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Google has released Play Services v26.33 and Play Store v52.9, adding a feature that lets Googlebook devices access apps directly from a paired phone. The update also expands Ask Play, the Gemini-powered search tool, to show video highlights for apps and games alongside other developer-facing changes.
Google is extending Gemini's ability to generate interactive 3D models and simulations, first announced in April, to all Workspace customers, Workspace Individual subscribers, and users meeting age requirements. The feature lets users ask Gemini to visualize complex concepts—like DNA structures—as manipulable models rather than static images. It is available immediately in the Gemini app.
A bug disrupted voice-activated alarm setting on Google Home devices, including Nest speakers, displays, and third-party hardware like Lenovo smart displays, for several days in August. Users found that commands like asking for an alarm at a specific time were ignored unless they used odd workarounds, such as saying an exact hour or prefacing the request with an unrelated phrase. Google has now confirmed the issue is resolved across both Google Assistant and Gemini for Home.
Google is rolling out an experimental Gemini feature called Device Help on Pixel 11 and Pixel 11 Pro phones, letting users troubleshoot issues like battery drain or Wi-Fi problems, adjust settings such as brightness or dark mode, and get explanations of Pixel features using plain language instead of navigating menus. The feature carries a 'Labs' tag, signaling it's still experimental, and Android Authority's hands-on testing found it worked well for some tasks but gave inconsistent guidance for others, such as Magic Capture instructions.
Google is developing several unreleased interface upgrades for Gemini, discovered in Google app version 17.52.12.sa.arm64. The changes include splitting Pinned chats into their own section separate from Recents, adding a dedicated Notifications area, introducing filters for finding past chats, and a Customize section for managing Gemini Spark's Skills and Apps. A new setting would also let users hide Gemini's icon from the status bar.
CNET ran a side-by-side comparison of ChatGPT and Gemini's ability to interpret images, including handwritten notes scribbled on an e-ink tablet using a passage from The Hound of the Baskervilles. In this test, ChatGPT struggled to correctly transcribe the messy handwriting, misreading key phrases and producing largely inaccurate output compared to what was actually written.
Google has begun rolling out an 'Ask Gemini' shortcut inside Android's text selection menu, letting users send highlighted text straight to Gemini without manually copying and pasting it first. The feature was spotted in Google app versions 17.51.18 and 17.51.19, though it's unclear exactly when it started appearing for users.
Google is reportedly launching a new premium laptop line called Googlebook, developed with partners including HP, Acer, Lenovo, Dell, and Asus, expected around September. The devices will run a new Linux-based operating system called Aluminum OS that merges Android and ChromeOS, centering Gemini AI as a core feature and enabling closer integration between phones and laptops.
AI chatbots like Gemini, ChatGPT and Claude often store user conversations on company servers and use that data by default to train future AI models. Users can disable this training option and delete past activity, though turning off tracking does not automatically erase previously stored data. For Gemini specifically, users must disable both Google's Web & App Activity and Gemini's own Activity setting, then manually delete existing records.
A team training a generative model to paint with code (using p5.brush) found their nine-signal reward rubric caused the model to plateau at flat, repetitive outputs. Investigation revealed four quality judges and prompt adherence were nearly identical measurements, while a code-length metric saturated early and stopped providing useful feedback, leaving only one signal actually driving learning. The fix replaced absolute 0-10 scoring with pairwise comparisons against a curated pool of 1,664 hand-rated reference images.