Android

Anyone googling "YouTube testing hidden dislike button on videos" is running into a policy that's been live for almost five years, not a new experiment. YouTube started hiding the public dislike count on November 10, 2021, while leaving the dislike button itself fully visible and clickable. The sources reviewed for this article do not establish that YouTube is conducting a new test to hide the dislike button itself.

A Reddit post covered by Android Authority describes a workaround to switch from Gemini back to Google Assistant by uninstalling updates to the Google app and then reopening the Assistant listing in the Play Store. It isn't an official Google procedure, and the reporting doesn't establish which phone models or Android versions it works on.

Some Pixel owners reported getting stuck in a bootloop after installing the March Android 16 QPR3 update, with phones hanging on the Google logo or failing to boot at all, according to a report from XDA Developers earlier in 2026. The reports span models from the Pixel 6 through the Pixel 10 and surfaced across several Reddit threads, according to the same report.

Saying "stop" to Gemini for Home used to be a gamble. Sometimes it killed whatever was playing; sometimes it just ended the back-and-forth while an alarm kept blaring in the background. Google's October 14 release notes for the Google Home app describe a fix for that: say "stop" now, and Gemini immediately ends the active listening session without a follow-up response, and it's supposed to correctly halt active music, a timer, or an alarm instead of just wrapping up the conversation. That's the...

For months, some Android Auto users have been glancing at their car dashboards only to find that the familiar cellular signal bars have disappeared. Their phones may still have reception, and navigation and music may work normally, but the indicator that once showed their connection strength is nowhere to be found.

Samsung's familiar One UI interface could be heading for its biggest overhaul in years. A new leak suggests the company is exploring a software project called Galaxy OS, potentially bringing deeper artificial intelligence integration and a different identity to future Galaxy phones. But newer reports have complicated the story, raising questions about when the changes might arrive and whether Samsung intends to retire the One UI name at all.

The Google Translate Android redesign rollout is underway, but it's patchy, and Google still hasn't said a word about it officially. Android Authority reported last Friday that the new interface showed up on two of its test phones running version 10.39.34.99, while other devices on the exact same build kept the old layout. Antihype reported the same day that Google is pushing the interface out gradually, with no official explanation yet of who qualifies or when.

Samsung's Galaxy S27 lineup is reportedly expanding from three phones to four, and that expansion is tangled up with a chip decision Samsung hasn't made yet. Samsung Galaxy S27 Ultra rumors have picked up through industry reporting out of Korea rather than leaked spec sheets this time, covering a new display material, a camera shake-up, and an unresolved fight over which processor powers the phone. Samsung's next top-tier device is expected to launch in the first quarter of 2027.

Google rolled out a new, Gemini-powered tier of scam protection for Google Messages yesterday, and it isn't landing on every Android phone at once. The list of Google Messages scam detection supported phones for this upgraded tier is much shorter than the list of devices that already run the feature's standard version, according to Google's security blog.

Samsung's intelligent eyewear, widely referred to in reports as the Galaxy Glasses, just got its most detailed leak yet, and the headline number is weight. The glasses reportedly weigh about 41g with standard lenses, making them among the lightest AI glasses expected to hit the market this year.

Chrome is building a Save Video Frame feature for its desktop Global Media Controls panel, a button meant to grab the active video frame as a clean image rather than a standard screenshot. Digital Citizen first reported the feature in April 2026. Chromium subsequently implemented it in July and enabled it by default in September. The feature has also been observed working in Chrome 155 builds, although availability across the stable channel remains unconfirmed.

Google's new Android sideloading restrictions took effect on September 30, 2026, bringing developer verification requirements to four countries. But Android users can still install apps outside Google Play, and the first round of enforcement is more limited than the broader policy might suggest.

The Google Pixel 10a price increase is already showing up at checkout. The phone's U.S. price jumped from $499 to $599 at the Google Store, and that new figure has spread to Amazon and Best Buy too.

Google may be testing location as a new signal for Pixel Launcher app suggestions. Android Authority spotted interface text yesterday that swaps "routines" for "location" in the wording Pixel Launcher uses to describe why certain apps surface on the home screen or in the app drawer. Nothing beyond that text has turned up, so this reads as an early signal, not a confirmed feature.

Google Calendar currently forces every calendar in an account to share one default event length. That might not last. A teardown of the Android app's code points to Google testing a per-calendar default event length setting, one that would let each calendar hold its own typical duration instead of borrowing a single number for the whole account, according to Android Authority.

TechRadar reported recently that Google is rolling out a batch of Google Home updates addressing errors with Nest cameras and doorbells, Matter device status, Find My Phone, and Automations, based on September 30 release notes from Google. The Gemini voice-assistant changes are labeled Early Access. Google does not apply that label to the separate Google Home app fixes.

A single leaker claims Samsung has reworked how the Galaxy S27 Ultra manages power during a charge, producing a reported 2-3% improvement in Galaxy S27 Ultra charging speed over the Galaxy S26 Ultra. The phone is also rumored to pack a notably larger 5,700mAh battery, a pairing that puts the 2-3% figure to a real test: does it keep pace with more battery to fill, or does it just take the edge off a charging-time penalty, according to SamMobile (yesterday) and Android Headlines (yesterday)?

On one Android phone, apps, texts, call history, and settings combined added up to less than 132MB, while photos and videos on the same device totaled 76GB (Android Police, 15 months ago). That's a striking example, not a universal rule, but it points toward the real question behind how to reduce Android backup storage in Google Drive: check what's actually filling the account before touching a single setting.

Google Messages has changed where several familiar actions live. Swipe left on a conversation now reveals timestamps and RCS encryption status, and swiping right on an individual message opens a direct reply that quotes the original text above your response. Learning these Google Messages gestures now will save you from hunting around for options that used to sit in plain sight.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 deal spotted by Tom's Guide puts the foldable at $1,649 on Best Buy's site, a price the outlet called $250 off, in a report published five days ago (Tom's Guide). That listing surfaced roughly two weeks before iPhone Duo preorders open on October 16, with Apple's foldable starting at $1,999 for the 256GB model (Apple Newsroom). If the Best Buy price still holds and both phones are matched on storage, the Fold 8 would land roughly $350 cheaper than Apple's entry-level...