If you have a device running on Android Lollipop or above, then you have access to Google’s Smart Lock features like trusted devices, trusted places, or on-body detection just to name a few. If you’re a current user of Flipboard, or considering checking out their application on your Android smartphone or tablet, then having a device with the smart unlock option is even better because Flipboard just added support for the functionality for logging in as opposed to having to type in a username and password. This is also thanks in part to Google Play Services which remembers your password and allows Smart Lock to deliver that information to Flipboard automatically when you’re ready to use it.
The new Google Smart Lock support comes to Flipboard as part of the most recent update to the application which brings the app forward to version 3.4.7, and should already be live in the Play Store for you to access it. If you don’t have Flipboard installed yet, you can grab it from the Play Store button below this post. As it stands, the Smart Lock support is also the only new thing about this update, so if you don’t particularly care about Smart Lock and don’t use it, then it may not matter much to you that it’s been added into the Flipboard app.
For those that do use it though, any other devices that you’re signed into with your Google account should allow Flipboard to remember your password and log you into the app quickly and with very little effort. If you’re the type who isn’t great at remembering passwords or simply has too many to remember every single one, this should be a welcomed addition to the user experience. If you’ve never used Flipboard before, it’s a news application that compiles the types of news categories you want to read about from various sources all in one place, with large thumbnail style images for some categories or groups. Not only is the app functional (even more so now with the Smart Lock support) but it also has a decent visual appeal that has helped garner it a large following over the years. If you can’t see the updated app in the Play Store just yet, you can also grab the APK from the second button down below this post.
Download Flipboard v3.4.7 APK