GoKawiil
Tech News
Google is broadening its cross-platform file-sharing feature that lets Quick Share work with Apple's AirDrop, with reports now surfacing from Pixel 7 and Pixel 8 owners seeing enabling notifications. This follows an earlier sighting of the feature reaching the Pixel Tablet, suggesting Google is rolling the capability out beyond the Pixel 8a-and-newer devices that first got it last fall.
Google's newly launched chat theme feature in Messages, which lets users set custom backgrounds for individual conversations, is causing problems for some users just weeks after its August rollout. Reports include the feature randomly disappearing and reappearing, wallpapers taking one to two seconds to load, and occasional freezing when selecting themes. Google has acknowledged the issue on Reddit and pointed users toward a possible Play Store update fix.
Google has released the first software update for the Pixel Watch 5, moving the firmware from CD5A.260611.008 to CP3A.260905.002 while keeping the device on Wear OS 7 based on Android 17. The rollout includes September security fixes, but the accompanying changelog largely restates Gemini and gesture features that already shipped at launch rather than introducing new capabilities.
Multiple Wear OS users across Pixel Watch, Galaxy Watch, and OnePlus Watch devices say Gemini claims to complete smart home commands—like adjusting lights, AC, or vacuums—without actually executing them. The issue surfaced around the same time Google expanded Gemini for Home's voice command capabilities on phones and speakers, where the assistant continues to work normally. Google has been contacted for comment but has not yet responded publicly.
A screenshot spotted by Joe Lenington on X shows the Google Pixel Tablet running Android 17 now displays Quick Share's Apple-device file-sharing interface, previously limited to select smartphones. Google's official FAQ page hasn't been updated to list the tablet, but fine print confirms the feature covers tablets as well as phones.
A reviewer tested Google's $1,099 Pixel 11 Pro against Apple's iPhone 17 Pro across various lighting conditions in Delhi, including well-lit and shadowy scenes at Lodhi Garden. Both phones were tested with default camera processing, with Google's camera brightening shadows more while Apple's rendered more natural tones.
An Android Authority writer who has tested watches from Garmin, Apple, Samsung, OnePlus and Withings says the Pixel Watch 5 impressed him with its bright Actua 360 display, accurate dual-frequency GPS and improved health tracking, but he still won't buy one. He lists five changes Google needs to make, starting with the watch's bulky 12.3mm case and dated 'water droplet' design.
Android Authority ran a reader poll after reviewing Google's Tensor G6 chip inside the Pixel 11, which improves AI and efficiency-focused tasks but falls behind rivals in gaming and raw performance. Of over 2,800 respondents, 34.3% said they'd prefer more raw power, 30.5% valued efficiency instead, and only 15.7% felt the chip strikes a good balance between the two.
GrapheneOS developers discovered that Google's Pixel 11 phones do include hardware support for Memory Tagging Extension (MTE) after examining code in the Android 17 QPR2 Beta 4 release. This contradicts the project's earlier assessment, made just days prior, that the phones lacked MTE and its accompanying warning against purchasing them.
Teardown of the latest Google Phone app beta (v237.0.973536915) reveals Xiaomi has been added to the list of supported manufacturers for Scam Detection. The AI-powered call-screening tool already works on Pixel phones and Samsung's Galaxy S26 series, with vivo support also expected soon. It's not yet clear which Xiaomi models will get the feature first, though a globally sold flagship is the likely candidate rather than the China-only Xiaomi 18 Fold.
Google has begun selling the Stephen Curry edition of its Pixel Watch 5, weeks after the standard models debuted on August 20. The bundle pairs a 45mm Satin Pyrite case with an exclusive Rye-colored Performance Loop band that has a water-repellent coating and Curry/#LockIn branding, priced at $579.99 on the Google Store and Amazon.
Counterpoint Research reports that global smartphone retail prices have risen 15% in 2026, driven by rising component and memory costs, but US prices have climbed only 5% on average. Price-sensitive markets like India, Asia Pacific, and the Middle East/Africa have seen much steeper increases of 16-21%, while Europe and China saw 7% and 10% hikes respectively.