchers like Nova Launcher and Action Launcher out there.

But if you want to try out something new, then you might want to know about Evie Launcher, which is less than 10 MB and also comes with a lot of personalization options like icon packs, gesture navigations, universal search, quick shortcuts and so on. Evie Launcher is also one of the highest rated Android launchers in the Google Play Store and has a simple clutter-free interface with all the essential features packed right in.

Play Store Link: Evie Launcher

FilePursuit – Discover Everything!

File Pursuit is like Google but it is a search engine exclusively developed for searching and downloading almost any type of file from over millions of files hosted in web servers across the world. The powerful file indexing and searching service of File Pursuit allow you to search for any type of file you want and download it within a few minutes all without leaving the app, instead of doing a Google search for the file you want and visiting multiple websites until you finally find it.

You can also avoid irrelevant search results and websites with spam or malicious content if you are using File Pursuit to download the files you want, instead of using Google Search. The size of the app is only around 6 MB and since all the file links are provided by people across the world, you can trust File Pursuit to provide you with genuine and correct files for download.

Play Store Link: FilePursuit – Discover Everything!

Files By Google

Files by Google is the recent popular file manager app for Android and it was released as a beta product by Google a while ago and now it is available as a stable version for download in the Google Play Store. It is less than 10 MB in size and is one of the most efficient file managing apps out there with a clean and a simple interface based on Google’s Material design.

The app has built options to help you clean out unnecessary junk files and data on your device and also sends you occasional suggestions to free up space on your device. You can also use the app to share large files with speeds of up to 480 Mbps with other Android users who have this app installed on their device. The app also has options to backup your data to cloud directly from the app to Google Drive and other cloud storage apps as well.

Play Store Link: Files By Google

K-9 Mail

Almost all Android phones these days come pre installed with Gmail, Google’s official Email app and it is indeed one of the best Email apps for Android out there. But if you want to try out a few different options or if you are not a big fan of the Gmail Android app, then K-9 Mail might be a good app to start with.

The app is extremely small and lightweight at around 4 MB and you can add almost any email provider account to K-9 Mail. The app supports IMAP, POP3 and Exchange 2003/2007 and if you install a plugin you can get support for OpenPGP as well.

Play Store Link: K-9 Mail

Link2SD

If you have a lot of apps isntalled on your Android device and are quickly running out of storage, you can either uninstall the ones you don’t use frequently or move them to your external SD card if you have one. So, if you have an external SD card with lot of free storage space and don’t know how to move your apps from the internal storage of your device to the external, all you have to do is download the Link2SD app.

As the name suggests, you can use the Link2SD to app to link the APK and lib files of your apps in the internal storage to your SD card. This means that the apps will be moved to the external storage and will no longer use your internal storage space. Even if the app you want to move to SD card does not support it, you can use the force move option in the Link2SD app to move it and the app also allows you to set the default location to install apps on your device as your external SD card.

Play Store Link: Link2SD

Messenger Lite: Free Calls & Messages

Messenger Lite is the lighter and more battery and performance friendly version of the popular Facebook Messenger app with over a billion downloads. While the original Facebook Messenger app is almost 50 MB in size, the lite version is just around 6 MB and it has almost all of the essential features of the Messenger app.

You can use the Messenger Lite app to connect with your Facebook friends, text, call and video call them and also share media files, stickers and GIFs with them, just like the Facebook Messenger app. The lite version being significantly smaller in size, occupies only a little portion of internal storage when compared to the original version and it also consumes less data and is easier on the battery life and the performance of your device.

Play Store Link: Messenger Lite: Free Calls & Messages

Naked Browser Pro / NB Pro LTS web browser

Just like the Gmail app, almost all the Android phones come pre installed with the Google Chrome browser app as well and while it is one of the best browsers for Android, it is infamous for being a memory hog and its over 60 MB and it only increases with every new update. Also, Chrome is said to be one of the biggest contribution to reduced battery life in Android devices along with Facebook, Snapchat and other apps.

So, if you are looking for a simple browsing app, that is light weight, battery and resource friendly, then you can try the Naked Browser Pro app from the Play Store. The size of the Naked Browser is less than a MB and it just focusses on clean and efficient browsing thus resulting in a secure browser with no bloatware or unnecessary features. Naked Browser also ensures that it neither tracks its users nor collects their data to spy on them.

Play Store Link: Messenger Lite: Free Calls & Messages

Shuttle Music Player

If you are someone who listens to a lot of offline music on your Android phone, then you might like the Shuttle Music Player. It is a light weight music player app for Android with a beautiful and an intuitive material design which includes a lot of dark and light theme options.

The app comes with a powerful 6 band equalizer built in which also includes an option for bass boost. It also has other features like gapless payback and sleep timer and it is just 5 MB in size.

Play Store Link: Shuttle Music Player

SmartNews: Breaking News Headlines

Smart News is a news reader app for Android which updates you with the trending news across the world on a daily basis by sending you regular notifications. The app curates headlines and breaking news from top news publishers and presents it in the app for its users.

The app has a smart mode where the users could read the news articles in reading mode without any ads. The size of the app is less than 5 MB and it also allows you to download news articles to read them offline.

Play Store Link: SmartNews: Breaking News Headlines

Lifetime of Disconnect VPN and all-in-one tracker just $49

AndroidGuys
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It seems you can’t go anywhere on the internet today without trackers and nefarious types trying to exploit weaknesses and vulnerabilities. Be it browsers, apps, or even operating systems, someone, somewhere is looking for a way to break in.

One way to protect yourself is via a VPN. Another way to safeguard things is to update apps and platforms as often as possible, keeping up with major releases as well as bug fixes. Yet another way to help sleep better at night is to go with a service such as Disconnect VPN.

As on of the promoted deals in our AndroidGuys Deals Store, Disconnect VPN blocks trackers and malware across your entire device, allowing you to browse up to 44% faster, using up to 39% less bandwidth, and greatly improve battery life. Moreover, the license is good for three devices, meaning you can protect your desktop, phone, and laptop.

‘We researched and tested four tracker blockers and found their results varied widely. In the end, the app Disconnect became our anti-tracking tool of choice,’ New York Times

Features

  • Blocks tracking requests from connecting to your devices, making the internet faster & extending battery life
  • Keeps your data safe from companies, cybercriminals, & government entities
  • VPN tech encrypts your internet connection
  • Masks your location so you can access content as if you’re in a different country
  • Allows you to use blocked services, sites, & apps

Availability

You can purchase a license to Disconnect VPN in a variety of manners. On the entry level there’s a 1-year account for only $19; a 3-year plan is only ten bucks more at $29. The best savings, though, comes in the lifetime account which is just $49.

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