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👙 Good morning and welcome to Tuesday’s Daily Authority! This week we’re having a little bit of a heatwave in Scotland, with a balmy 10°C predicted for tomorrow, so whereas it may not fairly be seashore climate, it’s lastly not under zero anymore…

We’re already wanting ahead to Android 14, with developer previews touchdown round March. So far, we’ve seen some particulars of the brand new Android model trickle out, and it appears to be like as if app downloads might be affected throughout the board by one among these adjustments.

• According to 9to5Google, Android 14 will begin to absolutely block apps focusing on older Android variations.
• Current Play Store pointers imply new apps should goal at the very least Android 12, and Google’s all the time asking builders to maintain their apps up to date.
• This solely applies to the Google Play Store, although, so it’s straightforward sufficient to sideload apps that focus on older Android variations, and you may obtain an older app from the Play Store that doesn’t adjust to minimal OS necessities in the event you’ve put in it previously.
• With Android 14, that’s set to alter as API necessities change into stricter and outdated apps are utterly blocked on the Google Play Store, in addition to the choice to sideload such apps.
• Google’s doing this to cut back potential malware unfold, as some apps deliberately goal older variations of Android in an effort to get round safety protections.
• So your system might be safer, however sideloading outdated apps might be a factor of the previous.

In different information at present, somebody fitted a Pixel 5a battery right into a Pixel 4a for a 17% battery increase.

• A Redditor claims they changed the three,885mAh battery on their Pixel 4a with the Pixel 5a‘s 4,680mAh battery.
• This isn’t one thing to attempt at house, although, because the Redditor in query has years of expertise in PCB design and restore.
• Though each batteries initially appeared equivalent, the Pixel 5a’s battery was really 4.5mm taller and 0.4mm thicker than the Pixel 4a’s cell, in addition to being 1.4mm narrower.
• So it wasn’t an ideal match, and the cellphone’s battery administration system needed to be moved to accommodate the brand new battery.
• A “visually imperceptible” bulge remained behind the cellphone, however a 17% improve in battery life was the top consequence. Not dangerous!
• There might be some dangers concerned in the long term, although, like the specter of the battery exploding, battery enlargement, and software program compatibility.
• Though the Redditor reckons they’ve taken care of this, we nonetheless don’t advocate you do that at house. Hopefully, they’ll put up some future updates to see if the DIY battery substitute labored out as supposed.

👩‍🚀 The Dead Space remake is just some days away (January 27), however apparently, it’ll have an alternate ending, although no spoilers have leaked (Rock Paper Shotgun).

A Japanese gamer’s pet fish spent his cash within the Nintendo retailer after a livestreaming experiment went fallacious.

• YouTuber Mutekimaru‘s experiment was designed to see if his pet fish might full a online game after spending north of three,000 hours finishing a earlier recreation within the sequence.
• He used motion-tracking software program and a webcam pointed on the fishbowl to watch actions and translate them into button inputs.
• The fish could be seen swimming throughout a grid mapped onto their bowl, with every sq. labeled with a command on the Switch’s controller.
• The fish performed the newest Pokemon title, famend for its bugs.
• After enjoying for greater than 1,100 hours, the title crashed, however the Nintendo Switch saved translating the fish’s actions into button instructions.
• They navigated to the shop and added 500 yen ($3.84) to Mutekimaru’s account utilizing his saved bank card, additionally exposing card particulars to these viewing.
• The meddling fish additionally managed to alter his account identify, triggered a obtain from the shop, and had PayPal ship him a affirmation e-mail.
• Luckily, Nintendo was understanding and granted the YouTuber a refund.

Before you go, why not try our decide of the very best free Nintendo Switch video games in the event you’re feeling the pinch this January?

Paula Beaton, Copy Editor.