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Finland's Licensing and Supervision Agency ordered Google subsidiary Tuike Finland Oy to stop construction work at two planned data center sites until environmental impact assessments are completed. The suspension covers activities including tree removal, excavation, quarrying and road construction. The order comes a month after Google pledged $15 billion for AI infrastructure investment in the country.
Android Authority polled over 1,800 readers about how they sideload apps now that Google has rolled out new sideloading restrictions, including advanced warnings and a 24-hour wait timer. More than 63% said they manually download APK installation files from sources like GitHub, while only 20.7% use third-party app stores such as F-Droid or Obtainium.
An Android Authority writer lays out personal reasons for favoring Google's Pixel 11 Pro over rival Android flagships, citing a cleaner software experience with fewer duplicate or bloatware apps compared to phones like Samsung's. The piece also highlights Pixel's position as first in line for software updates as a key advantage.
Android Authority found hidden code in Google Photos version 7.96.0.99 revealing an in-development feature that lets users pick a playback speed—0.25x, 0.5x, 1x, 1.5x, or 2x—for animations made from multiple photos. The update would also add a preview screen before saving the GIF, which currently isn't offered, with finished animations saved to the camera roll and backed up to Google Photos.
Google has released an update for its Pixel Buds 2A and Pro 2 earbuds, adding features first teased in August. Paired with a Pixel Watch, the buds can now detect when a wearer falls asleep and respond by pausing music, muting notifications and disabling touch controls, alongside new tap-to-mute, one-tap live translation, and Gemini voice commands for ANC, EQ and touch settings. The Pro 2 also gains an exclusive Dynamic ANC feature that adjusts audio based on earbud fit.
Google has launched Playground, a browser-based platform that lets users 18 and older create custom games by typing prompts rather than writing code. The service, free with usage limits tied to Google One subscriptions, is powered by Gemini, Nano Banana and Lyria models, and lets creators share games via link or publish them to a public gallery. Google also unveiled Unity Spark, a more advanced collaborative AI game-development tool built with Unity, whose outputs can be shared on Playground.
Xreal has started taking pre-orders for the Aura, a transparent-lens XR headset built with Google on Android XR, priced at $1,279 for a 12GB/256GB model and $1,499 for a 16GB/512GB version. The device runs on a Qualcomm Snapdragon Reality Elite chip housed in a separate compute puck, and relies on a touchpad plus hand-tracking rather than eye tracking for navigation.
Google Play Store listings now display one of five badges indicating how well an Android app functions on Googlebook laptops. The tiers range from 'Made for desktop' and 'Optimized for desktop' for strong laptop experiences, down to 'Compatible with desktop' and warnings like 'Better on the website' or 'Built for mobile' for apps less suited to larger screens. The labeling system was spotted by a Reddit user and detailed by Android expert Mishaal Rahman.
Google has entered a power purchase arrangement with Constellation Energy covering 3.6 gigawatts of electricity, according to Reuters. Constellation CEO Joe Dominguez described the deal as a model for cooperation between tech firms and energy companies to fund grid infrastructure through private investment.
Google unveiled EmbeddingGemma 2, a multimodal on-device AI model that can process text, images, video frames and audio locally. Alongside it, the company released AI Edge Foresight, a macOS app that expands shorthand bullet points into polished meeting notes and answers questions live during meetings, all without sending data off the device.
Bloomberg reports Apple has partnered with LG to produce a wide range of smart home hardware, including a video doorbell, smart deadbolt, thermostat, temperature sensor, indoor and outdoor cameras, and a floodlight camera. The products will carry LG branding and LG will handle manufacturing and support, though Apple reportedly contributed to their design, features, and engineering. Apple's own smart home hub is expected to debut around October 13, with the LG-made accessories following later.
Anthropic has released a Google Workspace add-on that lets Claude directly edit files in Docs, Sheets, and Slides rather than requiring users to copy and paste text back and forth. The beta is available now for Claude Pro, Max, Team, and Enterprise subscribers, and includes connectors that let Claude create or edit Google files from within the chat interface itself. Users can choose between an 'Ask before edits' mode requiring approval or an 'Accept all edits' mode that lets Claude work unsupervised.