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Tech News
Google has published the schedule for its October 28-29 Android Dev Summit, listing Android 18 alongside a mention of upcoming 'powerful new graphics features.' The event will include an Android leadership keynote covering recent features and updates, plus tracks on AI, Android XR, app foundations, and developer tools.
Android Authority found that Android 17 QPR2 Beta 5 expands Pixel HiLight's color options from five to nine, adding blue, cyan, green, orange, pink, purple, teal, white and yellow among the choices. The beta also contains code referencing 'LIGHT_ANIMATIONS_SETTING_FAVORITE_MESSAGES_ENABLED,' suggesting Google is developing support for message notifications through the Pixel 11 Pro's camera-ring lighting feature.
A columnist for Android Authority describes turning off eight built-in features in Google Messages, including the Gemini AI shortcut, profile sharing, outgoing message sounds, floating chat bubbles and follow-up reminders. The writer says disabling these options over a week made the app less cluttered and reduced notification interruptions, and provides steps for other users to switch them off.
Android Authority found evidence in Google Messages beta version 20260921 of a new feature that surfaces a floating search icon when users scroll up within a chat thread. Tapping the icon opens the existing search interface, bypassing the current three-dot menu route. The outlet says it activated and tested the feature on a device, and it appeared to function smoothly, though it is not yet publicly available.
Lenovo has launched the Googlebook 15, its first laptop in Google's new Googlebook line, at a starting price of $1,099.99 when it goes on sale October 4. That's $200 less than the $1,299 price Google had announced for the device last week. The laptop features a 15.3-inch 2.8K OLED touchscreen, an Intel Core Ultra 5 325 chip, 16GB or 32GB of RAM, and 256GB or 512GB of storage.
An Android Authority writer who used the iPhone 17 for nearly a year switched to the Pixel 11 as their main phone for over a month and compared the two. They highlight the Pixel 11's 10.8MP telephoto camera with 5x optical zoom, a feature the iPhone 17 lacks, as the standout advantage, praising its detail, natural colors and low noise, especially in portraits.
Boston Consulting Group research cited by WIRED found 22% of surveyed managers say their organizations have already added AI agents to corporate org charts, treating them as coworkers rather than mere tools. The trend follows platforms like Microsoft's Copilot and Google's Gemini for Workspace, and Microsoft's June launch of an agent called Scout, designed to autonomously handle tasks such as rescheduling meetings and drafting emails.
Android Authority found code in Google Messages beta version 20260921 suggesting Google is building support for Samsung's Finder search tool to search text messages. The feature is not yet functional and Google Messages currently doesn't appear in Finder's list of supported apps.
Security firm Netskope reported a malicious Google Ads campaign that displayed fake security alerts telling Windows and Mac users their computers were locked, urging them to call fraudulent tech-support numbers. The ads appeared on legitimate sites like maps, weather and real estate pages, and used full-screen takeovers, hidden cursors and blocked keyboard shortcuts to simulate a system failure. Netskope says it observed clicks from users at 619 customer organizations between August 31 and September 14, mostly in the US, Japan and Australia, across more than 250 ad campaign IDs and 284 publisher sites.
YouTube confirmed it has resolved an issue that caused missing thumbnails and blank gray or black spaces in Home, Subscriptions, and profile feeds on Android and iOS. The bug appeared over the weekend, following a separate freezing issue reported on Galaxy phones last week. YouTube says users still seeing blank gaps should force-quit and restart the app.
Android Authority reports that Google's Pixel 11 series, running the Tensor G6 chip with a new PowerVR CXTP GPU, ships with ANGLE set as the default OpenGL ES implementation as of the September 2026 update. ANGLE translates OpenGL ES calls into Vulkan commands, and the outlet says this layer is causing jank and microstutters in games and emulators like Genshin Impact and Dolphin that didn't affect the Pixel 10.
Apple allows users in the EU and Japan to set Google Maps as their default navigation app via Settings > Apps > Default Apps, making it open automatically through Siri or CarPlay. Users outside those regions can still use Google Maps in CarPlay but must manually launch it or append phrases like 'on Google Maps' to Siri requests to bypass Apple Maps.