Troubleshoot your Pixel 2 with Google Assistant

There might come a day when you won’t need to talk to anyone to fix what’s wrong with your phone. Google is starting us off with Pixel 2. Android Police discovered Google Assistant on the Pixel 2 can help diagnose battery issues. Ask why the battery isn’t charging properly and it runs a diagnostic check as well as lets you know which apps are power-hungry. If you don’t get a satisfactory answer, it’ll offer to connect you to Google’s chat or phone support. They’re currently just testing this feature, though. As AP tried to test this out on the Pixel 2 XL and haven’t gotten the best results and it’s pretty limited for now, meaning Google still has some work to do. We don’t expect this to be ready anytime soon but it looks like we’re headed there. And that’s a pretty ingenious way to make use of the feature.

Netflix gets ‘subversive’ superhero movie starring Daisy Ridley, Josh Gad, & Luke Evans

From left: Josh Gad, Daisy Ridley, Luke Evans (Getty Images)

Netflix one-ups Disney as it outbids the studio for rights to stream a new “subversive” superhero film starring Star Wars’s Daisy Ridley. Super-Normal is meant to be a character-driven, subversive take on the popular genre so it garnered instant interest. The film is being produced by Beauty and the Beast’s Josh Gad alongside It producer Dan Lin, who is also involved in Netflix’s Death Note. Gad seems to be enlisting another friend as Luke Evans will also be starring alongside him and Ridley. Evans actually helped Gad pitch the project. Gad also enlisted the help of brothers Aaron and Jordan Kandell, who both worked on Disney’s Moana, to write the script.

Source: Engadget + The Hollywood Reporter

Facebook tries to lure video creators with new app

Hoping to attract more video creators to switch over to its platform, Facebook has rebranded its Facebook Mentions app into what we now know as Facebook Creator. The app brings tools for video streaming, messaging across some of Facebook’s platforms, and updating Stories. When used for Facebook Live, the app will let its users create custom intros and outros. Users can also add interactive stickers, custom video frames, take and edit photos for posting on Facebook Stories and other platforms. The Verge points out that it isn’t clear yet if it supports Instagram, too, which it should.

Aside from that, the app consolidates inbox for comments on Facebook, Instagram, and Messenger—which is similar to what Pages Manager does, too. Facebook Creator also offers analytics for those who want to see how their content is doing. The app is already available for iOS users and as usual those on Android need to wait as it’ll be arriving in the “coming months.”

Some Google Store-bought Pixel 2 devices seem to have locked-down bootloaders

Review: Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL

Aside from getting stock Android, one of the major considerations people buy Pixel devices is the ability to unlock bootloaders. This is important for those who like to tinker with their devices and install different ROMs, kernels, and the like. For Google devices you can usually unlock bootloaders through the “OEM unlocking” toggle in developer options. The Verizon models sold in the US has this option blanked out. And now it seems some of the Pixel 2 units (not the Pixel 2 XL) sold through Google’s own Store don’t have the option either. Android Authority theorizes that Google might have accidentally sold Verizon models instead of unlocked ones.

If this has affected you and you want it remedied, there is already a Google Issue Tracker page for it. And apparently Google’s engineering teams are “investigating the issue.” To help bring more attention to it and to your specific case, you can report the problem and contact customer support.