Mishaal's Android News Feed

📱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.

🚗🔒Android Automotive will let you PIN-lock apps to keep them private from passengers Android Automotive’s new Sensitive App Protection feature lets you lock apps behind a PIN. More details👇 🔗https://www.androidauthority.com/android-automotive-sensitive-app-protection-3627645/

🛜📶Google may finally reverse this controversial Quick Settings change Google may finally bring back the separate Wi-Fi and mobile data toggles in a future Android release. More details in the latest Authority Insights Newsletter👇 🔗https://www.androidauthority.com/android-split-internet-quick-settings-3626933/

✨Is Google turning Gemini into the next big Super App? Gemini may soon become your AI reading assistant, all-in-one super app, and a helper for changing Google Account settings. We explore these rumors in the latest Authority Insights Podcast👇 🔗https://www.androidauthority.com/authority-insights-podcast-017-3626610/

Google’s no longer going to force everyone off Assistant by the end of the year by Stephen Schenck https://www.androidauthority.com/gemini-transition-deadline-3626827/

⌨️Android 16 QPR2 adds the ability to assign a custom keyboard shortcut to launch any app of your choice! To do so, tap "+ Add shortcut" at the bottom of the "App shortcuts" tab in the "keyboard shortcuts" menu. For more insights on what's new in Android 16 QPR2 (the Pixel's big December Android update), check out this article👇 🔗Google's second big Android 16 update is rolling out for Pixel phones: Here’s EVERYTHING new! (I actually first mentioned this feature back in August in my Authority Insights Newsletter, but I forgot to include it in my big post covering all the new Android 16 QPR2 features. Oops!)

🤖⌚️Google is bringing the fun of custom Androidify bots to your Wear OS watch face Google is bringing Androidify to Wear OS, giving you several watch face options that are centered around your personalized Android Bot Here's a first look👇🔗https://www.…

👀Android 16 QPR3 introduces over 160 new emoji: Here’s every single one of them The next quarterly Android update will support the 163 new emoji from the Unicode 17.0 release. Here's what's coming👇 🔗https://www.androidauthority.com/android-16-qpr3-new-emoji-3626480/

📱Android 16 QPR3 finally brings the long-awaited GPU driver update for the Pixel 10 series With this update, the Pixel 10 now supports Imagination's August driver release with Vulkan 1.4. We'll be testing how the phone performs soon, so stay tuned! 🔗https://www.androidauthority.com/pixel-10-gpu-update-android-16-qpr3-beta-1-3626234/