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Android Authority found hidden code in Google Photos version 7.96.0.99 revealing an in-development feature that lets users pick a playback speed—0.25x, 0.5x, 1x, 1.5x, or 2x—for animations made from multiple photos. The update would also add a preview screen before saving the GIF, which currently isn't offered, with finished animations saved to the camera roll and backed up to Google Photos.
Samsung has pushed the stable, Android 17-based One UI 9 update to the Galaxy Quantum 7 in South Korea, the local variant of the Galaxy A57 5G, making it the first A-series phone to receive the finished build. The firmware carries the September 2026 security patch and arrives alongside One UI 9's rollout to the Galaxy S24 lineup and 2024 foldables. The US version of the Galaxy A57 5G has not yet received the update.
Android Authority reports that Google's new Googlebook laptops do not offer the same streamlined Linux app installation process as ChromeOS devices. Instead of installing apps via Settings and launching them from the app drawer, users must rely on Android's Terminal app and command-line instructions, with installed apps not appearing in the app drawer. Google has confirmed this limitation, stating that GUI Linux apps are not currently a priority.
Xreal has started taking pre-orders for the Aura, a transparent-lens XR headset built with Google on Android XR, priced at $1,279 for a 12GB/256GB model and $1,499 for a 16GB/512GB version. The device runs on a Qualcomm Snapdragon Reality Elite chip housed in a separate compute puck, and relies on a touchpad plus hand-tracking rather than eye tracking for navigation.
Google says that of its list of over 10,000 most-used Android apps, 96.6% run without issue on Intel-powered Googlebooks, meaning roughly 300 apps have problems. Google attributes most failures to apps lacking full large-screen support rather than chip incompatibility. The company also detailed that Intel Googlebooks use a binary translation layer converting 64-bit Arm code to native 64-bit x86_64 instructions, rather than legacy 32-bit emulation.
Google Play Store listings now display one of five badges indicating how well an Android app functions on Googlebook laptops. The tiers range from 'Made for desktop' and 'Optimized for desktop' for strong laptop experiences, down to 'Compatible with desktop' and warnings like 'Better on the website' or 'Built for mobile' for apps less suited to larger screens. The labeling system was spotted by a Reddit user and detailed by Android expert Mishaal Rahman.
Amazon is selling the unlocked Samsung Galaxy A57 5G for $399.99, a $200 cut from its $599.99 list price, marking its lowest price to date and beating the previous year-to-date low of $424.99. The deal requires an Amazon Prime membership, which shoppers can access via a free 30-day trial. The phone features a 6.7-inch 120Hz display, a 50MP main camera, and Samsung's pledge of six years of OS upgrades and security updates.
Android Authority found strings in a Google Messages beta build referencing a new 'Games' section with titles like Chess, Pool, Basketball, Darts, Crazy 8s, Checkers, Cup Pong, Four in a Row, and Word Scramble. The feature's internal codename is 'Midnight,' and the discovery stemmed from a tip by Abhishek Yadav on X. Details on how gameplay would actually function remain unknown.
Google is widening the rollout of a redesigned Google Wallet card selector that replaces the horizontal card carousel with a vertically stacked list of saved debit and credit cards. The new layout opens as a separate screen, leaving transit cards, loyalty cards, and passes accessible from the main Wallet screen as before. Android Authority says the interface, previously seen only by a small number of users, has now appeared on Pixel phones used by its own team.
Google has confirmed that its newly released Googlebook laptops do not yet support cross-device 'Better Together' features with Samsung phones, even those running Android 17. Google's Mishaal Rahman said on Reddit that support for Samsung devices will roll out over the coming weeks, after users reported the feature failing to work and at least one buyer returning their device.
iPhone and Android devices include native spam-call filtering that can replace third-party apps like Truecaller. On iPhone, users can enable Call Filtering under Settings > Apps > Phone to send carrier-flagged junk calls to voicemail, separate Unknown Callers into their own list, and choose how to handle unrecognized numbers via the Screen Unknown Callers settings, including an option that asks callers to state their reason before the phone rings through.
MapQuest has launched beta support for Android Auto, extending its mapping app to in-car displays on the platform. The move follows a surge in MapQuest's popularity after it kept the name 'Lake Ontario' unchanged while Apple and Google altered references under pressure from President Trump, with MapQuest saying usage rose 50-fold and downloads topped 1.5 million.