Android

Credit: Rita El Khoury / Android Authority TL;DR Google is updating the Pixel Weather app again with subtle changes. The update adds a refresh button on the home screen widgets. It also removes the arrow buttons that let you scrub hourly and daily weather predictions left or right. The Pixel Weather app is one of the finest options for anyone who likes (or needs) to keep track of weather trends frequently. In addition to its gripping visuals, the Pixel Weather app offers a wide range of data to satisfy your appetite for details, while also delivering a custom AI summary that helps you plan ahead for upcoming journeys to other locations. Since the app is already quite palatable, there’s little room for improvement, but product engineers at Google keep striving to add subtle changes to keep your experience engaging. The latest set of changes arrives in the form of a tiny button to update the current weather on the home screen widget. While the Pixel Weather app refreshes actively when you open the app, the widget only updates in the background at certain intervals. Before the update, users had no control over when or how frequently the widget would update.

TL;DR Android Auto’s missing cellular signal bars are starting to return for some users. The fix appears in Android Auto version 17.8.1638, which is currently a beta build. Availability is still inconsistent, so stable users may have to wait a little longer. When you’re driving through a patchy coverage area, those tiny signal bars on the Android Auto dashboard can be surprisingly useful. A quick glance at the dashboard tells you whether your connection is holding up before a call starts breaking up. But for some Android Auto users, that glance has been useless for months because the cellular signal indicator simply disappeared. Now, Android Auto version 17.8.1638 appears to be bringing it back. The issue surfaced earlier this year, with users reporting that Android Auto had stopped showing their phone’s cellular signal strength. As we noted at the time, the bug was mostly cosmetic, as calls, mobile data, and navigation continued working normally. That didn’t make it any less annoying for drivers who rely on the indicator to know when they’re heading into a dead zone.

Credit: Paul Jones / Android Authority CUKTECH brought a full charging lineup to IFA Berlin this year, along with the world’s first exoskeleton that runs on power banks, which is a game-changer. The brand’s name nods to the Cuk circuit, an efficient DC-DC power topology from 1976, and the company has spent over a decade building nothing but portable power products around that idea, shipping more than 10 million units a year across more than 40 countries. That expertise shows up across three new charging devices built for people who plug in more than one thing at a time, from gaming laptops to entire desk setups. And then there’s the CUKTECH Power Exoskeleton Kit, a preview of where the company plans to go next. Here’s what you need to know.

Credit: Hadlee Simons / Android Authority TL;DR More Samsung Galaxy S27 series specs have emerged in a regulatory filing. The filings reveal 60W charging speeds for the Galaxy S27 Pro and S27 Ultra. Another filing suggests that these phones could have 5,200mAh and 5,700mAh batteries, respectively. There’s been no shortage of Galaxy S27 series leaks ahead of the early 2027 launch window. A regulatory filing early this month gave us charging details for the Galaxy S27 and S27 Plus, and now the same source has revealed charging info for the other phones. China’s 3C regulatory body has listed two Samsung phones, featuring the model numbers SM-S957 and SM-S958. These model numbers were previously associated with the Galaxy S27 Pro and Galaxy S27 Ultra, respectively.

I’m picking up an iPhone 18 Pro, my 14th iPhone, today. And while waiting in line for Apple’s latest doesn’t have the same appeal it did in 2007, something about the iPhone still gets people out in droves. I can always sense the frustration of Android users who look over and see the attention the iPhone gets. And I also understand the points made. I ranked the Galaxy S26 Ultra ahead of the iPhone 17 Pro Max, and Google’s done a solid job with the Pixel 11 Pro XL. However, it’s not enough.

Credit: Rita El Khoury / Android Authority TL;DR Google’s new Security State libraries let apps check the security status of individual Android components instead of relying only on the overall security patch level. Apps can also check whether a security update is available and ready for installation, potentially prompting users before they perform sensitive tasks. A phone can now be recognized as protected even if its overall security patch date hasn’t changed, as long as it has received the specific security fix. Until now, your Android phone’s security patch level and the date attached to it have served as an easy way for apps and businesses to check whether your phone is up to date. But it doesn’t always tell the complete story.

Samsung’s Gallery app is more than just an image and video viewer. It lets you edit images and videos, turn images into collages and GIFs, and remove backgrounds and undesired objects from images. You can also enable Gallery Labs — a secret menu in Gallery — to unlock additional functionality like album-entry locks and the ability to save images as a PDF. But that’s not all. Samsung offers a Good Lock module that extends Gallery’s functionality even further. It’s called Gallery Assistant, and it can be really handy if you need to carry out batch image and video operations/manipulations on your Galaxy phone.

Credit: C. Scott Brown / Android Authority Almost every key phone launch these days includes a slot for new features that make devices stand out. A typical Google or Samsung phone launch stresses AI features, especially when there’s little hardware advantage to talk about. But all the talk about new features may not have lasting effects on users, especially those who do not switch phones every so often. Rather, what we’ve learned is that many of our readers desire long-lasting reliability and value sustained experience over just glorified features.

I’ve switched phone carriers more in the last 18 months than I have in my entire adult life. After a decade as T-Mobile customers, my partner and I switched to Visible last year and had a really fantastic experience. Our service was great, the plan features were just what we needed, and the price was extremely fair. But about a year after using Visible, we got an offer from Spectrum Mobile we couldn’t refuse. The offer? Two lines of Spectrum Mobile Unlimited Plus and 1Gbps home internet service for just $100/month total ($30/month for each phone line, plus $40/month for our internet). It was a seriously good deal, and despite hearing horror stories about Spectrum Mobile, I went against my better judgment and signed up anyway.

I recently got a chance to check out the HUAWEI MatePad Pro Max, and honestly, it was impressive. It’s also a mighty expensive tablet, starting at €1,099 (~$1,260). As amazing as it is, not everyone needs or wants to pay for the top-tier model. Are there any cheaper alternatives that are still premium? Well, I’ve also been using the HUAWEI MatePad Air, and this one starts at €849 (~$970). I got the version with a PaperMatte display, 8GB of RAM, 256GB of storage, and an M-Pencil Pro, which goes for €899. So, this model isn’t exactly cheap, either. But is this ultra-thin slate worth a spot in your tablet life? Let’s help you decipher that.

After a three-year run, it looks like the Pixel Tablet has reached the end of the line. The tablet is still set to receive software updates through 2028, but last week we spotted that Google is no longer selling it. Today, there’s no sign of the Pixel Tablet on the Google Store, and links that used to point to the tablet-smart display combo device now redirect to the store landing page. Google ending sales of its only currently supported tablet before introducing a replacement might seem a little strange, but I’m almost surprised the Pixel Tablet lasted as long as it did. I love the idea of the Pixel Tablet, but the device we got had some fundamental flaws that ultimately made it an unappealing buy.

TL;DR Google is testing Pixel 11’s Proactive Assistance on the Pixel 10 with Android 17 QPR2 Beta 5. The feature’s settings and controls are already showing up, including app content permissions and assistant options. It’s not fully functional yet, and there’s no guarantee it will make the stable QPR2 release. Proactive Assistance was one of the new AI features Google reserved for the Pixel 11 series at launch. An expanded take on the Pixel 10’s Magic Cue, it promises to surface useful information and actions based on what’s happening on your screen, in your notifications, and across supported apps. But that Pixel 11 exclusivity may already be lifting. YouTube channel In Depth Tech Reviews spotted the feature after installing the latest Android 17 QPR2 Beta 5 on a Pixel 10 Pro XL. The settings page appears largely the same as on the Pixel 11 series, complete with Google’s description of Proactive Assistance as a way to get “personalized suggestions at the right time.”

TL;DR The OnePlus 16 just cleared a regulatory hurdle, and we now know pretty much all its specs. It could feature a 9,000mAh battery, 100W fast charging, and the Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6. It could also come with a 200MP primary, 50MP ultrawide, and 50MP telephoto camera. We’ve been tracking OnePlus 16 leaks for months, and most of the specs seem locked in: a big battery, a high-refresh-rate display, and an upgraded camera system are all expected. Now, yet another leak has given us a fairly complete spec sheet for the upcoming flagship. The OnePlus 16 recently received its network access certification in China, and leaker Digital Chat Station (DCS) took the opportunity to share a Weibo post with a detailed spec list.

Google Messages is rolling out a new feature, but it’s not one its users seemingly clamor for. Instead, Messages will now text users about new features and app updates. This business chat feature is intended to highlight additions to the experience that some users might not notice. This reminder channel might be useful to some users, but how do others feel about it? We ran a poll, and here are our readers’ thoughts.

Credit: C. Scott Brown / Android Authority TL;DR Samsung has started rolling out Google Photos integration in Samsung Gallery. This lets you automatically back up photos and videos in Samsung Gallery via Google Photos. Unfortunately, it sounds like you can’t view your entire Google Photos library in Samsung’s photo app. Samsung confirmed earlier this year that it was ending its partnership with Microsoft to back up photos and videos to the cloud. This partnership allowed Galaxy owners to automatically back up their photos and videos to OneDrive via Samsung Gallery. We learned earlier this week that Google will team up with Samsung instead, and it looks like the fruits of this partnership are now rolling out. Samsung has started pushing out Google Photos integration with Samsung Gallery, according to tipster Ice Universe on X. More specifically, the latest version of Samsung Gallery (v15.9.01.7) now offers a “Sync photos and videos” option. This can be viewed by opening the Gallery app, then tapping Menu > Settings > Sync photos and videos. If you can’t see this option, then the Google Photos integration isn’t live for you just yet. For what it’s worth, we aren’t seeing this feature on our Galaxy phones. The X user reports that this integration is already working for them.

TL;DR A Redditor claims they’ve trained Google’s fruit fly brain simulation to play Balatro. The model apparently has a 20% win rate on the easiest difficulty with a standard deck. The Redditor says they are still training the model, so it could get better over time. One of the most fun Android games of the past few years, Balatro remains a popular choice for many players. The game blends poker and solitaire into a fun yet challenging experience that many enjoy. However, one user has now managed to train a fruit fly (or at least a simulated fruit fly brain) to play the game. Google recently released a complete map of an adult fruit fly’s brain, and people have been using it to make it do increasingly random (and interesting) things. User ActualAerie1011 trained it to play Balatro and shared a Reddit post showing the model playing a winning match.

Credit: Adamya Sharma / Android Authority TL;DR Notebooks in Gemini are now available to Workspace and Google Education accounts. The feature has been live for regular Google users since April. Workspace admins must enable Gemini features at the organization level to enable it. A few months ago, Google expanded NotebookLM’s footprint (before the app was renamed to Gemini Notebook) in the main Gemini interface on the web by adding a direct shortcut. This feature, called “Notebooks in Gemini,” was soon expanded to Gemini’s mobile apps, and has since been available to all free and paid users with a Gmail account. Now, Google is expanding Notebooks in Gemini to users with business or education accounts under the Google Workspace program. With this expansion, students, educators, and enterprise users can organize their notes and any resources pulled from the internet using notebooks in Gemini and create interactive learning material, reports, slide decks, etc. with that information.

TL;DR Global smartwatch shipments fell 4% year over year in Q2 2026, as people held onto their existing watches for longer. Huawei led global shipments, while Apple posted the fastest growth among the top five smartwatch brands. Counterpoint expects just 1% shipment growth in 2026, but AI and advanced health features could give users more reason to upgrade. Buying a new smartwatch has become difficult. If the one on your wrist still tracks your workouts, shows your notifications, and gets you through the day, why spend another few hundred dollars on a new one? Plenty of people are asking themselves the same question. New data from Counterpoint Research shows that global smartwatch shipments fell 4% year over year in Q2 2026. That’s notable because there are more choices than ever, ranging from cheap watches that cover the basics to expensive models loaded with health and fitness features. But having more watches to choose from doesn’t necessarily mean people want to replace the ones they already own.

TL;DR The USITC has opened an investigation into Samsung, Apple, and Google over Spatial Audio patents. It could potentially lead to a US import ban on all three companies for devices with spatial audio. The complaint comes from BoomCloud 360, which alleges the three companies infringe three of its patents. Samsung, Apple, and Google are being dragged into a new patent fight in the US, and it could actually affect whether some of their devices, such as the new AirPods 5 and Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, can be sold in the country at all. The US International Trade Commission (USITC) has opened a Section 337 investigation into Apple, Samsung, and Google products with spatial audio features. The complaint comes from BoomCloud 360, a California-based audio technology company, which filed its original complaint with the USITC on August 14 and followed up with a supplemental filing on August 31.

Credit: C. Scott Brown / Android Authority TL;DR PlxNative is a new open-source Plex client for LG webOS TVs that’s designed to make browsing and navigation much faster on older hardware. It uses a native Rust/OpenGL interface rather than running in a browser, while still relying on your TV’s hardware decoder for video playback. You can install it via the Homebrew Channel or sideload it via LG’s Developer Mode and webOS Dev Manager. If you have an older LG TV that still has a great panel and picture quality but a painfully slow UI, a new open-source Plex client could help you get more out of it.

TL;DR Google appears to be developing an “Ephemeral Video Mode” for Gemini Live. It’s possible that this could essentially let you go incognito for a Live session, while still working with video input. Normally, video shared with Live is archived in your Gemini Apps Activity. Not every interaction we have with AI needs to take place under the same constraints — and well-designed systems will give us the control we need to dial that in, just how we want it. Sometimes, privacy is going to be paramount, and we want the AI forgetting about the whole interaction the second it’s over. Other times, context is everything, and we want the AI remembering everything for future sessions. Right now we’re wondering if Google could be working on an upgrade for Gemini Live along these lines, as we spot reference to a curious new “Ephemeral” mode. 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: Adamya Sharma / Android Authority LLMs have only been on the scene for a few years, but for better or worse, they’ve long since escaped the chat window. Instead of just answering questions or rewriting your emails, the next wave of AI agents wants to do most of the clicking for you, but this generally requires getting its hands on much more of your computer. We can probably all agree that this could save you a lot of tedious work, but it also means handing a somewhat unpredictable machine the digital equivalent of your house keys. We wanted to know if you were cool with that. That trade-off came into focus when we tried OpenClaw earlier this year, an open-source tool that effectively lets an LLM work directly with your computer and connected services. We found it could be impressively capable when given that freedom, but we also saw how prompt injection could potentially turn the same access against you. In our OpenClaw coverage, we ran a reader poll to ask you a simple question: Would you give an LLM full access to your computer? Your response was as emphatic as it was predictable, and the results are in the pie chart below.

TL;DR Google is expanding CC from a personal daily briefing tool into an AI assistant for families and households. Up to six people can share information with CC, which can manage shared calendars, tasks, reminders, and Daily Briefs. CC can also help with chores like filling out forms, making shopping lists, and planning meals. Late last year, Google introduced an all-new attempt at making Gemini a lot more useful for everyday life. Called CC, it was a new AI agent designed to give you a daily briefing and help you follow up on tasks by tracking information found within your Gmail, Calendar, and Drive. The Google Labs experiment evolved into Gemini’s Daily Brief, and Google is now taking the original CC concept and expanding its horizon. Google is transforming CC into an agent for families and households. Instead of only helping one person, the AI tool will take a broader household approach, complete with its own dedicated Google account.

Credit: Hillary Keverenge / Android Authority TL;DR Motorola has shared a teaser for a new product launch. The teaser includes a close-up of different materials and the date September 22, 2026. It’s likely that this teaser is for the Signature 27. From new Bose earbuds to the latest iPhones, this month has already been plenty busy with announcements. However, get ready to make room for at least one more. Motorola is about to make Techtember a little more crowded. Over on Motorola’s X account, the brand shared a new teaser for a product launch. The social post includes a tagline that reads “A new perspective is coming,” which is followed by the date September 22, 2026. Additionally, the teaser features a clip showing off close-ups of different materials.

TL;DR Google introduced Noto 3D emoji, its latest redesign, back in May around Google I/O. The new set has now started to roll out with devices like the Pixel 11, but availability is still very limited. Google is now sharing a list of manufacturers who will be getting Noto 3D on their phones. Emoji on Android are getting a fresh new look. Back in May, Google first shared its latest emoji overhaul with the presentation of its Noto 3D set. Beyond just picking up a new 3D look, familiar emoji are getting a glow up with a lot more detail. Now they’re finally starting to arrive, but if you’ve still got questions about who’s getting access, or what exactly all these new emoji are going to look like, we’ve spotted some answers. We first saw Noto 3D emoji hitting phones with the release of the Pixel 11 series. And now with more devices moving to Android 17 and related platforms, like Nothing OS 5.0, they’re finally starting to spread. Now Google Design is sharing a closer look at how Noto 3D came to be — and who’s getting it next.