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Qualcomm promises three years of Android updates for its entire SoC lineup

2020-12-17T04:06:00.003-08:00

The Snapdragon 888, sitting on the world's biggest ARM motherboard.

Google and Qualcomm are teaming up to enable a longer support window for flagship Android smartphones. Qualcomm, with Google's help, will now support its chipsets for three years of major OS updates and four years of security updates, enabling a better-than-Pixel level for all future Android phones, provided your OEM is willing to cooperate. This policy is starting with the flagship Snapdragon 888, but even lower-end chips will be supported. Qualcomm PR tells us "the plan is to roll this out to all Snapdragon chipsets, including lower-tier ones, but starting the new Snapdragon 888 platform."

Part of the challenge of Android updates is the continuous chain of software custody that has to be maintained, across several companies, from the Android repository to your phone. Google and Qualcomm now say they are willing to pass the update baton to OEMs for three major updates and four years of security updates, but OEMs will actually need to update their Android skins and ship working builds to each of their devices. If they don't, we at least know who to blame now.

Qualcomm and Google's blog posts both contain the same phrasing, that they will "support 4 Android OS versions and 4 years of security updates." Read that quote closely and you'll spot two different units of measurement happening there, which some people have misinterpreted. While there are four years of security updates, the two companies are counting the initial release of Android in their quote of "4 Android OS versions," so it's three years of major Android updates, not four years. We double-checked with Qualcomm and got back "Qualcomm will support the launch version + 3 OS upgrades, for a total of 4 major Android OS versions. Snapdragon 888 will support Android 11, 12, 13, and 14."

This is the same update plan Pixels have gotten and what Samsung has promised, but with one more year of security updates. Keep in mind, Qualcomm is also bringing this level of support to low-end devices, so while this is only a baby step for flagship phones, lower-end phones could see greatly increased support windows.

'Hades' on Nintendo Switch can transfer saved games to and from PC

2020-12-17T03:59:00.007-08:00

Supergiant Games has enabled the feature, so you can transfer saves between PC and Switch.

Supergiant Games

The Cross Save feature for Hades on the Nintendo Switch is finally live. When Supergiant Games launched the game for the platform back in September, the indie action RPG already came with the feature. It was disabled, though, and you needed the tools and the knowhow to make it functional. Now, the studio has rolled out an update activating Cross Save, giving you an easy way to transfer your save files between the Switch and the PC versions of the game.

Hades has been available as an early access title on the PC since 2018, and we’ve previously named it as one of the best games for PC. The game will put you in control of Zagreus, the son of Hades who’s seeking to escape his father’s realm. Hades is a roguelike title that will have you starting from the same place every time, but you can collect items for weapons and abilities upgrades that don’t disappear after you end your current gaming session. With Cross Save, you can carry over those upgrades from one platform to another.

To transfer data to and from the Switch, you simply need to choose the Cross Save option in the game’s main menu and link your Steam or Epic account. After that, just pause and quit to upload your save data to access your file on whichever platform you want to play on.

Modern Warfare’s Double XP tokens no longer work in Call of Duty: Warzone

2020-12-17T03:40:00.002-08:00

Black Ops Cold War’s season 1 update brought the wrong kind of surprises to War zone players

Image: Treyarch/Activision

If you played enough Call of Duty: Modern Warfare or Warzone, it’s likely that you unlocked at least a few double XP tokens, or 2XP tokens as the game calls them. These were mostly available in the games’ seasonable battle passes which they shared progress in. These tokens used to give double experience rewards for periods of time like 15 minutes, 30 minutes, or even up to an hour. However, after Wednesday’s season 1 update none of these tokens work in Warzone anymore.

When Warzone players logged into the game after the update went live, many were surprised to see that the 2XP tokens they had accumulated from previous seasons had simply vanished from their menus. As it turns out, the tokens weren’t technically gone, they’re just only usable in Modern Warfare now, but not in Warzone. Players weren’t pleased.

Facebook slams Apple privacy change again, suggesting it will kill free apps

2020-12-17T03:34:00.001-08:00

The day after launching an attack on Apple’s upcoming privacy change, Facebook is running another ad focused on the availability of content in a world less reliant on personalized advertising.
Facebook has been outspoken about the change since it was announced in June, accusing Apple of moving the free, ad-supported internet into paid apps and services, where Apple can take a cut.
Apple’s change will take a privacy option that was previously more difficult to access and put it front and center when consumers open an app. It’s expected to dramatically impact the ability of advertisers to target ads the way they have been since people likely won’t opt in.
The day after launching an attack on Apple’s upcoming privacy change, Facebook is running another ad prompting consumers to consider whether they’d pay for apps they that are currently free.
Facebook on Wednesday ran newspaper ads, published a new website and ran blog posts outlining its arguments opposing Apple’s privacy change, which it claims “threatens the personalized ads that millions of small businesses rely on to find and reach customers.”