Android

Credit: Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority TL;DR US Insta360 users will have access to a new “Spatial Capture” tab on September 28. The feature uses 3D Gaussian Splatting technology to turn video into explorable 3D scenes. Support will be available for the X6, X5, and X4 Air. Insta360, the brand known for its 360-degree cameras, is about to deliver a new experience for its users. No, the company is not launching new hardware. Rather its a new feature for those with an X6, X5, or X4 Air. This new feature is designed to let you explore your memories in a more immersive way. Today, Insta360 announced the launch of “Spatial Capture,” which will appear as a new tab in the Insta360 app. Here, you’ll be able to turn your recorded videos into explorable 3D scenes. Better yet, no specialized capture equipment or complex workflows are needed.

Credit: Andrew Grush / Android Authority There was a time when performance and battery optimizers were all the rage. In truth, they never worked that well, and as Android evolved, the methods used to preserve battery life often made things worse in the long haul. The good news is that not all battery apps are a complete waste of time. Case in point, AccuBattery is one of the only battery apps I recommend anymore. AccuBattery isn’t about magically fixing your battery life. The focus here is entirely on noticing and diagnosing software and hardware issues that are putting extra strain on your phone’s battery life. Now, I will be the first to admit you don’t strictly need this tool if you already have decent built-in tools on your existing Android device. That said, AccuBattery can be great when you want a second opinion or have a device without extensive built-in tools, such as many generic Android tablets.

Pixels and I get on reasonably well, but if there’s one area that I find myself constantly sighing loudly at, it’s charging the darn phones. Yes, you can just splash the cash on official accessories like the Pixel Flex 67W charger (), a mighty impressive USB-C adapter in its own right. But not all the accessories in Google’s charging ecosystem are as good — and I’m pointing fingers squarely at the PixelSnap charger (). I’m still disappointed that Google has essentially abandoned my beloved Pixel Stand in favor of PixelSnap. While MagSafe undoubtedly has some conveniences for case accessories, it’s proven to be a significant downgrade in terms of what actually matters — charging times. Last year’s Pixel 10 Pro XL using PixelSnap proved to be over half an hour slower than the Pixel 9 Pro XL on the old Pixel Stand.

You hear horror stories of people unwittingly incurring monstrous mobile bills when roaming abroad. Just recently, one Reddit user was horrified to find that AT&T had clobbered them with a $53k charge, after an eight-day European trip they expected to run them about $100 in roaming fees. You tend to feel sorry for these people, while also having lingering thoughts that they’ve been dealt a very tough life lesson. Thankfully, my own roaming-fee surprise involved considerably fewer zeroes. I only incurred about $20 in roaming charges, so not a big hit, but what bothered me was that I’d done everything right to avoid using mobile data. At least, I thought I had. You might be thinking I’m just as culpable, and maybe lucky I wasn’t charged more. I can assure you that wasn’t the case. I hadn’t forgotten to switch something over after landing, and this wasn’t a travel eSIM taking a few seconds to wake up. In fact, I wasn’t trying to use data at all. I live outside the country of my home network, and that SIM sits in a separate phone on my desk. Mobile data and roaming are switched off in the device settings, plus the phone is always connected to my Wi-Fi network. I rarely even touch the device and don’t use it to contact anyone, to the point that it’s more of a paperweight than a phone. Despite all that, I was hit with phantom roaming charges twice in three months.

The Moto Watch Ultra is Motorola’s latest smartwatch, featuring a unique blend of features for the price. The singular variant costs $350 and includes LTE eSIM support, Wear OS 6, a 1.5-inch pOLED display, and Polar’s health and fitness tracking algorithms. That’s a fabulous combination in itself, but Motorola has cut corners on the processor and is only offering two OS upgrades. Thankfully, there’s no shortage of good Wear OS smartwatch options in the market. From Google to Samsung, there are plenty of great alternatives you should consider first. So, before settling on the Moto Watch Ultra, consider these five other alternatives.

I’ve had Immich running on my home server for the past three years. It’s a self-hosting essential for me as I try to offload as much of my backups and services from the cloud as possible. It’s where I keep the photos from my SLR, where my phone backs up photos automatically, and where I can search through years of images without handing everything over to Google. For a self-hosted alternative to Google Photos, there’s little doubt that Immich is the go-to for most. But as good as Immich is, as an enthusiast, I was bound to run into limitations. Immich is great at managing individual photo libraries, but it isn’t always great at managing a family’s photo library. If you’re trying to share a portion of your library, Immich makes it extremely hard. And you can absolutely forget about sharing certain aspects of the library, like metadata.

Credit: Andy Walker / Android Authority TL;DR Some Android Auto users say Gemini has suddenly stopped controlling their smart home devices. The issue follows recent Gemini smart home control problems on Wear OS, which Google said it had fixed. It’s not clear what’s causing the Android Auto problem — we’ve reached out to Google for comment. Gemini has had a rough couple of weeks with smart home controls. Wear OS users recently reported that Gemini would claim it had controlled lights, AC units, and other devices when nothing actually happened, before Google said that the issue had been fixed. It isn’t clear if it’s related, but some Android Auto users are now finding that Gemini suddenly refuses to control their smart home devices, even though those same commands worked previously. In a post on the r/AndroidAuto subreddit earlier today, one user says that Gemini has stopped executing commands such as turning on the AC. Instead, it now responds that it “cannot control smart home devices through Google Maps while driving.” The poster says the feature had been working for months before this change.

TL;DR Googlebook laptops are just about to arrive, with pre-orders opening on September 21. Hardware will include models from Acer, ASUS, Dell, HP, and Lenovo, and leaks have already shown off much of what to expect. With just a few more days to go, a fresh set of ASUS renders offers maybe our best look yet at the company’s Googlebook. We’re about to witness the debut of a new computing platform, and it’s going to be here before you know it. Google first announced Googlebooks back in May, and after a summer full of hardware leaks, the initial lineup is finally nearly ready to go official, with pre-orders set to open first thing next week, on Monday, September 21. Before that day gets here, though, we’ve got one more Googlebook leak to check out, showing off ASUS hardware in some of the most detail yet. The first run of Googlebooks will include models from Acer, ASUS, Dell, HP, and Lenovo, and we’ve already seen several leaks giving us an early peek at the model from ASUS. Now, with only a few days left before pre-orders begin, the Mac Observer is sharing some great new pics highlighting what we can expect.

Credit: Joe Maring / Android Authority TL;DR A leak may have revealed the full specs of the Galaxy Tab S12 Plus and Ultra. The Plus model is said to have up to 12GB of RAM, while the Ultra may come with up to 16GB of RAM. The two tablets will reportedly launch on October 7 in silver and gray. Samsung will be launching two new tablets this year, the Galaxy Tab S12 Plus and Ultra. Over the months, we’ve seen leaks here and there, including the processor and battery capacity. However, new information has surfaced, and it gives us a complete picture of both tablets. The folks over at Winfuture have shared the full spec sheet of Samsung’s next-generation tablets. Both models will have a few things in common, such as the chip, but will also differ in some areas.

TL;DR Snapseed has been working on support for custom look-up tables and blur options. After seeing those in development last month, they’re now arriving for beta testers. The app also gets new preset options, including a Community Looks tool for sharing them. Snapseed on Android is having a moment. After years of being ignored, we finally got the big 4.0 update this past spring, pushing the app back into relevancy. In the months since, it’s only kept getting better and better with lots of new feature additions. Today we’re checking out some of the latest to hit the Snapseed beta, including a few we’ve been eagerly anticipating. One month back, we spotted Snapseed developers working towards a couple new features: look-up table (LUT) support for custom color grading, and bringing the app’s Motion Blur from iOS over to Android.

Android 17 QPR1 has been hitting Pixel phones this week as part of the September Pixel Drop. The update introduces a handful of minor upgrades, but some users are having a worse experience than others. As tends to happen around major updates, there’s been an uptick in users reporting new bugs and unexpected behavior on their Pixel devices for the past few days. Issues reported around Reddit include problems with the display, touch input failures, weird UI behavior, hits to performance, connectivity problems, and more. For those of you who have installed the latest update on your Pixel phones, we wanted to ask: how’s your experience been so far?

Credit: AssembleDebug / Android Authority TL;DR Google Contacts could soon let you share your Calling Card with new people without having to call them first. This will be done by allowing users to add their Calling Card images to VCF files. However, the recipient must have the Google Contacts app installed to import the Calling Card data. When Google introduced Calling Cards to the Contacts app last year, it gave Android users a chance to give their calls a more personalized touch. As you probably don’t want your image shown to random strangers, Google limits who can see your visual business card to only your contacts or anyone who has you saved as a contact. However, Google is now working on a third option that could let you share your Calling Card with new people. 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 Android 17 QPR1 is rolling out to Pixel phones now. The update no longer allows third-party apps to see whether you have developer settings or USB debugging active. This should make life easier for anyone who tinkers with Android’s more advanced settings. Android 17 QPR1 is rolling out now to Pixel phones going back to the Pixel 6. The update brings a number of changes, including UI tweaks, the option to include photo location metadata in images shared through Android’s media picker, and more. As spotted by a user on X, QPR1 also quietly fixes an issue that’s been a thorn in the side of Android enthusiasts for years. As developer Sameera Wijerahna points out in a post on X, Android 17 QPR1 no longer lets third-party apps see the state of developer options or debugging settings. This could be a big deal for developers or anyone else who likes to tinker with their Android devices — prior to the change, some apps wouldn’t open on devices with certain settings active.

Fast games feel much better when your mouse offers plenty of controls without tying you to a cable. The Logitech G502 X Plus Wireless RGB Gaming Mouse is built for that kind of setup, and there’s a strong Amazon deal on it right now. See the deal at Amazon

TL;DR The Clicks Communicator will now ship with 12GB of RAM, a 4,350mAh battery, and Android 17 out of the box. Clicks is promising three major Android OS updates and five years of security updates for the keyboard-first phone. The Communicator starts shipping in December, with its $499 launch price available only through September 30. Remember Clicks? Yes, the company that went viral last year with its physical keyboard attachment for Android phones? Its ambitions have clearly grown, and we’ve just gotten our clearest look at what’s next. At CES earlier this year, the company showed off the Clicks Communicator, a full-fledged Android phone built from the ground up with a keyboard-first design. With the model now slated to begin shipping in December, Clicks has finalized the phone’s specs and upgraded some of its hardware before launch.

TL;DR Google is giving the Sidekick overlay in Play Games a handy update that lets you activate it via the notifications panel. This new option sits alongside the existing onscreen drag handle to enable the Sidekick overlay. We have also spotted an under-development double-tap-based activation method for Sidekick, though it’s unclear when it will be available. Google finally gave Play Games a big upgrade last year, including an in-game overlay called Sidekick. This overlay lets you instantly view achievements, get input on the game with Gemini Live, take screenshots/screen recordings, and more. Activating Sidekick in supported games currently requires users to drag the handle that appears on the right or left of the screen. The Play Store is now adding a new activation method for this gamer-centric feature, and might have another in the works. 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.

Bose Ultra Open Earbuds stand out from the usual wireless earbud crowd. Instead of sealing off your ears, these clip-on, cuff-shaped buds sit outside the ear canal, which helps you stay aware of what’s going on around you while still getting fuller sound than many open designs. There’s also a nice deal on them right now, which makes this a good time to take a closer look. See the deal at Amazon

Amazon has cut $300 off the Mammotion LUBA mini 2 AWD 1500H Robot Lawn Mower with Garage, bringing it down from its $1,999 recommended retail price to $1,699. That’s a 15% discount relative to the RRP, and with this now the lowest price in almost six months, it looks like a good time to grab it. See the deal at Amazon

Credit: Garmin TL;DR Garmin CIRQA owners are reporting missing workouts. Starting a workout directly from the CIRQA band and tapping “End” from the Connect app results in the activity not being saved. Garmin is investigating the issue and has offered a temporary workaround that involves tapping “Resume” first and then stopping and saving the workout from the activity-recording screen. There’s not much that’s more deflating than putting in a good workout and your fitness tracker not saving it. Unfortunately, this is the reality for some Garmin CIRQA users. The company’s Fitbit Air rival is losing activity data, but there is a workaround. Owners of the Garmin CIRQA smart band are encountering a very particular issue that’s resulting in activities not being saved. According to the reports on Garmin’s forums (h/t: Gadgets and Wearables), the issue is caused by starting a workout directly from the band and ending it from the Connect app. Specifically, it happens when a user starts an activity by pressing the button on their CIRQA and taps “End” in Garmin Connect’s “Activity in Progress” prompt.

TL;DR Motorola has dropped another Signature 27 teaser ahead of its September 22 launch. The latest teaser confirms the upcoming flagship will use a Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset. Motorola hasn’t named the chip yet, but the timing hints at next-gen Snapdragon hardware. The first Motorola Signature checked a lot of flagship boxes, but US buyers never got the chance to buy one. That made the company’s recent Signature 27 teaser on its US website especially interesting, and Motorola followed it this week by confirming a September 22 reveal. Now, less than 24 hours later, Moto has dropped its clearest clue yet about what will power the phone. In a new post on X, Motorola says there’s “more to discover” with Motorola and Snapdragon, inviting followers to “see for yourself” on September 22. The accompanying teaser again flashes the Signature 27 branding, along with a close-up of a large rear camera lens. More importantly, the Snapdragon name removes one major question from the equation: Barring a major curveball, the Signature 27 will use a Qualcomm chip.

Nothing Headphone 1 is the brand’s first over-ear model, and it stands out right away with its transparent-industrial look and strong battery life. It also happens to be on sale at Amazon right now, which makes this a good time to take a closer look. See the deal at Amazon

TL;DR Google is rolling out the Pixel VIPs redesign announced with the September Pixel Drop. The update adds faster VIP switching, reorganizes local updates, and refreshes the interface with Material 3 Expressive styling. Google has also removed the old “Things to do together” recommendations section. Google came into the September Pixel Drop with a list of upgrades for Pixel VIPs, but there was one catch: It didn’t actually show us what most of them looked like. We did manage to get an early look at the redesigned home screen widget, but the rest of the experience was still largely hidden. That’s changing now with Pixel VIPs version 2.0.97, which is starting to roll out, and we’ve captured a full gallery and video showing the refreshed VIP page in action. The biggest change becomes obvious as soon as you open a VIP from the widget. A new floating navigation strip sits at the bottom, letting you swipe between VIPs without backing out to the widget first. You can also jump straight to someone by tapping their profile picture in the strip. Long-press the bar and left and right arrows appear, giving you another way to move through the list.

The Retroid Pocket Flip 2 just dropped to a record-low price at Amazon, and this is one of those deals that stands out right away. It’s down to $229 from its $269 recommended retail price, which saves you $40 for a 15% discount relative to RRP. See the deal at Amazon

TL;DR Google Messages is quietly rolling out the ability to set custom chat themes for standard SMS conversations. Chat themes were previously limited to RCS chats in the messaging app. This change may have been facilitated by chat themes being limited to the person who set it rather than everybody in the conversation. While Google Messages has long let users customize their RCS chats with a selection of colors, it got a major upgrade in August with the introduction of chat themes, a feature we first uncovered in May. One key limitation of this customization tool is that it only works with RCS chats. It now looks like Google has flipped the switch for standard SMS/texts, too. As a Reddit user points out, Google Messages appears to have quietly enabled chat themes for non-RCS chats. A quick look on my Pixel 6a confirms this, with a red dot prompting users to try it for the first time.

Android enthusiasts have lived with foldables ever since Chinese company Royole released the FlexPai in December 2018. We’ve endured early hinge debacles, catastrophic inner-display peels, and awkward outer screens as companies like Samsung, OPPO, Xiaomi, and Google worked to refine the very idea of a folding phone. Apple has sat quietly on the sidelines while Android brands experimented, and while the company is over seven years late to the category, from my brief time with the new iPhone Duo, it might just have a winner in its hands.