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Google Messages update introduces swipe gestures and direct long-press controls
A Google Messages update introduces swipe gestures for timestamps and expanded long-press options, though availability remains limited during rollout.
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A Google Messages update introduces swipe gestures for timestamps and expanded long-press options, though availability remains limited during rollout.
Google is introducing new Android scam protections, including Enhanced Protection in Messages, call-forwarding warnings, and screen-share privacy defenses.
Rich Communication Services (RCS) has reshaped Google Messages, bringing read receipts, larger media attachments, and cross-platform messaging with iPhone users. RCS isn't without its own issues, though, and Messages has so far offered an easy way to opt out on a per-chat basis if it causes problems - a feature that now looks like it
AI video generation has moved well beyond experimental clips. In 2026, creators, marketing teams, agencies, and video professionals can use these tools for social content, product videos, storyboards, advertisements, B-roll, explainers, and early-stage creative concepts. The challenge is choosing the right platform. Some focus on cinematic generation, while others are better for rapid marketing production
Google Messages is now widely rolling out its new Keep Notes integration, following last week's September 2026 Android Drop announcement. Opening the “plus” menu inside a conversation reveals a new Keep Notes shortcut, and those pills can be reordered like usual. Alternatively, Google might surface a contextual “Create list” shortcut directly in the suggestions row.
Developers have discovered that Android 17 quietly blocks apps from checking whether Developer Options and USB Debugging are turned on, in what's being described as one of the release's hidden changes. Regardless of whether Developer Mode is actually enabled on a device, apps that try to read its status in Android 17 will always get
Samsung is retiring two of its longest-running AR apps for Galaxy phones. Galaxy Store listings confirm Quick Measure and AR Doodle will shut down on December 31, 2026, with Samsung saying both tools will return later in improved form. Quick Measure lets a phone's camera estimate real-world distances, while AR Doodle lets users sketch virtual
Gemini Spark, the paid Gemini feature that runs complex, multi-step tasks in the background, is getting a significant addition this week: Google Photos support. The integration, reported by Droid Life, is a major connection for Spark, since it opens the door to Google Photos-related requests that could otherwise take hours to complete manually. As part
A locked Android phone may not be as locked as it seems. A reported WhatsApp behavior suggests that someone with physical access to a locked Android device could potentially reach the phone's photo gallery while answering an incoming WhatsApp video call, though the issue doesn't appear to affect every handset, with results reportedly varying by
Google has detailed the new features rolling out to Android as part of its September Android update, leading with a Find Hub upgrade that could be especially useful for anyone who struggles to keep track of where they've put things, including people with ADHD. The update lets users ask Gemini to remember the location of
Google Messages pinned chats may soon look more like their iMessage counterparts, but the redesign could come with a steep trade-off. PhoneArena reported on August 31 that Google is testing a beta interface built around large circular chat elements while considering a reduction in the maximum number of pinned conversations from 20 to six. The
Some Android Police readers and Reddit users are running into a Google Messages RCS issue after switching to a new Samsung phone, according to Android Police. RCS messaging is failing to connect for a number of Samsung device owners, though it's unclear exactly how widespread the problem is. Users have been describing the issue on
Android 17 QPR2 App lock is arriving as a native Pixel feature in Beta 3, according to 9to5Google. The addition sits alongside the release’s visual changes, and the finished QPR2 update is scheduled for December. Long-pressing an app opens the Actions menu, where “App lock” appears at the bottom alongside App info, Pause app, Widgets,
After the official shutdown of Samsung Messages, Google Messages is now likely the only major texting app remaining for Android users. It offers important capabilities like RCS support, end-to-end encryption, and more; however, it has been missing two basic yet important features. Fortunately, both appear headed for release soon, having reportedly surfaced in the app's
Google Messages has been on a tear lately when it comes to new features, which makes sense given that Samsung shut down its own Messages app on July 6. There are clearly some big shoes to fill here, and Google has been polishing things up quickly as a result. Individually, plenty of these tweaks are
After years of anticipation and months of groundwork, WhatsApp has begun rolling out username reservations worldwide today, letting users claim a unique handle ahead of the privacy-focused feature's full launch later this year. WhatsApp username reservations are now rolling out Starting today, users will begin receiving an in-app notification when the reservation option becomes available
Android Auto has always been about bringing your phone's most useful features to the car's display - navigation, music, calls, messages. But beyond the obvious staples, there's a growing library of compatible apps that quietly expand what the platform can do. Some arrive with a formal announcement; others just appear. Adobe Acrobat Reader falls into
One of Android's longest-standing strengths is how much it lets you personalize your device. From launchers to icon packs, there's no shortage of ways to make a phone feel like your own — and changing the wallpaper is usually the first place people start. It's quick, it's visual, and it immediately changes the character of
Nearly 18 months after the FBI warned Americans about the security risks of texting between iPhones and Android devices, Apple has introduced end-to-end encrypted cross-platform messaging through iOS 26.5, according to Forbes. The update enables encrypted RCS messaging between iPhone and Android users for the first time - though Apple has noted that the feature
Samsung has officially confirmed what many Galaxy users feared: Samsung Messages is going away. The app will be fully discontinued in July 2026. It's already been pulled from pre-installation on newer Galaxy devices, including the Galaxy S26 series. Once July hits, you won't be able to download it from the Galaxy Store either. And shortly
