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Tech News
Google has shifted Chrome's stable release schedule from a four-week cycle to a two-week cycle, beginning with Chrome 153 across desktop, Android, and iOS. This means new features, bug fixes, and security patches now reach users twice as fast as before. Chrome 154 is already in beta and slated for release on September 22.
General Motors is removing Apple CarPlay and Android Auto from most of its gas and electric vehicles, replacing them with a native infotainment system built around Google's Gemini AI assistant. However, the 2027 Cadillac Lyriq EV will reportedly retain support for both phone-mirroring platforms, making it the only GM electric vehicle sold in North America to do so.
Multiple Reddit users say their Google Home devices, running the older Assistant-based system, are refusing to answer simple questions like recipe requests or holiday facts, instead returning generic error messages. Basic functions such as timers and sports scores reportedly still work fine, suggesting the issue is limited to certain query types rather than a total system failure.
A hands-on writer for Android Authority shared a personal roundup of ten lesser-known Samsung Reminder features that make the built-in One UI app more useful day to day. Highlights include location-triggered reminders for shopping and errands, recurring alerts, widgets, calendar syncing, and Gemini integration.
Three men had to be rescued after getting lost overnight while descending California's Mount Shasta, a hike they had planned using Google's Gemini chatbot. Local authorities said Gemini advised the group to pack far less food and water than needed, a problem that worsened when their planned eight-hour climb turned into a multiday ordeal.
Google Photos is expanding two features: a virtual wardrobe tool that scans users' photos to catalog clothing items and suggest outfit combinations, complete with an AI-generated try-on preview, and Manual Photo Stacks, which lets Android users group selected photos together for easier organization. The wardrobe tool had a slow initial rollout since April but is now being pushed more broadly across the US, while Manual Photo Stacks finally arrives on Android after being available on iOS for nearly a year.
Siskiyou County rescuers pulled three young men off Mount Shasta after they used Google's Gemini chatbot to plan their climb. The group started at 3am, missed the noon turnaround guideline, summited at 7pm, and had to be rescued after spending the night in Mud Creek Canyon.
Google has launched beta 'Live' voice features across Gmail, Docs and Keep, letting subscribers talk to these apps instead of typing. Users can ask Gmail to find or summarize emails, have Keep organize notes from spoken input, and tell Docs to draft or pull in content from Gmail, Chat and Drive. The features, first shown at Google's I/O conference in May, are currently limited to AI Plus, Pro and Ultra subscribers, with Docs support restricted to Pro and Ultra tiers.
Google has begun a gradual rollout of a new minimize feature for its Gemini assistant overlay on Android devices. The update adds a visible 'Minimize Gemini' button that shrinks the full-screen overlay into a small draggable bubble, letting users switch to other apps while Gemini continues processing in the background. Reports suggest only a limited number of users currently have access to the feature.
Google has expanded access to its Lyria 3.5 music generation model beyond Flow Music, launching it in the Gemini app and Gemini API. The rollout adds new features like short and long track options, genre templates, and vocal versus instrumental selection, with developers also gaining access via Google AI Studio and Google Vids.
Google has released the first software update for the Pixel Watch 5, moving the firmware from CD5A.260611.008 to CP3A.260905.002 while keeping the device on Wear OS 7 based on Android 17. The rollout includes September security fixes, but the accompanying changelog largely restates Gemini and gesture features that already shipped at launch rather than introducing new capabilities.
Multiple Wear OS users across Pixel Watch, Galaxy Watch, and OnePlus Watch devices say Gemini claims to complete smart home commands—like adjusting lights, AC, or vacuums—without actually executing them. The issue surfaced around the same time Google expanded Gemini for Home's voice command capabilities on phones and speakers, where the assistant continues to work normally. Google has been contacted for comment but has not yet responded publicly.