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Tech News
With the Google Pixel 11 series now available in bold colors and featuring a new HiLight LED on Pro models, reviewers have rounded up recommended protective cases for the phones. Options highlighted include the slim, protective Spigen Liquid Air and the grip-focused dBrand Grip Case, among several others covering different price points and styles.
Acer showed a brief glimpse of its upcoming Googlebook at IFA 2026, confirming the device is
Google's My Pixel app, previously called Pixel Tips, has been sending push notifications to owners of older Pixel phones promoting the new Pixel 11 series and Pixel Watch 5, often without users opting in. Android Authority polled over 9,600 readers on whether smartphone advertising has gone too far, and 93.9% said yes.
Tado has unveiled its Smart Thermostat X, a 17.8mm-thick device priced at £159.99-£199.99 depending on wired or battery-powered versions. The company says Google's decision to shut down servers for older Nest thermostats has already driven a surge in sales, and it's betting more Nest owners will switch as support for older generations lapses.
E-commerce SEO firm Productrise found that identical products listed through Google's AI Mode averaged 21.6 percent higher prices than the same items shown via traditional Google Search. The study also found AI Mode listings appeared 49 percent more prominently to users, and nearly half the time recommended a different primary retailer than standard search results.
Google has released Android 17 QPR2 Beta 4 to supported Pixel devices, a smaller update than the previous beta but one that introduces meaningful refinements. The standout addition lets users control which notification and system icons appear in the status bar through a new settings menu, alongside a Voice Broadcast option added to Quick Settings.
An Android Authority roundup argues that buyers considering the newly US-available Fairphone Gen 6 Plus ($650) might get more for their money elsewhere. It highlights the HMD Skyline as a nearly as repairable but cheaper (~$400) alternative with a better camera, bigger battery and faster display, alongside four other Android phones recommended for shoppers willing to trade some repairability for extra performance and features.
Google Messages now supports Content Credentials, a feature based on the C2PA standard that shows compatible photos, videos, and audio's origin and editing history, including whether AI tools were used. Users can press and hold supported media, tap Info, then select 'How this was made' to view this data. The feature is currently limited to Android devices.
A tech writer subscribed to YouTube Premium Lite hoping for an ad-free experience without bundled services like YouTube Music, but found sponsored videos still appearing throughout the app on both TV and mobile after activation. Despite accepting that ads would remain on Shorts and music videos, they discovered sponsored placements interspersed regularly in their regular viewing feed as well, prompting them to cancel the subscription after just one month.
Google is reportedly preparing to launch Gemini 3.8 Flash imminently, a model DeepMind's internal testing found outperforms Anthropic's Opus on coding tasks. The release would follow Gemini 3.7 Flash, launched just weeks earlier, and comes as Google shelves plans for a separate Gemini 3.5 Pro model, pushing the next Pro-tier release to Gemini 4.0.
Google has acknowledged a Messages bug triggered during data transfers to new phones, where old texts from unrelated conversations resurfaced and were sometimes sent to the wrong recipients. The company said a fix is already rolling out and should reach all affected users within a few weeks, though it hasn't detailed the exact cause or which app versions were impacted.
A teardown of Android Auto beta version 17.6.663424 reveals Google testing a new color palette for Google Maps, with a darker map background and a dark-gray turn indicator replacing the current light background and teal accent. The change also appears in dark mode, where the map surface would become even darker and the turn indicator would drop its teal tint for gray.