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Tim Cook has stepped down as Apple's CEO after 15 years, handing the role to John Ternus, previously the company's senior vice president of hardware engineering. Ternus, 51, joined Apple in 2001 and rose through the ranks to lead hardware engineering, a role he held while reporting directly to Cook. Cook will stay on as executive chairman.
Google has rolled out its September 2026 Android Drop, a bundle of feature updates spanning several Android apps. Highlights include a new Gemini capability that lets users verbally ask the assistant to remember where they placed objects, saving that location in Find Hub, plus a Gemini Live Guided Vision mode that describes surroundings aloud and suggests reframing for dim or small text. Google Messages also gains built-in Google Keep list sharing and officially launches customizable Chat Themes with matching text bubble colors.
Google has launched Guided Vision, a new Gemini Live feature that verbally guides users to locate objects, read text, or navigate their surroundings using their phone's camera. The feature is part of the September Android Drop and works by giving spoken directions, such as guiding a hand toward a specific spice on a rack, while also prompting users to reposition their camera for clearer views.
Google's September Android Drop update lets users insert collaborative checklists directly into Google Messages threads, powered by Google Keep. Anyone in a chat, including group threads, can create, edit, or check off items without leaving the conversation, and Messages will also surface a 'Create List' option through Suggested actions. The update is part of a broader rollout that also includes improvements to Gemini's collaboration with Find Hub and a new Guided Vision accessibility feature.
Google's latest Android feature Drop lets Gemini log the location of untracked items, storing that data in Find Hub alongside tracked devices like phones and earbuds. The update also introduces Guided Vision, a Gemini Live accessibility feature that uses the camera to help users locate objects or read text, plus new Messages features including Keep Notes integration and theming options.
Google is rolling out a September update to Android that lets users ask Gemini to remember where they placed physical items, even without a Bluetooth tag, storing the location and an optional photo in Find Hub. The update also includes Motion Assist for reducing car sickness on Android 17, a Guided Vision accessibility tool that narrates surroundings via camera, and Keep integration inside Google Messages for shared, editable notes.
Google introduced Google Pics, an AI-powered image creation and editing tool built on its Nano Banana model, rolling out to Workspace business customers and Google AI Pro/Ultra subscribers. Rather than offering design templates or a creator marketplace like Canva, the tool lets users generate and edit visuals like posters and social posts through text prompts, with features for object isolation, text editing, and collaborative multi-version generation. It launches first inside Docs and Slides, with Drive integration to follow.
Apple has updated Apple Maps to display Lake Ontario as "Lake America" for users in the United States, following a similar change Google made earlier. The renaming stems from an executive order signed by President Trump amid trade tensions with Canada, which altered the lake's designation in the US Geographic Names Information System. Canadian users still see "Lake Ontario," while international versions of Apple Maps display both names.
Pixel 11 owners have reported static noise appearing in videos recorded using the Video Boost feature, which enhances color, lighting, stabilization and low-light detail. Google told Android Authority it has identified the cause and built a software fix that will roll out through the Camera app in the coming weeks, with further optimizations arriving in a future monthly Android update.
Google announced that Pics, its AI-powered image generation and design tool first revealed in May, is now widely available rather than limited to select testers. Access requires a Google AI Pro or Ultra plan, an AI Pro for Education subscription, or select Workspace Business and Enterprise tiers.
Google has begun distributing its Pics image editor to Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers, along with Business and Enterprise Workspace plan customers and AI Pro for Education users. The app, built on Google's Nano Banana image generator, lets users generate images from text prompts, edit individual objects, translate embedded text across 29 languages, and upscale images to 2K or 4K resolution.
Aurora Store, the popular open-source client used to download apps without a Google account, has started failing for many users with a 'Server busy, please try again later' error when installing apps anonymously. The problem persists across troubleshooting steps like clearing cache, using a VPN, or restarting devices, suggesting Google may be blocking access at the server level rather than a local bug.