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Like other Google apps, Messages for Android A/B tests many features. It can take the RCS/SMS client a rather long time to actually launch new functionality in stable. From various reports, Google announcements, and devices we’ve checked, this is the current state of Messages.

Robot lawnmowers have long intrigued me, but I never really wanted one. After a few weeks with the Mammotion Luba 3, though, I’m sold, because this fixed my biggest issue with other models.

Google has quietly released a cozy mobile game called Froggy’s World in the vein of Animal Crossing and Stardew Valley.

While not as big as the last release, Android 17 QPR2 Beta 4 is a sizable update ahead of the stable December release.

Dreambeans is an experimental app from Google Labs that will “proactively dream up personalized daily stories.” After previously requiring a subscription, Dreambeans is now available for free Google Accounts in the US to test.

Android 17 QPR2 continues to add user-facing changes with new Status bar settings in Beta 4.

Following the big release two weeks ago, Google is rolling out Android 17 QPR2 Beta 4 for Pixel devices. As of Friday afternoon, the Pixel 11 series is not yet compatible, but Google says support is coming “soon.”

Welcome to Pixelated episode 114. This week, Damien, Abner, and Will discuss the Pixel Watch 5 as they look towards the present and future of Google’s wearable efforts.

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While the US Google Store’s pre-order and launch period deals have ended, Google has started a new round of boosted trade-in values that are only slightly lower than before.

I’ve always been a bit skeptical of smart glasses and mixed reality headsets. It’s not hard to find the utility of something like a Meta Quest in gaming, but Apple’s Vision Pro, for example, has never appealed to me in the slightest. Ahead of its first pair of Android XR glasses, though, I’ve spent some time with the XREAL One Pro and two things have become immediately clear – this is the hardware that could make Android XR shine, and XREAL will benefit greatly from Android XR.

The Fitbit Air might be one of Google’s most versatile products in a while not just because it’s so simple, but because buyers are finding very unique ways of using it. That includes quite literally sticking the Fitbit Air to your body with tape which, apparently, actually works quite well.

Amazon has now launched its 2026 Labor Day sale with truck loads of deals, but your afternoon lineup of the best Android game and app deals is also now ready to roll. Highlights include 20 Minutes Till Dawn:Premium, Botanicula, Samorost 3, Rogue Hearts, ARIDA: Backland’s Awakening, CHUCHEL, and more. Check them all out below alongside the Anker Labor Day sale from just $12 and these TCL NXTPAPER Android tablet deals from $150.

Following the Gemini app in May, Gemini Notebook is switching to “compute-specific usage limits” starting in September.

Oppo Find X10 isn’t too far away and, according to a new leak, a “Pro Max” model is going to ship with three 200MP cameras.

More of the same isn’t always a bad thing, but in some cases it could be. Does that ring true with the Pixel 11 and Pixel 11 Pro? Find out here.

Google Health 5.07 is rolling out on Android and iOS with meaningful updates to manual workout logging and a handful of bug fixes.

Amazon’s massive 2026 Labor Day sale is now in full swing with thousands of price drops across just about every product category. We are also tracking a collection of TCL NXTPAPER Android tablet deals from just $150 alongside $200 off all Galaxy Tab S11 models. The Anker Labor Day sale now live at up to 42% off with deals on chargers, power banks, Qi2.2 gear, more from just $12, joined by a long list of Amazon Devices up to 60% off – Echo displays/speakers, Fire TV, more from $18. All that and more awaits below. 

Samsung has released a new beta verison of Android 17 for the Galaxy S26, and it’s an exciting one that packs a bunch of the Galaxy Z Fold 8’s features for Samsung’s flagship slab phone.

At this point, phones have been boring for long enough that even calling them boring feels a little passé. The days of smartphones feeling like the cutting edge of technology are long gone, replaced with iterative updates and a big focus on software-as-a-service. Disconnecting from your smartphone might not seem too difficult on its face, but from rideshare apps to mobile payments, today’s solutions tend to leave a lot more gaps in your life than you might otherwise expect. 

Meta continues to crack down on malicious users disabling the privacy LED on its Ray-Ban smart glasses, this time focusing on the most obvious loophole out there.

Updated data shows that, yep, Android is still the dominant force in the global smartphone market, but country-by-country breakdowns would hint otherwise – and Google’s Pixel series really only breaks into the conversation in one country, too.

Following the launch of the Pixel 11 series, Google has updated its developer documentation for Gemini Nano 4.

Expert Intelligence is a new “cross Google initiative that helps you engage with your trusted sources through Google AI products,” starting with Play Books and Gemini Notebook.

Your afternoon lineup of the best Android game and app deals is now ready, including titles like WINCH IT OUT, Exolotl : Zian, Box Head: Roguelike Premium, Chicken Police – Paint it RED!, Tiny Terraces, and more. This Anker Prime 9,600mAh model is my personal favorite and it is now on sale down at $70, the TCL gallery-style mini-LED $350 gift cards, FREE Pixel Watch 5, more. The apps await below. 

Despite their increasingly-thin designs, Samsung’s foldables have held up well to torture tests that include more bending than you’d ever see in real life. But it seems the Galaxy Z Fold 8 UItra might finally be too thin, as it’s the first mainstream Samsung foldable that’s died in a bend test.

Google Maps is filling a gap in its operations by working on bringing turn-by-turn navigation to Korea.

Google is rolling out a trio of updates that boost AI Mode’s travel capabilities, starting with the ability to get price alerts for flights.

Today’s 9to5Toys Lunch Break is headlined by the last to lock-in Amazon deals on Pixel 11 deals – enhanced trade values, $350 gift cards, FREE Pixel Watch 5, and more. Amazon has also expanded its summer sale with latest Echo smart displays and speakers at up to 36% off with deals from $18 as well as Anker’s 26,250mAh TCL gallery-style mini-LED Google Smart TVs up to $600 off. Head below for a closer look.

After beta testing in recent weeks, Google Messages today officially announced custom chat themes and backgrounds on Android.

The Google Store seems to have an ongoing problem that is causing Pixel 11 upgraders to get a failed trade-in with removed credits when moving up from a Pixel 10.

Plaud got its jumpstart in popularity with a view on agentic AI that centered around recording summaries for students and professionals. Now, it wants to become a full-time assistant with the Plaud One earbuds.

Since we’re presumably still a few weeks away from Pixel Camera 11 rolling out to older phones, Google Calculator rounds out the icon gradient redesigns today.

Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy S27 Pro is an Ultra-tier phone in a smaller package, and a new leak reveals both what it looks like, as well as just how much smaller it is compared to the standard device.

Google is out with a blog post today recapping new network security measures in Android 17.

Debuting with a higher price tag and effectively the same spec sheet, the Galaxy S26 FE might as well be a poster child for living through “RAMageddon.”

The first follow-up to the Fitbit Air is a new Special Edition that integrates with Pokémon Sleep. Available in the US and Japan, it’s meant to make sleep tracking feel like a “daily adventure,” while celebrating Pokémon’s 30th anniversary this year.

Good morning and happy Thursday. Today I’m donating to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library in her honor, reading about OpenAI’s incredibly powerful new AI inference chip, pretending to read Bill Gates’ 6,000-word essay about AI’s diverging futures, and actually watching this 2-hour deep dive of the upcoming Thief: The Dark Project Remastered instead.

As a reminder, Inbox is the tech newsletter that goes beyond the news cycle. We cover the most important 9to5Google stories from the last couple of days along with a few highlights from around the web. We publish every Tuesday and Thursday, and if you like what you read, please subscribe.

The last big update to Google Keep was at the start of this year with the reminders-Tasks migration. Google has now updated Keep for Android with “Find in note” search.

The foldable market has been moving fast, with hardware and software we saw just a few years ago having been completely rethought and drastically improved. In the middle of it all, the Pixel 11 Pro Fold feels like a concerted effort to make the best of a tough situation – Google’s new foldable tries its darndest to keep up with the competition, and it does just enough to deserve your attention, save for a couple of sore points.

According to the latest analyst forecasts, higher smartphone prices won’t be changing anytime soon amid a record-setting drop in shipments.

Nothing Headphone (a) launched earlier this year as a more affordable over-ear set of headphones, and now they’re even cheaper, down by nearly 50% of their usual $199 price tag. You should absolutely get a pair.

In response to the “significant hardware supply constraints that are altering device memory availability,” Google aims to reduce the memory usage of Android apps.

Your mid-week afternoon lineup of the best Android game and app deals is now ready to roll, including titles like Turnip Boy Robs a Bank, Undead Slayer: Offline Premium, LIMBO, Townopolis, Isurvivor Premium, and more. Just be sure to dive into the best price ever on Nothing’s 2026 Headphone (a) and this solid all-time low on Nothing Phone (3) at $300 off – both for today only – before you scope out the apps below.

Google today is significantly boosting the Gemini Live experience with several productivity-focused integrations.

Motorola is bad at updates, but at least they arrive eventually. This week, Motorola is detailing its Android 17 update and what’s new, including the overdue adoption of themed icons.

Google today introduced Gemini 3.5 Transcribe as its “most precise speech-to-text model yet” that is already powering several first-party products.

Nothing Phone (3) is far from perfect but, at $499, it’s an absolute steal in an ever-more expensive Android smartphone market.

The Xiaomi 18 Fold is officially launching next month and, ahead of its formal debut, a hands-on leak is showing off the wider Galaxy Z Fold 8-like form factor.

Today’s 9to5Toys Lunch Break is headlined by the best price ever on Nothing’s 2026 Headphone (a)Nothing Phone (3) hitting the Amazon all-time low at $300 off from $499. We also have live on ASUS’ 2026 detachable 2-in-1 Chromebook with folio keyboard case and stylus at $160 off, and a solid offer on my personal favorite portable charger – the Anker Prime Power Bank with display that doubles as a wall adapter. Head below for a closer look.

Ahead of a wider stable rollout expected to come later this year, Samsung is finally bringing Wear OS 7 to the Galaxy Watch 8 series in beta.