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Tech News
YouTube is rolling out Custom Feeds, a feature that lets viewers create and save multiple recommendation feeds using conversational prompts, such as one for wind-down documentaries or commute podcasts. These feeds appear on the Homepage and refresh automatically with new suggestions. The feature expands on a prior experiment and will launch this fall for US users on web, mobile, and TV.
Android Authority ran a reader poll asking whether long-term software support is a priority when buying a new phone, drawing 1,455 responses. About 46% called it a top priority, 38% said it matters but isn't a dealbreaker, and roughly 16% said price matters more than software longevity.
Android Authority found a new settings option in Google Recorder version 4.2.2 called "Access recordings in other apps." When turned on, future audio recordings would be saved automatically to a Recordings folder accessible through Files by Google or other file manager apps, rather than being locked inside the app's sandboxed storage. The change would only apply to new recordings, not files already saved.
An Android Authority columnist recounts two decades of using Motorola phones, from the StarTAC to the original 2004 Razr, arguing the company's design-first approach has carried through to its modern Razr foldable lineup. The piece is a personal retrospective rather than a product announcement, reflecting on why Motorola devices gained cultural cachet in the mid-2000s.
Sleenova has released the SoundMask, a sleep mask with thin, padded speakers embedded in its sides rather than in-ear buds. A reviewer who tested the device reported it blocked light effectively, stayed in place overnight, and produced no ear pressure even when sleeping on their side, though the speakers required manual repositioning to align with the ears.
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.
Ahead of the October 4 launch of Google's new Googlebook laptops, Android Authority managed to install and run the platform's first-party Text editor app on an Android phone and tablet. The app supports extensive syntax highlighting for languages including Python, JavaScript, Kotlin, Java, C++, Rust and Go, plus a find-and-replace tool, and adapts its layout to make better use of larger tablet screens.
Google is testing a redesigned search experience in Google Messages that shows preview rows of shared photos, videos, links, and places directly on the search homepage, rather than requiring users to tap into separate filter categories. The beta also adds the ability to search within a specific conversation from the main search page and see every matching text message without switching between chats. These changes were found in Google Messages beta version 20260917 through an APK teardown.
An Android Authority writer detailed how his family, after briefly trying an iPad, ended up adopting Walmart's Onn tablet lineup, including the Onn Core 7-inch and Onn 11 Pro models. He found the devices, priced between roughly $97 and $388, offer aluminum builds and solid performance rarely seen in that budget range from other unbranded competitors.
Google has started sending automated texts to Google Messages users through the app's business chat feature, promoting new app features like RCS photo and video quality. The messages appear as a verified conversation from 'Google Messages' but only allow pre-set replies, not user responses. Users can opt out by declining a prompt that appears before the texts begin, or unsubscribe later if they've already accepted.
Code found in Android 17 QPR2 Beta 5 references an 'Unlock with Google Account' feature that would let users regain access to a locked phone using their linked Google credentials instead of performing a factory reset. Google offered a similar pattern-unlock recovery option through Android 4.4 before removing it, leaving users locked out of forgotten PINs with no option but a full wipe. The feature appears unreleased and possibly optional, suggesting Google is still testing how to implement it.
An APK teardown of a recent Google Messages beta build reveals an unreleased interface change that relocates the Gemini shortcut to the top header, replacing the current search icon there. The Start Chat button shifts from the bottom-right corner to the bottom-center of the screen, and a new Search button joins it at the bottom, both expanding and collapsing based on user scrolling behavior.