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Code inside version 17.61.19.sa.arm64 of the Google app shows Gemini building its own light/dark mode switch that would override the phone's system-wide setting, without affecting the rest of the Google app. The same teardown also reveals work on a new notification history screen for Gemini.
Throughout 2026, Google added several new features to Google Wallet beyond payment cards, including a full interface redesign. New additions include package order tracking (requiring Gmail tracking to be enabled) and a June partnership with the TSA making Wallet the first digital wallet compatible with PreCheck Touchless ID at 65 US airports. Android Authority has reported the app may also come to iOS soon.
Android Authority found code in Digital Wellbeing beta version 1.48.975819457 that builds out a flag-guessing trivia game, complete with a three-heart life system and a high-score tracker. The outlet also noted a smaller change letting users select apps for screen-time reminders more easily, alongside earlier signs that features like walk detection may be removed in a broader app overhaul.
Users report that Google Maps on desktop browsers returns a 'can't find restaurants' style error when searching broad, nonspecific terms, while specific searches like building names still work. The mobile app appears unaffected, and the issue is showing up across multiple browsers, not just Chrome. Google has not yet confirmed the cause.
Multiple users, including on Reddit and Android Authority's own test devices, report that the built-in camera in Google Messages either fires the LED flash too early, producing dark photos, or fails to trigger it at all. The bug appears across stable and beta versions of the app, on different phone models and carriers, and has reportedly been occurring for over a month. The flash works normally in other camera apps and outside the Messages interface, indicating the fault is specific to Google Messages' in-chat camera.
Code strings found in the latest Digital Wellbeing beta (v1.48.975819457.beta) reveal that Google is preparing to deprecate the 'Heads Up' feature, which warns users to watch where they're walking. The strings include an in-app alert telling users that 'walking detection is going away soon.' The opt-in feature, introduced in 2021, uses motion sensors and location data to detect walking with the screen unlocked and nudge users to look up.
Google announced that Gemini in Google Docs can now pull context directly from a user's Gemini Notebooks, letting the AI ground its writing in curated research. Users can type "@" in the Gemini panel to select a notebook, and Gemini will add inline citations when drafting so facts can be checked without switching tabs. The feature is rolling out to Business, Education, and Enterprise plan users, as well as Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers.
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.