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ESPN is hiking subscription costs across its streaming lineup starting September 17. ESPN Select rises from $13 to $14 monthly, ESPN Unlimited climbs from $30 to $32, and several bundles combining ESPN with Disney Plus and Hulu will also cost more, with increases ranging from $2 to $3 per month.
Microsoft has introduced a referral scheme that gives Edge users 500 Microsoft Rewards points—about $0.45—for each friend who installs Edge Mobile and searches with it on two separate days within a 14-day window. Monthly earnings are capped at 7,500 points, roughly $6.82 in Xbox or Microsoft gift card value. The program applies to Edge on Android and iOS and had earlier surfaced in a Canary test build before rolling out broadly.
Google is rolling out version 2.0.0.965719431 of its Magnifier accessibility app with a new icon featuring a blue-to-purple gradient magnifying glass on a filled background, replacing the older blue design. However, the update appears to have broken the app's themed icon feature, showing a blank colored circle instead of the monochrome logo that normally matches a phone's Material You color scheme.
Dutch manufacturer Fairphone is now directly shipping its 6+ smartphone to US consumers, unlocked and compatible with AT&T and T-Mobile networks. Priced at $649, the device emphasizes repairability and ethically sourced materials while delivering performance the reviewer describes as above midrange, though short of true flagship levels.
Amazon is selling TCL's NXTPAPER 11 Gen 2 Android tablet for $159.97, a 30% cut from its $229.99 list price. The 11-inch tablet features a glare-reducing, paper-like display, an octa-core MediaTek chip, up to 8GB RAM and 128GB storage, an 8,000mAh battery, and ships with a stylus and flip case.
Security researchers report that ToxicPanda, an Android banking trojan, has been updated with new capabilities that extend its reach beyond individual financial apps. The revised malware now poses risks to broader enterprise environments, not just personal banking credentials.
Google has begun rolling out an 'Ask Gemini' shortcut inside Android's text selection menu, letting users send highlighted text straight to Gemini without manually copying and pasting it first. The feature was spotted in Google app versions 17.51.18 and 17.51.19, though it's unclear exactly when it started appearing for users.
YouTube appears to be rolling out an Android UI update that shows a red indicator on the scrub bar whenever users double-tap to skip forward or backward in a video, revealing exactly how much time was skipped. The manual scrubbing experience remains the same, still displaying elapsed skip time as users drag the bar. The change has been spotted on the stable app version 21.33 on devices like the Pixel 11 Pro, Pixel 10 Pro, and Galaxy Z Fold 7, though it hasn't reached all devices yet.
Google is reportedly working to bring back the notification feature for its Now Playing music-recognition app on Pixel devices, according to code found in the latest Android System Intelligence app for Pixel 11 devices. The feature was removed earlier this year when Google gave Now Playing its own dedicated app, breaking workflows that relied on notifications to log tracks into services like Last.fm. Code strings also hint at upcoming support for multiple user profiles, each with its own track history.
Google is reportedly launching a new premium laptop line called Googlebook, developed with partners including HP, Acer, Lenovo, Dell, and Asus, expected around September. The devices will run a new Linux-based operating system called Aluminum OS that merges Android and ChromeOS, centering Gemini AI as a core feature and enabling closer integration between phones and laptops.
Code inside Google Play Store version 52.8.55-34 reveals that the Ask Play conversational search feature will soon accept image attachments from a phone's camera or gallery. Users could upload a screenshot of a home screen widget or app feature and ask Ask Play's AI to identify it or find similar apps. Google also appears ready to drop the separate 'Ask Play about this app' section, replacing it with scrollable suggested-question chips.
Google has fully retired Manifest V2 extension support in Chrome, closing the workarounds that let power-user ad blockers like uBlock Origin keep functioning. Google frames the move as a security and maintenance improvement, though critics see it as tightening control over what extensions can do. Users left without full ad-blocking now have a handful of options, including uBlock Lite, other Manifest V3-compliant extensions, switching browsers, or running external tools like AdGuard.