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Wallpaper Wednesday: More great phone wallpapers for all to share (July 2)

C. Scott Brown / Android Authority Welcome to Wallpaper Wednesday! In this weekly roundup, we’ll give you a handful of Android wallpapers you can download and use on your phone, tablet, or even your laptop/PC. The images will come from folks here at Android Authority as well as our readers. All are free to use and come without watermarks. File formats are JPG and PNG, and we’ll provide images in both landscape and portrait modes, so they’ll be optimized for various screens. For the newest wall

This budget Android phone impressed me more than I expected - here's why

ZDNET's key takeaways The Nuu N20 has a 6.5-inch, 90Hz display and is available now on Amazon for $125. For the money, the N20 would make for a great first phone or for someone on a tight budget. It's far from a flagship device, but it doesn't feel like it costs only $125. $129.99 at Amazon Are you tired of the soaring cost of phones? If you have a family of four, you could easily spend $4,000 on four flagship devices, and that could happen regularly. Also: This $400 Motorola comes with a bu

Google hit with $314m fine for collecting data from idle Android phones without permission

Joe Maring / Android Authority TL;DR Google has been ordered to pay $314.6 million to Android phone users in California for collecting and sending their data. The lawsuit argued that Google collected data from idle Android phones without the users’ permission, consuming cellular data in the process. The company said it would appeal the verdict. Google undoubtedly collects plenty of user data from Android phones. However, a California jury has found that the search giant must pay $314.6 milli

Lego’s July Releases Are Swooping In

After a blockbuster June, Lego’s having more of a quiet month in July, perhaps in an attempt to get us outside in the sweltering heat rather than indoors with a fan blasting in our faces as we build lots of Lego. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t anything to tempt your wallet with this month. As Lego gears up for its typically huge month of releases for August, July is looking a bit quiet. But notable highlights include a massive Battle Droid and STAP for Star Wars fans to get stuck into and a

I Love the Look of the Nothing Phone 3

UK-based phone-maker Nothing says that its new Phone 3 is its first "true flagship," featuring a high-end processor and a potentially powerful triple-camera array. I've been hands-on with the phone at its London launch event, and I'm quite impressed so far. The phone goes on sale in the US, the UK and Europe next week for $799 or £799. Scroll through this gallery to see more of this unusual Android phone.

Android users can finally edit messages sent to iPhones, but there’s a catch

Ryan Haines / Android Authority TL;DR Google is finally starting to roll out the ability for Android users to edit RCS messages sent to iPhones, a feature previously unavailable cross-platform. Made possible by the new Universal Profile 3.0 specification, users can long-press a sent message to edit and resend it within a 15-minute window. The feature is in limited testing and isn’t perfect yet, as edited texts currently appear as a new message on iPhones and iPhones can’t edit messages sent t

Nothing launches Phone 3: The new face of ‘affordable’ flagships

Earlier this year, we saw Nothing take high-quality telephoto photography to the midrange space with the Phone 3a Pro and its periscope zoom. Change like that is the name of the game for Nothing in 2025, as the company reconsiders some past approaches to hardware, software, and even sales of its smartphones. And while some of the changes surrounding the Nothing Phone 3 have been more controversial than others, they ultimately come together to give us one curiously compelling package. Today in L

The 5 best new Android apps and games you need to try this July

Andy Walker / Android Authority Keeping up with the latest and greatest apps and games is difficult, but I’m here to help. One of my interests is uncovering and testing new Android apps and games, and each month for the past few years, I’ve detailed the best new products you should try. The July edition includes my new favorite productivity app, yet another unique Android launcher, and a new Marvel game for superhero fans. If you’re looking for recommendations, our list of the best Android app

Topics: android app free game new

Someone brought Flappy Bird back to Android, but there’s a good reason you shouldn’t download it

Joe Maring / Android Authority If, like me, you had an Android phone in the 2010s, you almost certainly played Flappy Bird. And all these years later, I still occasionally find myself itching to play a few rounds. Unfortunately, playing the original Flappy Bird in 2025 is all but impossible. But thanks to one developer, Flappy Bird is back. Recently, a new developer got the attention of the r/Android subreddit by announcing they had reverse-engineered the original Flappy Bird to run on a 64-bi

Here’s a first look at the Google Personal Safety app’s Expressive redesign (APK teardown)

Hadlee Simons / Android Authority TL;DR An Android Authority teardown has revealed plenty of visual changes coming to the Personal Safety app. These changes are in line with Google’s Material 3 Expressive design language and cover the emergency contacts menus. This redesign will likely be exclusive to Android 16 QPR1 for now. Google’s Personal Safety app is a one-stop shop for emergencies, allowing you to quickly get help, record video, and much more. Now, it looks like Google is bringing so

Gallery: Check out Samsung’s new watch faces for the Galaxy Watch 8 (APK teardown)

Evan Blass / Samsung TL;DR Samsung’s next launch event is on July 9, and we expect to see the Galaxy Watch 8 series announced. Watch 8 leaks so far have detailed design changes and given us plenty of looks at the evolving hardware. Our attention now turns to some new watch faces which should premiere alongside the Watch 8 series. With July now on our doorstep, we are mere days away from Samsung’s next Unpacked launch event. In just a little over a week, media will descend upon New York City

Google’s baking even more tools into Gemini Live’s upcoming compact overlay (APK teardown)

Tushar Mehta / Android Authority TL;DR Google’s been developing a new compact screen-bottom overlay for interacting with Gemini Live. This bar may feature the button that will activate Gemini Live’s version of Circle to Search. Google also appears to be considering captioning controls for the overlay. Google’s got a lot happening right now when it comes to Gemini Live, and we’re not just talking about all those new app extensions we’ve spotted the app getting ready to support. Over the last

Gmail is getting even more Material 3 Expressive UI changes (APK teardown)

Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority TL;DR An Android Authority teardown of the Gmail app has uncovered more visual changes. These changes include a redesigned search bar, no more Reply All button, and more tweaks. These tweaks are in line with Google’s Material 3 Expressive visual style, which will come to Android 16 later this year. Google is working hard to bring its Material 3 Expressive visual style to both Android 16 and its own apps. Gmail has already received some Expressive tweaks th

Android 16 review: Post-hype

Google recently released Android 16, which brings a smattering of new features for Pixel phones, with promises of additional updates down the road. The numbering scheme has not been consistent over the years, and as a result, Android 16 is actually the 36th major release in a lineage that stretches back nearly two decades. In 2008, we didn't fully understand how smartphones would work, so there was a lot of trial and error. In 2025, the formula has been explored every which way. Today's smartpho

Android 16 will protect users from fake cell towers and potential spying threats

It turns out that your smartphone could be an overlooked vulnerability that puts you at risk of being tracked. To combat this, Google is rolling out a new security feature in Android 16 that will warn users if their device is using a fake or insecure mobile network or if that network requests identifying information about a connected device. However, these features likely won't be available until the next generation of Android devices, as first reported by Android Authority. Since the current A

Gmail is making it easier to manage your newsletters and mailing lists on the web

Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority TL;DR Gmail is rolling out a new “Manage subscriptions” page on its web client to help users easily declutter their inboxes. This page lists all your mailing lists, shows their email frequency, and provides a simple one-click unsubscribe button for each sender. The feature is gradually becoming available on the web and has been rolling out on the Android app since late April. Signing up for newsletters and mailing lists is a great way to stay up to date on

These are the 5 weather apps I recommend, but one of them stands out from the rest

Ryan Haines / Android Authority It’s safe to say that more or less every Android user has a weather app installed on their phone. I certainly do, and I use it daily to check the weather, not only for today but for the rest of the week as well — it’s part of my morning routine. In my search for the perfect weather app, I tried countless options and can tell you there are significant differences between them. Some were loaded with ads and pop-ups, while others were poorly designed. Then there we

I can’t believe how far Switch emulation has come in the year since Nintendo killed it

Nick Fernandez / Android Authority It’s been a few weeks since the Nintendo Switch 2 hit shelves, but if we’re being perfectly honest, there’s not much reason to buy one yet. I’ve been revisiting my OG Switch to stave off the FOMO, but I was sad to learn that my left Joy-Con now drifts so badly that Link runs in circles like he’s drunk in Breath of the Wild. Instead of shelling out $40 for another Joy-Con with a ticking drift timer, I reached for something I hadn’t touched in a while: Switch e

Android 16 will alert users to possible Stingray surveillance, fake cell towers

Why it matters: As Android 16's new security features roll out with the next generation of smartphones, users will, for the first time, have a tool to detect invisible digital surveillance. Whether this prompts broader reforms in how such technology is used and regulated remains to be seen. Still, the feature reflects a growing awareness of the need to protect personal privacy in the mobile age. An upcoming Android update will introduce a warning system to help users detect one of the most elus

If only this Android camera powerhouse was easy to buy, I’d recommend it in a heartbeat

OPPO Find X8 Ultra The OPPO Find X8 Ultra is one of the best Android phones for photography and videography, but it's ultra difficult for most of us to find and purchase due to its regional exclusivity. I’ve been waiting a long time for this, but finally, I spent some time with the OPPO Find X8 Ultra. I was a big fan of the Find X8 Pro that preceded it, especially its camera capabilities, and the Ultra builds on that, so I was eager to give it a spin. Unfortunately, this is the Chinese model s

I’d give everything for a pre-configured Android gaming handheld

Nick Fernandez / Android Authority Retro gaming handhelds have come a long way in the past few years, but there’s still one big sticking point: the setup. Every time a new handheld comes in for review, I have to spend hours installing emulators, fixing folder structures, and configuring a frontend. Once that’s done, I still have to configure settings and shaders for each console individually, which requires arcane knowledge in popular emulators like RetroArch. Compared to Linux-based handheld

I turned off all AI features on my Pixel phone — and instantly regretted it

Robert Triggs / Android Authority I had this realization — epiphany of sorts — that while we’ve become more conscious of generative AI tools like ChatGPT and Gemini, we often use AI much more than we actively perceive. Every app you touch on your phone has some kind of smarts and automation baked in. It’s constantly learning from your patterns and improving in the background. That nudged me to experiment with becoming more intentional about these AI additions and disable them for a cleaner loo

Rubin Observatory’s Stunning Result Proves It’s a ‘Game Changer’ for Spotting Dangerous Asteroids

Astronomers usually keep their eyes on the sky, but on Monday, June 23, the community turned its attention toward Washington, D.C., as scientists from the Vera C. Rubin Observatory unveiled the telescope’s first images. Many have waited more than 20 years to see Rubin in action, and its initial findings did not disappoint. Rubin, a joint initiative of the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Science, recently conducted its first 10 hours of test obser

Android 16 can warn you that you might be connected to a fake cell tower

TL;DR Android 16 is adding a new security feature that can warn you when your phone might be connected to a fake or insecure mobile network created by a “stingray” device. This feature alerts you to unencrypted connections or when the network requests your phone’s identifiers, which can help detect when surveillance might be happening. Due to new hardware requirements, this protection will likely only be on new devices launching with Android 16, such as the upcoming Pixel 10. There are many s

Google Sends Out Bizarre Email Saying AI Will Now Control Your Phone's Apps

One of the most powerful tech corporations on earth has a message for Android users: its AI will soon be taking control of your phone. Android users have begun receiving ominous emails warning that Gemini, Google's proprietary large language model (LLM), will soon be able to "help you" with apps like Phone, Messages, and WhatsApp. Crucially, the emails note that Gemini will be able to "help" users regardless of "whether your Gemini Apps Activity is on or off" — which prompted some understandab

How runtime attacks turn profitable AI into budget black holes

This article is part of VentureBeat’s special issue, “The Real Cost of AI: Performance, Efficiency and ROI at Scale.” Read more from this special issue. AI’s promise is undeniable, but so are its blindsiding security costs at the inference layer. New attacks targeting AI’s operational side are quietly inflating budgets, jeopardizing regulatory compliance and eroding customer trust, all of which threaten the return on investment (ROI) and total cost of ownership of enterprise AI deployments. AI

How to turn on Android's Private DNS mode - and why turning it off is a big mistake

Jack Wallen / Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET Nearly everything you do on your desktop, laptop, phone, and tablet begins with a Domain Name System (DNS) query. Essentially, DNS turns domain names (such as ZDNET.com) into an IP address so web browsers and apps know where to get the information you want. Also: The best Android phones to buy in 2025 Without DNS, you'd have to type 34.149.132.124 every time you wanted to go to ZDNET.com or 74.125.21.102 to go to Google.com. Even by simply running a

I have yet to find any Android tablet that I love more than the Pixel Tablet

Rita El Khoury / Android Authority It’s been two years (and a few days) since Google released the Pixel Tablet, and I’ve been using it since that very first day. At the time, I thought Google’s approach to an Android tablet was pretty weird but intriguing. Always-on, always ready, not really a Nest Hub, nor as powerful as the best Android tablets — it felt like a bit of a Frankenstein product that would only win the hearts of a small niche of users. I was part of that niche, and two years late

Why I Recommend Lenovo’s Gaming Tablet Over the iPad Mini

8.0 / 10 SCORE Lenovo Legion Tab Gen 3 $450 at Lenovo Pros Nice-looking display with a 165Hz refresh rate Works with mobile controllers Nice bundled accessories Smooth gaming performance Cons No microSD slot No fingerprint scanner Behind on Android updates The world of Android tablets sometimes feels like a crapshoot, but every now and then, a seven or 11 appears. There are the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10s of the world, which offer the best Android tablet experiences, but also fantastic tablet

Android 16 can warn you if a fake cell tower is trying to spy on you

TL;DR Android 16 is adding a new security feature to warn you when your phone connects to a fake or insecure mobile network known as a “stingray.” This feature alerts you to unencrypted connections or when the network requests your phone’s identifiers, which helps protect against surveillance. Due to new hardware requirements, this protection will likely only be on new devices launching with Android 16, such as the upcoming Pixel 10. There are many simple things you can do to keep your privat