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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.

AI agents are the latest “next big thing” for AI, but OpenClaw has been working at the idea for a while now. Today, OpenClaw is bringing a gateway app to Android (and iOS) to help bring agents on the go. It also looks… like that.

Buying a new hard drive or solid-state storage solution is nearly out of the question. The cost of buying a physical drive has essentially doubled, so storing photos, files, and other important data is a little harder. An affordable alternative remains – secure cloud storage.

Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy Watch 9 really doesn’t look all that different from the Watch 8, but new leaks show off updated watch bands that actually deliver some notable changes.

The Supreme Court rendered a decision this morning on a case debating whether or not people have an “expectation of privacy” from their government, even with always-available location tracking enabled on practically everyone’s smartphone, and to my pleasant surprise, the ruling actually fell in the general public’s favor.

Amazon’s Fire TV platform is in the process of ditching Android for an in-house VegaOS, a change that’s been controversial among users. In an interview, Amazon’s VP of Fire TV explains some of the reasoning behind the decision, but only one part really makes sense.

WhatsApp has just announced that usernames are officially coming, but you might not be able to get yours just yet.

Dbrand announced that users who ordered the Companion Cube skin for the Steam Machine will not, in fact, find companionship after the “skin” was removed from its website.

Walmart appears to be doubling the price of its most affordable Google TV streaming stick, following price hikes to other parts of its lineup in recent months.

Samsung’s new Galaxy Z Fold 8 series is set to include two devices, the Fold 8 and the Fold 8 “Ultra,” branding that’s still incredibly confusing, but essentially official thanks to the latest leaks.

Samsung continues to prep the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 and Galaxy Z Fold 8 series as more leaks bubble up to the surface. The latest claims the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 and Z Fold 8 will get much brighter displays, and the company’s most rugged watch gets the highest waterproof rating it can, within reason.

Following Workspace availability in 2024, “Take notes for me” in Google Meet is now available for Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers.

As another year goes by since the last Pixel hardware launch, the Pixel Watch 5 is beginning to surface online in FCC listings. This time, the leak leaves us with more questions than answers.

T-Mobile, despite its “Un-Carrier” marketing, seems to be pulling a classic carrier move, forcing some of its long-time customers off of their existing plans and over to something newer and a bit more expensive.

One of the big advantages of Qi2 and its magnetic alignment is support for faster 25W charging speeds, but the organization behind the standard is working on even faster 50W charging for future devices, which could include future generations of Pixel, iPhone, and more.

According to new findings under the hood of Google’s software, future Pixel updates may deliver support for a “shuffle” option for wallpapers.

Google’s environmental reports for the Home Speaker include a look at how the new Gemini device is made and images of the internals.

Perhaps the most visible impact of the AI industry right now is that consumer electronics are getting more expensive. Price hikes are happening left and right and, while smartphones have been mostly spared so far, that no longer feels sustainable, and you can blame AI for it.

This issue of 9to5Google Weekender is a part of our newsletter that highlights the biggest Google stories with added commentary and more. Sign up here to get Weekender delivered to your inbox every weekend, and catch our weekday roundups too!

Like other Google apps, Messages for Android A/B tests many features. It can take the RCS/SMS client a rather long time to actually launch new functionality in stable. From various reports, Google announcements, and devices we’ve checked, this is the current state of Messages.

The social media age begs businesses and everyone else to bridge the gap between quality and quantity and, with Vmake’s AI studio of tools, you get an all-in-one, one-stop shop for everything you need to more easily create content.