Google has released an updated Wear OS emulator built on unreleased Wear OS 7.1 software, based on Android 17. The emulator introduces a persistent system status bar that appears over app windows at the top of circular watch displays, showing the time and system icons after a few seconds of inactivity. Google says the feature currently only displays a placeholder star icon and won't be present when Wear OS 7.1 actually ships to devices.
androidauthority.com
· 2026-11-02
A teardown of Android Auto version 18.1.164344-release.daily by Android Authority uncovered new strings indicating a 'Remember this choice' feature for contacts with multiple saved numbers. The strings also show a message confirming when a default number has been set, which users could reportedly change by selecting the contact again. Google has not confirmed the feature publicly, and it is not yet available to users.
androidauthority.com
· 2026-10-26
A newly released Android app called Pixel Clock, roughly two weeks old, provides alarm, timer, stopwatch and world clock functions with a Material 3 Expressive design that adapts to the user's chosen system color. Android Authority's Andy Walker reports it replaced several other timing apps on his device after he had also tried an app called Chrono as an alternative to Google Clock.
androidauthority.com
· 2026-09-30
Android Authority found code in a recent Google Messages build showing Google testing a redesigned pinned chats experience. Planned changes include an animated Material 3 Expressive typing indicator that replaces the plain 'typing' text with a moving contact photo, plus thumbnail previews for images, videos and GIFs instead of generic labels. The teardown also revealed a feature to pin or unpin multiple contacts at once, though none of these features are live yet.
androidauthority.com
· 2026-09-28
Android Authority found that Google is developing a UI change for the Phone by Google app that would move the Contacts tab back into the bottom navigation bar, alongside Home and Keypad. The feature was uncovered in beta version 240.0.986973448 and enabled through manual tinkering, not yet a public rollout. Currently, Contacts sits in a sidebar menu after Google's Material 3 Expressive redesign removed it from the main navigation last year.
androidauthority.com
· 2026-09-25
Google introduced a new laptop line called Googlebooks, built by five manufacturers, running a new Googlebook OS that blends Android and ChromeOS design. The devices sync directly with Android phones, letting users share notifications, files, apps, and even reply to texts from the laptop after linking their Google account.
theverge.com
· 2026-09-21
Google has begun distributing Pixel VIPs version 2.0.97, delivering the redesign it previewed but did not fully demonstrate at the September Pixel Drop. The update introduces a floating navigation strip for quickly switching between VIP contacts, moves local updates like weather and time higher on the page, and applies Material 3 Expressive visual touches such as scalloped profile frames and outlined icons.
androidauthority.com
· 2026-09-18
GrapheneOS has shipped version 13 of its Messages app, rebuilding the interface with Jetpack Compose and Material 3 design. The update adds conversation management tools like pinning, snoozing, archiving, and multi-select actions, plus support for large-screen two-pane layouts and a redesigned recipient picker.
github.com
· 2026-09-11
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