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Tech News
Google has activated its developer verification system on certified Android devices in Brazil, Indonesia, Singapore, and Thailand, blocking installation of apps from unverified developers by default. A global rollout is planned for 2027. Users can still sideload apps via methods including Google's multi-step Advanced Flow, ADB, Shizuku, rooting, or custom ROMs such as LineageOS and GrapheneOS.
Google has rolled out Guided Vision, a feature in Gemini Live that uses AI to give real-time audio descriptions of whatever a user points their phone camera at, including reading small text and identifying objects. It's available through the Gemini app, Google TalkBack, or as an accessibility shortcut on devices running Android 9 and above, and supports follow-up questions about what's being viewed.
Users on Reddit report that Google Messages fails to send GIFs, photos, photomoji, and stickers over RCS when messaging other Android devices, though switching to SMS/MMS reportedly resolves the issue. Oddly, affected users say RCS media transfers to iPhones work fine, with the problem isolated to Android-to-Android exchanges. Standard fixes like restarting the phone, clearing cache, or resetting network settings have not resolved it for most, though one user says clearing storage helped at the cost of losing their Photomoji tab.
Google has disclosed Project Suncatcher, an effort to launch AI computing hardware into space, according to the report. Researchers involved acknowledge significant technical challenges but argue the long-term economics could eventually justify orbital data centers.
US District Judge Amit Mehta threw out antitrust lawsuits from Chegg and Penske Media Corporation, which had accused Google of forcing publishers to supply free content for AI Overviews under threat of losing search visibility. Mehta ruled the publishers' claims didn't meet the legal standard for antitrust violations, saying an expectation of referral traffic is not a binding agreement.
Google published a support document stating that all ChromeOS devices will stop receiving updates and security patches by mid-2034, regardless of purchase date. This means Chromebooks bought now, which Google previously promised 10 years of updates, will fall short of that commitment if sold close to 2034. Google says some newer commercial Chromebooks may be eligible to migrate to its new Googlebook OS platform.
Google's new Android developer verification rules took effect September 30 in four countries, requiring apps from participating stores—including Google Play, Galaxy Store, and others—to come from registered developers on certified devices running Android 7 or later. Users can still sideload unverified apps through a new advanced flow, but it requires enabling a developer option, authenticating, restarting the device, and waiting 24 hours before installation is allowed.
Meta has released VR Glasses priced at $1,299, weighing around 100 grams, roughly five times lighter than a typical headset. Unlike fully enclosed headsets, the device shows a live video feed of the room centrally with actual unobstructed peripheral vision around the edges, even during use. The Verge's senior editor compared it directly against Valve's Steam Frame, Apple's Vision Pro, and Google/Xreal's Aura.
Google is developing a hands-free way to trigger Emergency SOS on Android devices, according to code strings found in a new build of its Personal Safety app. The strings suggest the feature would require voice confirmation, letting users say 'yes' to proceed or 'cancel' to dismiss an alert, rather than pressing the power button five times as currently required.
Alphabet is sending its tensor processing units to space on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket as part of the Transporter-18 mission launching from Vandenberg Air Force Base. The flight carries Planet Labs satellites, including a solar-powered prototype fitted with Google's AI chips, marking the first in-orbit test of Google's Project Suncatcher initiative first announced in November 2025.
A teardown of Google Play Services version 26.38.30 uncovered text strings referencing a notification that would say Motion Assist was activated by Transit mode. This suggests Google is working on tying its anti-motion-sickness screen cues directly to Pixel's Transit mode rather than requiring manual activation.
A CNET reviewer spent several months testing Amazon's Alexa Plus, Google's Gemini for Home and Apple's Siri AI for weather forecasting accuracy in a high-desert city with microclimates. The test found Alexa Plus gives the longest, most detailed responses—including wind, air quality and 'feels like' temperatures—but occasionally mispredicted rain and tended to overestimate high temperatures.