The security industry, as organized by the FIDO (Fast IDentity Online) Alliance, has been working to replace passwords given people’s tendency to use weak ones or reuse them. Two-factor authentication (2FA) has helped to remedy that but the future is “passkeys,” with Android and Google readying support.

As Samsung’s middle child, the Galaxy S22+ might not be the outright best in the entire lineup, but it’s still a $999 smartphone that competes more directly with the $899 Google Pixel 6 Pro than the S22 Ultra. So, which is the better buy overall?

Wireless Android Auto has been around for quite a while now, but for ages, it felt like something that only a brand new car would solve. That all changed with the arrival of wireless Android Auto dongles, and the Motorola MA1 dongle was pitched as the “easy” version, with a dead-simple experience and direct backing from Google. After a few months of use, though, I’m not so convinced MA1 is the best option.

Almost two years after the last revamp, the Google Store is getting a redesign that simplifies navigation and lays the groundwork for future products, most notably the Pixel Watch.

At the beginning of April, Netflix released a new interactive show to live among the mostly forgotten interactive series category. The new addition called Trivia Quest is based on Trivia Crack and sets out to do the same thing: test your ability to remember random facts and information. Here’s how you can play it on Netflix with Android TV.

The Pixel 6a is coming up soon and brings a lot to the table, but it seems the phone won’t support a feature from its flagship brethren. According to some new evidence, it seems the Pixel 6a won’t support “Motion Mode” photography.

The latest Google One perk is a free Titan Security Key that lets you enable two-factor authentication (a.k.a. 2-Step Verification) on your online accounts. 

Colors have also been a key part of Google’s Pixel lineup, from the stunning “Really Blue” original Pixel to the delightful “Sorta Seafoam” and “Kinda Coral” on this year’s Pixel 6. But the colors Google provides really only scratch the surface. Now, a “Panda” repair job to a Pixel 6 Pro has us thinking, what’s the best way to improve the look of the Pixel?

Google started rolling out Nearby Share in August of 2020 to Android devices as part of Play services. The native OS integration somewhat eclipsed a key aspect of the Files by Google, but Share is now prominently being highlighted again on Pixel devices.

Back in October, Google Pixel became the “Official Fan Phone” of the NBA as part of a multi-year partnership. Ahead of the NBA Playoffs, Google this morning announced the “Pixel Arena” as an elaborate virtual game.

For the privacy-conscious, the Camera and Mic access toggles that Google introduced with Android 12 can provide peace of mind, and are generally more convenient than disabling those permissions outright for an app. By design, they’re quite strict and can be overly so, with there being upsides to future versions of Android introducing more granularity.

Branding is always remarkably revealing. When you open Gmail, the splash screen shows that it’s part of “Google Workspace.” That brand was introduced in 2020 and compared to G Suite makes very clear that Gmail, Meet, Chat, Calendar, Drive, Docs, Keep, and Voice help you be productive. People obviously utilize Gmail for work, but many more are using it in their personal lives, and that use case, as of late, has been somewhat ignored by Google. One way to address that lack of new innovation can be found in Gmail’s past: Inbox.

Following Apple Music’s redesign of its widgets, Beats for Android is adding some to let you quickly manage headphones from the homescreen, while the companion app is also getting a “Locate My Beats” capability.

In this week’s top stories: Google Photos regains a carrier-exclusive unlimited backups plan, Weather Frog hops onto 2nd-gen Nest Hub, Waze gains a “Retro Mode,” and more.