GoKawiil
Tech News
Google's Play Services v26.37 update, released September 21, extends the Motion Assist feature beyond Pixel devices to any Android phone running Android 17 or later. The tool displays small visual bubbles along screen edges that move in sync with a vehicle's motion, using the phone's sensors to help reduce motion sickness. Users can customize the bubbles' appearance and choose automatic or manual activation.
Google is rolling out a Play Services update that lets a phone's IMEI number appear in emergency info accessible from the lock screen, without unlocking the device. The feature targets devices running Android 12 or newer and is meant to help identify a phone's owner if it's lost or found. Users can disable it through Settings under Security & Privacy, Lost Device Protection, and Theft Protection.
Code strings discovered in a recent Google Play Services update hint that Google plans to bring its main Google app to macOS, following the earlier arrival of Gemini on Apple's desktop platform. No official release date or feature list has been confirmed by Google.
Google has rolled out Play Services version 26.35, which lets Android users tap their physical transit cards against an NFC-enabled phone to import the card and its balance into Google Wallet. The update also adds a redesigned 'Add a card' success screen and various account management and location-sharing improvements. Separately, Google Play Store version 53.1 introduces a new navigation bar and short feature descriptions in the 'Similar Apps' section.
Google is quietly rolling out Motion Assist, a feature that overlays moving dots on the screen edges to counter motion sickness while using a phone in a vehicle. The dots shift direction based on data from the accelerometer and gyroscope, mimicking how the outside world would appear to move if you looked up. It's appearing on Pixel devices running Android 17 through a staged Play Services rollout, with no separate app or update required.
Google has released Play Services v26.33 and Play Store v52.9, adding a feature that lets Googlebook devices access apps directly from a paired phone. The update also expands Ask Play, the Gemini-powered search tool, to show video highlights for apps and games alongside other developer-facing changes.