Top Stories: One UI 3.0 Unveils Notch, January 21 Pixel Update

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In this week’s top stories: One UI 3.0 loses the ability to hide the camera notch, the January 2021 security update is coming to Google Pixel phones, a likely Nest Hub successor going through the FCC, and more.

Ahead of the Galaxy S21 launch, the One UI 3.0 update based on Android 11 has arrived on many Samsung phones. Unfortunately, owners of these phones are finding that a popular feature, the ability to turn off part of the screen to hide the front camera notch, is missing from One UI 3.0.

This begs the question, is Samsung set to introduce some impressive under-screen camera technology in the not too distant future? Well, given the previously leaked Galaxy S21 renders feature a prominent display notch, we wouldn’t bet for a while just yet.

Google released its first Android software update of the year on Monday, bringing its Pixel phones to the January 2021 security patch. The biggest changes were in the most recent generation of Pixel phones, fixing volume issues. system and automatic brightness levels.

All other phones (Pixel 3 / XL, 3a / XL, 4 / XL, 4a, 4a 5G and 5) benefit from the following improvements:

Fixed an issue causing intermittent restarts in some apps

Additional improvements to the automatic rotation response in certain device orientations

Fixed an issue preventing calls on some MVNO networks

This week, a new Google device went through the FCC, bringing it closer to its release. From the filing, we were able to determine that this is likely a Nest Hub-style smart display with built-in Soli radar technology. Meanwhile, our sources told us that this new Nest Hub will be able to use Soli to track your sleep patterns.

In terms of launch, the new Nest Hub with Soli is coming this year. We’re told it will arrive ASAP, which is FCC privacy compliant on the filing (and associated images) ending in July. Meanwhile, the company revealed to us on Tuesday that it plans to launch a new line of Nest security cameras in 2021.

Elsewhere in Made by Google News, the company has confirmed that the Clearly White colorway of the Pixel 4a 5G will soon be available at more retailers. Until now, the Clearly White Pixel 4a 5G was only available through Verizon, which means it was only available on the $ 599 model with 5G mmWave support.

Holiday and trade-in shoppers may feel slightly offended that Google launched a new color after giveaway season, but that won’t happen until around February. It comes as Google is aggressively encouraging people to get the Pixel 4a 5G.

Another week, another streaming service. This week, Discovery + became the latest network-specific streaming service, offering content like The Discovery Channel, HGTV, Food Network, and more.

While Discovery + seems like a good addition to your streaming library, the platform is widely available on Google platforms. You can download Discovery + on Android TV and the new Chromecast on Google TV. The service also works through a native app on Android as well as through the web on Chromebooks. Discovery + also works with Chromecast devices and TVs with Chromecast built-in.