GoKawiil
Tech News
Google Maps is now displaying trees in red, orange, and yellow hues along navigation routes in select US metro areas, replacing the usual green foliage. The company confirmed via X that this seasonal visual update will remain active through November 30, appearing within its Immersive Navigation interface for Android Auto.
Reddit users report that Pixel Watch 2, 3, 4 and 5 devices are suffering sudden, severe battery drain, with runtimes dropping from 24-48 hours to under 12 hours. Some users report losing up to 20% charge every four hours even with Always-on Display disabled and background activity minimized. Google has not yet publicly acknowledged the problem.
Android Authority writer Megan Ellis describes a workaround using Do Not Disturb settings, Find Hub, and Google Contacts to replicate the Pixel-exclusive VIPs widget on other Android devices. The method lets users build a Do Not Disturb exception list for important contacts and use existing tools for location sharing, though it doesn't fully replicate the single hub-like widget Pixel offers.
Cooling fans, once limited to niche gaming phones, are now appearing in more mainstream Android handsets, including the HONOR Win 2 series and OnePlus Ace 7. Android Authority's Robert Triggs notes smartphones lack the internal space and large fan/heatsink sizes that make fans effective in PCs and consoles, limiting how much a small phone fan can actually cool.
Developer Mohammed Huzaifa has discontinued Galaxy-Android, his unofficial Android port of Super Mario Galaxy, along with a separate unofficial Android port of Modern Warfare 2 (2009). Huzaifa said both projects' GitHub repositories would remain downloadable for 24 hours after his announcement, giving users until roughly midnight ET to grab them.
Samsung and Google have not detailed how their upcoming Android XR smart glasses will address privacy concerns, even as rival makers introduce features like recording indicator lights and physical camera covers. Raven Resonance's Raven Prism glasses use both a light and a magnetic lens cover to signal when the camera is active, while HTC has pursued its own approach with the Vive Eagle glasses.
ANBERNIC has released the RG 55G1, a sub-$150 Android handheld resembling the Nintendo Switch Lite, alongside the RG DS Plus, a dual-screen device modeled after the Nintendo DS Lite and DSi. A reviewer who tested both for several weeks recommends the RG 55G1 for most buyers, citing its build quality, plastic back, glass front, and control layout, despite noting it's heavier than the Switch Lite at 339 grams.
Google has rolled out a voice recorder feature inside Gemini Notebook, confirmed in version 1.63.1002728510 for Android and also available on iOS, seemingly to all regions rather than just the US. Tapping the microphone icon in the Sources tab or on the homepage starts recording, with the audio uploaded to Google's servers for automatic transcription and a 'source guide' summary.
Portuguese retailer MegaPC briefly listed Motorola's unannounced Signature 27 and Razr Flex 27, revealing specs, colors and prices ahead of any official announcement. The Signature 27 with 12GB RAM and 512GB storage appeared priced at €1,594.90, up from €999 for the same configuration of the original Signature. The listing also showed a Razr Flex 27 with 12GB RAM and 256GB storage priced at €1,510.90.
A SIM Manager connector has surfaced in Gemini on a Pixel 9 running Android 17 QPR3 Beta 2, letting the assistant set up new eSIM profiles, convert physical SIMs to eSIMs, transfer or restore profiles, and delete them. Google has not announced the feature, and it does not appear on non-Pixel devices tested, suggesting an early or accidental rollout. Testing confirmed the connector actually triggers the eSIM setup process rather than just displaying placeholder prompts.
Android Auto includes settings that let drivers swap the position of the map and media player, mirror their phone's wallpaper onto the car display, force day or night mode on maps, and disable automatic media playback at startup. Wallpaper mirroring must be enabled from the car's Android Auto settings rather than the phone, via a toggle for 'Use Phone's Wallpaper'.
The TCL TAB A1 is currently discounted to $179.97 on Amazon, down $40 from its $219.99 list price, an 18% reduction. The tablet features an 11-inch 2.1K display with a 90Hz refresh rate, a MediaTek Helio G100 chip, 6GB RAM, 128GB storage, an 8,000mAh battery, USB-C charging and Android 16.