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Google has started rolling out Motion Assist, a new Android 17 feature that displays motion cues on screen to help reduce motion sickness while using a phone in a moving vehicle. The feature, previously tested internally as Motion Cues, is appearing gradually on Pixel devices, with some units already showing it while others on the same Android version do not yet have it.
Google is rolling out a new Android feature called Motion Assist that displays moving dots around a phone's screen edges to counter motion sickness while riding in a vehicle. The feature, similar to Apple's Motion Cues introduced in 2024, uses the accelerometer and gyroscope to sync the dots' movement with the car's turns, braking, and acceleration. It's arriving in phases starting with some Pixel devices, and can be found under Settings, Your Profile, and All Services.
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports that Apple will raise prices by at least $100 on the iPhone 18 Pro and other devices unveiled at its September event, pushing the Pro model to roughly $1,200. The increase is linked to an AI-driven RAM shortage squeezing supply across phones, laptops and consoles, and follows earlier price hikes this summer on select MacBooks, iPads and HomePods.
Google is developing several unreleased interface upgrades for Gemini, discovered in Google app version 17.52.12.sa.arm64. The changes include splitting Pinned chats into their own section separate from Recents, adding a dedicated Notifications area, introducing filters for finding past chats, and a Customize section for managing Gemini Spark's Skills and Apps. A new setting would also let users hide Gemini's icon from the status bar.
Multiple Android Auto users report that Spotify is displaying a 'Spotify isn't responding' error message, blocking access to music and podcasts through the car interface. The screen only offers options to exit or wait, with no clear explanation from Google or Spotify yet on what triggered the bug.
YouTuber Zack Nelson (JerryRigEverything) tested Google's Pixel 11 Pro XL and found it resists bending and holds up well to physical stress, though its display still scratches at level six despite Google's claims of improved scratch resistance. His teardown also showed the display and battery can each be removed in just a few minutes using basic tools like a heat gun, suction cup, and pry tool.
According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple is likely to raise iPhone 18 Pro prices by roughly $100, bringing the base model to about $1,199, rather than the steeper $1,299-$1,399 some analysts predicted. That would mirror recent $100 price hikes from Samsung and Google on their flagship phones amid rising memory and component costs.
Jeff Dean, who departed Google this month after 27 years including stints as head of Google AI and chief scientist, made his first public appearance since leaving at the 2026 Frontier & Pioneer Symposium. He advised young people entering tech to skim many research abstracts rather than deeply study a few, arguing this builds a broader mental map for connecting unrelated ideas. Dean, now CEO of startup DiscoveryLoop, also urged workers to pursue mid-length, roughly five-year problems rather than overly ambitious or overly simple ones.
Apple, Samsung, and Google are ending update cycles for a number of their established smartwatch lines, meaning those devices will no longer receive the same software attention going forward. The move affects wearables many consumers still actively use, even if the hardware itself keeps functioning.
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.
YouTube is broadening its 24/7 Stations feature, which launched earlier this year with continuous music streams, to now include podcasts, media channels, and general creator videos. The rollout is limited to a small group of creators for now, and Stations will surface intermittently in Home and Search feeds rather than through a dedicated section.