Google is rolling out AI-based scam defenses on Android, including cloud-based Gemini analysis of suspicious conversations in Google Messages and on-device Gemini Nano checks on unfamiliar links. The company says its existing detection already flags over 5 million suspected scam calls and texts monthly, and the new cloud protections are opt-in, while on-device chat notification detection expands beyond Pixel to more Android partners later this year.
bleepingcomputer.com
· 2026-10-15
Google announced new Android security features that use on-device AI to detect scam texts and calls, hide sensitive login fields during screen sharing, and flag suspicious call forwarding. The company said its systems already flag about 5 million suspected scam calls and texts monthly through the Phone and Google Messages apps, with an enhanced Messages protection mode rolling out over the coming weeks.
cnet.com
· 2026-10-14
In isolated parts of Argentina, residents without reliable phone or internet access use AM radio stations to send and receive personal messages, from birthday greetings to news of births, illnesses, and lost livestock. Stations like LRA9 Radio Nacional in Esquel and LU20 Radio Chubut broadcast these messages, sometimes directing listeners to specific hilltops or other spots where cellphone reception is strong enough to follow up by phone. Some residents even rig makeshift pulley systems to hoist phones into treetops to catch a signal.
newyorker.com
· 2026-10-13
Android Authority found strings in a Google Messages beta build referencing a new 'Games' section with titles like Chess, Pool, Basketball, Darts, Crazy 8s, Checkers, Cup Pong, Four in a Row, and Word Scramble. The feature's internal codename is 'Midnight,' and the discovery stemmed from a tip by Abhishek Yadav on X. Details on how gameplay would actually function remain unknown.
androidauthority.com
· 2026-10-07
Code strings found in a new Google Messages beta build indicate the app will remove the ability to turn off RCS for individual conversations, forcing users back to SMS/MMS only on a conversation-by-conversation basis. The strings show an in-app banner warning that the 'Only send SMS & MMS messages' setting is going away, offering users the choice to switch to RCS now or have it switched automatically.
androidauthority.com
· 2026-10-06
Apple announced a new Apple Watch Activity Challenge available exclusively to users in Japan. Completing any workout of at least 30 minutes on October 10, logged through an app connected to Apple's Fitness app or through Apple Fitness+, unlocks a virtual achievement badge and exclusive Messages stickers.
9to5mac.com
· 2026-10-06
Apple released iOS 27.2 beta 3 to developers, a build that rolls out a redesigned Apple Music logo with a bolder typeface and lowercase 'm'. The update also contains unreleased code referencing per-app controls for Messages' suggested actions, plus Liquid Glass design changes and a new progress bar in Apple Books. A companion macOS 27.2 beta 3 includes further hints at touch-interaction support ahead of an expected touchscreen MacBook Pro.
9to5mac.com
· 2026-10-06
The latest beta of iOS 27.2 reveals an upcoming feature allowing users to manage Siri AI suggested actions within the Messages app. Apple is adding granular controls to enable users to hide or disable suggestions based on categories or usage patterns, addressing earlier user complaints about irrelevant prompts.
9to5mac.com
· 2026-10-06
Google has acknowledged a bug affecting a subset of Google Messages users that disrupts delivery of RCS messages, particularly media attachments like GIFs and photos. A company spokesperson told Android Authority that a fix is already being rolled out and will reach all affected users over the coming weeks.
androidauthority.com
· 2026-10-02
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.
androidauthority.com
· 2026-10-01
Apple has brought back the Messages Suggestions feature in the iOS 27.2 beta after pulling it from the iOS 27 public release earlier this fall. The feature shows one-tap action buttons under messages, letting users quickly add reminders, notes, or calendar events, or find relevant photos based on conversation context.
9to5mac.com
· 2026-09-30
A software developer describes shifting from writing detailed, first-person commit descriptions by hand to working in an agentic coding era where AI writes both code and commit messages. They note that when AI agents lack access to the full context behind a change — often scattered across chat tools, project trackers, or offline conversations — the agents invent plausible-sounding but inaccurate explanations for why a change was made.
yedhu.me
· 2026-09-30
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