Mobile (Page 2)
News related to Mobile.
Google is testing an iOS-style Family hub on the Pixel
Credit: Mishaal Rahman / Android Authority TL;DR Google is testing a new Family Hub in the Settings of Pixel phones, with a placement similar to iOS. This makes it easier for the family administrator to manage subscriptions or keep a tab on family members’ shared live locations. The feature is only available for a handful of users, and we’re unsure of wider availability. Both Android and iOS let you create a group…
Nothing’s Android 17 update arrives early for four more phones
TL;DR Nothing has expanded its stable Android 17 rollout to four more smartphones. The update is arriving ahead of the company’s original November schedule. Nothing OS 5.0 introduces a redesigned interface, new customization tools, and camera improvements. Nothing appears to have lost patience with its own Android 17 roadmap , and for once, that’s a scheduling problem phone owners will happily welcome. November…
The Apple Pencil turned the Duo into my new favorite notebook
If not notebook, why notebook shaped? Apple's $2,000 folding phone is a surprisingly good stand-in for a $20 notebook. Believe me; nothing gets me going quite like a new notebook. This one will be different, I think. This time, I really will take it everywhere. Inspiration can strike at any moment, and you have to be ready, says David Sedaris in that one MasterClass I watched on a flight. With this one special new…
Lenovo Googlebook 15 review: Your Android phone's new best friend
Despite Lenovo providing excellent hardware for Google's new laptop platform, Googlebook OS will only impress Android die-hards.
Android’s SMS of Death bug can knock out your phone, but a fix is coming soon
TL;DR A newly disclosed Android vulnerability allows malicious text messages to silently crash a phone’s calling service, potentially interrupting emergency calls. Repeated messages can trigger persistent crashes and reboot loops, making affected devices hard to recover without technical help. Google developed a fix months before the public disclosure, but questions remain about when users will receive the patch…
The true cost of folding: What a Galaxy Z Fold 8 or iPhone Duo costs to own for a year
Credit: Aamir Siddiqui / Android Authority Paying a premium for the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 or the iPhone Duo might seem justified when you consider what each phone offers. But the purchase price is only part of the story. Over the next year, accessories, potential repair bills, and depreciation can all add to the cost of ownership, making that initial price tag a less reliable indicator of what you’ll actually…
Samsung’s next foldable is here, and it’s even more expensive than the iPhone Duo
Credit: Samsung China TL;DR Samsung has launched the W27 foldable phone in China. This is effectively a Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra with a high-end design. The Samsung W27 starts at ~$2,852 for the 16GB/512GB model. Samsung usually releases China-exclusive variants of its Galaxy Z Fold line each year, complete with swanky designs. The company teased the arrival of the Samsung W27 a few days ago, and it’s now made the…
Google is giving Gemini’s overlay a literal sparkle on your Android phone
TL;DR Google is rolling out a new Gemini overlay animation to all Android phones. The animation uses Google’s Neural Expressive design language and gives Gemini an ethereal look. The redesign is rolling out as part of a Google app update. Google loves redesigning things, and Gemini is one of the things it loves redesigning the most. We’ve already seen the company experiment with new animations for Circle to Search…
Motorola finally puts a date on its Galaxy Ultra challenger
TL;DR Motorola has officially confirmed that the Signature 27 will launch on November 5. The phone’s US landing page is live, showcasing its premium design and flagship hardware. A Geekbench listing reveals more performance details, but pricing remains under wraps. The original Motorola Signature had the looks and the hardware to rub shoulders with Android’s finest, but American buyers never got an invitation. Its…
Android 17 is barely making a dent as Android 11 still powers 10% of phones
Credit: Joe Maring / Android Authority TL;DR Android 16 is now the most widely used Android version, accounting for 25.4% of active devices, up from 7.5% in December 2025. Android 17 has reached just 1% adoption, despite becoming available in June 2026, and even Android 8.1 has a larger share. Android fragmentation remains a problem, with 43.6% of active devices still running Android 13 or older. Android 16 has…
OnePlus just unveiled a monster 16R preview, and we’re suitably jealous
TL;DR OnePlus has launched the Ace 7 and Ace 7 Pro in China, packing 9,000mAh batteries, 185Hz gaming displays, and 200MP main cameras. The phones could offer an early glimpse of the OnePlus 16R, although the Ace 6-to-15R transition suggests some hardware changes are possible. With OnePlus ending official US launches, Americans hoping to upgrade to the 16R may need to import one. OnePlus may have packed its bags and…
Pixel 10 Pro XL owners can grab Google’s PixelSnap case for 58% off
Google’s PixelSnap Phone Case for the Pixel 10 Pro XL is the official case for the phone and is built around Google’s own magnetic accessory system. There’s also a strong deal on it right now, which makes this a good time to pick one up on Amazon. See the deal at Amazon
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra 512GB plunges by $472 in one of its best deals ever
Big-screen phone fans have a strong option on the table right now. The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is built for people who want plenty of space for videos, games, photos, and work, and there’s a solid deal on Amazon that makes it easier to grab. See the deal at Amazon
Massive leak exposes 41,000 DHS workers and undercover ICE agents
An unprecedented leak of Department of Homeland Security records has exposed details of more than 41,000 employees or contractors who work for the department and its constituent agencies. The records include email addresses, phone numbers, and office addresses, but also references to internal systems and sensitive information on undercover and surveillance programs. In all, the leak provides a map of how DHS is…
Garmin Messenger is placing too much trust in SMS verification, and this might not end well
TL;DR A Garmin Messenger user reports restoring their entire chat history on a second phone using only SMS verification, without a Garmin account password. The findings raise concerns that recycled phone numbers could let new owners access previous conversations, including sensitive location information. Garmin has reportedly been informed of the issue, but it hasn’t confirmed a fix. Handing over an old phone number…
7 Android settings I always turn off on my Google Pixel phone
Credit: Brady Snyder / Android Authority Google Pixels give you the best out-of-the-box Android experience, hands down. You’re not uninstalling a bunch of bloatware or hunting down a dozen privacy-invasive settings a manufacturer might have snuck in. Still, there are a handful of features I always end up disabling — whether it’s because they’re useless, drain the battery , or cause more problems than they solve.
I hope the Motorola Signature 27 is great, but I have 2 big concerns I can’t shake
Credit: Motorola Maybe I just like rooting for the underdog, but I can’t help but feel that the US smartphone market could do with a good shake-up. Loosening the grip of Apple, Google, and Samsung would inject a little more urgency into the pace of hardware innovation. While phones like the OPPO Find X10 Pro Max and vivo X500 Pro Max offer global consumers something different, they’re not available in the US. At…
The iPhone 18 Pro is the antithesis to Android’s AI era
I don’t need to reiterate that the tech industry has spent the past couple of years trying to convince us that AI is the next step of computing and that it needs to be shoehorned into every computing touchpoint. And as far as smartphones go, Android is at the forefront of this push. For better or worse, Google has integrated Gemini into every aspect of the Android experience, be it messaging or photography, search…
AI has come for Arizona’s water
A hulking gray giant rises from the desert. Inside, engineers create the force behind our phones and computers and appliances, our streaming services and search engines and chatbots and vibe-coded apps and websites. The complex is simultaneously massive and squat, dwarfed by the mountains that surround it, and it is endless. I drive past one building, and then another, and then the ground opens up where construction…
Trump Phone passes the bend test, fails the originality test
TL;DR JerryRigEverything puts the Trump Mobile T1 through scratch, bend, and teardown tests, with the phone surviving the physical punishment. The teardown reveals internals identical to the two-year-old HTC U24 Pro, reinforcing earlier findings from an iFixit investigation. Swapping the motherboards between the two phones leaves both fully functional, further proving their shared hardware origins. Buying a phone is…
AssemblyAI Ships AssemblyAI-TTS-1: A $15 per 1M Character Text-to-Speech API for Voice Agents
AssemblyAI has released AssemblyAI-TTS-1 , its first text-to-speech model, now generally available. The AssemblyAI-TTS-1 text-to-speech API targets voice agents running on live phone calls. In that setting, latency and pronunciation decide whether a caller stays on the line. Pricing is $15 per 1M characters , with no annual contract and no concurrency tier to buy. For developers already using AssemblyAI…
Samsung teases Galaxy S27 plans as its phone business slips into the red again
Credit: Paul Jones / Android Authority TL;DR Samsung expects to ship fewer smartphones in 2027, particularly in the mid-range and entry-level segments, as higher memory and component costs push prices up. The company is banking on “Intelligent Eyewear” in Q4 and is researching Glass, TriFold, and other new form factors for 2027. Samsung is also prioritizing a more distinctive Galaxy S series, better battery life and…
iPhone Duo could capture nearly 30% of foldable market in 2027, per report
In a report released today, TrendForce says that with strong demand for the iPhone Duo out of the gate, Apple is poised to capture nearly 30% of the global foldable smartphone market by 2027. Here are the details. more…
A hacker stole more than 40,000 DHS employee records
A hacker stole a trove of personal information from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The breach exposes the names, job titles, phone numbers, email addresses, and office locations of more than 41,000 employees, including those in US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP), according to TechCrunch and Wired. The