The changelog mentions things like Motion Blur and Color Grading, but the big feature many users seem most stoked about is Preset & LUT imports. Should you have preset packs you already use in apps like Lightroom, you can now import presets and LUTS in “just a few taps.”

The team at Snapseed say that the goal with version 4.2 is to bring, “even more creative control over your workflow—making it easy to bring your favorite editing styles into Snapseed, share and learn from each other’s edits.”

Here’s the full changelog.

Full Snapseed 4.2 Changelog

• Motion Blur: A brand new tool to help you capture the feeling of speed and transform static photos into dynamic stories. You can blur the whole scene, streak the background behind a sharp subject for a panning effect, or put the motion right on the subject itself. 
• Depth-based Lens Blur: Choose Depth inside the Lens Blur tool and Snapseed will use the depth of your scene to soften the background naturally, like shooting on a wide-aperture lens. You can also turn up Bokeh Boost to make highlights bloom into creamy bokeh.
• Preset & LUT Import: If you have preset packs you love using in other apps like Lightroom or custom LUTs for color grading, you don’t have to leave them behind. You can now import presets and LUTs (.cube, .xmp, .3dl, .png, and .snapseed) in just a few taps via Manage Looks in the gallery menu. You can also share your own custom Looks with the option to include the LUTs they use.
• Discover Community Looks (#SnapseedLook): We wanted to celebrate the incredible photographers in this community by featuring community-made Looks right inside the app. You can browse Looks on their original photos, tap one to try it on your own shot, and open the full edit recipe to see every adjustment and how it was built. Community Looks will be a rotating set of edits from the community that we’ll curate. If you want your edits featured, tag them with #SnapseedLook
• Color Grading: Full multi-wheel Color Grading is now rolling out to everyone on Android alongside LUT integration.
• Landscape: iPhones and iPads will now support landscape orientation. 

Have fun, but remember, the update rollout can take a bit to hit your phone.

Google Play Link

// reddit

Read the original post: Snapseed 4.2 Rolling Out: LUT Imports, Motion Blur, and More

The status bar is designed to display the time, naturally, but also things like active mic/location status, as well as battery information and connectivity status. You can see what it will look like in the image above.

This feature is confirmed to launch with the public release of Wear OS 8, but is available for developer testing on Wear OS 7.1.

If you’re a developer, you’ll want to check out the Android Development post we linked below. If you’re a user, you’ll have this to look forward to for whenever Wear OS 8 comes along. Sometime next year most likely?

// Android Developers | @MishaalRahman

Read the original post: Wear OS 8 Status Bar: New Feature Confirmed by Google

According to Google’s whole post about it, the new icons are sharper and clearer on your home screen. You’ll notice the “crisp gradient” with easily readable edges. Here’s an excerpt from their announcement post.

The new icons are sharper and clearer on your home screen. For example, we’ve added a subtle but crisp gradient with easily readable edges. They also feature updated curvature and coloring to align with the rest of the Google apps you know and love, such as our core Google logo.

These icons are now rolling out to devices that utilize Google’s app icons, which should be most of them these days. Gone are the days of fragmentation, right?

// Google

Read the original post: Google’s New Icons for Phone, Messages, and Contacts

$299 will get the 41mm Bluetooth-only model, while the 45mm option goes down to $329. Even the Steph Curry model is $100 off, down to a more reasonable $479. If you need more connectivity, LTE models are also $100 off, starting now at $399.

Again, when Pixel Watch 5 first launched, the price increases were something no one was happy about. If you were able to wait out the launch period, we’re now seeing these sales prices and the wait is paying off. It’s unknown if Black Friday could see even lower pricing than this, as $100 off is already quite aggressive.

If you need it, follow the links below.

SHOP PIXEL WATCH 5 DEALS:
AMAZON | GOOGLE STORE

Read the original post: DEAL: Pixel Watch 5 is $299 ($100 Off)

There are three new things we wanted to highlight, in case you had missed them. Users can now launch apps in bubbles via the Recents menu, App Lock has made a return after a bit more polish, and a dedicated camera shortcut can now be added to the Quick Settings menu.

Here’s the full breakdown for you.

Launch Apps in Bubbles (Recents Screen)

This latest beta allows users to launch apps directly into bubbles via the Recents dropdown menu. Youll swipe up on your screen to see your apps overviewed. Then you can tap on the app name and a menu screen will appear. From here, hit “Bubble” and the app will now be placed inside a bubble that you can use as usual.

Google’s Mishaal Rahman writes that, “For those of you using the preinstalled launcher, this joins the existing home screen app context menu shortcut as a way to launch an app as a bubble.”

App Lock is Back

Previously available in QPR2 betas but then removed for the need of “additional polish and testing,” App Lock is back. With it, you can lock apps on your device to prevent unwanted access. When enabled, users need to provide credentials to unlock and use the app.

While locked, apps can’t display notifications, widgets can’t be seen, and shortcuts are removed. After using a locked app, screen content is also hidden when viewed from the Recents screen. This can be useful for all sorts of purposes, you little freaks.

We’re happy to see it make a return.

Camera Shortcut Added to Quick Settings

This one is straightforward enough. For anyone who might enjoy having quick access to their camera from the Quick Settings menu, Google has added in a new Camera option.

As explained by Rahman, “This improves accessibility for users with dexterity issues who struggle with the physical power button double-tap gesture or the long-press gesture on the lock screen shortcut.”

We are always on board for additional Accessibility options.

Have you been playing with Beta 3 at all? Is there anything you’ve found yourself that you love?

Read the original post: Android 17 QPR3 Beta 3: Three Sweet Features to Check Out

If you’re thinking to yourself if $699 is a good price for the Pixel 11, it absolutely is. I’ve had the pleasure of reviewing the base Pixel 10 and Pixel 11, always coming away very impressed with Google’s more affordable options. The cameras are still exceptional, the battery life is great, and the software is basically identical to what you’re getting from the Pro series.

For those looking to save even more cash, Google’s trade-in program is still very much active and appears to be enhanced currently. Buyers can save up to an additional $460 with eligible trade-in, so your total could ultimately be much lower than $699 if you have a device to swap out.

Follow the links below if interested.

SHOP PIXEL 11 DEALS:
AMAZON | GOOGLE STORE

Read the original post: DEAL: Google Cuts $200 Off Pixel 11 Price

After receiving the October Android security patch earlier in the month, the Galaxy S26 series is seeing a fresh build that has “performance improvements” of some type. Verizon hasn’t detailed where those improvements will land, but we’ll take any we can get.

My guess is that Samsung is still adding the final touches and polish to the Android 17 and One UI 9 updates it issued to these devices in September. Since that was such a large update, even after many beta releases, there will still be bug fixes and improvements needed.

If you own one of Samsung’s newest S26 series devices in the US, the following builds will be the newest for you:

• Galaxy S26 Ultra: S948USQU5BZJA
• Galaxy S26+: S947USQU5BZJA
• Galaxy S26: S942USQU5BZJA

To check for Samsung updates on your Galaxy smartphone, head into Settings > Software update > Download and install.

• Samsung One UI Update Schedule: October 2026

Read the original post: Samsung October Updates: Galaxy S26 Finds Surprise Improvements

The Pixel 11 Pro has been given a $300 discount, while the Pixel 11 Pro XL is a full $350 off. These discounts are on all models, colors, and storage options.

For a price breakdown, you could pay as little as $799 for the Pixel 11 Pro or $949 for the Pixel 11 Pro XL. If you want more than the base 256GB storage, you’ll have to pay a little over $100 to make each jump to 512GB and then 1TB.

To further sweeten all of these deals, retailers like Amazon and Google are offering trade-in discounts that can combine. For Google, those are often instant discounts where the value of your trade-in comes off today, alongside the $300 and $350 price cuts.

As an example, if you trade in a Pixel 10 Pro for a Pixel 11 Pro (256GB), you would pay just $199 today. If you went for the Pixel 11 Pro XL (256GB) and traded in a Pixel 10 Pro XL, you would pay $249.

Need reviews to recap? Here’s our Pixel 11 Pro & 11 Pro XL review.

So much for those needed price increases because of RAM shortages, eh?

SHOP PIXEL 11 PRO & PRO XL DEALS:
AMAZON | GOOGLE STORE

Read the original post: Pixel 11 Pro and 11 Pro XL Hit With Massive Price Cuts

Within the Android 17 QPR3 Beta 3 update, Google included an option to take a Screenshot in the power menu. Why? I’m not sure, but it’s probably the most brilliant change in QPR3.

As you know, to take a screenshot on Android, you press Power + Volume Down on almost any phone and it’ll snap whatever is on your screen. If you hit Power + Volume Up, at least on Pixel phones, you can bring up the power menu with options to contact Emergency services, lockdown your phone, restart it, or fully power it off.

But now, when you bring up that same menu in the latest Android 17 update, you can also tap the new option for “Screenshot.” Tapping it does exactly as you think – it takes a screenshot.

Think about this. How many times have you gone to take a screenshot, screwed up the button process and then found yourself in the power menu, only to have to adjust the button sequence correctly to actually take a screenshot? It happens to me all of the time.

Going forward, it won’t matter which Power + Volume combo you hit, since it’ll either immediately take a screenshot or at least bring up the power menu with a shortcut for taking a screenshot.

I love this.

Read the original post: Android 17 Update Adds Screenshot Shortcut to the Most Brilliant Spot

Now available for all supported Pixel devices, which begins at the Pixel 6a now, Google is addressing image rendering issues, poor webcam video quality, random display turn offs, and plenty else.

Below are the details of the update, as well as the changelog.

As you can see from below, the list of fixes inside of this update is massive.

Top issues fixed include:

• Images render with incorrect transparency when using the Multiply blend mode. (Issue #73186237)
• Recents overview flickers when performing a home gesture immediately after quick-switching apps. (Issue #237526296, Issue #341680318)
• Inner display remains black when unfolding the device. (Issue #311469796, Issue #311583772)
• Twitter app crashes when viewing post thread mentions. (Issue #282904709, Issue #293383813)
• Display randomly turns off and on during device usage. (Issue #325555461)
• Poor video quality when using the device as a webcam. (Issue #313062628)
• Toast notifications intermittently fail to display under high memory pressure. (Issue #321628126)
• Home screen wallpaper incorrectly displays on the lock screen when waking the device from an open app. (Issue #343002680)
• Equalizer frequency adjustment bars are cut off at the top of the screen. (Issue #342124654, Issue #358742436)
• Force stop button in app settings fails to terminate running applications. (Issue #337240745)
• Colored icons flicker when navigating back to the Accessibility settings page. (Issue #354424795)
• Apps fail to launch new activities when opened with an active Picture-in-Picture window. (Issue #479561839)
• Inconsistent spacing between status bar icons. (Issue #450097709)
• Screen recording callback incorrectly reports active recording state after stopping screen share from floating controls. (Issue #442801639)
• UI buttons render as blank white squares without icons in dark mode. (Issue #470561031)
• Grouped notification icons and titles appear grayed out. (Issue #489219424, Issue #516800663, Issue #548675068, Issue #568096206)
• Persistent UI message cannot be dismissed. (Issue #497831984, Issue #517093542)
• Bubbles get stuck in a miniaturized state at the bottom of the screen when swiped to dismiss. (Issue #504704002, Issue #517621552)
• Navigation bar animation glitches when swiping up to the recent apps screen. (Issue #552037549)
• Mobile Data Quick Settings icon renders at an incorrect size with persistent visual artifacts. (Issue #508083737, Issue #508904751, Issue #504868272, Issue #527517148, Issue #544886523, Issue #550178753, Issue #567904796, Issue #571714475)
• Display rendering issue when adjusting the font size slider in Settings. (Issue #554687371)
• Image action icons missing from the Recent Apps screen. (Issue #570996132)
• SettingsDumpService persists and consumes excessive memory after opening SIM settings. (Issue #567819031)
• Device crashes intermittently on the lock screen or shortly after startup. (Issue #569613685)
• Apps crash when BluetoothLeScanner.stopScan() is called with a null callback. (Issue #571626896)
• WPA-Enterprise Wi-Fi connections fail when authenticating with PEAP. (Issue #572438311, Issue #569431116, Issue #565959472)

The best way to get this update is through the Android Beta Program (sign up). If you are into flashing images, there are OTA images available (here) too.

// Google

Read the original post: Android 17 QPR3 Beta 3 Released for Pixel Devices

User GadgetusMaximus says, “I’m usually getting almost 48 hours per charge except for the last 2 days where I’m not getting 12 hours.” They then asked others if they were having similar issues. Now the thread is full of PW2 and PW3 owners reporting similar issues. Within the past week or so, it appears these watches simply aren’t holding a charge.

The cause of the battery drain isn’t clear at this time. Owners have factory reset their watches and are still running into the problem. That means it being a rogue app seems unlikely. It’s entirely plausible that a recent update pushed to the device could be the cause, but again, we don’t have a definitive answer. Now with many users reporting an issue, we might get word from Google and maybe a fix.

Is anyone here experiencing an issue with the Pixel Watch battery life?

// reddit

Read the original post: Pixel Watch 2 Battery Drain: Owners Voice Frustration

The Gemini for Home updates aren’t the star here, so let’s talk through those first. For one, Google says that Gemini should be better at understanding when you are trying to transfer music between your rooms, like with a “move Mozart to the living room,” as an example.

Gemini for Home-powered speakers and displays will also stop saying “Sorry, I didn’t understand” when unprompted, will be less confused by the difference between sleep and regular timers, should be better at adjusting volume in other rooms, and more.

Now, for the Google Home app updates, Google is giving you better access to your Google Home Premium features (tap profile > Google Home Premium), smoother and more reliable camera feeds on both iOS and Android, more reliable face and person detection through Nest Doorbell, more accurate icons and controls for Matter doors and windows (Android), and software updates to all of its still-supported cameras.

Nest Cam devices that migrated to the Google Home app are getting new software updates that should bring improved WiFi reconnection stability, faster night vision switching, better synchronized audio, and more accurate status light behavior.

Finally, when it comes to fixes, Google is pushing at least 9 improvements that do everything from making your online status more accurate to adding visual polish, at least on Android. The Google Home app on Android now has rounded touch ripples, correct battery icon placement, and bottom sheets that open fully.

Again, this update is quite large and there is a lot to walk through, so we’ve included the full list of changes below.

Gemini for Home (Early Access)

Voice Assistant

General Fixes & Improvements

• Transferring music between rooms: Improved how Gemini understands requests to move media that’s playing in one room to a speaker or display in a different location. Try saying, “move Mozart to the living room” or, “bring the music here.”
• Fewer unexpected “Sorry, I didn’t understand” responses: Fixed an issue where speakers and displays could occasionally say “Sorry, I didn’t understand” unprompted when no one had spoken to the device.
• Better distinction between media sleep timers and regular timers: Fixed a rare  issue where Gemini would get confused between media sleep timers, normal timers, and alarms under specific conditions.
• More reliable YouTube TV commands on smart displays: Fixed an issue with playing YouTube TV on smart displays so voice commands reliably start the content you’re looking for.
• More predictable volume controls across rooms: Fixed an issue where asking to adjust the volume on a speaker or display in another room could accidentally change the volume on the device you were speaking to if the other device couldn’t be found.
• Fixed zero-volume timers and alarms: Resolved a specific bug where alarm and timer volumes were being set to zero. In this situation, alarm and timer volume will be adjusted to match your device volume.

Google Home App

Home Premium

• Get to know your Home Premium features & benefits: If you are a Google Home Premium subscriber, you can now easily access all your features & benefits, with Tap on your profile on the top right of your screen. From there, tap on “Google Home Premium” to view, understand, and enable your features.

Device Controls

• Accurate icons and controls for Matter doors and windows (Android): The app now recognizes specific Matter closure types—including garage doors, gates, windows, blinds, and cabinets—displaying the correct device icon and controls instead of treating every closure as a generic gate.

Energy

• View energy data on supported Matter devices (Android): Compatible Matter smart plugs and energy monitors that measure cumulative energy usage now display both real-time power (mW) and total energy consumed (kWh) directly on their device tiles and controller screens.
• Save energy with one-tap shortcuts: Quick-set your home to energy-saving temperatures directly from your thermostat controller or home view with a dedicated shortcut, making it effortless to conserve energy whenever you step away.

Camera

• More reliable event timeline scrolling (iOS): Fixed an issue where scrolling to the end of an event on the progress bar or across brief gaps between events could trigger a “Video Not Available” error.
• Smooth camera live view when unfolding foldable phones (Android): Fixed an issue on foldable phones where unfolding or folding the device while watching a full-screen camera live stream could leave the video stuck on a loading spinner.
• More reliable face and person detection on Nest Doorbell (wired, 1st gen): Improved person and Familiar Face detection when visitors are further from the door or angled away from the camera.
• Software updates for Nest Cam Indoor (1st gen), Nest Cam Outdoor (1st gen), Nest Doorbell (wired, 1st gen / Nest Hello), Nest Cam IQ Indoor, and Nest Cam IQ Outdoor migrated to the Google Home app:
  • Improved Wi-Fi reconnection stability: Fixed issues that could cause cameras to crash or stall when reconnecting after brief Wi-Fi interruptions.
  • Faster night vision switching when turning on the camera: Fixed an issue on Nest Cam Indoor (1st gen) and Nest Cam Outdoor (1st gen) where turning the camera on in low light or switching to night vision in the Google Home app could take 15 to 20 seconds.
  • Synchronized audio and video on Nest Doorbell (wired, 1st gen): Fixed an issue that could cause audio and video to fall out of sync and trigger unexpected device restarts.
  • Accurate status light behavior on Nest Cam IQ: Fixed an issue on Nest Cam IQ Indoor and Nest Cam IQ Outdoor where the status light ring could pulse blue (indicating it was waiting for setup) when Wi-Fi was disconnected on an already set up camera.

General Fixes & Improvements

• Accurate online status (iOS): Devices no longer briefly show as “Offline” after a short connection hiccup.
• Spaces show the right content (Android): Opening a space like Lights no longer flashes another tab’s content.
• Settings survive rotation (Android): Unsaved preference changes are no longer lost when you rotate your phone.
• No more blank screen in Assistant settings (Android): Going back from Google Tasks settings now works as expected.
• Easier exit from Thread settings (iOS): The navigation bar now stays visible when viewing Thread network details.
• Tidier home names (iOS): Long home names now truncate instead of overlapping header buttons.
• Controls auto-dismiss on Pixel Tablet (Android): Single-device voice controls no longer linger on screen.
• Parental controls fit on tablets (Android): Headers and filters are no longer cut off in landscape.
• Visual polish (Android): Rounded touch ripples, a dark-mode-friendly feedback sheet, correct battery icon placement, and bottom sheets that open fully.

// Google

Read the original post: Google Home App Gets One of the Biggest Updates We’ve Seen

These updates all have several changes that do everything from bring new Android security patches to Google Home Platform updates and enhanced streaming performance. These are looking big.

In the streaming department, Google is pushing updates to both the Chromecast with Google TV (4K) and Chromecast with Google TV (HD). These updates bring the August Android security patch, fix a bunch of bugs, and improve the performance of connectivity, media streaming, and display.

For Nest WiFi and WiFi Pro devices, Google is doing things like enhancing mesh network resilience and node setup, tweaking mesh RSSI and client-steering performance, and rolling up Google Home Platform updates with comprehensive security enhancements.

Finally, for Nest and Google Home speakers, Google says it has enhanced the streaming performance on all of its speakers, tuned speaker pair volume (both in bass and minimum volume levels), improved local discovery within the Google Home app for speakers, fixed a Bluetooth audio streaming bug, fixed WiFi 7 issues, and more.

The list of changes is substantial and can be viewed in full below.

As a reminder, you can’t exactly manually update most of these devices. You could try to on your Chromecast with Google TV devices, but the Nest and Google Home speakers typically update automatically behind-the-scenes.

Google TV Streamers

Software updates for Chromecast with Google TV (4K) and Chromecast with Google TV (HD):

• Android Security Patch Level upgrade to August 2026
• Connectivity, media streaming, and display performance improvements
• General bug fixes and system stability enhancements

Nest Wifi

• Nest Wifi (2019) router and Nest Wifi point
  • Enhanced mesh network resilience and DNS fallback improvements
  • Other stability and security vulnerability fixes
• Nest Wifi Pro
  • Networking: Enabled automatic failover to ISP DNS when public DNS is blocked. Enhanced node setup reliability.
  • Platform & Wireless: Optimized mesh RSSI and client-steering performance, and enhanced wpa_supplicant and DHCP client stability.
  • Ecosystem & Security: Rolled up Google Home Platform updates and applied comprehensive security enhancements.

Nest and Google Home Speakers

• Audio playback: Enhanced streaming performance on Nest Audio, Google Home, and Google Home Mini for smoother audio playback. 
• Speaker Pair Volume Tuning: Improved audio quality by reducing boomy bass and ensuring minimum volume levels remain clearly audible.
• Local Network Discovery: Improved faster and more reliable local device discovery within the Google Home app for Google Home Speaker, Google Nest Audio, and Google Nest Mini.
• Bluetooth Audio Streaming on Resume: Fixed a bug where Bluetooth audio streaming from a connected laptop or device would automatically pause after receiving a voice “resume” command.
• Wi-Fi 7 Router Compatibility: Resolved setup and connection failures preventing smart speakers from connecting to Wi-Fi 7 access points using WPA3 security.
• Speaker Group & Stereo Pair Visibility: Fixed an issue where stereo pairs and speaker groups could unexpectedly disappear or become undiscoverable in the Google Home app.
• Google Meet Voice Call Controls: Fixed an issue where users were unable to end Google Meet calls using voice commands

// Google

Read the original post: Google Sends Major Updates to All of Its Google Home, Nest , Streamer Devices

This update for US owners of these devices, “provides the most up to date Android security patches for your device” and nothing more, at least officially. There is always a chance that Samsung snuck in some performance or bug fixes, but they just aren’t big enough to talk about.

And again, that’s fine, since all of these phones just received huge updates to One UI 9. Those updates weighed-in at roughly 4GB and not only brought in new features, they jumped each phone up to Android 17.

To get the latest Samsung October update, you’ll be on the lookout for the following build numbers:

• Galaxy S24: S921USQS6EZJ1
• Galaxy S24+: S926USQS6EZJ1
• Galaxy S24 Ultra: S928USQS6EZJ1
• Galaxy S24 FE: S721USQSEEZJ1
• Galaxy Z Fold 6: F956USQS4EZJ1
• Galaxy Z Flip 6: F741USQS4EZJ1

To check for Samsung updates on your Galaxy smartphone, head into Settings > Software update > Download and install.

• Samsung One UI Update Schedule: October 2026

Read the original post: Samsung October Updates: Get Your Galaxy S24, Fold 6 Ready

A couple of years ago, I made the decision to ditch Verizon and T-Mobile in favor of prepaid options that use their networks. Through all of the price increases and perk shifting, plus the fact that I spend a good chunk of my time on WiFi, I decided I didn’t want to pay the enormous prices to have their best plans anymore. The savings I was supposedly getting with “free” Disney+ or Netflix just weren’t there.

Testing Mint Mobile and Visible first

When I finally decided to fully switch over to prepaid, my journey started with Mint Mobile, which T-Mobile owns. And because T-Mobile now owns them, it gets access to T-Mobile’s best-in-the-US network. It also costs a fraction of the price and is a straightforward type of plan.

Mint is constantly running promotions that can get you their most expensive Unlimited plan for as little as $10 or $15 per month. This plan comes with unlimited high-speed data, hotspot usage, and coverage in Canada and Mexico.

Mint, unfortunately, isn’t great for people like me who switch phones every few weeks. They set limits on how often you can switch before then charging you each time your eSIM goes into a new phone. But making matters worse, they eventually set limits even if you want to pay, and that just doesn’t work for someone like me.

After learning of that limitation, I eventually made my way over to Visible, a Verizon company. They have no such limits and won’t ever charge you to make phone switches.

Visible, like Mint Mobile, is also incredibly affordable. They like to run a steady stream of promotions too, with some topping out at 50% off for 12 months. Their top tier plan also has all of the high-speed data you can handle, hotspot, and similar international use.

But while Visible is incredibly affordable (especially with promos), Verizon’s network in the Portland area is just not that good and hasn’t been for years.

That realization led me to finally give US Mobile a test run, partly because we have had several readers suggest we give it a try.

US Mobile: What is it? Can you really switch between the 3 major US networks?

Never heard of US Mobile? Well, it’s a prepaid wireless provider like those other two, but it has a unique approach in that it lets you choose which major US carrier’s network you attach to.

When you sign up for US Mobile (Android and iOS supported), part of the setup process is choosing a network. They’ll recommend networks for you and attempt to describe which one might be faster or have a better connection, but that’s likely because they aren’t allowed to just call them what they are.

During sign up, you’ll choose from Warp, Light Speed, or Dark Star networks. Those are their made-up names for the three major US carriers. The breakdown of them is as follows:

• Warp: This is Verizon’s network
• Light Speed: This is T-Mobile’s network
• Dark Star: This is AT&T’s network

If you decide to use US Mobile, you get to choose the network that you think best fits your area or needs. Also, if you choose a network and don’t like it, they’ll let you switch to a different network for free with their Unlimited Premium plan or for $2 with their Unlimited Starter.

Starting to see the idea here? It’s pretty neat.

As for US Mobile plans, they offer two: Unlimited Premium and Unlimited Starter. Without promotions, they cost $44 and $25 per month. As you’ll notice below, they are running a deal that includes significant discounts for the first 6 months if you come over. You’ll use either code “BRING25” or “BRING15” to get the prices seen here.

For features, you can see them above, but the Unlimited Premium plan is what I’ve signed up for. You get priority high-speed data on your network of choice, which should mean far less throttling during congested times. You also get 50-100GB of high-speed hotspot and 20GB of data use internationally.

Just know that the features can differ depending on the network you choose, but US Mobile is pretty good about sharing that information and showing you comparisons of the different networks on each plan.

You can tap on each image in the gallery below to see each plan and its features.

US Mobile also allows you to add a Multi-Network add-on at a discounted rate. This Multi-Network add-on basically connects you to a second of the three networks as a backup solution.

For example, you might have chosen Dark Star (AT&T) as your main phone line, but if you want Verizon as a backup data option when you head to rural areas, you can do that by choosing Warp as your Multi-Network add-on. This will allow US Mobile to fill your phone’s eSIM slots with both AT&T and Verizon access. Because we all own modern phones, our phones can handle 2 eSIMs at once and smartly switch data between them as needed.

Finally, US Mobile has a good enough app that allows you to make changes, switch networks, manage add-ons, etc. The UI is a bit weird, but after switching between networks a handful of times and changing phones dozens of times, I’ve started to figure out some of its quirks.

Is US Mobile any good?

I made the switch to US Mobile over the summer, so I’ve had a solid 3-4 months on it at this point. I started out with a combination of Dark Star (AT&T) and Light Speed (T-Mobile), but pretty quickly realized that AT&T was not for me. My setup has since switched to Light Speed (T-Mo) as my main and Warp (Verizon) as my backup. While I don’t think having the backup option is necessary, I’ve been using it for testing purposes and it has come in handy a few times.

But in the end, the connection situation matters and I haven’t noticed that any of the networks feel like they have been given less priority than when I was on Mint Mobile or Visible.

Not that I live in a congested area, but I just ran a new speedtest from my house and T-Mobile pulled almost 300Mbps down with a 2-bar connection.

Texting and RCS are there, I’m about to take advantage of that 20GB of international data on a trip to Japan, and the price I’m paying just can’t be beat. When I signed up, US Mobile was offering 12 months of service on Unlimited Premium for $299 (about $25 per month).

If you have any questions, let me know!

SIGN-UP FOR US MOBILE

Read the original post: I Finally Switched and It’s Awesome: US Mobile Review