Android

The monthly “Google System Release Notes” primarily detail what’s new in Play services, Play Store, and Play system update across Android phones/tablets, Wear OS, Google/Android TV, Auto, and PC. Some features apply to end users, while others are aimed at developers.

If there’s one thing we all agree on, it’s that weather apps almost universally kind of suck. You’re often stuck choosing between a nice design and an accurate forecast. Now, “Acme Weather” is confirmed for a launch on Android, and it’s a reboot of the popular Dark Sky app that embraces the inherent uncertainty of forecasting.

The biggest feature being announced on the Galaxy S26 Ultra this year is Samsung’s new Privacy Display, and it looks pretty great in early leaks. And, apparently, other Android flagships will adopt the same tech as soon as later this year.

Android might not be an official mobile branch to any desktop operating system — not yet, at least — but the past decade or so has seen plenty of first and third-party integrations with Windows. WhatsApp users might be next in line for a big desktop upgrade, as it could be the next service to see native support for Microsoft’s “Cross-Device Resume” feature.

Voice-to-text on Android is really good if you’re using a Pixel, and pretty hit or miss everywhere else. But the new “Wispr Flow” app promises some big improvements to voice-to-text on Android, all without replacing your keyboard of choice.

Take a peek in Android’s settings menu, and no matter what smartphone you have, you’ll probably find Google’s Digital Wellbeing suite hanging around. At first glance, Digital Wellbeing is perfectly modern, sporting an updated Material 3-friendly design and a whole slate of features like app timers, Bedtime mode, and more. It even has its own space within the settings menu on Pixel, rather than being buried within sub-menus like other useful tools.

According to the latest release notes for Google Play services, Android phones will be getting a “new local file backup feature” powered by Google Drive.

One of the key marketing points of the Apple AirTag is “Precision Finding,” which shows you the precise location of your tracker beyond what Bluetooth is capable of. That’s accomplished using UWB, but that feature is also missing from the vast majority of Android Find Hub trackers, and there are a few key reasons why.

Quick Share, Google’s version of AirDrop for Android, seems to be moving towards the removal of its always-on “Everyone” sharing mode, moving closer to iOS.

Our smartphones and tablets continue to get better at gaming, and now there’s a big new title available. As of today, the 2013 reboot of Tomb Raider has arrived on Android (and iOS) for $19.99.

New research predicts that the Android and iOS foldable markets will be dominated by book-style devices rather than smaller clamshell designs, and manufacturers are already placing greater emphasis on premium, productivity-focused devices.

There have been growing reports of Google Pixel users experiencing Wi-Fi and/or Bluetooth issues after a January 2026 update. Here’s how many of you should feel validated.

When the Android desktop interface leaked last month, there was a Gemini icon in the status bar. We now know a bit more about that persistent access.

In a world filled with boring smartphone after boring smartphone, you have to give Ayaneo’s upcoming Pocket Play some credit: we haven’t seen a device like this in more than a decade. The company’s long-awaited (and slightly delayed) slider gaming phone is nearing a full launch, and while we’re still waiting for info on availability, we do finally have a detailed specs sheet that paints a pretty picture — with a few potential pitfalls, unfortunately.

After the better part of a decade heel dragging, the BBC Sport app now finally has a dedicated dark mode on Android devices.

The 2025 smartphone market ended on a high note, acting as the calm before the storm with brands including Google Pixel, Nothing, and Honor being among the fastest-growing smartphone brands of the year.

After launching on the Pixel 10 series last year, Google has teased that AirDrop support via Quick Share will be coming to more Android phones, with announcements coming “very soon.”

New findings in court documents shed a bit more light around Google’s plans for Android’s desktop UI, as well as its future plans for ChromeOS, and it might all take a bit longer than you were expecting.

After struggling with delays and speed bumps in manufacturing, Ayaneo’s brand-new Pocket S Mini Android handheld comes as a surprise announcement, with a promise that it will not be delayed.