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.
androidauthority.com
· 2026-09-24
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.
androidauthority.com
· 2026-09-24
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.
androidauthority.com
· 2026-09-24
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.
androidauthority.com
· 2026-09-23
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.
androidauthority.com
· 2026-09-23
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.
androidauthority.com
· 2026-09-23
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.
androidauthority.com
· 2026-09-23
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.
androidauthority.com
· 2026-09-23
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.
androidauthority.com
· 2026-09-22
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.
androidauthority.com
· 2026-09-22
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.
androidauthority.com
· 2026-09-22
Polymarket has reportedly held talks with the European Commission, ESMA and the UK's FCA to be regulated under MiFID financial rules rather than gambling law. The prediction-market platform hopes this reclassification would let it reverse bans imposed by Spain and France, which currently require it to hold a gambling license to operate.
engadget.com
· 2026-09-22
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