GoKawiil
Tech News
Google has published guidance on configuring Android phones so they can be tracked if lost, including keeping software updated, verifying the linked Google account, and enabling Location services. Users are directed to enable settings under Security such as Find Hub or Find My Mobile, along with an Offline Finding option that requires a device PIN, pattern, or password.
Google recently pulled the Pixel Tablet and its entire tablet section from its online store, and reports indicated a follow-up model had been scrapped. Yet multiple current Google Careers postings, including roles for Pixel Core USB and Pixel Display engineering, explicitly mention work spanning Pixel phones, foldables, and tablets, including references to 'upcoming' tablet hardware.
Best Buy is offering a free pair of Pixel Buds 2A in hazel to customers who preorder any qualifying Googlebook laptop through October 25th, 2026. Models from Acer, Lenovo, Asus, HP, and Dell are eligible, with some units shipping as early as October 5th, 2026. The cheapest option, the Acer Googlebook 14, starts at $899 with an Intel Core 5 Ultra chip, 16GB of memory, and 512GB of storage.
Google's Play Services v26.37 update, released September 21, extends the Motion Assist feature beyond Pixel devices to any Android phone running Android 17 or later. The tool displays small visual bubbles along screen edges that move in sync with a vehicle's motion, using the phone's sensors to help reduce motion sickness. Users can customize the bubbles' appearance and choose automatic or manual activation.
Google has officially launched Googlebook, its Android-powered laptop platform built with Android, ChromeOS, Gemini, and partner hardware makers, starting at $899. Alongside the launch, Google is bringing Rambler, the smart dictation feature debuted on the Pixel 11, to every Googlebook, letting users clean up rambling speech into organized notes and action items.
Android Authority found beta code in the Phone by Google app referencing a feature codenamed 'Hedwig,' publicly labeled 'Call for me.' The Gemini-powered tool would let the Phone app dial customer support lines, navigate automated voice menus, and hold your place in queue until a human agent is available.
Android Authority traced worsening game performance on the Pixel 11 series—stuttering and freezing in titles like Genshin Impact—to Google quietly making ANGLE the default OpenGL ES implementation on the new phones. ANGLE translates OpenGL ES calls into Vulkan commands, and testing showed it activating in popular games on the Pixel 11 Pro XL where it wasn't used on the Pixel 10 Pro XL.
Reddit testing suggests certain routers, not the Pixel 11 itself, may be responsible for reports of excessive idle battery drain on Google's new phones. One user found their Pixel 11 Pro XL was being woken roughly 135 times per minute by Wi-Fi while connected to a Tenda mesh router on Wi-Fi 6, and that switching to Wi-Fi 5 or a different router brand cut both wakeups and battery loss dramatically. Other testers saw normal results on different Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 7 hardware, so the exact trigger remains unclear.
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports Apple is testing a smart home display, internally coded J490/J491, in employee homes ahead of a possible launch as soon as next month. The device reportedly combines elements of iOS, tvOS, and watchOS, with its own home screen, widgets, and clock faces, and leans heavily on an upgraded Siri to handle tasks across apps like Notes and Reminders.
OnePlus has officially revealed the OnePlus 16's design and opened pre-bookings in China, showing off three color options and confirming RAM configurations of 12GB or 16GB paired with up to 1TB of storage. The phone retains the OnePlus 15's design language, including its camera module and button placement, while adding a new 'Interstellar Lighting Effect' on its back panel.
Smart TVs running WebOS, Google TV, Fire TV OS or Roku OS use standby mode to install software and app updates in the background rather than forcing users to wait through updates at power-on. OLED TVs specifically rely on standby to run pixel-refresh routines that prevent image retention and burn-in, a process that gets interrupted if the set is shut down or unplugged too soon after use.
Android Authority writer Khamosh Pathak explains how he made his Pixel 9a feel like a distraction-free dumbphone without buying a $500 device like the Light Phone or Wisephone. He disabled most app notifications and used Switchly, a free open-source app blocker that supports QR codes and NFC tags, to block addictive features like Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts. He also paired it with BlockAds, a VPN-based ad blocker, to remove intrusive full-screen ads from free apps.