Google has restored the ability to sideload APK files on Android after restricting it in 2025, but the process now requires users to confirm via a restart and a mandatory 24-hour waiting period before the sideloading option becomes active. The company calls this the 'Advanced Flow,' designed for power users who need to install apps outside the Play Store while adding friction meant to stop scam victims from being pressured into installing malware in the heat of the moment.
zdnet.com
· 2026-08-26
Google unveiled Gemini 3.5 Transcribe, a new speech-to-text AI model that detects over 85 languages, strips filler words, and reformats casual speech into clean, structured text. It can also learn custom vocabulary, capture alphanumeric strings like order numbers, and assign dialogue to up to three speakers with timestamps from recorded audio.
engadget.com
· 2026-08-26
Google has released Gemini Audio, a set of three new speech-focused AI models: Gemini 3.5 Live, 3.5 Live Experimental, and 3.5 Transcribe. These models are meant to handle real-time conversation and speech-to-text tasks and are rolling out across Search Live, Gemini Live, Docs, Keep, Gmail, the Gemini app, and Gboard. Notably, Gemini 3.5 Transcribe replaces Google's older Chirp 3 model and adds features like filler-word removal, auto-formatting, and voice editing.
androidauthority.com
· 2026-08-26
ZDNET's review of the Google Pixel 11 finds the base model to be the standout among this year's four Pixel phones, despite few hardware changes beyond a new Hibiscus pink color option. The device retains a 6.3-inch AMOLED display and symmetrical design, but Google has slimmed the rear camera bar to nearly half its previous size, making the phone easier to use with a case and comfortable to hold without one.
zdnet.com
· 2026-08-26
Deep Cogito, a startup founded by former Google AI search employees, has raised $43 million in funding. The capital will support the company's mission of helping businesses develop their own specialized AI models rather than relying solely on third-party systems.
wsj.com
· 2026-08-26
Google's Pixel Watch 5 introduced exclusive Weave and Chronograph watch faces, plus custom face creation tools. A Reddit user found a workaround letting Pixel Watch 4 owners access these same faces by sideloading a newer version of the Pixel Watch Faces app using the GeminiMan WearOS Manager tool over wireless ADB debugging.
androidauthority.com
· 2026-08-26
Android Auto users had been hit by a bug that showed a 'Spotify isn't responding' error message when trying to launch the app, with only exiting or waiting offered as options. Some drivers found workarounds like leaving the Android Auto beta or clearing the app's cache, but the issue kept recurring for others. Google confirmed to Android Authority that a fix started rolling out today.
androidauthority.com
· 2026-08-26
Amazon is applying a $150 discount to the Pixel 11, Pixel 11 Pro, and Pixel 11 Pro XL when shoppers use code PIXEL11 at checkout, though the Pixel Pro Fold is excluded. This discount stacks with a separate promotion running through August 27th that offers gift cards up to $200 or credit toward a Pixel Watch 5, bringing the base Pixel 11 down to $749 from $899.
theverge.com
· 2026-08-26
A technical writeup walks through the logic behind PageRank, the algorithm Sergey Brin and Larry Page built at Stanford in the 1990s to rank web pages by the links pointing to them rather than just keyword matches. The piece argues the core idea is simple enough that a curious person could reconstruct it themselves, and it includes a short Python implementation showing how reputation flows between pages using a damping factor.
praveshkoirala.com
· 2026-08-26
ATV Launcher Pro's version 0.1.40 update introduces a new layout editor that lets Android TV users add, move, hide, and restyle home screen sections directly on the screen with live previews. The update also brings 12 row styles, seven tile layouts, screen breaks, icon packs, video wallpapers, new widgets, focus effects, and support for Android 16.
androidauthority.com
· 2026-08-26
Android Authority released its weekly Wallpaper Wednesday collection, featuring nine free wallpapers—six submitted by readers and three created by the site's team. The images are available in JPG and PNG formats, optimized for both landscape and portrait screens, and can be downloaded without watermarks via a shared Drive link.
androidauthority.com
· 2026-08-26
Google removed support for 32-bit apps from Android several years ago, breaking many older games. Developers behind an app called VPhoneOS have built a workaround using a virtual machine that runs Android 7 for free, letting users install and play old 32-bit titles like Wayward Souls and Bloons TD 5. Higher Android versions, 64-bit support, and ad removal are locked behind a paid VIP subscription.
androidauthority.com
· 2026-08-26
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