Android

The Information reported the layoffs, which struck the Platforms and Devices team, responsible for Android software, Pixel hardware, and more. They follow a voluntary buyout in January, and in a statement Google blames the move to combine those teams in April 2024:

Google’s new affordable phone has survived mysterious component issues and Trump’s tariffs to arrive in US stores today at its promised price of $499. Despite the tariff pause, that’s no longer a given.

Samsung’s Android 15 update is landing on phones in the US today, a mere seven months after Google released the OS update to developers, though it’s been available on the S25 phones since they launched in February.

For three years in a row Xiaomi has paired its Ultra phones with a Photography Kit, and now Vivo is following suit. The kit, which will be compatible with the upcoming X200 Ultra, was announced on Weibo by product manager Han Boxiao. Like Xiaomi’s it has a USB-C connection, built-in battery, and dedicated camera controls.

Pleos Connect is the name of Hyundai Motor Group’s next-gen vehicle software interface based on Google’s Android Automotive OS, launching in Q2 2026. Today, the automaker kicked off a new annual conference to accelerate the development of Pleos and its “Cloud Mobility” software ecosystem, where “all forms of mobility are connected through software on the cloud,” including urban infrastructure.

The operating system will still be open source, but Google is now moving all development to a private, internal software branch. It previously worked on some features, like the Bluetooth stack, in public, but now everything is going in-house to streamline development.

People on Reddit are complaining they’ve missed work after their Pixel 9 alarms didn’t wake them up. Some claim they told Gemini to “stop” a timer or just to hush it, and it would unexpectedly disable all their alarms, too. This isn’t the only time we’ve heard problems with mobile device alarms recently (iPhone, Pixel Watch), have you noticed any issues?

The Find X8 Ultra will launch in China on April 10th, joined by the Find X8s and X8s Plus. The X8s is a “compact” version of last year’s Find X8, though its 6.3-inch display is still bigger than an iPhone 16.

Until now, you’ve only been able to use the scanner when the display is on, either by waking it or by using the phones’ always-on display feature. Now, Android Authority reports that after testing a settings option to enable screen-off fingerprint unlocking on Pixel 9 phones, Google has expanded that test to other Pixel phones in the third Android 16 beta.

That’s according to WABetaInfo, which spotted that a recent beta of the Android app supports sharing motion photos, Android’s GIF-like animations that accompany some photos, similar to the Live Photos feature found on iPhones (and which, the outlet notes, WhatsApp for iOS already supports).

Motorola is expected to reveal its new generation of Razr flip phones soon, and leaker Evan Blass thinks we’re going to see an unusual new finish: wood. He shared a GIF showing off the Razr Plus 2025 (a.k.a. Razr 60 Ultra outside the US) in a light brown wood version, though didn’t add any details — so we don’t know if this is real wood, like in 2014’s Moto X, or something else.

While the “undo” button sort of acts like the backspace key, it should come in handy if you want to reverse bigger errors, like pasting in an entire sentence or attaching the wrong link. You can add the shortcuts to Gboard’s toolbar for easy access.

The Realme P3 Ultra just launched in India starting at ₹26,999 (around $315). It comes in three colors, but we’re all about the “Glowing Lunar White” model, which uses a “Starlight Ink Process” to create a soil-textured lunar design that even glows in the dark.

The game is getting an Android port, and ZA/UM studio head Denis Havel says it will get changes to “captivate the TikTok user with quick hits of compelling story, art, and audio, ultimately creating an all new, deeply engaging form of entertainment,” according to Eurogamer.

Users on Reddit reported problems with USB storage and ethernet adapters not working, an unexpected color profile change, a weird Settings scrolling bug, and other minor issues, according to 9to5Mac. Separately, Google is also dealing with casting issues on many older Chromecast devices, but a fix is rolling out.

One of the malicious apps masqueraded as a file manager and had more than 10 downloads, according to the cybersecurity firm Lookout. The app contained Android spyware called KoSpy, which Lookout attributes to the North Korean hacking group APT37. It’s capable of collecting a device’s SMS messages, call logs, location, files, and more.