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.

Starting this winter, you'll be able to text 911 over RCS using the Google Messages app on Android!

Here's why that's a big deal.

Ahead of WWDC today, I found out what version of the RCS Universal Profile Apple will implement in the iOS Messages app.

It's also heavily implied that Apple will support RBM, but not confirmed. Hopefully they share more details at WWDC!

You can find more details in this article.

First look at RCS in the Apple Messages app!

Sadly, you'll still be seen as a green bubble.

Android 14 QPR3, the third and final quarterly build of Android 14, is here! It's been in beta testing since early February, giving Google lots of time to fix bugs.

There aren't many new user-facing features, but here's a rundown of the few there are, over on Android Faithful.

The Pixel Feature Drop for June 2024 is here, bringing Gemini Nano to the Pixel 8/8a, car crash detection for the Pixel Watch 2, DISPLAY OUTPUT SUPPORT (on the Pixel 8 series) FINALLY, and a lot more!

You can read more about this update over on Android Faithful.

If you're wondering, the Pixel 8, 8 Pro, and 8a are the ONLY devices in the Pixel lineup that are capable of receiving display output support via an OTA update.

Don't expect this to happen for any other Pixel, ever, because it's disabled at the hardware level on them.

Many have already pointed out that Android 15's Easter egg is unchanged from 14, but there's actually one subtle change: You can now plant flags on planets you land on!

However, the ability to plant flags is itself gated behind a feature flag. Yes, there's a flag for flags.

For more details + a screenshot of this new Easter egg change in Android 15, check out this article.

Google is enhancing lockdown mode in Android 15 by disabling USB data signaling while it's active. This protects against the (large theoretical) "juice jacking" issue.

For more details on this security change in Android 15, read this article I wrote on Android Authority.

It JUST occurred to me why Android 15's Easter egg involves simply adding a flag to the existing spaceship game.

The flag for the flag IS the Easter egg, as it's a reference to perhaps the biggest change in Android 15: Android's new aconfig flagging system developed with the trunk stable project.

(Android 14 QPR2 was technically the first trunk stable release, which is why the source code for the Easter egg change is already live in AOSP as it was uploaded with the recent Android 14 QPR3 drop.)

This Easter egg isn't something that'll be appreciated by many since it references a really under-the-hood change, but it's a fun little homage and a nod to platform developers!

If you're curious what "trunk stable" and "aconfig" are all about, I did a presentation that touches on these topics a few months back.