GoKawiil
Tech News
Google is shutting down Heads Up, an Android safety tool that warned users about looking at their phones while walking, according to reporting on the move. Separately, Google is developing a Gemini-based chat feature intended to help users navigate Digital Wellbeing settings.
A Washington Post list shows six major tech firms — Apple, Nvidia, Google, Microsoft, Amazon and Meta — contributed a combined $92 million toward construction of a White House ballroom. Apple and Nvidia each gave $25 million, Google gave $22 million, Microsoft and Palantir each gave $10 million, and Amazon and Meta gave $5 million apiece. Overall, tech and crypto industry donors reportedly provided more than $150 million to the project.
Ash Saulsbury, who previously worked on Meta's smart-glasses technology, is building Awear AI, a platform designed to let wearers carry their AI assistant's learned preferences and memories across different devices and brands. The effort targets a market where Meta and Google currently tie their AI assistants tightly to their own glasses hardware and services.
Google has launched Universal Cart, an AI-powered shopping feature first previewed at I/O in May, now live in the US within the Gemini app and Google Search. It lets users save products from multiple retailers into one shared cart, tracks price drops and restocks, surfaces promo codes, and lets shoppers pay via Google Wallet or move items to a retailer's own checkout. Integration with Gmail and YouTube is planned but has no announced timeline.
Reolink has released the Home Hub 2, a device that lets users monitor and search footage from up to eight cameras simultaneously. The hub includes AI-powered object search capabilities that function even without an internet connection, and does not require an ongoing subscription fee to use.
Google has rolled out a US feature letting Android users install apps built in AI Studio through Google Play without publishing them publicly or using a computer. The apps remain private, invisible in search and listings, and accessible only to their creator with a standard Google account. Creators must still follow Google Play's existing policies, and the apps aren't automatically eligible for public release.
Google announced new Android security features that use on-device AI to detect scam texts and calls, hide sensitive login fields during screen sharing, and flag suspicious call forwarding. The company said its systems already flag about 5 million suspected scam calls and texts monthly through the Phone and Google Messages apps, with an enhanced Messages protection mode rolling out over the coming weeks.
WhatsApp has officially launched guest calling, letting users invite people without a WhatsApp account to join one-on-one or group calls of up to 32 participants via a shared link. Guests wait in a lobby for host approval, can't see other participants' phone numbers or send messages, and can join from a browser without installing the app. The feature supports screen sharing, hand-raising and reactions, and WhatsApp says it plans Google Calendar and Outlook integrations later this year.
Reliance Industries' Jio Platforms has set a price band of ₹1,065-₹1,119 per share for an offering of up to 270 million new shares, with subscription running from October 21 to 23. At the top of that range, the IPO would value Jio at roughly $108.3 billion, up sharply from its 2020 valuation of about $65 billion when Google and Meta invested billions in the company.
Google has outlined how its new Fitbit Edge and Fitbit Air trackers differ beyond screen size. The screenless Air relies on the Google Health app for interaction, while the Edge adds a 1.34-inch AMOLED touchscreen, a side button, ECG support, an altimeter and an ambient light sensor. Both devices are rated for seven days of battery life and carry IP68 and 5ATM water/dust resistance.
Google has quietly changed Android behavior so a device's phone number is automatically verified and linked to every Google account signed in on it, including secondary, work, and throwaway accounts. Users discovered this after receiving unsolicited emails from a Google phone-verification address, and the change appears to have been made to Google's support documentation between August and October 2025. The setting can be disabled via Settings > Google > All Services > Privacy & Security > Phone number verification.
Google has introduced a feature in Google Play that lets users build simple apps using AI prompting tools, often called 'vibe coding,' and distribute them privately to specific people rather than publishing them publicly. The apps run natively on Android devices through Play's existing distribution infrastructure, without requiring a full public store listing.