Abner Li

Last year, Google Drive’s Material 3 Expressive redesign rolled out in a piecemeal fashion and saw one aspect revert. The full revamp with the container component is now available. 

Just like other modern devices, the Pixelsnap Charger will see firmware updates, with the latest version of Pixel Stand revealing some details.

At this point, Google Voice is primarily an enterprise service, with the vast majority of new features for paid customers. Google Voice is now working on a “Gemini Notes” capability.

A Google Play system update is rolling out to Pixel owners, and we’ve noticed across several devices that the install process is a bit buggy.

Back in June, Google surprisingly released Snapseed 3.0 for iOS, and has now confirmed that the new version is coming to Android.

Back in June, Google surprisingly brought back Snapseed but only on iOS. The app’s latest update introduces a retro “Snapseed Camera” for iPhone users.

YouTube Music introduced the ability to share lyrics last year and is now upgrading the background options with generative AI. 

In recent years, Google TV has been the company’s focus at the Consumer Electronics Show. That remains the case at CES 2026, but Google is also using the Las Vegas conference to promote Android XR.

Google Messages is more widely rolling out some tweaks to the combined camera and gallery interface on Android.

At CES 2026, Google previewed upcoming Gemini for Google TV features that take better advantage of the large screen form factor.

We asked what Google products you wanted the other day and there were some clear demands. I’ll repeat at the top that I think the Pixel brand is currently in a more cautious phase.  

Compared to the year prior, 2025 saw a lot of updates for Google Keep. It’s easily one of my most used apps on Android. While I don’t necessarily have any complaints about the service today, I wonder what a modern note-taking app from Google would look like.

With the launch of Gemini 3 Flash, the Gemini app’s model switcher expanded, and there’s now a faster way to make a selection.

Remember Google Clips? The not-quite-a-GoPro that used AI to automatically capture key moments was released at the second Made by Google event, and felt like the company’s penchant for experimental software was going to extend into hardware. 

During my hands-on with Android XR glasses last month, I kept returning to the digital clock that was displayed over the real world. Professionally, I have been waiting over a decade for Google to re-enter the smart glasses space, and everything is lining up for this to happen in 2026.

A decade or so ago, I thought Google needed a newer mission than “organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.” Having never lived without the Search engine, I frankly thought the mission was solved and that Google needed a new aspirational aim. 

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.

One thing that I thought we’d see more of in 2025 was how Gemini could control your Android phone. There was the May demo and other underlying work, but we don’t have Google’s complete vision yet.

The portfolio of Pixel-exclusive apps grew in 2025 in a trend that will only continue as Google works to differentiate its experience. Notably, availability was not limited to just new devices.

Zooming out, it’s amusing that Apple and Google both chose 2025 to overhaul the design language of their operating systems. Android’s Material 3 Expressive redesign has been well received, but I want to focus on the updates to Google apps.  

With the Pixel 9, Google introduced a new Panorama mode, and the latest Camera update brought it to the Pixel 8 series.