GoKawiil
Tech News
Google will run a week-long Play Fest from October 13 to 19, merging Google Play discounts with a Play Points rewards program for the first time. Users can redeem points in sweepstakes for prizes like exclusive merchandise, tech gear and tickets to major sporting events, while purchases during the event earn boosted points, with Play Pass subscribers getting double points and book buyers up to 15x points.
Google has rolled out Guided Vision, a new Gemini Live capability that lets blind and low-vision users share their phone camera and receive real-time spoken descriptions of their surroundings. The feature can also verbally direct users to reposition the camera, such as panning or stepping back, to get a clearer view. It works on Android 9 and newer in regions where Gemini Live is supported, and was developed with input from accessibility group Aira's Trusted Tester network.
Twelve South has launched Airfly Drive, a small USB dongle that converts wired CarPlay connections into wireless ones. The device plugs into a car's USB-A or USB-C port, pairs once with a phone, and then reconnects automatically each time the car starts, with support for switching between two paired phones. It's available now for $39.99 in black or white, and also works with Android Auto.
Google has activated its developer verification system on certified Android devices in Brazil, Indonesia, Singapore, and Thailand, blocking installation of apps from unverified developers by default. A global rollout is planned for 2027. Users can still sideload apps via methods including Google's multi-step Advanced Flow, ADB, Shizuku, rooting, or custom ROMs such as LineageOS and GrapheneOS.
Google has rolled out Guided Vision, a feature in Gemini Live that uses AI to give real-time audio descriptions of whatever a user points their phone camera at, including reading small text and identifying objects. It's available through the Gemini app, Google TalkBack, or as an accessibility shortcut on devices running Android 9 and above, and supports follow-up questions about what's being viewed.
Users on Reddit report that Google Messages fails to send GIFs, photos, photomoji, and stickers over RCS when messaging other Android devices, though switching to SMS/MMS reportedly resolves the issue. Oddly, affected users say RCS media transfers to iPhones work fine, with the problem isolated to Android-to-Android exchanges. Standard fixes like restarting the phone, clearing cache, or resetting network settings have not resolved it for most, though one user says clearing storage helped at the cost of losing their Photomoji tab.
Publisher Future laid off its entire staff at Android Central, with at least four employees including managing editor Derrek Lee confirming the cuts publicly. A Future spokesperson told The Verge the site will keep publishing, relying on freelance contributors, though no details were given on future staffing plans.
Android Authority's monthly roundup highlights new Android apps for October 2026, led by Adobe Premiere finally arriving on Android after launching on iPhone nearly a year earlier. The free app, with in-app purchases, offers short-form video editing tools, AI features requiring an Adobe account after free credits run out, and requires Android 13 or newer with at least 5GB of RAM. The list also features SongFlip, a free app from developer goork that addresses cross-platform music link sharing between streaming services.
Google's new Android developer verification rules took effect September 30 in four countries, requiring apps from participating stores—including Google Play, Galaxy Store, and others—to come from registered developers on certified devices running Android 7 or later. Users can still sideload unverified apps through a new advanced flow, but it requires enabling a developer option, authenticating, restarting the device, and waiting 24 hours before installation is allowed.
Google is developing a hands-free way to trigger Emergency SOS on Android devices, according to code strings found in a new build of its Personal Safety app. The strings suggest the feature would require voice confirmation, letting users say 'yes' to proceed or 'cancel' to dismiss an alert, rather than pressing the power button five times as currently required.
A Samsung official told The Korea Herald that the company's first Intelligent Eyewear, built on Google's Android XR platform, will launch in November. The glasses lack a display and instead rely on cameras, microphones, speakers and Gemini AI, offloading heavier processing to a connected Galaxy phone. The devices have passed FCC filings under model numbers SM-O200J and SM-O200P, though pricing and an exact release date remain unannounced.
A teardown of Google Play Services version 26.38.30 uncovered text strings referencing a notification that would say Motion Assist was activated by Transit mode. This suggests Google is working on tying its anti-motion-sickness screen cues directly to Pixel's Transit mode rather than requiring manual activation.