android – Tech News

Google announces its Chromebook successor: the Googlebook

Google is announcing a new line of laptops coming in the fall called Googlebooks. Details are sparse for now, as the tease is just a small part of various Android announcements during Google’s Android Show. But we do know this is a major new initiative in the laptop space for Google, seemingly designed to succeed Chromebooks with something more capable: a platform running a long-rumored new operating system based on a fusion of Android and ChromeOS.
https://www.theverge.com/tech/928479/google-googlebook-laptops-android-tease-aluminium-chromebook

RIP ChromeOS? Not So Fast. Court Docs Suggest It’ll Be Around Until 2034

Google is currently working on the combined Android-ChromeOS, known as Aluminum OS, but we're probably two years out from getting our hands on it. Court documents tip a testing period later this year and a full release by 2028.
https://www.pcmag.com/news/rip-chromeos-not-so-fast-court-docs-suggest-itll-be-around-until-2034?test_uuid=04IpBmWGZleS0I0J3epvMrC&test_variant=A

Google will let ‘experienced users’ keep sideloading Android apps

Google says that it’s softening its plan to require every Android developer — even outside of the Play Store — to verify their identity, a move which critics warned could kill sideloading for good. The company now says it’s developing a workflow to allow “experienced users” to install apps from unverified developers. Google is also working on a new developer account type for students and hobbyists, which won’t have to go through “full verification requirements,” but will only allow app installs on “a limited number of devices.”
https://www.theverge.com/news/819835/google-android-sideloading-experienced-users-developer-verification

Google’s Android for PC: ‘I’ve seen it, it is incredible’

Google is continuing to slowly tease its rumored plans to bring Android to PCs, merging it with ChromeOS, and now Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon is getting in on the action. He says he’s seen a version of the software, and that he “can’t wait to have one.”
https://www.theverge.com/news/784381/qualcomm-ceo-seen-googles-android-pc-merger-incredible

What Google Material 3 Expressive redesigns are rolling out [Updated]

Google announced its new design language in May. Material 3 Expressive redesigns have been rolling out to Google apps since then, but the Pixel 10 launch really kicked things off.
https://9to5google.com/2025/08/24/google-material-3-expressive-redesign/

Google to Block Sideloading of Apps From Unverified Developers

Starting next year, app installs on certified Android devices will be possible only if the developer has been verified by Google. The company compares the move to an "ID check at the airport," and says it is intended to tackle malicious actors who impersonate developers and their brand image to trick users into downloading fake apps.
https://www.pcmag.com/news/google-to-block-sideloading-of-apps-from-unverified-developers

Samsung phones are getting a weird AI shopping platform nobody asked for

Glance AI, a brand owned by mobile advertising company InMobi, has announced a partnership with the Samsung Galaxy Store to roll out its e-commerce platform to Galaxy phones in the US. The company’s app centers around what it calls “a Generative AI shopping platform,” which is a serious contender for the most cursed phrase I’ve read today. The “experience” comprises both a standalone app and a lock screen component to try and sell you clothes. Crucially, the whole thing is “fully opt-in,” which, thank Christ. But even if you opt out — which you absolutely should! — this feels like a sign of things to come as advertisers try to leverage AI to sell us more stuff. Buckle up.
https://www.theverge.com/news/679541/samsung-galaxy-glance-ai-lock-screen-app