The name Google is synonymous with online searches, but over the years the company has grown beyond search and now builds multiple consumer products, including software like Gmail, Chrome, Maps, Android, and hardware like the Pixel smartphones, Google Home, and Chromebooks. Its name can also be found on internet services such as Google Fi, Flights, Checkout, and Google Fiber. Here is all of the latest news about one of the most influential tech companies in the world.
Google’s latest affordable phone launched in Japan today, more than a month after its release elsewhere. The wait might have been worth it though, since Japanese buyers can get the phone in an exclusive isai blue finish, designed in partnership with Heralbony, a creative company that works with artists with disabilities.
Android users can now watch videos as slowly as 0.25x or as fast as 2x, though Google hasn’t said when the option will roll out to iOS or the web. Tap the three dot menu on a video to find the new speed options.
[Google Photos Community]
The “multiple gigawatts of next-generation TPU capacity” are expected to come online beginning in 2027 to “power our frontier Claude models.” The company also says that its run-rate revenue has surpassed $30 billion.
Google AI Edge Eloquent is a new live AI transcription app that requires no subscription and has no usage limits. When you finish speaking, it will also filter out filler words like “um.” It’s currently only on iOS, but Google plans to bring the app to Android and macOS.
The channel, La7, reportedly used the DLSS 5 footage in a segment about the upscaling tech. It seemingly issued takedown requests for videos using the same clips, including the original trailer from Nvidia and videos from creators covering DLSS 5’s launch.
The explosion of AI search has created a gold rush for firms claiming they can change what gets cited.
It never once told me to walk into a river.
A fascinating profile on litigator Jay Edelson, a longtime tech adversary who’s been filing cases against OpenAI and Google over their LLMs. “Courts are fed up with these companies, and juries are kind of sick of big tech for doing a lot of damage to society,” Edelson says. Sam Altman has called him a “leech tarted up as a freedom fighter,” and Edelson says Altman is “Lex Luthor.”
A proposed class action lawsuit claims Perplexity “effectively planted a bug” on users’ computers by embedding trackers from Meta and Google inside its AI search engine, as reported earlier by Ars Technica. It also alleges that Perplexity’s incognito mode “does nothing” to protect user privacy:
Even paid users who turned on the “Incognito” feature still had their conversations shared with Meta and Google, along with their email addresses and other identifiers that allowed Meta and Google to personally identify them.
Previous versions used a custom license that has been criticized as too restrictive. With Gemma 4, Google is moving to the Apache 2.0 license, which is much more permissive and widely used by developers, including for other Google products like Android. The new model also offers performance improvements, as detailed in the video below.
Calls will be audio only, though — no video (which makes sense). An Android Auto version of Meet is set to launch “soon,” Google says.
In addition to adding support for Veo 3.1 and Lyria 3 models, Google Vids now allows you to direct and customize the AI-generated avatars you can put in your videos. You can also record your screen with a new Google Vids extension in Chrome, as well as upload videos directly to YouTube.
Why nuclear options like age limits and repealing Section 230 won’t make social media safer.
If you’re the type that pays Google $249.99/mo for its AI Ultra plan in the US then you’ve earned yourself early access to Gmail’s new semi-useful-perhaps-someday-in-the-future AI Inbox. It’s still in beta, so take care.
OpenAI gave up on Sora last week, but in a post about Google’s new “cost efficient” Veo 3.1 Lite AI video model, DeepMind staffer Logan Kilpatrick says that “video’s here to stay.” And in a blog post about the model, the authors discuss Google’s “commitment to making video generation more available to developers.”
In addition to bringing the refurbished Pixel 8A to its online store, Google also announced that it’s listing its entire used phone lineup on Amazon, which includes the Pixel 8, Pixel 8 Pro, Pixel 7A, Pixel 7, and Pixel 7 Pro.
If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement.
If you choose the option, you’ll be able to share your precise location until you close an app, which might be a good choice if you just need to give your location to an app to quickly check one thing.
Android 17 will also add a persistent indicator that tells you when a “non-system app” accesses your location.
Aptoide’s AppArena is now available in Japan as an Apple Store alternative. It comes after regulators required Apple and Google to support third-party app marketplaces and payment systems. AppArena features AI-assisted discovery of apps and games, cashback rewards, and 15-minute game trials.
“We’re bringing Maps’ AI-powered EV charging features to over 350 car models with Android Auto,” the company writes. It should predict where, when, and how long you’ll need to charge — after you punch in charge level manually. Google doesn’t mention battery preconditioning, though both Apple and Google are pursuing that vehicle-by-vehicle.
Android Authority has found references to an expanded AirDrop-like system in Android 17 beta and Canary builds called “Tap to share” that uses NFC to help transfer files between phones brought close together. As it sits at the OS level, the feature could be coming to all Android devices.
In a class action lawsuit, an unnamed plaintiff who says she’s a survivor of sexual abuse by Jeffrey Epstein says the Trump administration and Google have wrongfully disclosed survivors’ personal data. “Google has failed and refuses to remove, de-index, or block access to the offending materials,“ the complaint says.
The bubbles are live in the third Android 17 beta, alongside Wi-Fi and mobile data being separated under the Quick Settings menu, a new option to hide app labels on your home screen, granular audio controls for hearing devices, and a redesigned screen recording toolbar.
The compression algorithm works by shrinking the data stored by large language models, with Google’s research finding that it can reduce memory usage by at least six times “with zero accuracy loss.”
As part of a deal announced in January, Apple reportedly has ‘complete access’ to Gemini in its data centers, according to The Information. That includes the option to use Gemini to train “student” AI models via distillation that could be specially-tuned for Apple’s devices and require less computing power.
[The Information]
There could be a sticky situation if jurors don’t reach a verdict today on day nine of deliberations, independent journalist Meghann Cuniff reports. One juror is set to leave on a prepaid vacation tomorrow, and the judge hasn’t yet said what would happen if they go before a verdict.
Alongside more visual responses from Gemini and the narrated “deep dives” on educational topics that were announced at CES 2026, yesterday Google TV also started rolling out a new feature called sports briefs; narrated overviews of in-season sports leagues that include game summaries and player news from the NBA, MLB, NHL, and more.
Project Wing launched as a part of Google X more than a decade ago, and now, in 2026, the Alphabet subsidiary Wing is announcing drone delivery service will be available in the Bay Area soon. It hasn’t announced partners or other details yet, but says interested residents can sign up for updates here.
