Google's September Android Drop update lets users insert collaborative checklists directly into Google Messages threads, powered by Google Keep. Anyone in a chat, including group threads, can create, edit, or check off items without leaving the conversation, and Messages will also surface a 'Create List' option through Suggested actions. The update is part of a broader rollout that also includes improvements to Gemini's collaboration with Find Hub and a new Guided Vision accessibility feature.
Google's latest Android feature Drop lets Gemini log the location of untracked items, storing that data in Find Hub alongside tracked devices like phones and earbuds. The update also introduces Guided Vision, a Gemini Live accessibility feature that uses the camera to help users locate objects or read text, plus new Messages features including Keep Notes integration and theming options.
Google is rolling out a September update to Android that lets users ask Gemini to remember where they placed physical items, even without a Bluetooth tag, storing the location and an optional photo in Find Hub. The update also includes Motion Assist for reducing car sickness on Android 17, a Guided Vision accessibility tool that narrates surroundings via camera, and Keep integration inside Google Messages for shared, editable notes.
Google's latest Android feature drop lets users ask Gemini to remember where they placed rarely-used items like passports, complete with an optional photo, without needing a physical tracker attached. The saved location can later be retrieved by asking Gemini directly or checking a new 'remembered items' tab inside Find Hub. This works on Android 16 devices in regions supporting both Gemini and Find Hub.
Android Authority found a new floating button in the Google app's Gemini Daily Brief labeled 'Talk through your brief,' which opens Gemini Live and reads the briefing aloud. The audio works, but the accompanying UI is unfinished, currently just showing generic intro text like 'Here's what's on your plate today.' The feature was spotted in Google app version 17.54.10.
Google introduced Google Pics, a new design tool for Workspace users that combines Gemini with its Nano Banana image model to generate and edit 'professional-grade' visuals. It launches as both a standalone app and an integration inside Docs and Slides, with Drive support coming soon, letting users select objects or text within images and edit them via prompts.
A teardown of Google app version 17.54.10 reveals two new buttons being developed for the Gemini home screen: "Chat," for standard conversations with Gemini, and "Assign," which routes messages directly to Gemini Spark. This follows an earlier discovery of a similar "Assign Task" feature that has yet to launch for users.
Google has begun automatically inserting a Gemini AI shortcut into Google Messages, even though there is no dedicated toggle for it in the Connected Apps settings within Gemini itself. Users who don't want the floating AI icon hovering near their chat button can still remove it through an in-app setting, according to Android Authority.
Sonos held an event in New York to launch the Beam Ultra soundbar and Ace Ultra headphones alongside a major software update called Sonos 27, marking its largest product reveal since the troubled 2024 app relaunch. The update introduces an in-house voice assistant, Sonos 27voice, plus Sonos 27mcp, which lets users link outside AI models like ChatGPT or Gemini to control their systems, though Google Assistant remains unsupported. A future feature will let users build up to 10 custom AI agents with distinct voices and personalities to handle tasks like news updates or motivational prompts.
Android Authority discovered a hidden feature in Google app version 17.54.10 that lets the Gemini overlay automatically shrink into a floating button while it processes a request. This would let users keep using their phone instead of waiting with the overlay locked on screen. The feature isn't live yet and appears to still be in internal testing.
Google is rolling out a new live translation option within Gemini Live's voice settings, allowing the AI to translate spoken conversations between languages in real time with on-screen captions. The rollout also includes a smaller interface tweak, replacing the keyboard exit button with a clearer X icon and adding a 'Tap to interrupt' control, as part of a gradual server-side update following April's UI redesign.
Google confirmed that Device Help, a Gemini feature that lets users describe what they want their phone to do and have Gemini adjust settings automatically, isn't limited to the Pixel 11 series. A Google employee showed the feature working on other Pixel devices running Android 17, and said support will expand to additional devices over time.
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