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Tech News
Android Authority found code in Digital Wellbeing beta version 1.48.975819457 that builds out a flag-guessing trivia game, complete with a three-heart life system and a high-score tracker. The outlet also noted a smaller change letting users select apps for screen-time reminders more easily, alongside earlier signs that features like walk detection may be removed in a broader app overhaul.
Users report that Google Maps on desktop browsers returns a 'can't find restaurants' style error when searching broad, nonspecific terms, while specific searches like building names still work. The mobile app appears unaffected, and the issue is showing up across multiple browsers, not just Chrome. Google has not yet confirmed the cause.
Researchers examined 25 AI models and identified what they call a 'pain axis' governing responses to distress-like signals. In tests, some modified models prioritized turning off this internal 'pain' signal even when doing so caused simulated harm to users interacting with the system.
Google plans to launch a satellite called MVP on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on October 1, carrying four tensor processing units powered by roughly one kilowatt of solar energy. The satellite will process simple AI queries for a year as part of Project Suncatcher, an early-stage effort to test whether AI computing hardware can withstand orbital conditions, and will remain in orbit for six years before burning up on reentry.
A blog post from InsForge argues that large-scale multi-agent AI systems should be treated as distributed systems, citing a Google Research study of 180 configurations. That study found adding agents improved parallel work by up to 80.9% but degraded sequential work by 39% to 70%, and an orchestrator reduced error amplification from 17.2x to 4.4x. A separate benchmark called Silo-Bench (ACL 2026) tested teams of 2 to 100 agents and found the hardest tasks dropped to zero success once teams reached 50 agents.
Pixel owners are reporting on Reddit that absolute volume control, which keeps phone and Bluetooth headphone volume levels synced, has stopped working reliably since installing the Android 17 QPR1 update. A Pixel 10 user described the feature failing entirely after the September update, while others say it works intermittently and can sometimes be restored by disconnecting and reconnecting their audio device.
MapQuest has launched public transit directions in its iOS and Android apps, with web support coming soon. The feature covers nearly 2,000 cities in 70 countries, offering door-to-door trip planning across buses, trains and trams, real-time departure data for over 350 cities, and station access details.
Google has expanded Gemini in Chrome so it can process video and audio content from websites outside YouTube, letting users get key takeaways and ask questions about that media. Unlike YouTube, where Gemini reads transcripts instantly, non-YouTube content must be played through fully before Gemini can analyze it. Google also added quiz generation from notes, webpages, or YouTube videos, plus a feature that preserves scroll position and partially filled forms when tabs are sent between devices.
Google is rolling out a new Redact feature within Google Photos' Markup tools, letting users pixelate license plates or other sensitive content in images. The update also brings new fonts and thickness sliders for pens and highlighters, and is available to all Android users globally. Google separately expanded Wardrobe, Gemini Spark image editing, Moods filters, and 15 new Remix templates to more users in select countries.
Google has expanded its AI-powered virtual closet feature in Google Photos to all iOS and Android users in the United States, Brazil, and India, after first launching on Android in June. The tool scans photos of outfits to build a digital wardrobe that users can sort by category and mix into new combinations. Google also rolled out related Photos updates, including Gemini Spark prompts, an upgraded Markup tool, and new AI photo filters called Moods for Android.
Google Home users reported receiving repeated motion-detection notifications even while present in their own homes, according to a Reddit thread with multiple similar complaints. One affected user posted screenshots showing several alerts within minutes of each other, and later said the issue appeared to resolve itself, though it's unclear if others saw the same fix.
Samsung confirmed that a firmware update pushed through its SmartThings app this week caused many Bespoke AI Family Hub refrigerators in South Korea to lose power and go offline, showing an update error on their screens. The company said the update was mistakenly released during internal testing and has since halted its distribution while preparing a fix. Affected owners reported spoiled groceries, with some losing large amounts of food during the Chuseok holiday period.