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A tech guide outlines how Google Maps' built-in tools—arrival-time planning, color-coded traffic updates, turn-by-turn voice navigation, and offline map downloads—can simplify driving for older users. The app is pre-installed on most Android phones and available free on both the Google Play Store and Apple's App Store.
ASN Bank, a Dutch bank known for its ethical banking stance, has reportedly restricted its banking app from working on Android devices that don't run Google's standard services, including privacy-focused systems like GrapheneOS. Users of de-Googled or custom Android builds are apparently unable to access ASN's banking app as a result.
Google has been automatically attaching a verified phone number to every Google account signed into the same Android device since a September 2025 Play services update, without notifying users first. The behavior came to light only recently as users noticed it, and it ties together accounts a person may have intended to keep separate, such as work and personal profiles.
Investigators uncovered a network of more than 400 apps and websites distributed through the App Store and Play Store that pose as ordinary tools—language tutors, pet photo editors, workout coaches—but secretly contain deepfake nudity generators. The apps display a normal interface after download but contact a remote server that decides whether to unlock the explicit feature, with the operators also running Meta ads showcasing explicit deepfake content to drive installs.
Google confirmed to Android Authority that a fix for the severe Pixel Watch battery drain issue is rolling out over the next few days. The bug had cut battery life to about 12 hours on largely idle devices across multiple Pixel Watch generations. Users can apply the fix immediately by manually updating their apps through the Play Store on the watch.
Google says it has severed its relationship with Videostrong Technology, the OEM/ODM behind MECOOL Android TV boxes, after finding the company built a backdoor called XCPE into its devices. Google says the backdoor turned over 1.3 million TV boxes into a botnet, which Videostrong allegedly sold access to for ad fraud, data exfiltration and enrolling devices into residential proxy networks.
Google's November 2026 System Services release notes confirm a new Android Family Hub, described as a dedicated space for family management tools within Android Settings. The feature rolls out with Google Play services version 26.43, following earlier sightings of the tool in testing on Pixel 11 phones.
Google's November 2026 System Services release notes confirm a feature that automatically backs up photos and videos from Android phones to Windows PCs using Quick Share, shipping with Google Play services v26.43. The update is rolling out gradually, and earlier teardowns indicated Samsung phones and PCs would initially be excluded from support.
A Wired investigation identified more than 400 interconnected apps and domains, reportedly built by a single Chinese organization, that disguise themselves as ordinary tools like language-learning or pet-photo apps. Once activated through hidden server checks—often triggered via Facebook or Instagram ads—the apps reveal interfaces for generating explicit and violent deepfake images, including depictions of rape and knife threats, using photos uploaded by users. Apple removed 19 of the apps after being contacted by Wired, while similar apps remained available on Google Play.
A hands-on review of the Dell XPS laptop running Googlebook OS praises the same screen, keyboard and build quality found on the Windows version of the XPS 13, crediting Dell's hardware design. However, the reviewer reports that the software experience is inconsistent, citing poor Android app support through the Google Play store, including a stripped-down Slack app and the complete absence of Evernote.
A Reddit user known as u/mannumaster built a free, open-source tool called UnknownAuto that tricks Android Auto into accepting sideloaded apps by marking them as installed from Google Play. The tool was created after the developer hit roadblocks trying to run their own self-built app on Android Auto, which normally blocks apps not sourced from the Play Store.
Google announced at its Android Dev Summit that the Play Store will begin evaluating how well apps and games perform on foldable devices starting next year, with better-adapted apps receiving increased visibility and prominent store placement. Detailed Play Store requirements for this evaluation will be released later this year. Alongside this, Google is rolling out updated developer tools, including Compose adaptive capabilities, to help apps adjust across foldables, laptops, and other form factors.