Is this the Galaxy S23’s best new feature?

😁 Have a nice day, Andy again! With Hadlee in Barcelona for MWC 2023, I take the reins. Thanks to an early power outage, I had a late start, but we’re back for a few hours at least.

The team played with the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra for a while, discovering its positives and weaknesses and understanding its advantages over its rivals. NOW, YY Dhruv Bhutani tackled another positive – Android’s new Fast Pair system.

• No one wants to spend all day installing a smartphone.
• For us, we go through this process several times a month when a new device drops.
• Thankfully, Google is finally expanding its Quick pairing service capabilities to encompass the entire smartphone setup process.

The process is improving

• Fast Pair is built into Android and uses a combination of Bluetooth low energy and software to initiate a pairing response between two devices.
• Initially, this was limited to accessories like listeners or headphones. Now, those capabilities include smartphones.
• So how does it work?
• When setting up a new phone (in our case, the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra), a prompt will appear on your existing phone with a QR Code.
• “Scanning the QR code on the phone opened Samsung’s Smart Switch utility, after which I just had to choose the apps and files I wanted to transfer to my new phone,” Dhruv explains.
• For older Android phones, you’ll need to go through a few more steps.
• “The QR code and prompt to set up a new phone will still be there, but what they do is speed up normal Android setup by automatically connecting your new phone to your Wi-Fi and importing your accounts Google without forcing you to enter them,” notes Dhruv.
• From there, you’ll still need to enter your Google password to access the usual Android restore process.

So what’s the verdict?

• The new Fast Pair enhancements are a welcome addition to the Android toolkit, especially since most Android OEMs have their own data transfer utility.
• Fast Pair simply acts as a trigger for these utilities, but buyers who aren’t necessarily tech-savvy are immediately pointed in the right direction.
• Dhruv is full of praise for these upgrades, but that’s also thanks to Samsung’s own software.
• “The app not only moved my existing apps, but also kept login signatures for most of them. All my files were also copied and placed in the same place they were before.”
• For now, the new Fast Pair system is only available on Samsung’s latest smartphonesbut keep an eye out for adoption of the improvements by other major brands in the coming months.

thursday thing

Remember all those finally identified balloons floating across North America just a few weeks ago? Japanese authorities have encountered something even stranger (h/t The Guardian).

• What is described as a large iron ball measuring about 1.5 meters in diameter was found sunbathing on Enshu Beach, Hamamatsu.
• Although initial fears were that the bullet was a weapon, X-rays suggest it is entirely hollow.
• There is also no indication that the balloon was involved in any North Korean or Chinese espionage activities.
• Of course, there is a boring theory about its origin.
• Two raised handles on either side suggest it is part of a mooring buoy that has somehow come loose.
• Alternatively, some people think it’s one of the Dragon Balls.
• Others think it was a UFO that fell from the sky.
• Well, we should find out in the next few days exactly what the strange iron ball actually is (when aliens come looking for it, of course).

Have a good Thursday,