Grammarly says they'll leverage Gemini Nano to power on-device grammar suggestions on select Android devices that support the LLM (eg. Pixel 8 Pro, Samsung Galaxy S24 series).

Meanwhile, Patreon will be building a feature that lets creators quickly catch up on unread messages.

This news slipped under my radar due to Google I/O, but I think it's quite significant:

Goodix unveiled its ultrasonic under-display fingerprint technology, and it's already made its debut in the Vivo X100 Ultra. Ultrasonic fingerprint scanners can work even when fingers are wet or dirty and don't need the screen to be lit up.

However, the only one really making ultrasonic under-display fingerprint scanner modules thus far has been Qualcomm, and they're apparently pretty expensive. That's why we've only seen them in Samsung's flagships and a couple of other, mostly China-exclusive phones.

Goodix is a pretty well-known sensor vendor. Their optical under-display fingerprint scanners are used by pretty much everyone. Although Synaptics was the first to market with optical under-display fingerprint scanners, I believe Goodix is the market leader now, simply due to offering better prices. It'll be interesting to see if Goodix offering ultrasonic under-display fingerprint scanners now will increase their adoption in smartphones. I'd be interested in learning how they compare in price to the company's optical sensors and Qualcomm's ultrasonic sensors.

Google's Live Captions feature will soon add a grab bar that you can drag to quickly resize the window. This will let you increase the number of caption lines that are shown.

More details can be found in this article.

Gemini Nano is about to roll out to the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8a, as promised!

One Pixel 8 user informed me today that they now have an "enable on-device GenAI Features" toggle under Settings > System > Developer options > AICore Settings. This toggle "enable[s] GenAI features that will run through AICore, using Gemini." This toggle was NOT enabled by default.

The user has version 0.release.pixel8.636144055 of AICore installed, which seems to be specific to the Pixel 8 (and possibly 8a as well).

Google previously said that Gemini Nano support is coming to the Pixel 8 and 8a with the June update, which will likely roll out next week.

If you use Android and rely on hearing aids, I have some good news: Android 15 will significantly improve hearing aid support. Not only will LE Audio-enabled hearing aids be supported but the OS will also bring better management features.

More details can be found in this article.

Google's latest Android feature drop is here, and it's one of the most exciting in recent memory!

Not only does this drop finally bring message editing in Google Messages, it also brings the new Google Home widget we just saw the other day. Also, the long-awaited cross-device features like instant hotspot and the ability to transfer calls between devices (starting with Meet).

More details on everything new can be found in this article.

Heads up: Google says that Android's new Instant Hotspot feature won't be available on Samsung devices.

Here's what this means for you.

Gmail's new Quick Reply UI is official! Google announced today that they're rolling out a new UI in Gmail for Android that makes it easier to quickly reply to emails.

More details plus screenshots can be found in this article.

This was too cool not to share: You can now play The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask (as well as Ocarina of Time) natively on your Android phone, thanks to an unofficial port.

This might be the best way to experience these games. To learn how, read this article.

Google finally talked about Android's new note-taking features at last month's I/O. You'll be able to set a default note-taking app from a lock screen shortcut or stylus button press.

More details on these new features can be found in this article on Android Authority.

Google is enabling support for dynamic spatial audio over Bluetooth LE Audio in Android 15. LE Audio provides lower head-tracking latency and better bandwidth utilization, providing a more immersive audio experience.

More details on what this means can be found in this article on Android Authority.

Apple no longer offers the best security support timeline in the smartphone world. Both Google and Samsung beat them, as Apple has FINALLY committed to a minimum support window for the iPhone (hint: it's less than 7 years).

More details can be found in my latest article for Android Authority.

Fun fact: Millions of iPhone users have already been texting over RCS, they just haven't been aware of it.

In Japan, the +Message app, available on iOS and Android, uses RCS.

More details can be found in this article on Android Authority.