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Android Auto users are reporting that Gemini stalls for about 10 seconds when asked a question or search, then gives up without answering. The issue has been seen across Google, Samsung, and Motorola phones, and affected users say common fixes like resetting Android Auto settings or updating their phone don't resolve it. Android Authority says it has contacted Google for comment.
US District Judge Amit Mehta ruled in Google's favor in separate antitrust lawsuits filed by Chegg and Penske Media Corporation, which alleged AI Overviews cut their website traffic and revenue. Mehta found the publishers' claims rested on an unfulfilled 'expectation' of search traffic rather than any actual agreement with Google, and dismissed the suits.
Thore Graepel, who helped build AlphaGo, has left Google DeepMind and published an opinion piece arguing that large language models lack genuine reasoning ability. He contrasts this with AlphaGo's 2016 victory over Lee Sedol, which he credits to the system's capacity for creative, reasoned decision-making. Separately, a MIT Technology Review writer reports joining a six-month competition involving roughly 500 participants aiming to reduce their biological age, tracked via a leaderboard.
Google has released its new flagship AI model, Gemini 4 Argon, which the company says ranks just behind Anthropic's Claude Opus 5.5 and Claude Sonnet 5.5 on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index. Analysts cited by CNBC say the model shows strong performance in legal and financial reasoning, enterprise tasks, and cybersecurity. Google is rolling the model out in phases, first to trusted cybersecurity partners, while working with the U.S. government on pre-release safety evaluations.
Android Authority's Stephen Radochia initially criticized Google's higher Pixel 11 series pricing and the base model's reduced RAM, but after a month using the Pixel 11 Pro XL he reports the phone's display, cameras, battery life, and Gemini Intelligence features justify the cost. A reader poll cited in his piece showed 59% of respondents still plan to stick with their older Pixel rather than upgrade.
Android Authority ran a reader poll pitting the Motorola Signature 27 against the Google Pixel 11 Pro, drawing over 1,700 votes. The Motorola device won decisively, taking 73.9% of the vote compared to 26.1% for the Pixel, with the publication's own writer citing the phone's faster Snapdragon chip, distinctive design, and quicker charging as draws.
Home Assistant founder Paulus Schoutsen announced the open-source smart home platform is rebranding Home Assistant Cloud as Home Assistant Link, saying the company doesn't want the word 'cloud' associated with its service. The change is largely cosmetic, with the same remote-access features plus backend speed and reliability improvements, still priced at $6.50 a month or $65 a year. Schoutsen told The Verge the rename also clears up confusion among users who mistakenly thought the platform itself ran in the cloud rather than locally on users' own hardware.
Android Authority's Insights team found code for an unreleased Android Auto feature that would use an animated raccoon character, paired with a temperature caption, to show weather conditions on the dashboard. Columnist Andy Walker argues the cartoonish design clashes with Android Auto's usual large, legible, high-contrast interface elements meant to be read quickly while driving.
Google has made generally available a feature allowing Android-based Google Meet room hardware to join Microsoft Teams calls, and Android-based Microsoft Teams Rooms to join Google Meet meetings. The rollout began October 1 and is reaching eligible Google Workspace customers within one to three days. The feature applies only to dedicated meeting-room devices running Android/AOSP, not to the Meet or Teams apps on phones or tablets.
Multiple users say their Google accounts work fine across other services but fail to log into YouTube in web browsers, hitting errors regardless of browser, device, or cleared cookies. The same accounts reportedly still work on YouTube's mobile and TV apps. Reports have surfaced over roughly two weeks and have been escalated by forum Product Experts, though Google has not publicly confirmed the issue.
OpenAI has introduced a virtual try-on feature in ChatGPT that lets users upload a selfie or full-body photo to see how clothing items would look on them, powered by the ChatGPT Images 2.5 model. Users can also upload clothing links or outfit photos to find similar products and try those on virtually, while a new Favorites list and folders let shoppers save items they like. The features are rolling out on mobile and web, with reference photos reusable or deletable via settings.
According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple's upcoming smart home camera, internally called J450, won't record video for playback. Instead it reportedly uses a low-frame-rate sensor, facial recognition and infrared sensing to detect activity and trigger automations, rather than streaming or storing footage like HomeKit Secure Video cameras.