Android

Credit: Sanuj Bhatia / Android Authority TL;DR Galaxy Z Fold 8 preorders have apparently exceeded Samsung’s expectations, according to one leaker. Another tipster claims that Z Fold 8 preorders have exceeded Z Fold 8 Ultra preorders in Korea and other markets. Samsung launched three new foldable phones last week, and the Galaxy Z Fold 8 arguably stole the show. This device differs from the Z Fold 8 Ultra by offering a compact design, featuring a 10:16 cover screen and a 4:3 folding display. Now, it looks like the device is a tentative hit with early adopters. Korean tipster Lanzuk (@yeux1122) has claimed that Galaxy Z Fold 8 preorders have exceeded Samsung’s expectations. They added that production volume had initially increased by 40% compared to the Z Fold 8 Ultra, but that Samsung was still facing stock issues. Furthermore, it sounds like offline sales channels might only have stock by early to mid September, while carriers might be backed up until mid-August. The leaker didn’t mention specific markets, but we’re guessing this report applies to Korea.

TL;DR Amazon has filed an application with the FCC to launch and operate 5,105 satellites for its Amazon Leo satellite internet service. It will also provide direct-to-device services on compatible smartphones with built-in satellite-capable chipsets. The company plans to offer an initial service “later this year.” Amazon’s plans to compete with Starlink may be progressing slowly, but they certainly are moving ahead. After announcing its acquisition of Globalstar back in April, the company has now taken yet another step towards making its direct-to-device (D2D) satellite internet service a reality. The company today announced that it has filed an application with the FCC to launch and operate a constellation of 5,105 low-Earth-orbit satellites to power its D2D system. Its D2D system will operate alongside its existing satellite networks as well as Globalstar’s satellite constellation.

Credit: Joe Maring / Android Authority TL;DR HONOR has detailed camera specs for its upcoming Robot Phone. The phone has a 200MP 1/1.28-inch main camera on a gimbal, as well as a 200MP periscope camera. Other features include six stability-related video modes, plenty of tracking features, and LOGC3 encoding support. HONOR has been showing off its Robot Phone since March 2026, featuring a full-blown gimbal camera setup attached to a smartphone. We’ve seen a few notable leaks since then, but the firm has now officially announced camera specs for the new device. HONOR held a camera technology event in China (h/t: Weibo), where it announced a slew of camera details for the Robot Phone. Perhaps the most notable news is confirmation that the phone will have a 200MP gimbal-mounted main camera (f/1.6, 1/1.28-inch).

TL;DR UAG has partnered with Dryout to launch a line of rescue pouches, bags, and backpacks lined with moisture-absorbing materials to extract moisture from wet electronics. Recovery takes anywhere from two to 12 hours, depending on ambient temperature and severity, after which the pouches can be reset for reuse by drying them in sunlight or warm air. The collection starts at $35 for the Phone Rescue Pouch and Wireless Earbud Rescue Pouch, with larger bags, laptop sleeves, and backpacks also available. Even if your phone boasts a robust IP rating for water resistance, real-world exposure to heavy downpours, accidental dunks, or even sweat can still push moisture into speaker grilles and charging ports. Your phone will survive this moisture, but you will likely see a “Moisture detected” warning when you try to charge through the port. Classic advice on how to fix such moisture issues relies on busted myths, like putting the phone in a rice container to pull moisture out. If you want something that will do a much better job, case maker Urban Armor Gear (UAG) is stepping in with a dedicated Phone Rescue Pouch that is engineered to actively extract trapped liquid from devices regardless of their factory IP ratings. As The Verge highlights, UAG is partnering with Dryout on a new collection of pouches, bags, and backpacks featuring absorbent liners that pull moisture away from drowned devices. Even better, you can simply dry the pouch or bag in sunlight (or warm air through a hairdryer or even a conventional electric oven if you’re desperate) to release the moisture it has absorbed from your device, effectively resetting it for future use.

Credit: Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority TL;DR ChatGPT now refuses requests to write in a famous author’s exact style. Instead, it offers original text inspired by an author’s broader characteristics. The change comes as OpenAI continues defending itself against multiple copyright lawsuits. OpenAI has quietly changed how ChatGPT responds to requests to write like famous authors. When you ask to copy a writer’s voice, the AI now declines the request and offers to capture the “broad qualities” or general mood of the author’s genre while writing in its own distinct voice.

There’s no doubt that 2026 has been a challenging year for smartphones. Component price increases forced companies into awkward compromises, making them choose between keeping phones relatively unchanged year over year or raising prices for modest upgrades. Samsung has already had to battle this twice this year, raising the prices of the Galaxy S26 series and — most recently — its foldable models. Motorola’s entire lineup faced price increases, the most aggressive being the Razr Ultra. It kept most of the same spec sheet from last year with a $200 bump.

After over a decade, OnePlus is no more. Well, at least in North America and Europe, that is. OnePlus was always a brand for enthusiasts first and foremost, though it certainly did its best to expand beyond this with early efforts to work with carriers like T-Mobile. The OPPO-owned company’s decision to narrow its focus to the Asian market has been framed as part of a broader global strategy that will reallocate resources to markets where it can have the greatest impact. These kinds of vague explanations really say very little, but the gist is that the US (and European) market became more trouble than it was worth.

It finally happened. The ‘wide’ Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 is officially here, marking the company’s first foldable in a passport-style form factor. It’s shorter than the standard Galaxy Z Fold phones we’ve seen over the years and noticeably wider, which means it truly opens into a tablet-like form factor when unfolded. Initially, I assumed Samsung was doing this purely to get ahead of Apple’s foldable iPhone Ultra arriving later this year. And on the surface, it’s easy to look at the new aspect ratio, call it the whole story, and write the Galaxy Z Fold 8 off as a lazy attempt at beating Apple to the punch. But that’s not actually the case.

TL;DR Google Clock is finally getting support for Android’s Live Updates. The app now displays a running timer or stopwatch as a Live Update in the status bar, lock screen, and always-on display. Google is rolling it out as a server-side update, so it could take a while before it reaches everyone. The Google Clock app doesn’t usually get many new features. Its last major update arrived in March and introduced new weather icons in the app’s world clock screen. However, Google hasn’t forgotten about the app, either. It’s starting to roll out a fresh update with an actually useful new feature: support for Android’s Live Updates. 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.

I’m a big fan of Google’s Pixel Watches. Although the first model didn’t really click with me, the Pixel Watch 2 made me a believer in Google-made smartwatches — and the Pixel Watch 3 is so good that I still use it to this very day, nearly two years after its release. As such, it brings me no joy to say that the current Pixel Watch experience is a mess. Not necessarily because of anything to do with the watches themselves, but because of the overhauled Google Health app that was introduced in May.

TL;DR Motorola expanded its Android 17 beta program to the Moto Edge 60 Pro for shortlisted community forum users. User testing reveals new additions, including a Dynamic Island-style Live Updates feature around the camera cutout, a new Moto AI assistant named Qira, and significantly improved haptics. Additional interface changes include resizable quick tiles, lock screen customizations, a Pixel UI-style volume slider, and HelloUI app drawer refinements. Motorola expanded its Android 17 beta program to several devices several months ago, and the company has now extended it to even more phones. More recently, the company expanded the beta program to the Moto Edge 60 Pro in India, and users are now sharing what is new with Motorola’s Android 17 release so far. Reddit user athulrox47 received the Android 17 beta on their Moto Edge 60 Pro and observed the following changes:

Credit: Andy Walker / Android Authority TL;DR A Canadian man was wrongfully convicted of child sex abuse charges and served an 18-month prison sentence. It turns out US police accidentally typed his Kik messenger username instead of the actual suspect’s handle. US police then handed over the innocent man’s info to Canadian police, with a Canadian court convicting him solely on the erroneous username. We’ve all mistyped someone’s username before, whether it’s on social media, gaming networks, or other platforms. Unfortunately, it turns out that police mistyped a suspect’s username, subsequently sending him to jail for 18 months. A Nova Scotia court overturned Brandon Klayme’s conviction for child sex abuse charges after it emerged that Wisconsin police mistakenly typed his username in a subpoena instead of the actual suspect’s handle (h/t: Ars Technica). More specifically, Klayme’s Kik messenger username was fus_roh_dah, while the suspect’s handle was fus__roh_dah. That is, the suspect’s username had an extra underscore.

Credit: Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority TL;DR Google’s July 27 Play Services update lets Pixel Watch owners set up Express Pay directly on the watch, with smoother onboarding for new users. The “Connected apps” menu is now called “Linked apps” across phones, tablets, TVs, cars, and watches. Play Shorts adds comic previews you can swipe through, and Play Store v52.5 also brings a steadier Sidekick Dashboard as well as resumable travel searches. Google is rolling out new Play Services v26.29 and Play Store v52.5 updates to Android users. While backend updates usually fly under the radar, there are a few features that will immediately improve your day-to-day experience across your smartwatch and phone.

TL;DR The Gemini app’s model picker dropdown menu now only shows a single “Extended Thinking” thinking level option. The app is also adding new notification controls for things like Daily Brief, scheduled actions, and more. Gemini Spark is also getting a revamped UI with a top navbar displaying categories like “In Progress,” “Needs input,” and others. Google started rolling out a redesigned UI for the Gemini app a few months ago. Now, the company is seemingly fine-tuning that UI to make it more streamlined for its users. It’s also adding new notification settings and making changes to the Gemini Spark UI. The model picker dropdown menu in the Gemini app now only shows a single “Extended Thinking” option under the “Thinking Level” menu (via 9to5Google). Previously, this dropdown menu listed a “Standard” thinking level as well. However, since that was the default level, displaying it was slightly redundant.

Credit: Damien Wilde / Android Authority TL;DR Tipster Yogesh Brar claims that Nothing is preparing to launch its first smartwatch. The wearable is said to debut in September for under $300. It will reportedly launch in limited markets and feature Nothing’s signature transparent design language. Nothing may finally be getting ready to enter the smartwatch market. According to tipster Yogesh Brar, the company is developing its first smartwatch, with a launch reportedly planned for September. Brar says the wearable will carry Nothing’s distinctive design language, be priced below $300, and initially launch in limited markets.

Credit: Joe Maring / Android Authority Opinion post byAdamya Sharma I was one of those people who was forced to sign up for YouTube Premium for one simple reason: I wanted YouTube without ads. YouTube’s crackdown on ad blockers kicked things off for me, but the ever-increasing number and length of ads the platform started throwing at me was the final nail in the coffin of my free YouTube experience. I gave in and became a YouTube Premium subscriber, thinking I’d finally escaped the tyranny of YouTube ads once and for all and that I was good to go.

TL;DR T-Mobile is currently experience a major service interruption. Users from New York to Canada report not being able to connect to T-Mobile’s cellular network. Verizon and AT&T appear to be impacted, as well. If your T-Mobile, Verizon, or AT&T smartphone finds itself stuck on Wi-Fi this afternoon, take heart in knowing that your cellular struggles are not happening in a vacuum — right now, multiple carriers appear to be in the midst of a rather large service disruption. Over on Reddit’s T-Mobile sub, users started reporting connection issues about an hour ago. With comments pouring in from subscribers in California, New York, and Georgia, it appears that wide swaths of the US could be impacted.

TL;DR “Take notes for me” builds you a Gemini-prepared summary of Google Meet calls. Google is getting ready to expand these notes from text-only to start incorporating screenshots. Right now Google’s only talking about bringing this to Workspace users, and not yet individual Google AI subscribers. Google Meet is a convenient way to talk to friends, family, and work colleagues face-to-face, absolutely, but it’s capable of a whole lot more, too. One of its coolest features is the ability to lean on Gemini in order to generate a concise summary of call content — an absolute godsend when it comes to long, boring meetings. Just last month, we learned about Meet expanding this “Take notes for me” tool from being a Workspace-only perk to one available to Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers, and now we’re getting an early preview of a new upgrade in the works. Right now, Meet’s note-taking solution is text-based. And while that may be perfectly fine, if not even preferable for many meetings, there are also those where text-only notes are inevitably going to miss out on something — like if a colleague is screen-sharing a graphics-heavy presentation. Now, it’s not ready for use just yet, but today Google gave Workspace admins the heads-up that Meet notes will be getting the ability to include screenshots.

Credit: Calvin Wankhede / Android Authority TL;DR Reddit users spotted that Claude chats shared via link were appearing in Google Search results. Anthropic says it did not provide search engines with chat directories or sitemaps, suggesting the links may have been posted publicly by users. Private Claude chats were not affected, and the indexed links appear to have been removed. Some Meta AI app users appeared not to realize that conversations they shared were being posted to a public feed last summer, but in fairness to Meta, those users had ignored or misunderstood a disclaimer about how the feature worked. Claude is now facing a different kind of sharing controversy, after shared chats were found appearing in Google results. The issue was highlighted in a post on the ClaudeAI subreddit (via ZDNet). The Reddit user found that searching Google for pages under the chatbots’ shared-chat address returned many conversations that users had previously chosen to share only with specific other people.

TL;DR Last week we spotted Samsung working on new individual zoom controls for apps on its latest foldables. While we found evidence in Z Fold 8 Ultra firmware code, the feature didn’t appear to be available on the phone. A tipster has now alerted us to the settings appearing for the new wide Z Fold 8 as a Labs option. Samsung’s new foldables are official, and as customers get their pre-orders in for the Galaxy Z Fold 8, Z Fold 8 Ultra, and Z Flip 8, we’ve been on the hunt for new features arriving with One UI 9 stable. Late last week, we uncovered evidence pointing to a new accessibility option for screen zoom, letting you adjust zoom levels for individual apps. At the time, we weren’t sure just how far along progress was — but now we’ve finally found where it’s hiding, and have a chance to show you the feature in action. Last Friday, we showed you the strings we discovered in a Fold 8 Ultra firmware image for per-app zoom settings. While you can easily make all your apps look bigger by adjusting zoom in display settings, so far Android has lacked the granular ability to have some apps appear more zoomed-in than others.

TL;DR YouTube Premium subscriptions will soon include access to Peacock Premium’s streaming content. Ad-supported shows and movies from Peacock will be available “within the YouTube experience.” The integration will be available beginning in early 2027. YouTube Premium got a little more expensive earlier this year, with the Individual plan going from $13.99 to $15.99 per month while the Family plan jumped from $22.99 to $26.99. Today, YouTube’s made an announcement that might help justify the new higher subscription fee for some users. In a blog post, YouTube has announced that the YouTube Premium subscription will soon include access to Peacock Premium’s content, including live pro sports, movies from Universal, and shows like Saturday Night Live and The Office.

TL;DR Android Auto users report problems with getting Gemini to run their Google Home routines. Gemini can initiate routines just fine when their phones aren’t connected to Auto. Reports of the glitch extend back a few weeks now, with no word yet of any fix. Your car’s suspension may make short work out of the bumpy roads you cross on your travels, but there’s little it can do to help with the bumpy rollout Gemini has experienced on Android Auto. Sometimes, it may be fantastic, but then there are times when it won’t shut up or just leaves us feeling hugely frustrated. Recently, we’ve been hearing users complain about the latest problem with Gemini on Android Auto, as their smart home routines fail to run. Google Home routines are one of the platform’s biggest superpowers, making it a snap to set up even complex actions. Once you go to the trouble of creating some good ones, you’re understandably going to feel very upset when they just stop working — but that’s exactly what a number of Android Auto users report in a Reddit thread.

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TL;DR Meta said it is pausing plans to implement rate limits for the conversation focus feature on its smart glasses. However, the company didn’t rule out the possibility of limits appearing in the future. Meta clarified that not all premium features will require a subscription, but hinted it may need to recover the cost of selling its smart glasses “at accessible prices.” Meta’s AI smart glasses include a feature called conversation focus, which is designed to cut background noise and make the person in front of you more audible. The company recently said it would enable rate limits for this particular feature, which was understandably met with widespread criticism. Well, it now looks like the company has finally budged in response to the public outcry. In a statement to The Verge, Meta said it is pausing the conversation focus “subscription test” after listening to feedback. The company said the feature will continue to be available at no cost through its Early Access Program while it comes up with “a better approach.”

TL;DR A new report suggests the Galaxy S27 Pro and S27 Ultra will feature notably large batteries. The S27 Pro could offer a 5,200 mAh typical capacity, while the S27 Ultra may include a 5,700 mAh battery. These gains may be enabled by the use of silicon-carbon batteries. Samsung’s new Galaxy Z Fold 8, Z Fold 8 Ultra, and Z Flip 8 are the company’s first phones to use silicon-carbon batteries, an advancement that means more capacity can be squeezed into a slimmer chassis. We’re excited at the idea that Samsung could also use silicon-carbon batteries in the Galaxy S27 series, and today, an intriguing new rumor today points in that direction. Galaxy Club has shared some information about the batteries Samsung will use in the Galaxy S27 Pro and Galaxy S27 Ultra. According to the report, the S27 Pro will come with a rated capacity of 5,087 mAh, which could make for a typical capacity of 5,200 mAh. The S27 Ultra, meanwhile, will reportedly feature a battery with a rated capacity of 5,534 mAh, which could be advertised as a typical capacity of 5,700 mAh.