Mishaal's Android News Feed

Hello from Google 😁! After over 10 years writing about Android, I'm SO excited to finally be ... working for Android! Just as exciting is that my role includes community engagement, so I'll still be connected to the Android community I love and hope to help people learn to ♥️ Android as much as I do. How am I gonna do that? You'll be hearing much more from me in the near future about these efforts, so stay tuned!

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Some personal news: This is my last day at Android Authority, and it also marks the end of my time posting Android news! I've spent the past 10 years writing about Android, and I've enjoyed every moment of it. What began as a hobby in college — tinkering…

Some personal news: This is my last day at Android Authority, and it also marks the end of my time posting Android news! I've spent the past 10 years writing about Android, and I've enjoyed every moment of it. What began as a hobby in college — tinkering with custom ROMs and modding my phone — turned into a long career, one totally disconnected from my degree in Biomed Engineering. I am not a developer by trade or education, so I've had to learn a LOT to report on Android the way that I do. I've had my share of missteps along the way, but thanks to the help from the developer and enthusiast community, I've learned SO MUCH. I hope I've been successful in passing much of that knowledge on to you! Thank you to everyone who has followed my journey. I wouldn't have done this work for very long if nobody was there to read it. Your comments encouraged me to invest countless hours into finding new Android features, all in the hopes of sharing these discoveries with people who love the platform as much as I do!

👓Google has extended its strategic partnership with XREAL for Android XR hardware, naming them its lead hardware partner for the ecosystem. The companies will "collaborate on bringing Android XR to optical-see-through devices, like wired XR glasses, and work to expand support for Android XR development." More news on Project Aura, a pair of Android XR glasses that deliver the full experience, is coming later this year.

🖥 What will happen to existing Chromebooks as Google transitions its PC efforts to the Android-based 'Aluminium OS'? In an interview with Chrome Unboxed, Google VP John Maletis says the company is not giving up on them and to expect "continuity of experience and devices" as many millions of users are so reliant on them. Furthermore, he says Google is maintaining its commitment of 10 years of support of these devices. Lastly, he says not all devices will be able to migrate to the new stack because of technical limitations. 🔗 Exclusive: Google VP confirms ChromeOS isn’t going anywhere, and neither is 10-year support

🔍Google is quietly making the Pixel Launcher faster with a new shortcut The ability to launch an app from the Pixel Launcher by partially typing its name and then hitting the enter key is rolling out more widely. Thanks to everyone for the tip! 🔗 https://www.androidauthority.com/pixel-launcher-app-opening-shortcut-rollout-3630852/

🔖Chrome for Android is making it easier to access your bookmarks An option to show your bookmark bar is starting to appear for some Chrome for Android tablet users. Thanks to Discord user Anh for the tip! 🔗 https://www.androidauthority.com/chrome-for-android-bookmarks-bar-3629579/

🚗 Snapdragon-powered cars will get faster updates thanks to Project Treble Qualcomm has announced that it is aligning its software development roadmap for its Snapdragon Cockpit Platforms (the SoCs powering many new cars) with Google's Android Automotive OS roadmap, starting with Android 17, so car makers using Snapdragon will have faster access to the latest AAOS features. Furthermore, Qualcomm is implementing support for Project Treble for 4 generations of its Snapdragon Cockpit Platforms (a total of 14 SoCs), enabling car makers to implement OS upgrades quicker. The company is also committing to 10 years of software support for these platforms. 🔗 Your Android-powered car will get faster updates thanks to Qualcomm

🚨Breaking: Google will now only release Android source code twice a year Google has announced that it will publish Android source code to AOSP in Q2 and Q4 of each year. More details👇 🔗https://www.androidauthority.com/aosp-source-code-schedule-3630018/

🚨Breaking: Google will now only release Android source code twice a year Google has announced that it will publish Android source code to AOSP in Q2 and Q4 of each year. More details👇 🔗https://www.androidauthority.com/aosp-source-code-schedule-3630018/

📱Sad news: ASUS won't be launching any new phones this year. The company will still continue updates and warranty services for existing devices, though. Still, this is sad because ASUS has been one of the most enthusiast-friendly brands over the years, and…

📱Sad news: ASUS won't be launching any new phones this year. The company will still continue updates and warranty services for existing devices, though. Still, this is sad because ASUS has been one of the most enthusiast-friendly brands over the years, and their phones offer really clean, stock Android-like experiences. But the competition is really tough, their phones are expensive, and the number of models they make is low. Not surprised by this decision but not happy that it's happening, either! 🔗A big smartphone name might be done: ASUS confirms no 2026 phones

I've been quiet these past 2 weeks because there hasn't been much Android news due to the holidays...but rest assured, there's a TON of exciting Android news coming this year! 2026 will be a HUGE year for Android👀 Looking forward to seeing what Google is cooking up this year!

Google TV is getting some new Gemini-powered smart features, including: * Deep dives into complex topics, plus a new response UI with imagery, videos, and real-time sports updates. * Ability to search through Google Photos for specific people or moments and remix images or create immersive slideshows. * Image/video creation w/ Nano Banana and Veo. * Natural-language settings changes, eg. "screen is too dim" and Gemini will auto-adjust picture settings. Coming to select TCL devices first and other Google TV devices in the coming months. 🔗 Say goodbye to menu hunting: Gemini brings voice control to Google TV settings

Android has taken over the Las Vegas Sphere again! Google made a cute animation of the Android Bot going through a variety of virtual worlds to highlight the new Android XR platform + Gemini.