Phone Scoop logo Phone Scoop


  • New Windows Feature Mounts Your Android Phone Like a Disk

    12:02pm By Rich Brome
    Microsoft has released a new beta version of its Link to Windows app for Windows 11. This version comes with a new feature that lets you automatically display your Android phone's files directly in the Windows File Explorer, just like any connected disk/drive.…
  • FCC Revamps its Mobile Speed Test app

    Tue 3:08pm By Rich Brome
    The FCC has launched a new mobile app for consumers to test the data performance of mobile networks themselves and contribute to the FCC's database of real-world mobile broadband speeds by area. Unlike the old app, the new FCC Mobile Speed Test app has a…
  • Boost Merges Brands

    Jul 18, 2024, 4:21 pm By Rich Brome
    Boost Mobile has consolidated its Boost Mobile (pre-paid) and Boost Infinite (post-paid) offerings into one unified brand and website, now known as simply "Boost Mobile". The change comes with updated, unified service plans, most of which are no-contract and…
  • HMD Launches Repairable Affordable-Flagship Model

    Jul 18, 2024, 3:05 pm By Rich Brome
    HMD today announced the HMD Skyline, the company's first "premium" model under its own HMD brand. The phone is easily repairable thanks to a unique "internal screw-driven camshaft" that lets you pop open the back cover with just the turn of a screw. The…
  • Google Pixel 9 Series Revealed: at Least Four Models This Year

    Jul 16, 2024, 3:33 pm By Rich Brome
    Google's Pixel 9 series of phones has leaked via official regulatory filings for Taiwan. In addition to a standard, Pro, and Fold model, this year's lineup will include a Pixel 9 Pro XL, meaning the Pro model will come in two sizes. [Update: Google has also…
  • iOS 18 Reaches Public Beta

    Jul 15, 2024, 6:15 pm By Rich Brome
    Apple has released the first beta version of iOS 18 intended for curious non-developer iPhone users. iOS 18 introduces a bevy of new features, including more customizable home screen and Control Center, redesigned Photos app, and many new features in Messages.…
  • Verizon, T-Mobile Protest Allocation of 4.9 GHz Band to AT&T's FirstNet

    Jul 15, 2024, 2:03 pm By Rich Brome
    The FCC has proposed that the 4.9 GHz band be managed by FirstNet, a 5G network dedicated to public safety and operated by AT&T. The 4.9 GHz band (4,940–4,990 MHz) has been set aside for local public safety use since 2002, but local agencies have found it…
  • TCL Brings Two NXTPAPER Phones to US Carriers

    Jul 12, 2024, 12:51 pm By Rich Brome
    After several years of promoting its NXTPAPER matte-display technology, TCL has finally landed two different NXTPAPER phone models with US carriers. Spectrum Mobile is now offering the TCL 50 XE NXTPAPER 5G for $150, while regional carrier C Spire is now…
  • AT&T Discloses New Data Breach

    Jul 12, 2024, 8:13 am By Rich Brome
    AT&T has disclosed a data breach involving nearly all call and text records from its wireless network covering a period of several months in mid-2022. This includes both AT&T customers and customers of other carriers that use the AT&T network. The records only…
  • Android Gains Support for Thread

    Jul 11, 2024, 1:37 pm By Rich Brome
    Android 15 will include support for phones with a built-in Thread radio for connecting directly to Matter smart-home devices. No such Android phones yet exist, but the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 pro Max include Thread radios for the first time. A typical Matter…
  • Total by Verizon Rebrands, Remixes Plans

    Jul 11, 2024, 11:20 am By Rich Brome
    Of Verizon's multiple prepaid brands, Total by Verizon might have the most confusing branding. Which is why the company is rebranding the offering to just "Total Wireless". Total is also remixing its service offerings so that all plans now include 5G. Total…
  • Samsung's New Foldables Bring Small Refinements Inside and Out

    Jul 10, 2024, 11:06 am By Rich Brome
    Samsung has revealed its newest flagship foldable phones: the Galaxy Z Fold6 and Galaxy Z Flip6. The two models have a new, more angular design with flat sides. They're Samsung's slimmest and lightest foldables ever, and also most durable thanks to Armor…
  • Galaxy Ring Joins Samsung's New Wearable Lineup

    Jul 10, 2024, 10:32 am By Rich Brome
    Samsung has launched a new lineup of wearable devices, including the all-new Galaxy Ring, as well as the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra, Watch7, and Buds3 series. The Galaxy Ring is similar in concept the Oura Ring: a health-tracking device small enough fit into a…
  • Pink Motorola razr+ Exclusive to T-Mobile

    Jul 9, 2024, 1:17 pm By Rich Brome
    T-Mobile will have an exclusive on the "hot pink" color for the new Motorola razr+ flagship foldable phone in the US. Pre-orders start tomorrow, July 10.
  • NFC Starts Push to Standardize "Multi-Purpose Tap"

    Jul 2, 2024, 1:41 pm By Rich Brome
    The NFC Forum is gearing up to define standards for Multi-Purpose Tap, which will enable a single tap of your phone to perform multiple actions at once. NFC Forum is the standards body for Near Field Communication (NFC) technology (AKA contactless or "tap").…
  • FCC Proposes Mandate for Phone Unlocking After 60 Days

    Jun 27, 2024, 3:38 pm By Rich Brome
    FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel has proposed that the Commission require mobile providers to unlock customers' mobile phones 60 days after the device is activated. (Unlocking would let customers take their phone and use it with any other compatible…
  • Apple Loosens Some Repair Restrictions

    Jun 27, 2024, 3:32 pm By Rich Brome
    Apple has quietly issued a new paper revealing plans to make it easier to repair iPhones and improve functionality when using third-party parts. Currently, when an iPhone detects that a third-party part has been installed, it disables certain features that…
  • Verizon Refreshes Brand, Adds Perks

    1:50pm By Rich Brome
    Verizon today launched a new logo for the company. The new logo trades a red checkmark for a soft yellow glow in the "v" of the wordmark. The company is also expanding its smartphone trade-in program and rolling our new ticket-access perks. "Verizon Access" is…
  • Hands On with the Motorola razr and razr+ (2024)

    Tue 12:12pm By Rich Brome
    Motorola has a refreshed pair of razr foldables for 2024 and they come with a solid set of upgrades over last year's models. Most notably, the $700 model now has a full-size outer display, making it look much more like a premium foldable while offering…
  • Motorola Upgrades its razr Foldables Across the Board

    Tue 12:00pm By Rich Brome
    Motorola has revealed its new razr and razr+ foldable phones for 2024. While the price points are unchanged at $700 and $1,000, both models get important upgrades. The most obvious and important is that the cheaper model now has the same large (3.6-inch) OLED…