Android: Page 5

Google removed a long-standing exemption from its cloud storage rules this week. Starting July 7, Android backups count toward Google Account storage: SMS messages, call history, and device settings now draw from the same shared quota as Gmail, Drive, Google Photos, and WhatsApp backups.

Starting July 22, US Android users will be able to download rival app stores directly from Google Play. Not because Google chose to allow it, but because a court ordered it, Google ran out of ways to delay, and the settlement that would have softened the requirement collapsed this week. Google Play handled 95% of US Android app downloads as of 2020, according to the Ninth Circuit. Putting third-party app stores on Google Play's own shelves is not a symbolic gesture. It's the first time any...

Samsung has pushed the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Flip 6 July 2026 security update to devices across Africa, Asia, and Europe, closing 57 vulnerabilities in a patch that carries no new features and no UI changes. Five of those flaws are rated critical. According to Android Headlines, the rollout is staged, so availability varies by model, region, and carrier.

Google has been replacing Google Assistant with Gemini in Android Auto, with the rollout expanding to 45 languages globally, per Google's announcement. If your phone already runs the Gemini app, you likely have access or will soon. The change matters more than a typical assistant update: Assistant frequently failed to register voice input at all, something a Tom's Guide tester called a near-daily occurrence. Gemini also removes the rigid syntax problem, so you can speak naturally and hold a...

Google Pixel gaming performance issues reported after last month's Android 17 update remain unresolved across multiple device generations, with neither the July security patch nor a follow-up Google Play System update this week resolving the complaints for affected users, Android Authority reported. Pixel 8, Pixel 9, Pixel 10 Pro, and Pixel 10 Pro XL owners are all among those affected. Google has not publicly acknowledged the problem or explained its cause.

Google launched Magic Cue as a headline feature of the Pixel 10 last August, describing it as "proactive support, tightly woven across your phone," per the launch announcement. Two months ago, the company introduced Gemini Intelligence as its new label for proactive AI across Android devices, using language that maps closely onto what Magic Cue already does. Google has not announced a rename. But taken together, the product descriptions, the rollout roadmap, and Google's track record with AI...

Samsung confirmed its Intelligent Eyewear will last up to nine hours on a single charge, with a charging case that provides up to seven additional full charges, Samsung Newsroom announced.

You cannot add an external user to a Google Chat group message. That limit is unchanged. According to Google documentation cited for this article, Google has made generally available: guest accounts that bring non-Google users into Chat spaces, shared Drive files, and Meet calls, all inside your organization's security perimeter and without a full Workspace license.

Six Pixel 11 model numbers have appeared in FCC certification records, confirming MediaTek modem hardware across the lineup and ending the Pixel line's reliance on Samsung modems since the Tensor-powered Pixel 6 generation.

Leaked renders of what appears to be Samsung's next flagship tablet surfaced this week showing a notch cut into the top edge of the display. No Samsung Galaxy Tab S or Tab A model has previously shipped with a notch, which makes this a genuine departure from the company's established design language. The renders have not been independently verified, and Samsung has not commented.

The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra has already launched. The Pixel 11 Pro XL is still months away, known mostly through leaks, CAD renders, and a Telegram channel. That asymmetry matters before anything else: comparing the Google Pixel 11 Pro XL vs Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra isn't a traditional head-to-head so much as a weighing of a known quantity against an ambitious pre-launch signal.

Samsung launched the Samsung Galaxy Card on Monday, its first-ever credit card in the United States, issued by Barclays US Consumer Bank on the Visa network. Public applications open July 22. A limited early-access window for select eligible customers began Monday, though Samsung has not specified what criteria determine eligibility.

A new Google Pixel Watch 5 leak gives the clearest look yet at the smartwatch's four reported finishes, two sizes, and a pricing structure that would mark the first series-wide increase in Pixel Watch history. The renders, attributed to leaker OnLeaks via The Tide Chart and reported this week by multiple outlets, show four reported finishes across the lineup's 41mm and 45mm sizes.

Google confirmed this week it is pushing a patch for the Android Auto 17.2 crash fix that users have been waiting on since early July. The fix covers both the stable and beta channels, and the company has published exact build numbers so users can confirm whether their device is protected. The update is in staged rollout now, per Android Authority and Android Headlines.

Samsung announced yesterday that Amazon Music will come preinstalled on millions of "select" Galaxy phones and tablets globally. New Amazon Music Unlimited subscribers, whether they have the app preinstalled or download it from the Galaxy Store, get a three-month free trial that auto-renews at $12.99 a month, or $11.99 for Prime members, unless canceled before the renewal date, per Digital Music News. What Samsung has not disclosed is which devices will ship with the app preloaded, what it...

Google has opened a limited Pixel Care+ enrollment window for U.S. owners of eligible Pixel 9 and Pixel 10 series phones who missed the standard 60-day signup period, Google announced on its blog this week. The window closes August 2. Android Police called it a rare second chance for owners who never enrolled and the word "rare" is doing real work there, since Google has not offered a comparable reopening on any announced schedule.

Samsung is set to reveal the Galaxy Z Fold 8, Fold 8 Ultra, and Flip 8 at Galaxy Unpacked in London on July 22. Reporting from multiple outlets points consistently toward a Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 price increase across at least some models, with the clearest jumps in the US Fold Ultra, Korean Flip 8 pricing, and high-capacity European tiers. The more complicated part: even where base MSRP appears flat, the effective launch-day cost could still be worse than last year if Samsung reduces the...

Samsung has confirmed the cause of the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra red screen problem that has been troubling owners since the phone launched earlier this year. The display discoloration is a software optimization failure, not a hardware defect, and affected owners can already get a fix at Samsung service centers while a broader over-the-air update is being prepared, Samsung confirmed Thursday, July 16, according to Chosun and subsequent reports.

This guide covers whether turning off Google Play Protect is the right call for your situation, how to do it if it is, and the specific steps to take immediately after. Skipping that last part is where most people get into trouble.

Strings pulled from Samsung firmware describe a dedicated settings page called "App screen zoom" that would let Galaxy users assign a different zoom level to individual apps, Android Authority reported today. The key detail in those strings: custom per-app settings would persist independently, so changing the system-wide zoom later wouldn't affect any app a user had already configured.

Samsung's "Free Double Storage" pre-order promotion may be about to cost buyers money. A report from Korean outlet Chosun claims Samsung will replace the Galaxy Z Fold 8 storage upgrade deal with a 50% subsidy, leaving Korean buyers paying an estimated 126,500 won—about $90 or £65 at current exchange rates—for the 256GB-to-512GB jump.

An unreleased build of Google Calendar for Android shows a new chip that would let Workspace users create Google Calendar focus time on Android directly, without touching a desktop browser. Android Authority spotted the "Focus time" entry point in version 2026.27.0-946652271-release today, sitting above the floating action button used to add calendar entries. The feature is not active, and Google has not announced a rollout date.

Reviewed by: Y. Garcia

No research data was available to verify pricing, software commitments, battery results, or cover screen specifications at the time of writing. What follows is a decision framework built around the criteria that actually separate these phones, in the order they matter. Treat it as the architecture for your own research before committing flagship money to either device.

Samsung's 2026 smartwatch lineup makes the buying decision unusually clear. The Galaxy Watch9 is the better fit for most buyers because it shares the Galaxy Watch Ultra2's processor, software, core sensors, and announced health features but starts at $320 less in the US. The Ultra2 primarily justifies its premium through longer battery life, stronger water protection, a brighter display, additional storage, and tools designed for trail sports and recreational diving.

For the past several Galaxy S generations, the answer to "should I buy the S or S Plus?" has been some version of "only if the Ultra is too big or too expensive." The cameras were fine. The batteries were adequate. Nothing about them was wrong, exactly they just weren't interesting. A batch of Galaxy S27 camera and battery leaks published today suggests Samsung is aware of that problem and may be doing something about it.

Spider-Man is currently fighting ninjas in Long Island City, Queens, and the image sits inside Google Maps exactly the way any other street-level photograph does. Google confirmed it staged five scenes at real New York City locations as part of a promotion for Spider-Man: Brand New Day, describing them as "custom Spider-Man moments staged and captured as the Street View car happened upon Spider-Man in action," per PCMag. The campaign also includes spideytracker.com, a dedicated microsite built...

Samsung could introduce two book-style foldables at different prices this year. A new report puts the wider Galaxy Z Fold 8 at $1,899 in the U.S., while the taller Fold 8 Ultra could start at $2,099.

Google's revamped Android 17 iOS migration tool for Pixel phones is live, and two Pixel generations that qualify for the OS can't use it. The updated Android Switch utility is limited to Pixel 8 and newer, plus a handful of Samsung foldables, leaving Pixel 6 and Pixel 7 owners with the OS update but none of the upgraded process's additional transfer capabilities. Pixel 8 owners fare only slightly better: they can access the tool exclusively during initial device setup.

Samsung just shipped silicon-carbon batteries in its new foldables for the first time. Now a credible Korean leaker says the same chemistry is being tested in the Galaxy S27 series, the phones that drive Samsung's actual volume. The Galaxy S27 silicon-carbon battery question isn't whether the technology works. It's whether Samsung puts it in the right phones at the right price.

In early June 2025, Google Home stopped recognizing one of the most basic thermostat commands its users could issue. Say "turn off the thermostat" and the platform returned an error then suggested trying "turn off the thermostat." Google fixed the Google Home Nest Thermostat hands-free control issue within days, posting a resolution via the GoogleNestCommunity Reddit account on June 10, 2025. No public explanation of what caused it was ever offered.

High-quality renders published July 8 offer the clearest look yet at Samsung's expected Galaxy Z Fold 8. The images show a shorter, wider foldable that departs from the tall smartphone shape used by the Galaxy Z Fold 7, potentially making the new model easier to carry and use for games, media, and everyday apps.

Google has brought Gemini Live to the original Home Mini and first-generation Nest Hub, the two oldest devices its October 2025 rollout skipped. The July 23 update puts these aging speakers in the same tier as the Nest Mini, Nest Audio, and second-gen Nest Hub. Two things matter before anything else: accessing Gemini Live on any of these devices costs $10 a month, and the underlying assistant has drawn sharp criticism from independent reviewers.

A setting buried inside Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 8 quietly acknowledges something the Android ecosystem has been slow to fix: ultra-wide foldable displays still cause problems for some apps, and someone has to compensate. Samsung's answer, at least for now, is a per-app zoom control tucked inside Settings → Advanced features → Labs. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 per-app zoom controls let users assign individual apps one of five scaling levels. Tipster Dylan H alerted Android Authority, which...

Until last week, the Pixel 11 price increase was a rumor. It isn't anymore. Google's VP of Devices and Services, Shakil Barkat, told 9to5Google that the entire Pixel family will see pricing "adjustments" rolled out "dynamically to match supply realities" and that phones already on sale could be affected too, with no timeline given. Google is announcing the next Pixel generation on August 12, per The Verge. Specific numbers come then. The policy behind them is already set.

Google will introduce the Pixel 11 at its Made by Google event on August 12, but early retail listings have already complicated the upgrade decision for Pixel 10 Pro XL owners. The Pixel 11 Pro XL could start at $1,299 while giving its least expensive configuration less RAM than the current model.

Google Play Store's July 2026 update quietly added two search changes to Android phones: the search input box now expands to two lines, and the store will begin showing natural language queries. Both entries appear in the v52.4 release notes covered by 9to5Google this week. What's confirmed is the interface change. What isn't confirmed is whether the underlying search engine can actually do more with a longer, descriptive query than it could with two keywords.

Samsung may be considering one of its most notable Galaxy S camera changes in years. Early Galaxy S27 leaks suggest the standard models are being tested with Sony main sensors, while the rumored Pro and Ultra phones could receive higher-resolution ultrawide, telephoto, and selfie cameras.

The Galaxy S26 FE has turned up in the UL Demko certification database with confirmed support for 45W wired charging, a spec that would put Samsung's budget-oriented handset ahead of the base Galaxy S26, which is still expected to top out at 25W. The Galaxy S26 FE 45W charging leak covers six regional model numbers and aligns with Samsung's Super Fast Charging 2.0 standard, SamMobile and Android Headlines both reported this week. The same 45W ceiling appeared on the Galaxy S25 FE, meaning the...

Pixel 4a owners are reporting that Google's July Play system update has resolved the boot-loop problem that has plagued the phone for weeks. Affected users have posted on Reddit's Pixel 4a community confirming the reported Pixel 4a reboot-glitch fix worked for them, Android Authority reported.