9to5Google

The latest update for Threads for Android has added support for Android’s predictive back gesture, which helps you understand where in the interface you’ll go back.

At I/O 2024, “Chromecast built-in” was quietly rebranded to “Google Cast.” Notably, this is reversing a branding change made in 2016. 

AirTag-like trackers are coming to Android thanks to the wider rollout of the Find My Device network, and as devices start shipping this coming week, Pebblebee now says that new orders will ship within 2-4 weeks.

Google announced Wear OS 5 at I/O earlier this month and, as per usual, the update is likely to make its debut on Galaxy smartwatches first. And, right on schedule, there are signs of life for Wear OS 5 on Galaxy Watch popping up ahead of a One UI Watch 6 beta program.

AI Overviews have barely been out for a week and things are already going off the rails. And, the painful part of it all is that Google has already shown that it knows how to make AI in Search truly helpful, it’s just not doing that with AI Overviews.

Chrome for iPhone and iPad has introduced a big quality-of-life improvement with the ability to customize the menu bar. 

In July of 2023, Google’s switch from Samsung to TSMC for the Tensor G5 was definitively reported, and additional confirmation today shows that work towards the Pixel 10 is continuing. 

As scammers continue to find new ways to extract money from innocent people, it’s more important than ever to protect your family members (and even yourself) from having too much personal info available online.

Following the announcement at I/O 2024, Gemini in Google Messages has been widely rolling out to stable users over the past few days. It joins recent launches like Gemini 1.5 Pro in Gemini Advanced and the YouTube Music Gemini Extension.

Smart speakers aren’t as exciting as they once were, but every once in a while there’s a notable release. Over the past couple of months, I’ve been using the JBL Authentics 500, a high-end smart speaker that, to me, is just the Google Home Max replacement I’ve been waiting for.

Gemini-powered Ask Photos is coming to Google Photos this summer, and the company this week shared a bit more about how it works. 

Welcome to the eleventh episode of Pixelated, a podcast by 9to5Google. This week, we talk about the Android news at Google I/O 2024 and Android 15 Beta 2.

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It was the addition of a “Notifications” tab this week that broke the camel’s back for me. The Google app on Android is in desperate need of a redesign. 

For more than a year now, Google has made it clear that this is the company’s “Gemini era.” With what seems to be a Nest hardware renaissance on the horizon, where does Google’s smart home fit into the Gemini era?

Examples of Google’s AI Overviews going off the rails have quickly gone viral as the update has rolled out to the public, but while the company has had to disable AI on some particularly viral queries, Google reiterates that the “vast majority” of AI results are “high-quality.”

Google is rolling out a refreshed “Updates” inbox to Gmail for Android and iOS that aims to help users “focus on the emails that matter most.”

According to a leaked contract, Samsung has been requiring third-party repair shops to share customer data with Samsung.

There aren’t many reputable ROM projects kicking around today, but by using the crutch of another popular ROM, Evolution X could be the customization king for your aging devices.