Security researchers found that Android's public NAT-T socket-keepalive API allows ordinary apps to send UDP packets directly to a router, bypassing Always-on VPN and 'Block connections without VPN' protections. Tests on a Pixel 8 Pro, Samsung SM-F966B, and Nothing A059, all running Android 16, confirmed that keepalive packets reached the physical gateway outside the VPN tunnel, with one device sustaining a leak for over 24 hours. The root cause traces to changes in Android's startNattKeepaliveWithFd function, where validation checks tying the socket to the caller's VPN policy were added and later removed.
supuk.ch
· 2026-09-11
Google has dropped the infrared temperature sensor first introduced on the Pixel 8 Pro, leaving it out of the newly launched Pixel 11 series. In its place, the company added a new notification light feature called HiLight, shifting the phone's differentiating hardware trick from a thermometer to a lighting cue.
androidauthority.com
· 2026-08-30
Multiple Pixel 11 and Pixel 11 Pro XL users say their videos contain repeated bursts of static noise, appearing roughly every five seconds when Video Boost is active. The glitch seems tied to the Audio Zoom feature, and some affected users say clearing the camera app's cache and turning off Audio Zoom stops the noise. Google has not yet issued an official response to the reports.
androidauthority.com
· 2026-08-27
GoKawiil