Apple held its annual WWDC keynote today. A lot of the presentation was dedicated to AI: There were some novel applications of the tech, like a new Reframe feature that lets you simulate repositioning your iPhone camera after taking a photo, creating an image that looks like the same moment shot from a different perspective. Then there’s Siri AI, which sounds more or less like Gemini built for iOS.

The new version of Siri can do a lot of the same things Google likes to talk about Gemini doing. It can answer questions conversationally across Apple’s different platforms, react to content on your screen, and access information both from the internet and across your personal Apple account. There’s also a new, dedicated Siri app where your interactions are saved so you can revisit them later.

Apple is in the middle of showing off its latest advancements at the company’s 2026 Worldwide Developers Conference — including a major, Gemini-powered overhaul to Apple Intelligence. And while that understandably includes a lot of features that feel very similar to what we can do with Gemini on Android, we’re learning about at least a few that Google badly needs to copy, including a handy way to tweak how your voice assistant sounds.

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Google introduced new restrictions for installing apps from sources outside of the Play Store earlier this spring. For average users, having to wait a day to install that APK probably won’t matter all that much. For some enthusiasts, though, it’s the change will be a considerable new inconvenience. Going by a recent Android Authority poll, that includes a lot of you.

In a survey we’ve been running since late May, we asked whether our readers have ever installed an Android app from anywhere other than the Play Store. Unsurprisingly, most respondents have — with the largest share saying they do so regularly.

A few months ago, we revealed that Samsung was working on support for a raise-to-talk gesture for activating its virtual assistant, Bixby. That early hint now appears to be taking shape in a more refined form, as a SamMobile report suggests Samsung is developing a new Gesture Wake-up feature expected to arrive with One UI 9.

Instead of relying on the usual “Hi Bixby” wake phrase or tapping a shortcut, you can simply pick up your phone, bring it closer to your face, and start speaking.

There aren’t many AI tools I rely on every single day, but NotebookLM is one of them. It has become my go-to tool whenever I need to sift through large amounts of information without losing track of where the facts came from. Now, Google’s latest update aims to make that experience even better.

Most smart glasses available today have built-in indicator lights to let those around you know when you’re recording video or taking photos, but in the US, there’s nothing stopping manufacturers from skipping that feature in future releases. A newly introduced bill could change that, requiring smart glasses sold or used in the state of Pennsylvania to visibly indicate when users are recording.

Introduced by State Rep. Joe Ciresi, House Bill 2603 would require wearable recording devices like smart glasses to include a “visual indicator” that clearly shows when audio or video is being recorded, Gizmodo reports. The bill would also make it illegal to obscure or disable the indicator.

There are only a few old games that reach the level of Max Payne. It offered an excellent story, great graphics (for its time), and the innovative “bullet-time” gameplay mechanic. Naturally, it was ported to mobile and was one of the best Android games in my book. But for a long time, the Android version of the game remained unplayable on new smartphones due to compatibility issues. Well, all that seems to be fixed now.

A new update for the game was released earlier this month, and it has finally fixed the compatibility issues that the game was facing.

Chinese smartphone maker vivo is preparing to launch its next foldable smartphone, the vivo X Fold 6. That much is evident since the company has now started teasing the device. What’s even more exciting, however, is that the phone was recently spotted out in the wild, giving us a great look at its design and a rather beautiful color option to match.

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I’ve been writing about AI for quite some time now, and it seems for every good thing I say about AI tools, there’s a new bug or issue. This time, however, the glitch is so weird and creepy (and sometimes so outrageously horrifying) that I really don’t know how to even prepare you for what you’re about to read (and see).

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Google is finally doing away with a longstanding behavior in Google Messages that confused a handful of Android users over the years. The app’s Smart Reply feature is getting a safer alternative called “Tap to draft,” replacing the previous behavior of sending suggested replies the moment you tapped them.

Smart Replies in Google Messages have only ever worked with a single tap until now. Suggested replies would show up above the compose box, and clicking one would instantly send the response to the recipient. This meant quick replies, but also little room for second thoughts, edits, or personalization.

Take a moment to think about which Android app is at the center of your smartphone. If you answered the phone app, you’re likely still stuck in the early 2010s. But if you answered the launcher, you’d be correct. That’s why picking the right home screen makes all the difference to the quality of your phone usage experience.

This is even more important when choosing a home screen for an older or less equipped device. I found myself in this predicament recently when I pulled my grand old Android tablet from the depths of the defunct device drawer. One UI Home just wasn’t cutting it anymore, so I sought a minimalist, lightweight Android launcher to bring back some much-needed pep. The answer, I’d soon discover after trawling F-Droid, was Mako.

Samsung’s rumored Galaxy S27 Pro is back in the spotlight, and this time it’s not because of its name or where it might sit in the lineup. Instead, a new leak shared by tipster Kro on X (via SamMobile) points to something far more interesting: the phone’s battery.

AI assistants like ChatGPT and Gemini are well-equipped to summarize lengthy texts and answer our everyday questions in language we can understand. However, these new-age AI assistants still feel a bit hamstrung when you ask them to complete tasks inside apps, especially on our smartphones.

At Google I/O, Google showcased how it wants Gemini to become an actual assistant and handle tasks on your behalf. While it looks futuristic, almost sci-fi-esque, there’s a lot of interesting stuff happening under the hood. Google’s new AppFunctions framework is laying the groundwork for Android to become an operating system where AI — not just Gemini — can coordinate apps on your behalf.

ChatGPT is already a very capable multi-purpose AI chatbot, and power users have all sorts of useful ChatGPT tricks to get even more out of the tool. However, it seems the chatbot is about to become more than just an AI chatbot.

A new report from the Financial Times states that OpenAI is planning to turn ChatGPT into a “superapp” with a major overhaul in the coming weeks. This redesign will focus on OpenAI’s “Codex” coding tool, as well as agentic AI tools that can perform tasks for users.

My main reason for paying for a Google One plan is Google Photos — and no, I’m not talking about the extra storage space you get for media. Sure, having ample storage is a solid perk, but I’m very fond of the interesting AI-enabled smart tools Google One unlocks in Photos. Its easy-to-use interface and accessibility are why it has become my default photo management tool on both Android and iPhone.

Whenever I have to tinker with an image before posting it on Instagram, I instinctively fire up Google Photos and get to work with its plethora of AI- and manual-editing tools. Over the years, I’ve found a workflow that helps make my photos Instagram-ready without that overprocessed look. And here I am to spill all my secrets.

We’re full of praise for Android apps that pack features and functionality to the brim, but what about those that are genuinely pleasing to the eye? With newer versions of Android focusing more attentively on aesthetics, whether that’s control over Material theme colors or greater use of blur, phone software of the future promises to look better than ever before.

So why not grab apps that look the part? Below is a list of the best-looking Android apps you can install right now.

For a long time, it’s been hard for me to imagine life without Google. From Search and Gmail to Nest speakers and Pixel phones, the company’s ecosystem of software and hardware has expanded over the years to be able to fill nearly every consumer tech need — and for myself and a lot of other Android users, it’s done exactly that. Since becoming so deeply ingrained in my routines, though, Google has changed a lot.

Google Search is more AI-oriented than ever, with the capability to generate bespoke “mini apps” to complete tasks and send automated agents off to browse and monitor the internet on your behalf. Android 17’s hallmark upgrade is a suite of AI features baked into the OS. Google Photos wants to catalog the clothes you wear. Gmail doesn’t offer as much no-strings-attached storage as it once did, but now it can read and write emails for you. The entire Google ecosystem has shifted radically in the span of just a few years, and all that change is making me wish I wasn’t so invested.

I test over 40 smartphones a year, and I fall into a bit of a pattern. I’ll use a phone for a period of time on first release, then move on to something else. If I find myself thinking about the previous phone while I’ve got my SIM in the latest and greatest, then I know the phone is a winner.

That’s precisely how I feel about the Unihertz Titan 2 Elite.

Having dabbled in building my own smart TV before smart TVs were a thing (using tools like Kodi, HTPCs, and Raspberry Pis), I found Google’s smart TV ambitions to be everything I ever wanted when it got launched back in 2013. From the first Chromecast to flying abroad to pick up an Nvidia Shield, then the Chromecast with Google TV, and eventually televisions with Google TV built-in, I’ve been part of the journey since day one.

For years, Android TV and its subsequent evolution into Google TV represented the absolute peak of that philosophy of democratizing media access to everyone. Unfortunately, that beautiful vision has completely disintegrated over the last few years. What used to be an intuitive gateway to my entertainment has gradually transformed into a bloated, slow, and deeply frustrating digital advertising platform that prioritizes monetization over a basic user experience.

One of my favorite Google TV features is undoubtedly the screensaver. Wait, isn’t that just a logo bouncing around a screen? Not quite. Ambient Mode, as it’s officially called, can display images from sources such as NASA, Getty, and Google Arts & Culture. It prevents screen burn-in while transforming my TV into an art gallery. It’s brilliant, but it has one talent that makes it even more valuable.

It can showcase images from my Google Photos library and albums, many of which contain deeply cherished memories of my travels. The feature is so good, in fact, that I often find myself fumbling around trying to open the Google Photos app on my TV, only to remember that this isn’t possible.

Earlier this year, I bought the Synology BeeStation Plus. Since then, it has become the digital hub of my home — it stores thousands of my photos and videos, keeps important documents in one place, and even doubles as a Plex Media Server. In fact, I’ve reached a point where I rarely open streaming apps like Netflix anymore because most of what I watch is already sitting on my server.

My family has started using it, too. Today, we all rely on it, and we’ve gradually moved away from services like Google Photos. That said, replacing it entirely is a much bigger decision than simply buying a NAS. While owning your data comes with plenty of advantages, you also leave behind a few conveniences when you step away from cloud storage.

I love clamshell folding phones. They’re the ideal form factor for casual users who want to try out a foldable for the first time. You’re not asking people to change how they use their phone. You simply open it up, do everything you’ve been doing for the last 15 years on your traditional slab smartphone, and then fold it up when you’re done.

I test every one I can get my hands on, and I was excited by the prospect of pitting this year’s Motorola Razr Ultra up against the Galaxy Z Flip 7. Motorola’s price increases complicate the discussion, but there are compelling reasons to buy both, even if there’s really only one I want in my pocket.

Google announced Pixel Studio in 2024 alongside the launch of the Pixel 9 series. The app was designed to be a standalone, on-device generative AI powerhouse for creating fun stickers and editing images right on your phone.

However, a lot has changed in two years, and, unfortunately, the writing is officially on the wall for the ambitious project. With the rollout of the latest v2.3 update this past Friday, Google has abruptly discontinued Pixel Studio and is now redirecting users to other parts of its ecosystem.

I’ve spent the past week battling the flu, with my body giving what I can only describe as a half-hearted fight. Laughing often caused coughing fits, my breathing resembled wind whistling through canyons, and I spent the majority of the time in bed or propped up on the couch.

Yet through this all, my Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 pushed me to meet my activity goals and greeted my long periods of sleep with a frown in the Samsung Health app. That’s why when I read about the updates coming to Samsung Health, the ability to turn my data into meaningful insights is at the top of my wishlist.

Are you really taking full advantage of everything Google Photos can do? Besides just being a convenient way to view all our pictures, or perform some basic edits, Photos is packed with some great tools you may not even know about. Today we’re taking a look at an upcoming change to one of those, plus a mysterious new tool we’re only just starting to learn about.

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General Motors, the legacy automaker best known for brands like Chevrolet, GMC, and Cadillac, has taken a hard stance on CarPlay and Android Auto — it won’t support the features on its electric vehicles. A company called EVPlay, which also makes CarPlay and Android Auto adapters, wants to will the gap. A new “EV Play LT” device brings wired and wireless CarPlay and Android Auto to most EVs made by General Motors. That includes the 2024, 2025, and 2026 model years of popular Chevrolet, GMC, and Cadillac cars.

The adapter costs $199, but it doesn’t require a subscription and only takes two minutes to install. It works by connecting with an app you can install on your GM electric car’s Android Automotive operating system. The hardware is a relatively small USB device that plugs into a data port on your car. The EV Play LT essentially streams and projects the CarPlay or Android Auto user interface on your car’s infotainment system using the companion app.

Following Google’s launch of the laptop-grade Gemma 4 12B model earlier this week, the company is releasing new Gemma 4 model checkpoints with quantization-aware training. Quantization is necessary to reduce the amount of memory required to run lightweight models. The standard method is post-training quantization (PTQ), which quantizes the model after training, but could result in weaker performance. The latest Gemma 4 versions use quantization-aware training (QAT) instead to reduce model quality loss and accelerate decode speed, according to Google’s blog post.

Google says that incorporating quantization into the training process results in checkpoints with better performance than models refined with PTQ. The compressed models run on phones and laptops well thanks to a custom mobile-quantization schema. This involves using pre-calculated settings, 2-bit compression in certain parts of the model, and vocabulary list and short-term memory compression. For the user, this results in a smaller model that consumes less system memory.

After a full year of delays, redesigns, and spec sheet tweaks, the Trump Mobile T1, more often called the Trump Phone, made its way to some media outlets in May. Initially appearing in promotional materials as both an iPhone-like device and a Samsung phone in a Spigen case, the phone that finally landed at CNET and NBC News appeared to be a rebadged, gold-colored HTC U24 Pro. As of writing, the phone may or may not be shipping to other customers (Trump Mobile says that it is).

In a survey running on Android Authority for the past couple of weeks, we’ve been asking whether our readers have any interest in the Trump Mobile T1. More than 3,000 people have responded — and judging by the results, not many of you are biting.

Anyone who’s used Google to look something up in the past couple years already knows just how aggressively Search has been trying to steer users towards its AI-powered offerings. Whether that’s just AI Overviews, or full-on AI Mode, it feels like the company’s doing all it can to direct us away from old ways of searching. Earlier today, we shared with you how Chrome appeared to be getting ready to make AI Mode its default for searches through the browser’s Omnibox. And now, Google is already shooting that theory down.

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When you’re quickly trying to work with content from one app in another, one of your best options for easily moving stuff around is your device’s clipboard. Copying and pasting avoids creating a lot duplicate files eating up your limited storage, and we love seeing ways to make it more efficient. That seems to be something Google’s thinking about right now, as we find evidence for a new copy workflow in Photos.

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Valve first announced its upcoming pre-built gaming PC, the Steam Machine, late last year. The company’s shared some details about the Steam Machine, but key info about pricing and availability is still unknown. Now, though, Valve has quietly confirmed that it’s planning to launch the Steam Machine in the coming months.

As spotted by Wccftech, Valve announced changes to its Verified program that certifies games as compatible with its hardware. Verified was introduced for the Steam Deck, but with more hardware on the way, the program is expanding to cover games that Valve has verified run on its upcoming Steam Machine PC and Steam Frame VR headset. The company also confirmed that both those new pieces of kit will ship “this summer.”

Samsung’s next wave of devices is starting to leave a paper trail, and that’s usually a sign that launch season is getting close, seeing as the next Galaxy Unpacked event is rumored to happen on July 22.

New regulatory filings spotted by SammyGuru have revealed new details about the Galaxy Watch 9, Galaxy Watch Ultra 2, and Galaxy A27, suggesting Samsung is steadily checking off the final requirements before making the devices official. The certifications don’t tell us all, but they do give us a better idea of what to expect in the next few weeks.

When Google Chrome first broke onto the web browser scene, it became an instant favorite for its speedy performance and modern aesthetics compared to contemporaries such as Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox. Almost 20 years later, the team behind Chrome claims it continues to offer the same exciting performance, and the results back that claim.

Google has now announced leaps in Chrome’s performance, tested through popular browser benchmarking tools, including Speedometer 3.1 and Jetstream 3. As per the announcement, Chrome’s scores have jumped a moderate 5% on Speedometer 3.1 compared to its scores from last year. Meanwhile, the cores increased by 10% on Jetstream, which Google has built in collaboration with Apple, Mozilla, and other maintainers of web browser engines. These tests were conducted on a MacBook Pro with an M5 chip running macOS 26.0.1.

T-Mobile’s least expensive 5G home internet plan just got a little worse. The Rely Home Internet plan has been updated to include a new, artificial cap on data speeds for new subscribers. At the same time, prices for the 5G plans have increased.

As spotted by The Mobile Report, T-Mobile’s Rely Home Internet plan was previously advertised as offering download speeds in a typical range of 170 to 498 mbps, depending on your location. Now, though, it’s rated as offering speeds up to 354 mbps, meaning new subscribers in areas that used to enjoy higher speeds are getting a worse deal than before.

Update, June 5, 2026 (3:18 PM ET): Google VP Rajan Patel has publicly responded to rumors of Chrome’s search bar going AI Mode by default, and says Google has no such plans.

Original article, June 5, 2026 (10:40 AM ET): Google Chrome may be simple and fast, but it’s got a bunch of experimental features hidden behind Chrome flags that are often precursors to upcoming features. Now, a new flag has been spotted in Chrome Canary that could mean Google is getting ready to push AI Mode more aggressively.

Generative AI is everywhere, whether it’s used as a cornerstone of a service, used to build apps, or employed to boost functionality within them. But with so many new products appearing all the time, which ones are worth checking out?

We’re here to help with a new regular series covering the best and freshest AI apps and services that you should know about.

For years, Plex has served as the ultimate sanctuary for cord-cutters, tech enthusiasts, and data hoarders who wanted to reclaim ownership of their digital media libraries.

You bought the hardware, you curated the files, and Plex provided a beautiful, Netflix-like interface to stream your personal collection to any device in your home. It was a simple, elegant solution built on the principles of local storage, privacy, and user control. I myself was an early adopter when the server initially launched, picked up a lifetime pass over the years, and have stuck with it through its many ups and downs.

I used to look forward to the release of the latest flagship Android phones, geeking out over the newest hardware specs and software innovations. But over the last few years, I’ve become more jaded. The tech launches I used to avidly watch now struggle to keep my attention as over-hyped AI features take center stage.

Each year, it becomes more difficult to differentiate the newest flagship from its predecessor. It feels like now all you can count on is a processor upgrade, with most updates being software-focused. And yet, prices increase or stay the same. I’m tired of seeing it happen over and over again.

Google Gemini is a useful tool for many tasks: writing, ideating, coding, creating marketing plans, and even creating a talking AI clone. Now, it seems Google is working on a dedicated “Troubleshooting” mode for the AI as well.

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Your Android phone’s software may never be truly up to date, even if it claims to be. That’s because, in addition to the standard OTA updates, Android phones also get updates that may be tucked away deep under complicated menus. The mess that Android updates have now become could lead manufacturers to overlook certain features, especially those pushed by Google, and prioritize their own releases until someone flags them as missing. Samsung was in a similar situation recently for skipping Google Play system updates, which led the company to defend itself and explain why it delays those updates.

I’ve worn enough smart rings at this point that most new launches tend to blend together. The category is maturing, which is great, but it also means many updates have started to feel incremental. That was until the latest from Oura.

The new Oura Ring 5 is thinner and lighter with upgraded sensors and the same great battery life. The launch also includes features focused on cardiovascular health, nighttime blood pressure trends, and sleep-related breathing insights. As someone who has long considered Oura one of the best sleep trackers available, I’m excited to see those additions as well.

Google thinks your next heart-rate monitor might already be sitting in your pocket. In a newly published research, the company has detailed a system that can estimate a person’s heart rate and resting heart rate using only a smartphone’s front-facing camera. The technology could eventually bring wearable-like health tracking to people who don’t own a smartwatch or fitness band.

For years, tracking heart rate has largely been the job of devices strapped to your wrist. Products like Fitbit trackers and smartwatches have made it easy to monitor your cardiovascular health throughout the day. The catch is that not everyone owns one, and many people never will. Smartphones, on the other hand, are nearly everywhere. That’s the opportunity Google is chasing.

Google’s latest Workspace redesign has reached the finish line on Android, bringing an end to a rollout that has been gradually reshaping the look of Gmail, Drive, Docs, Calendar, Meet, and the rest of the company’s productivity apps over the past few weeks. It looks like the last piece of the puzzle is Gmail, which is now picking up its refreshed icon as part of the broader visual overhaul.

If you’ve ever confused Google Meet with Calendar or hunted for the right Workspace app on a crowded home screen, you’re not the only one. Google’s previous attempt at unifying its app branding ironically created a new problem: many of the icons ended up looking too similar. Now the company is reversing course and giving each app a stronger visual identity while keeping them tied together under a shared design language (via 9to5Google).

Google added support for Meet video calls to Apple CarPlay a few months ago, and followed it up with a rollout on Android Auto in April as well. Now, the company is rolling it out more widely, so it should be available to everyone soon enough.

9to5Google reports that Google has started rolling out Meet for Android Auto to all users now. That means you will be able to join scheduled calls in Google Meet while you’re driving. For safety, the app offers a stripped-down version in the car to let you take calls without being distracted by the screen.

Sideloading, or the ability to install apps using APK files from outside of the Google Play Store, has been fundamental to Android since its early days. But after almost two decades, Google wants to change it, citing security concerns from unverified apps. The Android developer community, however, has fiercely opposed Android’s new sideloading rules, arguing they run counter to practices that serve users’ best interests. Now, a slew of popular apps have started to resist the upcoming policy and are informing users about the alternatives.

NewPipe, one of the most popular open-source clients for watching YouTube without ads on Android, is starting to push back against Google’s proposed changes to sideloading. The developers behind it have recently started informing users of the upcoming policy change and how it impacts them, and that they won’t comply with the new rules.

Leaks about Samsung’s next major software update, One UI 9, are already emerging. Now, a fresh leak from reliable tipster Tarun Vats suggests the company may have kicked off development of One UI 9 for its older flagship phones.

If you’ve been using ChatGPT for a while, you’d know that its memory feature can be quite useful. It remembers important information about you and tailors responses based on what it already knows. Now, OpenAI is making even more improvements to the feature for all users and bringing its “Dreaming” memory system to users on the Free plan as well.

The company today announced that it’s introducing a new memory architecture to ChatGPT which will make the chatbot much better at remembering, synthesizing, and carrying forward context.

Google is rolling out version 5.01 of its Google Health app on Android and iOS. This is the first update for the app after its recent name change and redesign.

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