Almost every morning plays out the same in my home. Eggs for breakfast, and then a pour-over coffee that goes straight into the insulated Fellow Carter mug so I can stretch the flavors out for eternity. And while doing that, I read.

It used to be all over the place. I called it multi-pronged research. News websites, Threads, YouTube, Mastodon, Google News—you name it. But I soon got tired of all the noise. The incessant scrolling, jumping through sources, avoiding pop-up ads. The coffee was done, but I was none the wiser. So yet again, I went back to RSS, just as I’ve done for over a decade now.

Smartphones have undoubtedly improved over the last decade, with more powerful chipsets, robust software support, and better battery life. However, just because the trend moved in the right direction doesn’t mean some valuable features weren’t left behind. More than just nostalgia, legacy features we’ve lost made past smartphones more versatile than their modern equivalents.

It may be easy to dismiss many of the items I’m going to list, but 2026 has been a different year. We’ve seen numerous phones with physical keyboards, and the Pebble Time 2 proves purpose-built tech still has a place, and that not every device has to be for everyone.

I have a Google One subscription, so I get more than the standard 15GB of free storage on my Google Account. However, this doesn’t mean I want to spend even more on a service I only started using because Google promised unlimited free storage for compressed images. As I watched my storage quota pass the halfway mark for my current 100GB plan, I decided it was time to take action.

But Google doesn’t exactly make it easy to manage your Google Photos images and videos. Besides bulk deletion and compression, you mostly have to sort through your files yourself.

Every year, consumers are pressured into upgrading from last year’s phone to this year’s. With the launch of the Pixel 11 Pro, Pixel 10 Pro owners are now feeling this squeeze.

I’ll admit, Google’s alluring marketing and promise of progress are tempting. Wanting the latest and greatest product isn’t intrinsically a negative desire. But Android makers are struggling to deliver a steady stream of annual advancements, and this crunch is starting to show. There’s almost no more blood to be squeezed from this stone.

No matter what Android phone you use, navigating the Settings app can often feel tedious. Sure, you can use the built-in search to look up a setting directly, but it isn’t effective until you type the right keyword, which isn’t always possible.

If you use a Samsung Galaxy phone, though, there’s a nifty trick to make your frequently used settings more accessible. It involves creating shortcuts for your most-used settings and using them whenever you want to visit their page in the Settings app. I’ve been using it on my Galaxy S26 Ultra for a while, and it’s saved me a lot of hassle every day.

The only thing better than having a great yard to hang out is not having to spend half your free time maintaining it. Today we go beyond setting up an automatic sprinkler or hiring the neighbor’s kid to do some work; today we can deploy robotics to do the job.

The Airseekers Tron () is a capable robot lawn mower that cuts and mulches, for a totally hands-off experience, but there are a few drawbacks to this beast of a mower that keep it from challenging the best in the business.

The Google Pixel 11 series is finally here, and there’s a lot to be excited about. All four phones get the Tensor G6 chipset, Gemini Intelligence, and a raft of other software features.

Google’s new phones also have intriguing camera additions like Magic Capture and Camera Looks. Unfortunately, you’re missing out on a lot more camera features if you opt for the base Pixel 11 over the Pixel 11 Pro or Pro XL.

Google unveiled the Pixel 11 series last week, powered by its new Tensor G6 processor. And, in typical Google fashion, it’s surprisingly light on the details of its latest flagship silicon, just as it was with the Tensor G5 and last year’s Pixel 10 series.

Still, we know quite a bit about the Tensor G6, both from Google’s own claims and from what it conspicuously left unsaid. The result is a chip that looks less interested in chasing Qualcomm and Apple on raw CPU and GPU performance, and more focused on AI, efficiency, and security.

With the launch of the Home Speaker, Google trimmed down its smart speaker and display lineup. The Google Home Speaker costs $99 and replaces the now-discontinued Nest Mini and Nest Audio speakers. If you’re in the market for a new smart home controller compatible with Google Home, the Home Speaker is your cheapest option. However, there’s another $99 smart home controller that is a better addition to your Google Home than the Home Speaker: the second-generation Nest Hub.

Google’s second-generation Nest Hub is somewhat of an afterthought in 2026 because of its age. The smart display was refreshed five years ago, but it shouldn’t be written off just yet. Google still sells and officially supports the Nest Hub, and it runs the same Gemini chatbot as the brand-new Home Speaker.

For years, Google’s A-series phones have been my default recommendation for anyone who wants a clean Android experience and a great camera without spending flagship money. The A-series distills much of what makes the full-blown Pixels great into an affordable package. However, with the launch of the Pixel 11, that gap has increased.

Look, the Pixel 10a is a solid phone for everyday use, but once you start pushing it beyond the basics, it’s inevitable that you’ll run into its limits. Be it the limited RAM, so-so zoom, or just the overall lower-tier hardware, those trade-offs become harder to ignore the longer you use the phone.

The idea that developers often prioritize Apple’s ecosystem is something we hear all the time, and one of the best examples is Flighty. If you haven’t heard of it, Flighty is widely regarded as one of the best flight-tracking apps on iPhone. Despite years of requests from Android users, myself included, it still isn’t available on Android.

Sure, there are plenty of flight-tracking apps on the Google Play Store, but I’ve never found one that delivers the same polished experience as Flighty. Thankfully, that finally seems to be changing.

One of Google Health Premium’s flagship perks is access to Google Health Coach, a Gemini-powered chatbot that can use your data stored in Google Health to try to answer questions and provide (technically non-medical advice) guidance. By default, Health Coach takes up a lot of space in Google Health’s Today tab — but as of the latest update, you’ve now got the option to kick Coach out of Google Health’s home screen.

As spotted by 9to5Google, version 5.06 of Google Health is rolling out now on Android and iOS. The main new bit in this version, according to a Google’s blog post about the update, is a No Coach insights option, which removes Health Coach’s verbose guidance and insights from the app’s Today tab.

A 50-inch TV is a sweet spot for a living room, bedroom, or first apartment, especially when you want better picture quality without spending a lot. Amazon now has the 2026 Toshiba 50-inch M450 Series Fire TV on sale for $199.99, down from its $369.99 recommended retail price, which is a 46% discount relative to the RRP.

See the deal at Amazon

Philips Hue is best known for smart lighting, but the Hue Secure wired camera 2-pack shows how the brand is building out home security too. This white 2-pack gives you 2 wired 1080p HD cameras, and there’s a strong deal on it right now at Amazon.

See the deal at Amazon

Google’s modern Pixel phones offer a Scam Detection feature that optionally monitors incoming calls for telltale signs of scams. Scam Detection is currently exclusive to incoming calls, but we’ve seen evidence that you might soon be able to opt into Scam Detection for outgoing calls, too.

In a recent beta version of the Phone by Google app, we spotted a flag that references the option to turn on Sharpie (an internal codename for the Scam Detection feature) for calls you initiate. We haven’t been able to activate Scam Detection for outgoing calls, but we know Google’s working on it.

This year alone, we’ve spotted explosion incidents involving the Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus, Galaxy S25 FE, and Galaxy S24. Now, a man in Greater Noida, India, has sustained burn injuries after his Samsung smartphone allegedly exploded inside his pocket. It’s not immediately clear which Samsung phone this is, but from the looks of it, it could possibly be a Galaxy S26.

According to a report by the Free Press Journal, the incident occurred while the victim was carrying the phone in his trouser pocket. The device reportedly burst into flames without warning, causing burn injuries to his hands and lower body as he attempted to discard the burning handset. The phone was allegedly purchased just a month ago and was functioning normally until the incident.

Amazon was already offering one of the more tempting Pixel 11 Pro XL preorder deals, but it just got a lot harder to ignore. You can now use promo code PIXEL11 to knock an extra $150 off the phone, and the discount stacks with Amazon’s existing $200 gift card offer.

See the deal at Amazon

The average smartphone battery capacity keeps growing each year, a phenomenon analysts attribute to Chinese smartphone brands and improved battery tech. Xiaomi sub-brand POCO is preparing to bring that battery tech to the European market, and a leak is now offering an early look at its upcoming flagships.

Exclusive reporting by WinFuture offers a good glimpse of the two premium-grade flagships, which are effectively European rebrands of the Redmi K100 Pro and Pro Max, which recently debuted in China. Among the leaked highlights of the top-of-the-line POCO F9 Ultra is a mammoth 8,050mAh battery, while the smaller F9 Pro features a 6,330mAh battery pack instead, which is a substantial upgrade compared to flagships from top brands.

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.

This is an open thread.

We want to hear from you! Share your thoughts in the comments and vote in the poll below — your take might be featured in a future roundup.

Microsoft’s SwiftKey has long earned its spot as one of the best Gboard alternatives for Android, with our own community polls recently revealing a dedicated crowd of diehard SwiftKey loyalists. But earlier this year, Microsoft started rolling out controversial account policy changes, a warning shot that ultimately culminated in the end of Google account login and cloud backups entirely.

While those login updates alienated longtime fans, millions of Samsung Galaxy owners faced a completely different problem: they couldn’t get rid of the app even if they wanted to. Thanks to a years-long agreement between Samsung and Microsoft, SwiftKey and other apps come bloat-installed on One UI devices. If you preferred Samsung’s stock keyboard or Gboard, the best you could do on One UI 8.5 was to disable SwiftKey or remove its updates. The core app permanently occupied system storage.

Samsung’s Good Lock suite unlocks a wide range of customization options for your Galaxy device. Among the more popular Good Lock modules is Home Up, which offers extensive control over the stock One UI launcher’s appearance and functionality. It now seems there’s a bug affecting this particular module.

In a complaint on the Samsung community forum, a user reports that their home screen’s folders and widgets are “pushed off the display” when accessing the inner screen of the Galaxy Z Fold 8. One can imagine how frustrating a glitch like this can be, especially for users who like folders and widgets to be placed in a specific area of the home screen.

The Pixel 11 announcement felt like watching a car crash in slow motion. For months, we’ve heard rumors of Google price hikes, but I hoped that would be the only significant change. We already witnessed Samsung raise prices on some models, but with decent upgrades. Motorola kept the specs relatively unchanged but raised the price. Unfortunately, Google opted for the worst of both worlds, raising prices while giving buyers a RAM downgrade.

The battle for the soul of Pixels was lost by enthusiasts years ago, but they refuse to leave the field. It’s why there is always so much noise surrounding the devices. There are still enough buyers around who remember the Nexus phones and the early stock Android experience on Pixel phones, and there was a time when Google devices were a haven for enthusiasts.

The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra arrived earlier this year to a much more positive reception than its predecessor. Not only is the new flagship thinner than ever, but it has faster charging, camera improvements, and more. Of course, the smartphone market doesn’t stand still. The Google Pixel 11 Pro XL has formally arrived, offering a natural alternative to Samsung’s flagship.

So, which smartphone should you choose? The answer will vary depending on who you ask, but I’d personally pick the Pixel 11 Pro XL for a variety of reasons.

Audio headlines have been full of nostalgia lately, especially with recent reports suggesting Sony’s classic WH-1000XM4 could make a comeback, coupled with the arrival of a new WH-1000XM6 color. Google also played it safe at the latest Pixel 11 hardware showcase, settling for a fresh coat on existing earbuds rather than swinging for ambitious new form factors. But while rivals rehash legacy designs or stick to modest incremental tweaks, Samsung seems ready to make a bold, unexpected play in the premium over-ear audio space.

According to SamMobile, code strings hidden inside the latest Galaxy Wearable app reveal that Samsung is actively developing full-sized wireless headphones internally codenamed “Galaxy H1”. While Samsung has spent recent years heavily refining its true wireless Galaxy Buds ecosystem, it hasn’t fielded a proper over-ear flagship under its primary mobile branding in ages.

For years, Google Pixel phones have earned a reputation for being incredible point-and-shoot cameras. Sure, if you want to get down and dirty with prosumer features, Chinese OEMs have everyone else beat. But out of the box, it’s hard to argue that the Pixel makes it absurdly simple to get great shots, albeit with a caveat.

Google, by the very nature of its approach to imaging, has leaned hard into an aggressive HDR implementation. This can often mean flat-looking images with artificially lifted shadows and details that are just a bit too sharp for my liking.

This week, we saw the launch of Google’s latest smartwatch, the Pixel Watch 5, but judging by reader sentiment, the company has already launched its breakout hit wearable earlier this year.

In May, the Fitbit Air arrived with its minimalist, screenless design that I’ve been clamoring for for years. Granted, it misses a few features on my personal wishlist, but it proves that you don’t need a display to keep tabs on your health.

We’ve seen speech recognition evolve rapidly over the past year. Voice typing is so accurate now that dictation is replacing traditional keyboards for some of us, with specialized software like Wispr Flow making it effortless to catch every word. Some brands have even turned to dedicated physical hardware to capture offline discussions. Now, Google wants a piece of that offline pie, and it doesn’t require buying extra gadgets.

Google officially announced that its Take notes for me feature in Google Meet, previously locked to virtual calls, now supports face-to-face, in-person meetings (via 9to5Google). Instead of serving purely as a video conferencing tool, Google is morphing Meet into a central hub for all your professional conversations, online or off. Google first previewed the move at Cloud Next in April, and the feature is now beginning its wider rollout.

What started out as a relatively simple spreadsheet web application 20 years ago has since transformed into one of the most used productivity tools out there. We’re talking about Google Sheets, which is now a lot more than just rows, columns, and formulas, and thanks to Gemini’s smarts, it’s about to become a lot more versatile.

The tech giant is rolling out a new Gemini-powered feature that can turn your Google Sheets spreadsheets into “custom, interactive mini-apps.” It’s called Sheets canvas, and it’s designed to help you turn raw data into something easier to interact with.

If you’re only using Google Maps to plot a route from point A to point B, you are seriously missing out on a lot. In addition to offering useful discovery tools for finding new places worth visiting, Maps also makes it possible to strategize your travels so you don’t show up somewhere at its busiest time of the day. But now, for some reason, users are having trouble viewing popular times in Maps.

Google collects location data from Maps users to help generate the bar graph you see depicting popular times for destinations. In addition to just giving you a general overview of when you might want to plan your trip to best avoid crowds, it also offers a live view of what those crowds look like right at the moment, arming you with a lot of useful info.

Tech enthusiasts love their specs, and for as much as we might understand that there’s a whole lot more to the performance and experience that a device offers than what can easily be distilled down to a few numbers… numbers sure are convenient, aren’t they? Whether we’re counting megapixels or measuring RAM, everyone sits up and takes notice when those numbers cross a new threshold — and that’s just what’s been happening with the chips that power our phones lately, as manufacturers move to advanced 2nm fabrication levels. But with the Pixel 11 series debuting this week, we’re getting some unfortunate news about the rise of the 2nm era.

Samsung got the ball rolling on 2nm chips in phones with its Exynos 2600, but lately we’ve been looking forward to Google joining that club, too. The Tensor G5 was a 3nm chip, but rumors have been hinting that the Tenor G6 could make the move to 2nm since last fall. And really, that momentum never faded, leaving us expecting a 2nm Tensor G6 all the way up until the Pixel 11’s launch this week.

Dead zones and slowdowns get old fast in a busy home, especially when phones, TVs, laptops, and game consoles are all fighting for bandwidth. Amazon now has a deal on the TP-Link Deco BE23 3-pack that makes a whole-home Wi-Fi 7 setup much easier on your budget. The TP-Link Deco BE23 is down to $152.99 from its $219.99 recommended retail price, a 30% discount. That saves you $67, and at $152.99, this matches the all-time low. 

See the deal at Amazon

Having a Chrome extension you have relied on for years suddenly red-flagged can instantly spark concerns about malware or compromised software. That exact panic hit over 11 million users this week when GoFullPage, a staple full-page screenshot utility, abruptly disappeared from the Chrome Web Store and triggered automated safety alerts across Chromium web browsers like Chrome and Brave.

Brave, for instance, is warning users that the extension may be unsafe and recommends removing it. The warning says the extension is disabled because it “violates the Web Store policy,” as shown in the screenshot below:

The TOZO S8 AMOLED Smart Watch is a budget-friendly smartwatch built around everyday health tools, fitness tracking, and a screen that looks better than you might expect at this price. It already stands out for its 1.32-inch AMOLED display with a sharp 466 x 466 resolution, and right now there’s also a strong deal on it at Amazon.

See the deal at Amazon

Keeping an eye on a whole room is a lot easier when your camera can move instead of staying fixed in one spot. That is exactly where the Blink Mini Pan-Tilt Camera fits in, and it is on sale at Amazon right now.

See the deal at Amazon

If you miss the good ol’ days of browser gaming, or if you’re simply an avid Android Authority reader, there’s a very good chance you’ve already run into Swiff. The Android app, which was released early in July, brought back an easy way to play thousands of classic Flash games on the go. The app is now getting a major update that makes it more than just a simple Flash game player.

Swiff version 1.3.0 is out now, and it is a significant update that can bolster the app’s already-vast game library. Not only does it unlock the original Adobe Flash Player, but it finally brings support for J2ME and Scratch games.

The global energy price hikes precipitated by the Middle East conflict have impacted the purchasing power of many consumers. This is on top of the ongoing RAM shortage, which has raised component costs and left smartphone makers scrambling to secure more units. A combination of these factors has led manufacturers to either raise prices or shut up shop entirely. Some of these realities are now being reflected in a new quarterly sales report.

Counterpoint Research’s Q2 smartphone sales report shows a 5% YoY decline in US sales. Similarly, sales of Apple, Google, Motorola, and Samsung phones fell 4% in Q2 2026 compared to the same period last year. The impact of the financial crunch has been particularly harsh on the rest of the market, which has collectively witnessed a 45% YoY sales reduction in the US.

Amazon has dropped the Eufy Omni C20 Robot Vacuum and Mop Combo to $339.99, down from its $549.99 RRP. That saves you $210, a 38% discount off the recommended retail price, and it is worth a look now because this is an Amazon Lightning Deal that ends in under nine hours.

See the deal at Amazon

Keeping track of dozens of online logins and staying safe online gets exhausting fast. But it’s also very frustrating when reused passwords finally come back to bite you, so Google might be building an AI shortcut to clean up that mess. Instead of just warning you about weak credentials, Chrome could soon let Gemini automatically swap them out for you.

Spotted by browser tipster Leopeva64 on X, the feature is currently tucked behind a hidden flag in the latest Chrome Canary build on desktop. The flag is not available in Chrome Canary for Android as of this writing.

Samsung’s launch of the Galaxy Z Fold 8 last month revived the idea of a wide-screen foldable phone, which had last been seen on the first-gen Google Pixel Fold. Rumors also suggest that Apple will launch its first-ever foldable iPhone later this fall. There’s now another phone brand we can add to the list.

Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi has seemingly shown off its wide foldable as part of a beta update announcement. It’s hard to determine whether this was a slip-up or a deliberate move by the manufacturer. However, this is the strongest evidence yet that a wide-screen foldable from Xiaomi is on the horizon (via GizmoChina).

The new Pixel 11 series is great, especially if you’re a fan of Google’s idealized, nature-inspired stock wallpapers. These are timeless, clean, and will look great on any device. Luckily, wallpapers are just images, and you can use them on any device that lets you change the background. It’s just a matter of finding the image files with a good resolution, and we have them for you!

We’ve managed to get hold of the Google Pixel 11 wallpapers thanks to our friends from YTECHB. Each comes with a set of corresponding colors that match the available color versions. Want in on the fun? Keep reading to get these wallpapers on your phone ASAP!

Late last month, Samsung launched its new book-like foldable duo, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra. Given the latter’s superlative tacked onto its title, you’d expect it to be the device making the most noise post-launch. Interestingly, it’s the lesser new kid in the block causing a scene.

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 now adopts Samsung’s new wider foldable design, giving users a broader, squatter slab of a screen that’s great for consuming media. It’s also crammed into a thinner frame, making it more pocketable than its sibling. It trades these benefits for a few downgrades, including only two rear cameras, a smaller battery, and a softer screen.

Google has just peeled the curtain back on the Pixel 11 phones, and there’s a fair amount to like here if you’re a Pixel fan. But in addition to Gemini Intelligence and the Tensor G6 chip, the new phones bring a few camera hardware upgrades and some cool software additions.

However, you only need to take a closer look to realize that Google’s best new camera features were actually copied from other smartphone brands. Don’t believe me? Here’s the proof.

If you have ever wished Google Search could give your favorite creators or publishers something closer to a social media profile, Google is getting there. The company launched Search profiles in June, giving eligible publishers and creators a dedicated space to bring their websites, social accounts, videos, and posts together. Now, Google is making those profiles considerably easier to get.

Google’s Search profiles initially required a sizable following: 100,000 followers on YouTube, Instagram, or X, or 300,000 on TikTok. Google has now lowered those thresholds to 35,000 for YouTube, Instagram, and X, while TikTok’s requirement drops to 100,000 followers.

There’s a lot I can complain about when it comes to Pixels, but design has rarely been one of those things. Google has settled into a look that I genuinely like — it’s clean, minimal, and premium. So, even though the Pixel 11 doesn’t look dramatically different from what we’ve already seen before, I’m completely fine with that.

I’d much rather see Google refine a design that already works than change it just for the sake of looking new. And then there’s the new Hibiscus color. Yeah, it completely stole my heart. What can I say? I like my phone a little loud sometimes.

Google introduced Pixel theme packs last year, and we’ve already had Wicked and SpongeBob packs. We uncovered evidence of Harry Potter theme packs earlier this year, and it looks like the Pixel 11 phones are getting ready for them.

Colleague Adamya Sharma attended the Pixel 11 India launch and discovered a pop-up to “Try Harry Potter themes” on a demo device. Check out the image below.

Google has only just introduced the Pixel 11 series, and we’ve already spotted several Google apps picking up redesigned icons that bring them closer to the newer, more expressive look the company has been rolling out across Android.

Google’s flagship and budget smartphones made a name for themselves for their exceptionally consistent photography capabilities, a theme the brand is keeping alive with the Pixel 11 series. The latest flagships sport some, but in typical Google fashion, it’s playing it safe and staying consistent.

While this strategy means we virtually always know what we’re getting when a new Pixel lands, being too predictable has allowed some rivals to leapfrog the brand with more modern, superior camera hardware, resulting in better pictures. As a Pixel fan, I want my next Google phone to take pictures that I simply can’t grab on other phones in the business.

Google seems to be working on a new Gboard feature that could make life easier for anyone who has ever used the keyboard’s clipboard. While digging through the latest version of the Gboard app (v18.0.3 beta), we spotted a new clipboard setting that Google is working on.

You’re reading an Authority Insights story. Authority Insights brings you all the latest exclusive reports, app teardowns, leaks, and in-depth tech coverage from the Android Authority team that you won’t find anywhere else.

If you’re a Google Pixel user and a football — I mean soccer — lover, you probably remember that Google added exclusive wallpapers from Liverpool FC and Arsenal FC in the Pixel’s Wallpaper and Style service a few years back. Now, the company is partnering with even more soccer teams in Europe and adding new wallpapers for Pixel users.

You’re reading an Authority Insights story. Authority Insights brings you all the latest exclusive reports, app teardowns, leaks, and in-depth tech coverage from the Android Authority team that you won’t find anywhere else.

We all have our favorite Chrome extensions that make daily web browsing effortless, whether it’s a quick screen snip tool, a right-click unlocker, or a simple tab manager. But what happens when one of those trusty add-ons quietly turns against you? Over the past few days, an increasing number of web users have fallen victim to a frustratingly convincing browser scam that tricks people into downloading harmful malware disguised as routine system updates.

The issue manifests as an aggressive pop-up claiming a “Critical Update Required” or “Update available” to keep using your browser. If you click to proceed, instead of a standard browser update, it downloads a suspicious .vbs or .exe script directly to your machine.