Android

TL;DR Motorola’s rumored Razr Wide Fold could feature a 6.92-inch 165Hz inner display, a 5,000mAh battery, and Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 power. New physical mock-ups show a compact, stubby design with rounded edges, while leaked dimensions suggest it will be thicker than the Galaxy Z Fold 8. The foldable could also pack dual 50MP rear cameras, 32MP selfie cameras, Qi2 charging, and launch around mid-December. Following Samsung’s lead, another tech giant appears ready to launch a new widescreen foldable, and this one has some serious history behind it. Apple’s iPhone Duo marks that company’s entry into the foldable market, but Motorola isn’t really entering the market. The company has long made clamshell foldables, and after expanding into the book-style market earlier this year, it may now be planning to enter the widescreen foldable market — and today we’re getting our best preview yet. We’ve known about Motorola’s widescreen foldable intentions for a while now. Those intentions are now actually starting to take shape with the Razr Wide Fold. We’ve seen leaked sketches and a briefly teased silhouette of the device in the past, and a new set of Android Headlines reports are now giving us a look at the device’s physical mock-ups and specs.

TL;DR Google has shared that some recent Chromebook models will be eligible to transition to Googlebook OS. We don’t know which specific models will be eligible or when it’ll be possible to switch. The first Googlebooks go on sale next week. After a long stretch of leaks and rumors, Google finally formally took the wraps off the first tranche of Android-powered Googlebooks this month. The introduction of a new laptop operating system from Google raises some questions about the future of ChromeOS and the many, many existing laptops that run that operating system. Google says it’ll still support those machines — and that some of them will actually become Googlebooks. In a Help Center post published last week, Google makes clear that Chromebooks that are already on the market will continue to receive updates throughout their promised support window. It also says that many of the “newest Chromebook devices” will be eligible to switch from ChromeOS to Googlebook OS.

Credit: WinFuture TL;DR Marketing images of the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K 2026 have emerged. The new streaming stick features a more squared-off design than before. Amazon has redesigned the remote and added a backlit, animated home button. The last time Amazon held a major hardware event was about a year ago, when it unveiled the Fire TV Stick 4K Select. As such, it wouldn’t be the biggest surprise if the company were planning a new launch in the very near future. A newly surfaced leak may lend some credence to that idea. Obtained by the folks over at Winfuture, marketing images for the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K have leaked. According to the outlet, this batch of images comes from its independent retailer sources. The renders reveal a new design for both the stick and the remote.

TL;DR Leaked images show two different versions of an unannounced Kindle e-reader. Visible differences between the two versions are minor, but it’s possible they’re two different sizes. Pricing, availability, and specs remain unknown at this time. Amazon’s latest base-model Kindle e-reader is only a couple of years old now, but it looks like another refresh is just around the corner. Leaked marketing imagery for an unreleased Kindle device has appeared online, showing what looks like a refined version of the entry-level Kindle released in 2024. Leaker Roland Quandt shared several images of the new Kindle in a write-up for WinFuture. There aren’t many details beyond what we can see in the images: the new Kindle will be available in a handful of pastel colors and could even come in two variants, though it’s not obvious from the imagery what the difference between the two would be.

TL;DR Google Messages is testing a one-tap voice-recording option in RCS chats to replace the current two-step method. While this would be convenient for users who frequently use voice messages, it also raises concerns about accidental activation. In some messaging apps like Telegram, starting a voice note currently takes a long press of the dedicated button. Like most messaging apps, Google Messages also lets you send voice notes in RCS chats. You can start recording a new voice note by tapping the waveform icon and then hitting the large microphone icon. Alternatively, you can also long-press the waveform icon to begin a voice message. However, a future Google Messages update could change this. In the latest Google Messages beta (messages.android_20260921_01_RC00), we’re seeing work towards a change that would let voice messages be initiated with a single tap, possibly to make the tool easier to access. Here’s what the current interface looks like:

Credit: Stephen Radochia / Android Authority TL;DR Leaker Steve ‘OnLeaks’ Hemmerstoffer shared an updated render showing the rear camera island on the upcoming Galaxy S27 Ultra, featuring a telephoto lens, microphone, auxiliary sensors (Laser AF), and LED flash stacked top-to-bottom in a pill-shaped enclosure. Initial third-party cases from China, analyzed by leaker Ice Universe, lacked cutouts for secondary elements, sparking speculation that Samsung had dropped the Laser AutoFocus sensor. While OnLeaks’ render confirms that the sensors sit inside the secondary module, Ice Universe reacted by claiming that the camera sits at the bottom with the flash above it. The disagreement between the two leakers highlights how CAD renders can obscure flush hardware details. We’ve already seen CAD renders of the Galaxy S27 Ultra, and while these have revealed the broad direction for the design of the plexus, the final details, especially inside the camera island, remained unclear until now. Following an influx of early case leaks that sparked questions about Samsung’s next flagship camera setup, reputable leaker Steve ‘OnLeaks’ Hemmerstoffer has shared on X what they claim is the most “up to date and accurate” rear camera configuration for the upcoming Galaxy S27 Ultra.

Credit: Joe Maring / Android Authority TL;DR A Google Photos bug is causing an issue with the app’s editor. The Share, Edit, Add to, and Trash buttons become unresponsive after a photo is edited. Google has confirmed the bug and has offered workarounds as it fixes the issue. Google Photos makes it easy to make changes to a photo through the editor. While in the editor, you can also choose to share the file, add it to an album, or delete it. Normally, it should be no problem performing more than one of these tasks in succession, but as we reported at the end of last week, a new bug has appeared that’s getting in the way. The good news is that we now have an update on the situation. Before we go any further, let me briefly summarize what’s currently happening with the Google Photos app. An influx of users are experiencing an issue within the app’s editor. After an edit is made, like cropping an image, every button in the bottom row becomes unresponsive. Meaning that after the photo is edited, the user can’t go back to make a second edit, nor can they use Share, Add to, or Trash.

TL;DR The Google Recorder app’s “Allow recordings in other apps” toggle is now rolling out to Pixel users. This toggle is enabled by default, and all your existing audio files will appear in a folder named Recordings in the file manager app of your choice. We first discovered this toggle last week, and it’s already appearing in the latest version of the audio recording app. When it comes to audio recording apps, the Pixel-exclusive Google Recorder covers all the bases. It can automatically transcribe your audio files and cleverly sync them to the cloud for easier access across devices. However, because recordings are sandboxed away from the rest of your storage, file manager apps can’t access them. Fortunately, we knew this could change soon, and that day is finally here. With the release of Recorder version 4.2.20260823 last week, Google appears to have quietly enabled the “Allow recordings in other apps” toggle within the app’s settings page.

TL;DR Google has officially announced that it’s sunsetting Gemini Gems. It will start migrating Gems to Skills on November 17. It’s unclear if users without a Google AI subscription will be able to access Skills. If you’re an avid Gemini user and have created a bunch of Gemini Gems tailored to your needs and preferences, we have good and bad news for you today. After months of hearing about Google’s plans to sunset Gems in favor of Skills, and finding code in the Google app hinting at the same, Google has finally made an official announcement. Opening the Gems manager in Gemini now shows a banner announcing Google’s plan to end Gems support starting November 17. That’s the bad news, but there’s a bit of good news as well, though with some confusion that Google has yet to clear up.

Credit: Joe Maring / Android Authority TL;DR Pixel 11 introduced a preinstalled Pixel Search app that expands the app drawer search bar to surface additional content, such as photos and emails. Google didn’t announce any plans to expand Pixel Search to other phones, though the app listing was briefly accessible on Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 8 lineup before Google corrected and clarified that this was unintended. As we’ve now found, older Pixel phones can run the Pixel Search app via sideloading, but it requires Android 17 QPR2 Beta 5 or newer to function properly. The Pixel 11 series comes with a new Pixel Search app that expands the capabilities of the phones’ app drawer search bar, allowing users to surface additional information, such as photos and emails. Pixel Search comes preinstalled on the Pixel 11 series and is updated through the Play Store, but you can’t use it on older Pixels — not yet, anyway. If you’re willing to take matters into your own hands, you can get it to work on your older Pixel. As we found out, the new Pixel Search app can be sideloaded and used on older Pixel phones, but there is a catch: Your phone must be running Android 17 QPR2 Beta 5 or newer for the app to work.

The Samsung Galaxy S26 FE is the latest Fan Edition model offering consumers a taste of the flagship life at a fraction of the cost. This year, this model demands an additional $50 from consumers over the S25 FE while offering them few upgrades and additions in return. In short, it’s arguably not the best mid-range phone available in 2026. My colleague Andrew Grush listed a few devices he’d much rather buy than the S26 FE, but we were also interested in our community’s opinions. So, we ran a poll and asked readers to vote on their preferred Samsung Galaxy S26 FE alternative. The results can be viewed below.

TL;DR Google is working on a massive overhaul of pinned chats in Google Messages. It could get a new typing indicator with animated Material 3 Expressive elements. The app could also start showing previews for images, videos, and GIFs. It could also let users pin/unpin multiple contacts at once. Google has shown its messaging app a lot of love over the last few weeks. We’ve spotted the company working on several UI updates, and it’s also rolled out several new features. Last month, we spotted a new interface for pinned chats with large contact icons. Now, we’re seeing evidence that the company is further fine-tuning how pinned chats work in Google Messages. 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.

TL;DR Samsung is expanding stable One UI 9 to more 2025 flagships in Korea, with the update expected to roll out soon in the US too. The Galaxy S25 series is now receiving the update, including users coming directly from One UI 8.5. Stable One UI 9 is also rolling out to Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Z Flip 7 users in Korea. Samsung has been rolling out One UI 9 in stages across its flagship lineup, with the Galaxy S26 series getting first dibs before the rollout widened beyond Korea. Now, Samsung is opening the door to more of its 2025 flagships, as stable Android 17 is reaching the Galaxy S25 series, Galaxy Z Fold 7, and Galaxy Z Flip 7 in Korea. For the Galaxy S25, S25 Plus, and S25 Ultra, the stable release is arriving with firmware version S93xNKSUCDZIF. According to screenshots shared by leaker Tarun Vats on X, beta testers are seeing a download of roughly 535MB, while users coming straight from Android 16 and One UI 8.5 are getting a much larger package. A Galaxy S25 Ultra screenshot we’ve seen shows the same stable build weighing 3,851.56MB.

Website of 100 Portraits of Becoming Credit: TECNO TECNO and internationally acclaimed visual artist Angélica Dass today unveiled the “100 Portraits of Becoming,” a two-year global portrait project spanning Kenya, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Brazil. Launching with the first 20 portraits and personal stories from Kenya, the project will ultimately bring together 100 individuals and 100 distinct stories of identity, choice, change and growth. It builds on TECNO’s long-term work in inclusive imaging, where truthful representation begins with ensuring that people across different skin tones can be rendered naturally, fairly and accurately.

Credit: Hadlee Simons / Android Authority TL;DR KytyPS5 is a PS5 emulator for PC, and it now goes in-game in a variety of PS5 titles. An X user has also teased Wolverine running via the emulator, although the main menus run in slow-motion. Users have also shown off progress in other games, albeit using modified versions of KytyPS5. The PlayStation 5 is still part of Sony’s latest console generation, alongside the PlayStation 5 Pro, so we weren’t expecting to see major strides regarding PS5 emulation. However, a new emulator has recently made some waves. KytyPS5 is an open-source PS5 emulator for PC that’s available via GitHub, and it currently goes in-game in a variety of titles. These games include Astro’s Playroom, Crash Bandicoot 4, Hitman: World of Assassination, Uncharted 4, Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Silent Hill f, Silent Hill 2 Remake, and Tekken 8.

TL;DR Google has officially mentioned Android 18 on the agenda for its upcoming Android Dev Summit 2026. The agenda teases “powerful new graphics features” for Android 18, giving us an early hint at what’s coming. Android Dev Summit runs October 28–29, with an Android leadership keynote that could reveal more about Android 18. We’re still months away from Android 18 landing on our phones, but Google has just given us the first taste of what’s coming. Google is bringing back its Android Dev Summit on October 28 and 29, and while the event is primarily for developers, something on the agenda should interest the rest of us too: Android 18. The company has published the two-day schedule, and Android 18 appears alongside a tease of “powerful new graphics features.” Google isn’t telling us exactly what those features are yet, but this is one of the first official breadcrumbs we’ve received about the next major version of Android.

TL;DR After limiting Pixel HiLight to just five colors, Android 17 QPR2 Beta 5 now includes four additional color options. Separately, code in the latest beta update suggests Pixel HiLight could gain support for messages. Since these changes only appear in the latest Android 17 beta, it’s hard to say when they will be widely available. Among the many features Google introduced with the Pixel 11 lineup is the Pro-exclusive Pixel HiLight. It comprises a set of LEDs around the camera flash that illuminates when there’s an incoming call from favorite contacts or a Gemini task running in the background. Although there are only five usable colors on offer right now, we’ve known pretty early on that a total of nine could be on the cards. We can now offer a glimpse at these new colors. 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.

TL;DR Samsung Browser is rolling out its new Smart shopping feature. It can recommend coupons based on the shopping site you’re visiting and what’s in your cart. The feature is enabled by default in the latest Samsung Browser app, but you can switch it off in Settings. Samsung Browser has finally decided to put its coupon-hunting skills to work. Earlier this year, we dug into an unreleased browser build and found signs of a new Smart shopping feature designed to sniff out coupon codes and potentially shave a few dollars off your cart total. It wasn’t usable then, but that’s changing now, with Samsung rolling out the feature in the latest version of its Android browser. X user Kailash spotted Smart shopping rolling out with Samsung Browser version 30.0.5.24, a newer build than version 30.0.0.67 currently available through the Google Play Store. We were able to download and install the 30.0.5.24 APK, and sure enough, the Smart shopping option appeared under Settings > Useful features > Smart shopping.

Like most apps, Google Messages has evolved over the years to become one of the smartest messaging services out there. Whether it is read receipts, Gemini, typing indicators, or bubbles, you will find it on the texting app. While most users find these features helpful, some, like me, find them annoying and sometimes intrusive. Consequently, I tried spending a week with the features disabled, and I was surprised by how my phone’s screen stopped looking chaotic, notifications felt less demanding, and, for once, I felt like my device was doing what I wanted. I can now text my contacts easily, securely, and privately with minimal data sharing and interruptions.

TL;DR Google is working on a new feature to make it easier to search within chats in Google Messages. It could show a floating search icon when a user scrolls up in a chat, letting them quickly open the search interface. The feature isn’t available yet, but hopefully Google will roll it out sooner rather than later. Google has been working on several UI updates for the Google Messages app. While some, like the handy long-press menu, are rolling out, others are still in development. Now, we’ve spotted another quality-of-life update Google is working on that could be very useful for 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.

Credit: Richard Priday / Android Authority TL;DR Lenovo has officially launched the Lenovo Googlebook 15 after it was announced at the Googlebook launch event. The new laptop actually starts at $1,099.99 rather than Google’s claimed $1,299 price tag. Expect a 15.3-inch OLED screen, an Intel Core Ultra 5 325 chip, at least 16GB of RAM, and at least 256GB of storage. Google announced at its Googlebook launch last week that the Lenovo Googlebook 15 would be one of five models available in the first wave. The search giant also said that the device would start at $1,299. Now, Lenovo has revealed some good news. The veteran computer maker has announced that the Lenovo Googlebook 15 will actually start at $1,099.99 when it goes on sale on October 4. That means it’s $200 cheaper than Google’s disclosed pricing. And you’re getting a fair amount of bang for your buck by 2026 standards.

I used the iPhone 17 for almost a year, so when Google launched the Pixel 11, I was curious to see how the two compared in everyday use. Of course, iOS and Android are still very different experiences, but the phones themselves have more in common than you might expect. They’re both compact, premium, and incredibly easy to live with. After using the Pixel 11 as my primary phone for over a month, though, I found quite a few things I actually preferred about the Pixel. So, if you’re deciding between the two, here are five reasons I’d pick the Pixel 11 over the iPhone 17.

TL;DR Meta’s Muse negotiated a Facebook Marketplace sale, shared the seller’s address, and arranged a pickup without him realizing someone was coming. Meta is investigating the incident, and it remains unclear whether Muse overstepped its permissions or acted on authorization it had already received. The incident highlights the risks of handing sensitive, real-world decisions to AI agents, especially when personal information or in-person interactions are involved. It’s only been a few days since Meta launched Muse, and we’re already getting a sense of how much Meta wants its new AI agent to do. But the more an AI can do for you, the more you also have to trust it with. One early Muse experience shows why that can get uncomfortable very quickly. Threads user Matt Robb shared what happened after using Muse to handle a Facebook Marketplace listing. According to screenshots he posted, the AI negotiated with a buyer, agreed to a price, shared his address, and arranged a pickup — all without him realizing someone had actually been invited over.

Credit: Pankil Shah / Android Authority Kvaesitso doesn’t have a Play Store listing or even a name I can pronounce easily. But it’s still the launcher I’ve kept on my phone the longest since ditching Nova. It’s a fully open-source, search-first launcher that works nothing like most other launchers on the Play Store. There’s a lot to like about Kvaesitso, but getting it onto your phone — and keeping it updated once it’s there — takes a bit more than tapping an “Install” button. If you’re interested in trying one of Android’s best launchers but aren’t exactly sure how to download it, you’ve come to the right place.

TL;DR We spotted code in the latest Google Messages update that hints at a useful upgrade for Samsung users. The app could soon let users search through text messages with Samsung’s S Finder app. The feature isn’t available yet, but it could let users quickly search through their texts without opening the Messages app. Ever since Samsung shut down its Messages app in the US, the company has basically forced users to switch to Google Messages. Whether you enjoy using Google Messages or not, you simply can’t use Samsung Messages anymore. And if you relied on the upgraded S Finder to look through your text messages, well, you were out of luck in the US. Fortunately, that could change soon. While looking through the latest beta version of the Google Messages app (v20260921), we spotted some interesting details. It seems Google is working on adding support for S Finder to search through messages in the Google Messages app. 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.