Credit: Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority A new “App Mall” is in the works for Chromebooks, promising a streamlined way to discover and install apps. The App Mall draws inspiration from the existing Explore app and makes installing web apps incredibly easy. Currently, the App Mall features only Android and web apps, not Linux apps. Chromebooks offer impressive versatility, with the ability to run PWAs (Progressive Web Apps), Android apps, and even Linux apps. Until now, there was no single source to browse through and install all these various kinds of apps for Chromebooks, but that’s a ..read more

The Pixel 8a, like the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, supports Android’s powered-off finding feature. Powered-off finding enables devices to be located on Google’s Find My Device network even when they’re off or have run out of battery. This is made possible by specialized hardware that reserves power to the phone’s Bluetooth chip for several hours. Google’s Find My Device network finally launched last month, and although its rollout has been slow and limited to the United States and Canada so far, there’s a lot to look forward to. Once fully rolled out globally, the Find My Device network will ..read more

Credit: Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority Names of unknown people who contact you could start showing in Google Messages notifications. For this feature to work, those people will need to have profile discovery enabled and have the number linked to their Google account. Google is working on allowing users to enable or disable profile discovery within Messages. Wish you could know who that unknown sender who just contacted you out of the blue is? Google appears to be working on a feature for Messages that will tell you that person’s name in the text message notification you receive. Whil ..read more

The Pixel 8a will get access to Google’s AI wallpaper app, which is currently exclusive to the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro. Google’s AI wallpaper app will arrive in the phone’s first software update. The app uses a generative AI model to create entirely new wallpapers. Yesterday, Google surprised the tech world by announcing its new Pixel 8a smartphone a week before its upcoming I/O event. The Pixel 8a bears a lot of similarities to the Pixel 8, from its seven years of software updates to its slew of Google AI features. One AI feature that’s currently exclusive to the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, though ..read more

Credit: Adamya Sharma / Android Authority Google Chrome is getting a visual upgrade to its Lens feature, with an animation that mirrors the Circle to Search experience. This change promises a more intuitive way to search for information on web pages. Google’s innovative Circle to Search feature has been a popular topic of discussion. This feature, which allows users to initiate searches by simply circling on-screen content, is already available on select Pixel and Galaxy devices. Now, it appears Google Chrome users will soon be able to enjoy a similar search experience. Google Chrome ..read more

Credit: Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority Google appears to be working on a new gallery picker for the Messages app. The latest beta adds a camera icon that opens up access to your gallery when starting a new message to a group. After picking an image, you can then select the recipients. Google has been working on quite a few new features for the Messages app as of late. A few weeks ago, it was discovered Google could let users turn off expressive animations. More recently, however, we spotted a redesigned Selfie GIF feature. Now we have found that Google could make a change to the UI t ..read more

Android 15 adds support for a new Eyes Free videography extension that locks and stabilizes a given region or object of interest. This will be made available to third-party camera apps through a new Camera2 extension on supported devices. Android 15 could also add a software implementation of this extension so that it’ll be available to apps even on devices where the OEM didn’t implement it. If you don’t like the stock camera app that came with your Android device, there are a lot of third-party camera apps for Android you can try. These third-party camera apps often add advanced, pro-leve ..read more

Google’s Find My Device network can continue tracking a powered-down Pixel 8 for “several hours.” Users need to make sure Bluetooth and Location are on before the device shuts down. The feature is said to work thanks to “specialized Pixel hardware.” Google’s updated Find My Device network can help you locate your lost devices, including your phone. And it appears the feature will continue to work even after your phone shuts down if you have a Pixel 8 series phone. While setting up the Find My Device network on the Pixel 8, the folks over at 9to5Google discovered something interesting abou ..read more

In a surprisingly generous Mother’s Day promotion, Samsung just revealed an amazing deal on the Galaxy Watch 6. It’s an old-fashioned buy-one-get-one offer on any configuration of the smartwatch, meaning you could save up to $380 on the second wearable. We have to admit, it’s a great excuse to treat yourself at the same time as your mom. Buy one Samsung Galaxy Watch 6, get one free ..read more

Credit: Mobvoi Mobvoi is launching a new smartwatch aimed at outdoor enthusiasts called the TicWatch Pro 5 Enduro. The smartwatch can last up to 90 hours in Smart Mode and 45 days in Essential Mode. TicWatch’s health tracking features have been consolidated into a single app. When the TicWatch Pro 5 launched, we came away pretty impressed by solid battery life, high-quality chipset, and the inclusion of Google’s latest Wear OS software. Now Mobvoi is releasing a new version of that device aimed at outdoor enthusiasts. Today, Mobvoi announced that the TicWatch Pro 5 Enduro will be the late ..read more