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Google is going all-in on Pixel hardware to fight Apple, de-emphasizing Assistant
Recession and regulation sees Google turn to hardware
For a long time, Google has been in a position that helps it dominate the mobile phone market. Hardware partners like Samsung provide the devices themselves (with the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra currently one of the best smartphones to be had), which all need to be equipped with Google software as per licensing agreements. Even Apple phones ship with Google set as the default search engine on Safari. But these things could change with antitrust regulators looking to break up the lucrative Apple-Google deal and Samsung simultaneously losing ground in the US market. A report suggests that Google is looking to strengthen its hardware division even further at the expense of Assistant improvements.
Google Chrome for Android tests a faster way to sign in on websites
When using Google’s password autofill option, you will have to tap far fewer buttons
Google is slowly ramping up its effort in the password management department. The company’s browser has always offered a simple and quick solution for storing and auto-filling passwords, but it has always lagged behind competitors who offer fully-featured cross-platform password managers. The company is getting there, though. The latest tweak in line makes logging in after autofilling much faster by eliminating an extra tap.
Google faces more EU fines after competing companies team up
Commerce competitors are asking the EU to look into Google Shopping again
Following a $2.4 billion lawsuit and changes to how its Shopping comparison service works in the EU, Google might be in hot waters again. The company's European commerce competitors still aren’t happy with how the search giant displays its Google Shopping results at the top of its results, saying that its auction model just leads to higher prices for consumers. The companies have teamed up and asked the EU’s antitrust regulators to look into the topic again with new EU regulation now in place.
Android 13 could finally give us a feature first promised in Android 11
Connect to your Cast devices right from the your phone's media controls like it’s 2020
More than two years ago, Google announced that it would bring a new capability to Android. The then just released Android 11 introduced a revamped media player that sits in an extra area above your notifications. As part of this redesign, a quick output switcher was added to the top right corner of the player, and it was supposed to show you both Bluetooth and Cast devices for “seamless transfer.” However, the latter never appeared for anyone after Android 11 went stable. Two years and two Android versions later, evidence has surfaced showing that Cast devices might soon finally make it to the quick output switcher.
Some Pixel 7 Pro users are reporting scrolling issues with their new phones
Fresh owners report that scrolling inertia is widely fluctuating
After half a year of teasers, the Google Pixel 7 and 7 Pro are finally official. While we gave these phones positive grades in our reviews, not everything seems to be in perfect order. For example, we’ve found that the Google Pixel 7 Pro’s display draws a lot more power than comparable phones at higher brightness levels. There seems to be another screen issue affecting some units. Reports suggest that touchscreen behavior, particularly scrolling, can be widely inconsistent on the Pro model.
The Google Pixel 7 Pro’s display draws an obscene amount of power
Testing reveals power draw is about twice the wattage of similar displays at certain brightness levels
The Google Pixel 7 and 7 Pro are now available for purchase and our reviews are live to give you an impression of what you can expect. However, we keep learning more and more about the devices as time goes on. We’ve already complained about the Google Pixel 7 Pro’s battery life, and according to the latest findings, the display could be at fault.
Google Pixel 7 and 7 Pro will get Security & Privacy panel with their first Feature Drop
One central place for everything security and privacy
During its big October launch event, Google gave us a glimpse at an upcoming settings pane that is supposed to come to the Google Pixel 7 and 7 Pro. This Security & Privacy section brings together all security and privacy settings you could need (as the name suggests), and it will give you proactive warnings and recommendations when your phone notices that something is potentially an issue. Google only said that it would roll out later, but in its newest blog post on security gives us a more specific answer: It will come along with the first Android 13 Feature Drop.
Here’s your first look at Google’s app archiving feature
That app you only need once every fortnight? You don’t need to keep it on your phone at all times anymore
You probably have tons of apps on your Android phone that you rarely use but that you still like to keep around for convenience. Google has long recognized this issue with a feature that automatically strips unused apps of permissions and background activity privileges, but the company is ready to take things a step further. As Google announced earlier this year, it wants to introduce a new option to archive apps instead of uninstalling them, giving you the storage and resource saving benefits of uninstalling without having to set up or log into apps again.
Google Clock update preps Pixel Tablet support and adds scheduled alarms
…and more big screen improvements
During the Google Pixel 7 launch event, the big G once again teased its first new tablet in a long time, slated to come sometime in 2023. To prepare for the launch of the Google Pixel Tablet, the company is getting its apps in order, making them work better on big screens. The latest in line to receive a makeover in preparation for Pixel Tablet support is Google Clock, which has just been released as version 7.3 on the Play Store.
I want optical zoom on the Google Pixel 7 and I want it now
Better cropping algorithms or not, telephoto is more useful than ultra-wide
Google just launched the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro during its October event. There weren't many surprises, thanks to all the teasers and leaks that have been our constant companions ever since Google I/O in May, and it's almost certain that the new Google phones will become some of the best handsets in the Android world. Now that the event is over, and we went hands-on with the Google Pixel 7 and 7 Pro, I want to love the smaller and more premium phone for its form factor, build quality, and value proposition. However, it's missing one key feature for me: a zoom camera lens.
Google now has its own podcast, talking about hardware
The first episode dives deep into what's new and old with the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro camera
Amidst the buddy Pixel launch event on October 6 that brought us great new flagship phones and the Pixel Watch, Google also introduced something else and slightly unexpected, too. The company has entered the podcast creation business with its own podcasts. The “Made by Google” podcast debuted with its first episode on October 6, talking about the camera advancements Google pioneered over the years, culminating into the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro.
Android 13's new themed icons want to give you a more consistent look on your homescreen. Rather than allowing all apps to showcase themselves with their colorful icons, the new optional mode for Google Pixels and the other best Android phones creates a monochrome look that's supposed to give you a consistent homescreen. As beautiful as this can look when all your favorite apps support it, there are still many issues with themed icons. But let's not get ahead of ourselves.
Google Pixel Watch hands-on: Trying to live up to the hype
Google's first hardware Wear OS product is finally here, eight years after Android Wear's inception
Google has been hyping up the Google Pixel Watch since May when Google Senior Vice President Rick Osterloh showed it off on his wrist, to everyone’s surprise, during its 2022 I/O event. Even discarding the leaks that came in between then and now, Google has shared a lot of teasers, building up the hype further and further for what it hopes will be one of the best Wear OS watches. Today is finally the day that we get to go hands-on with the watch ourselves and are allowed to get a first impression of its look and feel and how well the software runs.
All the small and big changes in Android 13 QPR1 Beta 2
We finally get some useful battery stats again
Right ahead of the Pixel 7 launch event, Google decided to drop the second Android 13 QPR1 Beta. QPR, of course, is short for the Quarterly Platform Release, which Google first introduced with Android 12. These are not full system updates, but they bring a few select changes to the Pixels and other great high-end phones that opt to receive them. The second beta is filled with select great changes, so let’s dive right in.
Why Google's Pixel Watch has to be the Apple Watch of Android to succeed
Unless the Pixel Watch offers a significant advantage over other Wear OS watches, it’s doomed
Google first teased the Google Pixel Watch during Google I/O in May 2022, and it's just about to launch. It will be released alongside the Google Pixel 7 on Thursday, October 6. As always, we've learned a lot about what should become one of the best Android watches, thanks to Google's preemptive marketing and some substantial leaks.
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After months of rumors, teasers, and leaks, the Pixel Watch will finally be revealed alongside the Google Pixel 7 series on Thursday, October 6, 2022. With the amount of videos Google has published and a great number of leaks, there is almost nothing left to hide at this point. And just like that, Google has for the first time released its Phone app for Wear OS, already available over at APK Mirror.
Google’s redesigned Home app accidentally rolls out already, with Pixel Tablet assets in tow
The new app looks sleek, but it’s an internal build that doesn’t properly work
Google teased that it has a redesigned Home app in the works this week and that you would soon be able to sign up to join the beta. It looks like someone at the company hit some buttons early, as someone has already received the new app via a Play Store update—complete with a warning that it’s a confidential internal build that is not meant to be shared with others. This gives us a first glimpse of the new app in action.
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Google's new wired Nest Doorbell is here a whole year after being teased
Wired and always on, quite in contrast to the battery-powered Nest Doorbell
Google's Pixel 7 event is just around the corner, but it looks like the company doesn’t want to announce all of its products under one roof. Two days before the big launch, Google has released its latest contender for the best smart doorbell crown, and this time around, its new Nest Doorbell is a fully wired solution. There is no fiddling with batteries required, quite in contrast to the Nest Doorbell (battery).
Still using a Google Pixel 2 or Pixel 3? Why you should (or shouldn't) upgrade to the Pixel 6
That’s a definitive yes for the Pixel 2, but what about the Pixel 3?
The Pixel 6 and 6 Pro are Google's best-selling phones by a good margin and some of our favorite handsets. Still, if you're happy with your old Pixel phone, you might be on the fence about upgrading. You no longer have to shell out $600 or $900 before tax as the devices have seen more sales recently, especially in the time leading up to the Pixel 7 series.
The most awesome, ridiculous, and creepy Gboard Emoji Kitchen combos you need to try
When two emoji really love each other...
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Google has long offered the so-called Emoji Kitchen in Gboard, a feature that lets you combine two emoji to create a totally new mashup sticker that embodies both, and yet, I still find myself in awe when I discover a new combination that I hadn't come across before. This has quickly become my favorite Gboard feature — possibly even the favorite feature on any software keyboard I've ever used, and I'm sure I'm not alone.