Decked out with a gimbal and shockingly good camera, the Robot Phone is one of the weirdest devices to come out of Honor. Even if you ignore the fact that it’s limited to China, Honor can’t keep up with demand.

After introducing at I/O 2026 in May, Google is making Daily Brief in the Gemini app available for free in the US.

Welcome to episode 43 of The Sideload, a 9to5Google podcast. This week, Will is joined by 9to5’s Daniel Bader for an interview with Fairphone’s CTO Chandler Hatton. The trio discusses the brand-new Fairphone Gen 6+, the company’s first official US launch, the appetite for repairable devices amid the growing RAM crunch, and much more.

Sponsored by NordVPN: Listeners to The Sideload can save up to 76% on a two-year subscription alongside four extra months for absolutely free by signing up for NordVPN using this link. Thanks to NordVPN for sponsoring this week’s episode.

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Last month, Nothing’s CMF brand launched a new pair of $25 earbuds in the CMF Buds Neo. Too good to be true, I figured, but after getting my hands on them, I’m pleasantly surprised by what they bring to the table despite some expected downsides.

Android Auto users are reporting an issue where the Google Maps speedometer, available for mere months, is randomly vanishing.

Following last week’s Android Drop, Google is now rolling out an app update that brings the “Remembered” tab to Find Hub.

Arm has announced its new C2 CPUs for future Android chips as well as upgrades to its Mali GPUs that will take everything up a notch.

Joining all-time low pricing on Galaxy Z Fold 8 at $250 off via Amazon, we now have today’s best Google Play app and game deals for you. Highlights include Old Man’s Journey, Elemental Dungeon: Roguelike, MO: Astray, Skel and Defense, ELOH, Argo’s Choice: Offline Game, Angelo and Deemon (Full), Escape Alive, Inbetween Land (Full), and more. Scope them all out below.

Boox offered some wandering the halls of Messe Berlin at IFA 2026 the opportunity to check out its most exciting upcoming release – a tiny e-reader called the “Picco” that you could probably pocket and take anywhere.

As previewed earlier this year, Google Chrome is now operating on a two-week release cycle.

Pebblebee is launching its latest batch of Android Find Hub trackers, with new “Hotline Pink” and “Techno Lime” colorways that are available today.

Today’s 9to5Toys Lunch Break is headlined by the best price ever hitting the unlocked Galaxy Z Fold 8 at $250 off via Amazon. but we also have new all-time low on Lenovo’s latest 13-inch 3.5K Idea Tab Pro Gen 2 Android tablet at $315 (Save $185) as well as its flagship 165Hz Legion gaming tablet with Snapdragon 8 Eliteat $260 off, on top of another shot at the new Nothing Ear (3a) wireless ANC buds down at $80 (within $1 of all-time low). Head below for more.

If you happen to walk past the Orbitkey’s setup at IFA in Berlin, you might have seen what the company is known for — key organizers. You’d be forgiven for not thinking these new key organizers had Google Find Hub trackers built in.

The internet is mad. Shocking statement, I know, but this time it’s about a perceived quality control issue on the Galaxy Z Fold 8 that sees the display corners able to bend or flex inward, but that Samsung says is part of the design.

As it gears up for launch later this month, Oppo has teased the Find X10 Pro Max with its new addition to the lineup and a triple 200MP camera setup that sounds a bit insane.

Google Photos has updated its trash bin timeline, cutting the time from 60 days to 30 days as of September 2026.

Following an appearance at IFA 2026 last week, Xiaomi has posted the full details of its new wide Fold, while it’s also been directly compared to the Galaxy Z Fold 8.

Hey, happy Tuesday. How was your long weekend? I hope it involved a little Windows 98-style downtime, maybe some pickleball with Andre Agassi, a dive into the origins of the newly UN-endorsed Equal Earth map, and a few examples of GPT-6 Astra blowing some minds.

As a reminder, Inbox is the tech newsletter that goes beyond the news cycle. We cover the most important 9to5Google stories from the last couple of days along with a few highlights from around the web. We publish every Tuesday and Thursday, and if you like what you read, please subscribe.

The monthly “Google System Release Notes” primarily detail what’s new in Play services, Play Store, and Play system update across Android phones/tablets, Wear OS, Google/Android TV, Auto, and PC. Some features apply to end users, while others are aimed at developers.

Huawei has unveiled its new Mate XT2 foldable, offering a tri-fold design that also implements Samsung’s Privacy Display feature from the Galaxy S26 Ultra.

As rumored, Sony is reviving its WH-1000XM4 headphones with a new WH-1000XM4C reboot, bringing some new colors to a much more affordable entry to the market compared to the company’s flagship.

Like other Google apps, Messages for Android A/B tests many features. It can take the RCS/SMS client a rather long time to actually launch new functionality in stable. From various reports, Google announcements, and devices we’ve checked, this is the current state of Messages.

Samsung has beaten Apple to the punch, but I’m annoyed that while it’s, in fact, a fantastic device, it’ll only help bolster the sales of the long-rumored iPhone Fold.

Samsung is shutting down two long-available augmented reality (AR) apps on Galaxy phones, with “Quick Measure” and “AR Doodle” both going away later this year.

Samsung’s smash-hit Galaxy Z Fold 8 is popular enough to the point where the company can barely keep up with demand, but it’s not stopping the first actual discount on the wide foldable which takes the starting price down to $1,650.

A bug in Google Messages is causing the app to randomly send old text messages to other random people and, while it’s still happening, a fix is slowly on the way.

The Labor Day sales at Amazon, Fold 8 Ultra at $300 off. There are hundreds in savings on Google Pixel 11 devices, a massive list of Anker charging gear deals, your last shot at all-time low pricing on the new Nothing Ear (3a) wireless buds, 2026 smart TVs at up to $800 off, power stations, e-bikes, LEGO, Switch 2 games, and much more up for grabs today. Check it all out below. 

As the debut of Googlebook quietly approaches, a week full of new laptop launches at IFA continues to make me wonder why literally anyone should be even a tiny bit interested in Google’s new platform.

This issue of 9to5Google Weekender is a part of our newsletter that highlights the biggest Google stories with added commentary and more. Sign up here to get Weekender delivered to your inbox every weekend, and catch our weekday roundups too!

States across the US are slowly rolling out support for adding your driver’s license or ID to the Google Wallet app on Android.

The Gemini overlay on Android now has a multitasking option that gives you a floating bubble shortcut when you Minimize.

Welcome to Pixelated episode 115. This week, Damien, Abner, and Will dig through Google’s latest Android Drop and discuss their most-wanted feature additions for Android.

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Joining the Labor Day sales at Best Buy and Amazon, your Friday afternoon lineup of the best Android game and app deals is now ready: Friend of a Slime: Survivors, The Tiny Bang Story: Premium, Majesty: The Fantasy Kingdom, Radiant: Guardians Of Light, Halls of Torment: Premium, Guardian War: Ultimate Edition, Super Dark Deception, and more. We have the new Galaxy S26 FE launching today with a FREE $200 Amazon gift card, a massive $600 off Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, as well as as LG’s most affordable 65-inch 2026 OLED TV hitting the Amazon all-time low at $800 off as well, but the apps await below. 

The massive Amazon Labor Day is rolling on and Moto Tag 2 from $17.50, however today’s Lunch Break is headlined by the launch deals on the brand new Samsung Galaxy S26 FE with FREE $200 Amazon gift cards and some giant deals on Amazon all-time low at $800 off. Everything else awaits below. 

Motorola’s latest Android Find Hub tracker is arguably the best option on the market today and, right now, it’s also the best deal at just $70 for a 4-pack – that’s around $17 per tracker.

The Pixel 11 series is out in the hands of plenty of (hopefully) happy users, and for the most part, I can count myself among them. This generation marks a massive shift for the camera in particular, as Google has finally loosened up its HDR-centric grip on processing. Really, the only big downsides with Camera Looks appeared to be how it saved your default look — and, as it turns out, there’s a setting to fix that, too.

Yet another patent dispute with Disney+ is causing the app to lose Google Cast support in select countries.

Following a prior teaser that was the better part of a year ago, Microsoft has finally acknowledged its work on a Google TV app for Xbox Game Pass on TCL TVs, but it’s still “months” out from the sound of it.

IFA 2026 is delivering a pretty wild new Android phone that’s not only rugged, but has a GoPro-like action camera built-in which can be detached and used for capturing footage on the fly.

Samsung has fully restocked its smash-hit Galaxy Z Fold 8 while also discounting the usually-more-expensive Galaxy Z Fold 8 UItra.

Following the new app icon, Google Clock has rolled out a redesigned Timers tab. This follows yesterday’s update to the Now Playing app.

Ugreen might be most well-known for its chargers and device accessories, but its recent announcement might push it deeper into the smart home space. The company announced a local AI hub called the “HomeAgent,” alongside Ugreen’s new smart cameras and more.

The latest first-party app that Gemini Spark can control is Google Photos. The personal agent can “handle complex, multi-stage workflows” with your library.

Following the announcement on Tuesday, Google is slowly rolling out Motion Assist to phones running Android 17.

Following an outage earlier today, OpenAI is launching GPT-6 Astra, it’s latest model which is “the world’s most intelligent.”

The latest Google Home update is fixing issues with alarms that some users were experiencing while also improving media and smart home voice controls in Google’s continued effort to address pain points in Gemini for Home.

Alongside the massive Labor Day sales at Best Buy and Amazon, we have another fresh batch of Android app deals to scope out this afternoon. Highlights include the brilliant DREDGE, as well as The Darkside Detective: FITD, Zoeti, Titan Quest: Ultimate Edition, and more. We still have Pixel 11 series units at up to $320 off (open-box “excellent”) and the lowest price ever on the fantastic Nothing Ear (3a) noise cancelling buds. The apps await below. 

Microsoft is making a change to Xbox Cloud Gaming that will place a limit of 15 hours a month or less on players before they have to pay more for cloud gaming.

Google today announced WeatherNext 3 as its “most advanced and accurate global weather AI model,” with immediate benefits for Search and Gemini.

Alongside new superpowered laptops and a MacBook Neo rival, Lenovo has new flagship Yoga Android tablets launching that don’t hold back.

IFA 2026 is underway with Lenovo’s Innovation World event seeing the debut of the company’s first RTX Spark laptops as well as a flagship Android tablet and more.

We’ve seen a lot of people ask if making the jump from the Pixel 9 to a Pixel 11 is even worth it. The answer isn’t totally simple, but we’ll try our best to answer it here.

• Pixel 11 vs. Pixel 11 Pro: More similar than ever before [Video]

It’s finally happening. Motorola is making a new Wear OS smartwatch, but it’s not a new Moto 360 – this is the Moto Watch Ultra.

Lenovo is taking on the MacBook Neo with a colorful new laptop – the IdeaPad Vibe.

Following the announcement at I/O 2026, Google is rolling out Gmail Live, Docs Live, and Keep Live this week. After testing in recent months, these voice capabilities are now generally available.

After showing off a proof-of-concept back at CES 2026 earlier this year, TCL is officially making its first NXTPAPER phones with AMOLED displays – the TCL P80 series.

Joining the massive Labor Day sale at Amazon and $17.50 each again. We also have Lenovo’s new 13-inch 3.5K Android tablet hitting a new all-time low at $332 for Labor Day and a notable launch deal on Anker’s all-new MagGo 2 Pro Qi2.2 power bank with smart display (check out the rest of its new releases from IFA right here). 

A widespread outage has taken out popular AI platforms including ChatGPT, Claude, and Grok.

XGIMI has officially unveiled its new ultra-short-throw (UST) projector lineup at IFA 2026 with the debut of the Aura 3 Series, consisting of the AURA 3 Pro and Aura 3 Max.

At IFA 2026, Anker is not only unveiling a bunch of new products, but also announcing that it is merging all of its core brands into one – sort of – with Eufy, Soundcore, and others going away.

Xiaomi is the latest brand adopting a wide foldable form factor, with the Xiaomi 18 Fold getting an official first look at IFA 2026 ahead of a launch next week.

Good morning and happy Thursday. Today I’m watching every minute of M. Night Shyamalan’s new YouTube video on the making of Signs, trying to convince myself I don’t need the Sonos Ace Ultra headphones, and using this helpful guide to finally install a local AI model on my M4 Pro Mac Mini.

As a reminder, Inbox is the tech newsletter that goes beyond the news cycle. We cover the most important 9to5Google stories from the last couple of days along with a few highlights from around the web. We publish every Tuesday and Thursday, and if you like what you read, please subscribe.

More companies are getting on board with trackers that work with the Android Find Hub network, and Belkin is the latest with four different designs.

During IFA 2026, Belkin announced a new lineup of magnetic Qi2 battery banks using a new solid-state technology. The two UltraCharge Pro models can charge devices at up to 15W wirelessly, but they have more tricks in the sleeve.

To kick off IFA 2026, Philips Hue announced a new set of sync boxes for its Play lighting. The company also teased a few new app long-awaited changes to the app, and a Nanoleaf partnership that makes your light-up triangles compatible with Philips Hue’s products.

Govee launched a handful of new lighting options at IFA 2026, ranging from another ceiling light that responds to daylight to COB LED strips that use prompts to generate your lighting conditions.

We’re still a few days out from the debut of Apple’s first iPhone foldable which, as many have expected for years, will have a crease-less display. According to a new report, Google’s Pixel 12 Pro Fold will be adopting the same technology as Apple’s foldable.

In a “that’s a name I’ve not heard in a long time” move, MapQuest is back to being a household name, as the original mapping app has found itself as the top of app store charts – it’s also rushing to add support for Android Auto.

The next wave of Pixel app updates is starting with Google rolling out the latest version of Now Playing with interface tweaks.

Following a prior court battle, a judge has now ruled that Google won’t have to sell off its AdX (ad exchange) business after all, and will instead have to make some undisclosed behavioral changes.

A loophole in WhatsApp for Android lets someone see private photos on your device without the device being unlocked, which obviously isn’t supposed to happen.

This massive Labor Day sales are now live at Amazon and Best Buy and we now have your mid-week afternoon lineup of the best Android game and app deals. Hghlights include Backrooms, Voltshadow, Undead Slayer: Offline Premium, LIMBO, Exolotl : Zian, Tiny Terraces, Box Head: Roguelike Premium, WINCH IT OUT, and more. Just be sure to also scope out these Pixel 11 series units at up to $320 off (open-box “excellent”) as well as the best price ever on the new Nothing Ear (3a) noise cancelling buds. The apps await below.

Apple’s MacBook Neo has made waves in the laptop world because it’s a remarkably well-built and reliable laptop at a very affordable price – though one that’s a bit higher now thanks to RAMageddon. Dell is ready to challenge that with its new Dell 14S laptop announced at IFA, and it somehow might be even cheaper.

Google has struck a deal with MrBeast, the most popular YouTuber, to promote Gemini and Google Health, with one of the first partnerships being a challenge in “the planet’s most unforgiving landscapes.”

The Labor Day sale at Amazon and the massive Best Buy event are now live, alongside a chance to land Pixel 11 series phones up to $320 off. However, today we are also featuring Nothing Ear (3a) buds at $79 as well as open-box listing now down at $67 alongside all Galaxy Z Flip 8 models at $150 off (bundle offers deliver up to $320 in savings) Those offers join a giant $620 discount on Lenovo’s 2026 IdeaPad 2K touchscreen Copilot+ laptop, ASUS’ wild dual-screen 3K OLED Zephyrus Duo gaming laptop at $500 off, and Sony’s 2026 BRAVIA 7 II HDR Google TV with Gemini at $800 off for Labor Day. Check it out below. 

A rogue Google Home update earlier this year partially broke support for some older Chromecast streamers and other devices, but the latest update has restored it.

After the last model release three weeks ago, Google today is rolling out Gemini 3.8 Flash. This marks the third Flash update in three months.

Google has pulled refurbished Pixel 7 devices from its store, with the Pixel 9 yet to make its debut.

Samsung is launching a new laptop in its Galaxy Book 6 series, and it’s much more affordable with a starting price of $799.

Google is rolling out a new AI-generated feature on Pixel 10 and Pixel 11 devices called “Battery usage summaries” which translate battery use stats into natural language.

Following Qualcomm detailing the core Oryon CPU that would find itself on the next flagship Snapdragon chip, the chipmaker has announced its next-gen Adreno Neural Fusion GPU.

Samsung is expanding its Android 17 / One UI 9 beta program to several new Galaxy smartphones this month, signaling that the stable release isn’t too far away.

A bizarre issue has left many Samsung Galaxy owners locked out of their Samsung accounts which were “deactivated for security reasons.”

Casting from YouTube to your television has been a thing since, well, since Google first rolled out its Cast protocol well over a decade ago, and though the site’s default TV interface is pretty good these days, casting remains the preference of Chromecast veterans everywhere. If you count yourself among that crowd, good news: Google is overhauling how the app-to-TV experience works with YouTube.

Following last month’s launch, Google is rolling out the first update (September 2026) for the Pixel Watch 5 today.

We’re expecting the stable release of Android 17 QPR1 in September. Before that, Google is rolling out an out-of-cycle update to the Pixel 11 series with a September 2026 security patch.

The gigantic weeklong Labor Day sales are now live at Amazon and Best Buy, but we also have a fresh batch of discounted Android apps to check out – just be sure to scope out this deal on Google Play gift cards with a FREE $15 Best Buy credit too. Highlights include Super Dark Deception, My Child Lebensborn, Crystal Journey, Radiant: Guardians Of Light, Unbroken Soul, and more.

Google today is rolling out the September 2026 Android Drop with a number of major features.

Following the initial Friday release, Android 17 QPR2 Beta 4 is now available for the Pixel 11 series.

As we wait for consumer Googlebooks to launch, Google shared today that it is “transitioning [its] Google Meet hardware portfolio from ChromeOS to Android.”

Google has some interesting tests going on behind the scenes of Android Auto right now, but only one of them is likely to actually be released – a new quick settings menu.

Following Magic Pointer and Desktop Camera, Google has now released a “Look up” app for Googlebooks. 

Following the announcement at I/O 2026 in May, Google Pics is launching in general availability today.

The giant Best Buy Labor Day sale is live with thousands of price drops alongside Amazon’s equally as wide-ranging holiday sale, and we have some fresh price drops to scope out. Best Buy has Pixel 11 series phones up to $320 off, a chance to score a FREE $15 Best Buy credit with Google Play gift card purchases, and you can still land the latest Google TV Streamer 4K at pre price-hike rate. On top of that, we also spotted a chance to land Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra at a massive $600 off today and a whole lot more below. 

Razer has just launched its new Prio game controller, a USB-C controller for your smartphone that folds down to the footprint of a credit card.

Google continues to improve on video quality with each new Pixel release, but a bug on the Pixel 11 Pro series causes static audio issues when using the Video Boost feature.

Oppo is reportedly preparing top-tier flagship specs for its upcoming Find X10 release, with a new report detailing an 8,000 mAh battery and more.

Google is giving Android Auto a very slight refresh in its 17.6 update, with the app’s logo getting a new look that you’ll only see in a couple of locations.

Sony has announced new additions to its ULT Tower party speaker lineup, now offering options that are much more affordable.

Roku is expanding its first-party TV lineup with new OLED models that start at $999.

Xiaomi sub-brand Poco is officially expanding its flagship smartphone line with the launch of the Poco F9 Pro and Poco F9 Ultra.