Android: Page 3

Android users spotted something unfamiliar in their Play Store update queues last Saturday, Aug. 22, 2026: an app called "Android Pulse," often showing up as a blank square with no icon at all. So what is the Android Pulse app doing on millions of phones? According to 9to5Google, it's a first-party Google tool built for diagnostics rather than anything malicious, and its Play Store listing shows more than 10 million downloads.

Google has begun rolling out its "Take notes for me" tool for in-person meetings, starting with Android, the company said Thursday. Once fully deployed, Google Meet take notes for in-person meetings will let Gemini turn a room conversation into a transcript, summary, and action items saved to Drive, the same way it already handles scheduled video calls (Google Workspace Updates, Aug. 13, 2026).

A leaked hands-on video posted by Instagram account mundoelectronica.aa has given the clearest look yet at Samsung's unannounced Galaxy S26 FE, showing the phone next to its retail packaging in a glossy shade reportedly called "Blueberry." Android Authority described it as showing off every important design element of the phone, retail box included, making it the most complete pre-launch look at the device so far.

Google is rolling out a Gemini feature that saves where people stash things they rarely use, so they can ask for the spot back months later. The company's own example: tell Gemini where you put your passport, and Gemini will save the location, according to The Verge, reporting on Google's announcement today.

Google's own product page for the Pixel 11 shows a short video of a color-shifting orb glowing on the side of the camera bar, The Verge reported last month. That single detail is confirmed, straight from Google's store, not a leak. The rest of the Google Pixel 11 Pro teaser story, including the feature's name, whether it's limited to the Pro model, and whether it replaces an existing sensor, comes from one outlet's reading of leaked information rather than any spec sheet Google has published,...

Google's Made by Google 2026 event lands this Wednesday, August 12, in New York, where the company is expected to unveil a new Pixel lineup that ZDNET describes as four phones: the Pixel 11, Pixel 11 Pro, Pixel 11 Pro XL, and a Pixel 11 Pro Fold. CNET's coverage of the same Google Pixel 11 launch event corroborates three of those four models and adds a Pixel Watch 5 to the guest list, though its reporting doesn't specifically name the Pro XL.

Apple popularized the idea of bringing two phones together to share content. Google is now introducing a similar workflow for some Android devices. The Android Quick Share tap to share feature started rolling out this week, adding a new way for Pixel owners to start sharing files and contact info.

Google's Gemini for Home rollout is easier to understand once you separate what is free from what requires a subscription. The basic Gemini for Home voice assistant costs nothing extra on compatible speakers and displays, while Google Home Premium adds more advanced conversation, automation, and camera features.

A guide posted on XDA Forums last year describes a way to run Samsung DeX on a Galaxy Z Fold's internal screen, with no monitor, dock, or book cover attached.

Google introduced the Pixel 11, Pixel 11 Pro and Pixel 11 Pro XL on Wednesday, and the camera specs are doing most of the talking. The base Pixel 11 now carries a 30x Super Zoom, while the Pro models jump to a claimed 120x Pro Zoom, Google says. All three phones run on the company's new Tensor G6 chip, which Google links to several of the camera upgrades. The Pixel 11 camera vs iPhone camera comparison isn't a single matchup, though: the base and Pro tiers need to be judged on their own terms.

Galaxy phones running One UI 9.0 can now fully uninstall Microsoft SwiftKey rather than just disabling it, according to SamMobile's hands-on test on a Galaxy S26 Ultra running Beta 5. Anyone who has wanted to uninstall Microsoft SwiftKey on a Samsung Galaxy One UI 9 phone now has a straightforward path, at least on the device SamMobile checked directly.

Google's August 2026 System Release Notes list updates for Play services, the Play Store, and several Android components, covering categories the company labels Phone, Tablet, Wear, Auto, and PC, according to 9to5Google, which published the changelog on August 10. They do not identify a Samsung Galaxy model, a One UI build, or a Samsung rollout date.

Between the start of August and today, Android Authority ran three separate reader polls about the Pixel 11. Together, they paint a picture of weak upgrade enthusiasm, and two of the three raise concerns about Pixel 11 overheating and battery life specifically, rather than cameras or design. Google's own pitch for the phone, at least as covered by outside reporting, points somewhere else entirely: toward computational photography tools and creative software, not the hardware fundamentals its...

The European Commission today fined Google roughly $1 billion for manipulating search results to disadvantage rivals and blocking app developers from steering users toward cheaper deals outside its Play Store, then ordered the company to overhaul both products within 60 days, according to Axios.

When Samsung brought back the flip phone in 2020, the product practically marketed itself. The clamshell form factor carried decades of cultural memory, and Samsung packaged that nostalgia into a premium device that felt genuinely different. For a few years, the Flip was the clear winner in Samsung's foldable lineup, according to SamMobile, a remarkable result for what was, structurally speaking, a phone that folded the wrong way for productivity.

Leaked specifications circulating this week indicate Samsung is splitting its Galaxy Z Fold 8 lineup into two distinct display tiers. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra screen size is reported at 8 inches for the main panel and 6.5 inches for the cover screen, matching the current Fold 7's dimensions. The standard Fold 8, by contrast, drops to a 7.6-inch inner display and a 5.5-inch cover screen. Android Authority, Notebookcheck, SamMobile, The Verge, and Trusted Reviews have all reported on the...

Samsung launched the Samsung Health Assistant beta Tuesday, opening its first fully integrated AI-powered health tool inside Samsung Health to eligible U.S. users. Rather than presenting biometric data as graphs to decode, the assistant lets users ask questions about their health, check their daily Energy Score, and receive personalized health guidance across five wellness pillars: sleep, activity, nutrition, mindfulness, and vitals. The shift Samsung is positioning here is from a dashboard you...

Google released Android 17 QPR 2 Beta 1 on July 20, 2026, build CP41.260701.005, and the entire release is structured around repairs. The three headline fixes address Bluetooth accessories silently failing to reconnect after a disconnect, Pixel devices rebooting when invoking Gemini, and notifications randomly going invisible, per Google's official release notes. One notable gap: the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro are absent from the supported device list, despite both receiving the stable July...

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra vs Motorola Razr Fold matchup is the most competitive the book-style foldable category has seen. For seven years, Samsung refined this segment largely without a serious large-format rival. The Motorola Razr Fold is Motorola's first attempt at that space, and it comes in swinging on hardware: a 6,000mAh silicon-carbon battery against the Z Fold line's 4,400mAh, and charging speeds of 80W wired and 50W wireless against Samsung's 25W and 15W (PCMag UK reported in...

Chrome on Android has added a new layer between websites and your notification tray: an on-device machine learning model that screens incoming notifications for spam and deception after you've already granted permission. When the model flags something, Chrome holds the notification back and presents a choice. This isn't a redesigned permission dialog. It's a content filter operating inside a channel you voluntarily opened, and it represents a meaningful shift in how Chrome thinks about...