Month: August 2025

Opinion post by

Adamya Sharma

A lot of people seem to be dunking on the Pixel 10 Pro Fold for being a little too thick around the edges. And it’s true, next to Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 7, Google’s latest foldable may not look nearly as elegant or futuristic. The company clearly wasn’t chasing thinness like the rest of the players in the foldable game, and the result is a foldable phone that looks chunkier and is even a tad heavier than its predecessor. However, Google’s lack of attention to the size of the Pixel 10 Pro Fold is actually starting to make a lot of sense to me. It’s even making me a bit jealous, to be honest.

The trade-offs are tough to ignore once you look closer.

During our press briefings, Google was very upfront about why it didn’t slim down the Pixel 10 Pro Fold, and the trade-offs are tough to ignore once you look closer. The Pixel 10 Pro Fold packs a 5,015mAh battery compared to the Fold 7’s 4,400mAh cell. That’s not just a small bump, it’s a massive leap for a foldable phone, and one that could easily translate into a few extra hours of real-world usage. If you’ve used a foldable phone before, you would know that battery life is one of the first sacrifices you have to learn to live with for the sake of the form factor, and while the Galaxy Z Fold 7’s battery life isn’t bad, Google is essentially taking things to the next level with that added capacity. Of course, we’ll have to wait and see how the new Tensor G5 chip performs in practice, and what kind of toll it might take on battery life.

Hot off the heels of the Pixel 10 launch, Google unveiled a new Android Canary release. The August 2025 Android Canary update rolled out today to users enrolled in the Canary program, and it finally brings a long-awaited personalization option: the ability to customize icon shapes on the home screen. While the new version doesn’t let you create your own icon shape, it does let you choose from five delightful presets, one of which will definitely suit your fancy.

After installing the latest Canary release and opening the Wallpaper & Style app, developer Kieron Quinn noticed that the “Icons” menu had changed. Instead of only having a toggle to enable icon theming, the “Icons” menu now has several icon shape options. These include the default circle shape as well as new square, four-sided cookie, seven-sided cookie, and arch options.

If you’re looking for something under a couch, bed, or other dimly lit area, then your phone’s built-in flashlight will come in handy. Nearly every phone has one, including every Google Pixel device. Unlike other devices, though, Pixels don’t let you adjust the brightness of the flashlight from the Quick Settings panel. That’s thankfully changed in the new August 2025 Android Canary release that Googel rolled out today.

After installing the new Canary release, I noticed that the flashlight tile was now expandable. Tapping it opened a dialog named “Flashlight Strength” that had a slider and buttons to turn off the flashlight or confirm the brightness level.

As a journalist and avid enthusiast of productivity apps, I’ve used more note-taking apps than I care to admit. Google Keep, OneNote, SimpleNote, and a pretty wide assortment of open-source tools have all been a part of my note-taking arsenal at one point or another. To be sure, some of these were excellent, some less so, while others like Google Keep and OneNote begrudgingly became a key part of my workflow.

Google Keep, in particular, has been a constant companion for its simplicity, quick note-taking, and wide web-based availability. Despite its relatively limited feature set, the colorful sticky note format feels like an extension of the dozen or more sticky notes plastered on my work desk. But as my note-taking needs have grown more complex, Keep’s limitations just can’t, ahem, keep up.

Samsung’s smartwatches (and the Galaxy Ring) are compatible with most Android phones, but you’ll only get the full experience when paired with Samsung Galaxy smartphones. This applies to older Galaxy Watch models up to the latest Galaxy Watch 8 series and Galaxy Watch Ultra 2025. But what are these features, and are they worth considering switching smartphones for?

There are many features, but only a few truly make the partnership worthwhile, at least for me. I don’t own a Galaxy Ring, but I can comment on the synergy between my Galaxy Watch 4 and Galaxy S24 FE. While most benefits are health-related, several ecosystem features make owning Samsung products more attractive and worth considering.

Last year, Google announced it was accelerating Android’s release schedule. In the past, Google typically rolled out a single Android release each year with new APIs for developers. Starting in 2025, however, the company is moving to two such releases annually: one major and one minor. We’ve already received this year’s major release with the stable Android 16 update in June, and the upcoming Android 16 QPR2 update will be the first minor one. Here are some of the new features we think Google will release in Android 16 QPR2.

You’re reading the Authority Insights Newsletter, a weekly newsletter that reveals some new facet of Android that hasn’t been reported on anywhere else. If you’re looking for the latest scoops, the hottest leaks, and breaking news on Google’s Android operating system and other mobile tech topics, then we’ve got you covered.