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Nothing has begun distributing its stable Nothing OS 5.0 update, based on Android 17, to the Phone 3a, Phone 3a Pro, Phone 4a, and Phone 4a Pro, weeks ahead of its planned November rollout. The update follows an earlier release for the Phone 3 and brings a redesigned interface with a translucent theme, new widgets, navigation tweaks, and camera improvements including dual-view video and better zoom.
Engadget's review of the Lenovo Googlebook 15 finds Googlebook OS easy to use, with a familiar interface borrowed from Android and Chromebook conventions, including simple side-by-side multitasking. The review highlights cross-device sharing features that let users pair the laptop to an Android phone via QR code, transfer files, cast apps, sync notifications and resume browsing sessions across devices. The reviewer notes these 'Better Together' features were initially unavailable on Samsung phones at launch but have since been enabled.
XREAL has released AURA, its first wired augmented reality glasses built on Google's Android XR platform. The device features transparent Micro-OLED displays, a 70-degree field of view, a Snapdragon Reality Elite processor, and built-in Gemini AI assistance. It supports USB-C Wired Mirroring, letting users connect laptops or handheld consoles to project a private multi-window spatial display, alongside native Android XR apps and Google Play titles.
Security researcher Mark Blaszczyk disclosed an Android vulnerability in which a specially crafted text message never appears in the inbox but crashes the phone's call-handling service, dropping active calls including those to emergency services. Repeated delivery of the message—around 20 texts, according to Blaszczyk—can push a device into a persistent reboot loop that even a factory reset may not fix if the carrier keeps resending it. Google reportedly developed a fix months before the public disclosure, but it is unclear when the patch will reach users.
Motorola has confirmed its upcoming Signature 27 flagship will launch globally, including in the US, powered by a Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme chip. The company says the phone will get up to seven major Android OS updates, but security patches will arrive only every two months rather than monthly, a weaker commitment than rivals like Samsung and Google offer.
Code found in the Android 17 QPR3 Beta 3 release shows Google building a 'Highlight' action within its upcoming Notification Rules feature that connects directly to the Pixel 11 Pro's rear HiLight LED array. The feature would let users assign the Highlight action to specific apps or contacts, expanding HiLight beyond its current limited use with the Phone app and WhatsApp.
Google Photos has resolved a bug that caused edited photos to disappear from apps like WhatsApp, Telegram, Google Messages, and Gemini, even though the images remained visible in the Photos gallery itself. APKMirror founder Artem Russakovskii reported the issue to Google, which confirmed and tested the fix in Google Photos version 7.97.
Google has begun pushing an updated Gemini overlay design to all Android devices via a Google app update, following its earlier debut on Pixel 11 phones. The refresh applies Google's Neural Expressive design language, adding sparkle effects and small dots around the Ask Gemini text box, plus shaded, more three-dimensional edges on the box, particularly visible in dark mode.
New distribution data cited from Google via Android Studio shows Android 16 now leads all Android versions with 25.4% of active devices as of October 2026, up sharply from 7.5% in December. Android 17, released in June, has reached only 1% of devices, while older versions like Android 13 and Android 11 still hold 11.8% and 10.5% shares respectively.
Google has rolled out Android 17 QPR3 Beta 3 to Pixel 6a and newer devices enrolled in its Pixel Beta program, following Beta 2 released about a week earlier. The update restores the app lock feature, reinstates some lock screen blur that had been removed, adds a camera shortcut to Quick Settings, fixes an AM/PM display issue for lock screen alarms, and resolves dozens of other bugs.
Google has resolved a Google Photos bug that kept edited images from appearing in the image picker used by other Android apps, such as messaging and social media services. The issue, which surfaced over the summer, mainly affected users who overwrote originals rather than saving edits as separate copies. Reports from APK Mirror's Artem Russakovskii and 9to5Google confirm the fix is now live.
Lenovo's Idea Tab Pro Gen 2, a 13-inch Android tablet with a 3.5K 144Hz display, Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 chip, 8GB RAM and 128GB storage, is discounted by $102 on Amazon. The deal includes the bundled Lenovo Tab Pen Plus and a folio case.