Android is Google’s open-source mobile operating system; think of it like a public park compared to Apple’s walled garden. It dates back to 2007, and though its dessert-inspired version names were retired in 2019 for a straightforward numbering system, there will always be a special place in our hearts for an OS called “Oreo” and “Ice Cream Sandwich.
Google’s Mishaal Rahman took to r/Android to announce the process, which will eventually be the only way to install apps from unverified Android developers. Verification enforcement kicks in globally in 2027, though in some countries begins next month. Enabling the one-time advanced flow now gets the mandatory 24-hour cooldown out of the way.
After starting to roll out to “select devices” in June, Google’s AI Chrome assistant is now available to all Android users in the US. It adds a Gemini icon to the top-right of your toolbar that opens the familiar chatbot window, allowing Gemini to summarize web pages, answer questions, generate images, and more.
9to5Google reports that Android Canary 2608 includes an interface for generating custom lockscreen clock designs using AI prompts, similar to Android’s “Create My Widget” feature. It also includes options for uploading a reference image or using “Ideas” Google suggests, but according to 9to5Google “server-side functionality” for the feature isn’t live yet.
A new feature allows parents to add money to their kids’ linked Google Wallet balance, which kids can use for tap-to-pay purchases. Parents can also see their kids’ transaction history, set a daily spending limit, remotely lock / unlock the account, and have the option to get spending notifications.
Android Authority found and enabled the home screen widget after digging through the latest version of the Google Translate app, which could make Android’s “Live Translate” feature easier to access, and keep it working if you close the app. We don’t know when (or if) it’ll roll out, but this is what the widget currently looks like:
Samsung Smart Switch will make it easier to jump from iOS to a Galaxy Z Flip 8 or Fold 8, sharing photos, videos, contacts and more with just a QR code, no iOS app install required. Similar features are already rolling out on some Pixels with Android 17.
The Google Contacts app is rolling out a new “Your info” card, which shows your image, phone number, email address, and other information — similar to “My Card” on iPhones. Tap into the card, and you’ll see an option to share your details with one of your contacts.
[Android Authority]
Instead of only showing purchases made with your phone, 9to5Google reports that the Wallet app’s transaction history can now also show money spent using the NFC chip in a Wear OS watch in one combined view.
Mirroring similar concerns raised by Apple, Google is now warning that “scammers and fraudsters could exploit greater access to apps’ permissions” if the EU pushes ahead with draft measures that would force the company to open its Search data and Android operating system to competitors. In a statement to Wired, Google security engineering head, Heather Adkins, said:
”Past implementation [date], I would give it maybe weeks before we began to see an increase in fraud in
Europe.”
You can now use Google Wallet to create an ID pass with your passport, check in for your flight, and then enroll in TSA PreCheck Touchless ID at participating airports. That means instead of showing physical or digital ID at airport security, you can walk through with the TSA’s “facial comparison” technology.
When the Google Meet UI for Apple CarPlay launched in April, Google said Android Auto would follow soon, and now it’s here, with the rollout set to finish by June 26th. If you want to take a work call while in the car, you can see your schedule, dial colleagues, or join calls (audio only, both ways) without picking up your phone.
As we discussed, Epic and Google will be back in court July 16th to answer six specific questions from the court — as it decides whether to force Google to carry rival stores inside its own app store, or let it adopt “Registered App Stores” in the US instead. What do you think of the embedded arguments?
Pixel foldables get the new feature first, which is being added to Android 17 alongside native controller remapping, but only rolls out “in the coming months.” We’ve seen control options like this in other foldables before, but it’s welcome to see Google bake it into the OS.
Starting this summer, users in Ireland, Spain, France, Italy, and Estonia will be able to scan their passports to create a digital pass within the Google Wallet app. Unlike in the US, people can’t use Google’s ID passes for travel in the EU, but they can be used for online age verification as requirements sweep across the globe.
Android president Sameer Samat says the update also includes a feature that detects whether the page you’re about to scan is a duplicate, while automatically switching blurry scans to “the highest-quality frame.” The new scanner operates on-device and is available to Android users with 8GB of RAM or more.
The app, which you can pre-register for on Google Play, will let you use AI and prompts to starting building other apps.
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It’s time to usher in Gemini season.
MediaTek shared in a blog post that it will have chips in Google’s upcoming Googlebooks, joining Intel and Qualcomm. Interestingly, it mentions bringing Dimensity smartphone chips, not the Kompanio chips it already had in Chromebooks (and were quite good).
I don’t know why Google didn’t announce chip partners like it did laptop partners in its weird Googlebook tease.
Sony’s trying to show off the AI Camera Assistant on the new Xperia 1 VIII, but I’m not sure a bunch of blown-out photos with weird ideas about highlights and shadows will convince anyone this is worth it. Our own Dominic Preston says he saw better results in his briefing, but this is looking pretty grim. (h/t Manideep!)
