⚡ Welcome to The Weekly Authority, the Android Authority newsletter that breaks down the top Android and tech news from the week. The 222nd edition here, with the Pixel 7’s (unofficial) 32-bit support, a plethora of Black Friday goodness, all the latest Twitter drama (which seems to be an ongoing thing, now), amazing moon views from NASA’s Orion, and more…

🦃 Happy Thanksgiving weekend! Hope you’re all enjoying the holidays and are suitably full of turkey with all the trimmings (or whatever delicious celebratory meal you’ve enjoyed). I’ve been browsing PS5 game deals, but haven’t made a purchase… yet.

Popular news this week

Google:

• You can now (unofficially) add 32-bit support to your Pixel 7 phone.
• Google’s Project Zero finds that millions of phones with Mali GPUs are at risk from exploits due to slow response from OEMs.
• Don’t fall for these common Gmail scams this festive season, as detailed by Google.
• Android 13 fixes Android Auto call issues on Pixel phones; Google still investigating Pixel 7 issues.
• Bye-bye Twitter? An official Google social account is now on Mastodon.
• Google Messages is finally giving us the power to react however we want.
• And Pixel Watch confirmed to support transit cards in Google Wallet with future update.

Samsung:

• Move over Apple, the Galaxy S23 series could offer satellite support with a key upgrade.
• A growing number of Samsung owners are using the same terrible password
• Samsung could finish its One UI 5 rollout soon.
• Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip 3 is now getting stable Android 13 update: The Galaxy Z Fold 3 is getting in on the action too .

OnePlus:

• The OnePlus 11 could have a surprisingly premium body.

Apple:

• Uh oh… Brazilian regulator seizes iPhones from retail stores as Apple fails to comply with charger requirement.
• SwiftKey is unexpectedly back on iOS following its App Store removal in October.
• Is your iPhone’s usage data anonymous? Apple says yes, but new tests show otherwise.

Social media:

• Donald Trump’s Twitter account was reinstated after Elon Musk held a public poll, with 51.8% of Twitter users voting in favor of reinstatement — but the former president is sticking with Truth Social for now.
• Elon Musk posts pictures with engineers as they leave a Twitter ‘code review’ at 1:30 AM.
• And Musk demands weekly updates from Twitter employees to “innovate rapidly.”
• Meanwhile, Fired SpaceX employees made a list of Elon Musk’s 25 worst Tweets.
• Facebook is making teens’ accounts more private by default, will encourage users under 16 to enable more restrictive privacy settings.
• Meta researchers create AI that masters Diplomacy, tricking human players.
• According to a new investigative report, major tax filing websites in the US have been sending sensitive data to Facebook.
• And EU confirms multiple ongoing investigations into TikTok data practices.

Space:

• NASA ‘giddy’ over amazing moon views from Artemis 1 Orion spacecraft.
• NASA will not change the James Webb Telescope’s name.
• UK surgeon named world’s first astronaut with a disability: No word on John McFall’s first flight, but he’ll enter a 12-month training program next spring.

Elsewhere: 

• The vivo X90 series is now official. The line is once again contending for the best camera phone title.
• And HONOR Magic Vs foldable launched: A cheap Galaxy Z Fold 4 rival with stylus — China only for now, though.
• First Fitbit Sense 2 and Versa 4 update rolls out: Screen cover gesture and on-wrist calls.
• Amazon Alexa is a “colossal failure,” on pace to lose $10 billion this year.
• We asked, you told us: Your phone definitely supports dual SIMs.
• More poll results: You prefer stock Pixel 7 Pro shots to a photographer’s edits.
• Tesla issues back-to-back recalls: The automaker recalled over 350,000 vehicles from US customers last weekend.
• Speaking of, Tesla’s full self-driving beta is now available to everyone in North America.
• Thought BMW’s heated seat subscription was silly? Mercedes locks faster acceleration behind a $1,200 annual paywall.
• And Sony Honda electric cars may incorporate PlayStation 5.
• Meanwhile, a BBC documentary used face-swapping AI to hide protesters’ identities.
• Something interesting: How much would you pay to see a woolly mammoth?

Movies/TV:

• Our pick of this week’s best new streaming movies includes sci-fi horror flick Duel and Joe Wright’s adaptation of Cyrano de Bergerac.
• We’ve also got the week’s best new streaming shows, like the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, and a “creepy and kooky” Netflix adaptation.
• Some sad news: Long-time Power Ranger Jason David Frank has passed away.
• Ben Affleck and Matt Damon to start film production company, will share profits with their actors and crew.
• We enjoyed the Walking Dead season finale, but what should you watch next?
• With the Willow follow-up series on the horizon, what other classic titles could Disney revive as streaming shows?
• According to Empire, John Wick 4 is a cross between ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, Zatoichi, and a Greek myth.’ 
• Amazon orders eight-episode limited series about the FTX scandal from Russo Brothers‘ AGBO, ’Hunters’ creator David Weil, hopefully in production spring 2023.
• Finally: Amazon plans to invest $1 billion a year in movies for theaters, aiming to make between 12 and 15 movies annually for theatrical release.

Gaming: 

• Buying a Nintendo Switch this Black Friday? Here’s what else you should buy.
• Reviews are in for Evil West: IGN calls it “a refreshing blast from the past that nails the most important parts of its old-school, vampire-hunting action,” while Eurogamer says it’s “a gleeful splat-’em-up featuring a lovely bag of tricks.”
• Ubisoft games are returning to Steam: Assassin’s Creed Valhalla’s coming December 6, and the game’s getting a free epilogue to wrap up dangling plot threads on that date, too.
• Epic alleges Google paid $360 million to keep Activision from launching its own app store.
• Speaking of, Feds likely to challenge Microsoft’s $69bn Activision takeover: Three sources say the FTC is likely to file a lawsuit to halt the deal.
• Microsoft says it offered Sony a 10-year deal to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation.
• It’s not been a good technical start for the new titles, but Pokémon Scarlet and Violet’s bugs are the funniest part of the game.
• Did you get a refund for your Stadia Pro subscription? Bad news; it’s just an error.
• Microsoft admits its games are worse than Sony’s: The company said “many of [Sony’s first-party games] are of better quality” than its own output.

Reviews

• Amazon Echo Dot (5th gen) review: Maybe the only Alexa smart speaker you need — “It doesn’t reinvent the wheel (or sphere), but it doesn’t have to” (Android Authority).
• HONOR Magic Vs hands-on impressions: The on-paper foldable king — “Out from under HUAWEI’s shadow, HONOR is taking aim at Samsung’s foldable market lead with the Magic Vs” (Android Authority).
• The Logitech G Cloud is a failure from the future — “The G Cloud does offer plenty of ways to game, but it casts such a wide net that it fails to excel at anything” (Android Authority).

Features

• A gaming keyboard didn’t make me a better gamer, but it was still worth buying — “Razer has put together a mechanical keyboard so compelling, it’s almost a no-brainer when on sale” (Android Authority).
• Handy tips for buying headphones as a gift this Christmas — From advice for real music lovers to buying pitfalls to avoid (Android Authority).
• Are you ready for workplace brain scanning? “Extracting and using brain data will make workers happier and more productive, backers say” (IEEE Spectrum).
• Can you get sued for using a meme? “In recent years, the subjects and photographers behind some of the internet’s most popular memes have taken legal action to protect their work from nefarious actors” (The Hustle).
• Autonomous vehicles join the list of US national security threats: “Lawmakers are growing concerned about a flood of data-hungry cars from China taking over American streets” (Wired).

Weekly Wonder

Unless you’ve been sleeping under a rock this past week, you’ve probably noticed it’s Black Friday weekend. We’ve got a roundup of all the best deals, money-saving tips, and more, coming right up…

• But first, did you know that Black Friday sales usually start well before the big day? You might already have picked up some bargains earlier this week.
• The sale continues into Cyber Monday, which this year falls on November 28.
• Black Friday started in the US, but has since become an international event.
• In case you need any help finding the best Black Friday deals — and let’s face it, browsing for them can be exhausting — we’ve done the hard work and rounded up everything you need in one place.
• We’ve also rounded up the best UK Black Friday deals and top Canada Black Friday deals, if you live in either of those countries.
• Looking for some Black Friday streaming deals? Here are all the best savings on Hulu, Peacock, HBO Max, and more — plus, we’ve got the best Black Friday streaming device deals on Roku, Amazon Fire, and more, too.
• And AA‘s Nick Fernandez did an epic roundup of top deals in Friday’s Daily Authority.

Save even more money this Black Friday

Before you get your wallet out, we’ve also got some money-saving tips for you.

• AA‘s Senior Audience Engagement Manager John Dye recommends abandoning your cart — so, add the deals you want to buy, go through the checkout process, but stop just before making payment. “Many of these companies have ‘re-engagement’ or ‘recapture’ campaigns that offer discounts to encourage you to complete your purchase,” Dye explains. By not completing a purchase, your cart triggers this system, which will then automatically send you a nudge to buy, usually along with some sort of discount. Sweet!
• AA Writer Mark O’Neill also recommends this method for saving money and has got up to 20% off in the past — however, he notes that this method won’t work with all retailers, such as Amazon, for example.
• AA contributor and Executive Editor of our sister site Drone Rush, Jonathan Feist, is also a fan of abandoning his cart, but for a different reason. By leaving items he wants to buy in his cart, he’s letting Amazon’s suggestion algorithms find cheaper alternatives. This may take a day or two, but even if you don’t find a cheaper option, you’ll be able to keep an eye on the deal in your cart in case it becomes even cheaper.
• Check out our guide for even more money-saving tips this Black Friday.
• Elsewhere, Wired has some helpful advice to help you avoid Black Friday scams.

Tech Calendar

• November 25-28: Black Friday (and Cyber Monday) sales
• November 28-December 2: Amazon Reinvent
• December 2: The Callisto Protocol launches on PS4, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X, and PC (not in Japan)
• January 5-8, 2023: CES 2023 (Las Vegas)

Tech Tweet of the Week

Something extra: Weird thrift store shirts that you won’t be able to stop scrolling…

Until next week,

Paula Beaton, Copy Editor.