On Sunday night March 17,2024 , Bloomberg reported that Apple is in talks with Google about licensing its Gemini technology to power some AI features coming to the iPhone. A new report from The New York Times today echoes those claims, citing “three people with knowledge of the discussions” between Apple and Google.
Today’s story corroborates what Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman was first to report on Sunday. The NYTimes reiterates:
Apple is in discussions with Google about using the search giant’s generative artificial intelligence model called Gemini for its next iPhone, as the company races to embrace a technology that has upended the tech industry.
The talks are preliminary and the exact scope of a potential deal hasn’t been defined, three people with knowledge of the discussions said. Apple has also held discussions with other A.I. companies, one of these people said, as it looks to tap into the power of a large language model capable of analyzing vast amounts of data and generating text on its own.
Citing “two people familiar with its development,” today’s report also says that Apple’s effort to “develop its own large language model” has been running behind the likes of ChatGPT and Gemini.
Bloomberg’s initial report included additional details about the scope of the talks between Apple and Google. Apple is preparing a wide array of new AI features for iOS 18, which is set to debut at WWDC in June. Bloomberg says we shouldn’t expect any announcement from Apple about a partnership until WWDC at the earliest.
As previewed in early February 2024, the Google Phone dialer app has removed the Nearby places search feature on Android.
Phone by Google no longer lets you look for businesses using the search field at the top of the app. In fact, the hint has been updated from “Search contacts & places” to just “Search contacts.”
Additionally, “Nearby places” no longer appears in settings. The feature would use your location to take into account what was in close proximity. Additionally, enabling “Personalized search results” would “Improve your search results by including items from your search history.”
Some people appreciated the convenience, but Google says “only a very small number of people use this feature.” In our experience, it wasn’t always accurate.
Google is officially directing people to use Search or Maps for phone numbers. This removal will let Google “focus on building the highest quality, most reliable, and most innovative experiences in phone calling.”
For example, in 2023 we launched new Call Screen AI features, Hold For Me and Direct My Call support in additional countries, and Call Screen transcripts on your Pixel Watch. There’s a lot more planned for 2024, and our team will be working hard throughout the year to launch and improve even more ways to help your phone calling experience!
With the last Pixel Feature Drop, Call Screen will offer a “Hello?” button if the line is silent to prompt the caller. There’s also “I’ll be right there” — “One sec, checking with the person you called” — to give you more time before answering
Back in February, Nearby places was already gone for those using the Phone by Google beta. It no longer appears with the latest stable release (version 125).
Google Messages is rolling out its own camera UI that replaces your phone’s default viewfinder.
You can access the built-in camera from within a conversation or the shortcut that appears on the homescreen next to search.
Previously, Google Messages just used the system camera app. On Pixel devices, you could adjust Exposure, White Balance, and set a Timer.
This new viewfinder, which is built with Compose, is more basic. You can still adjust the zoom level with three defaults above the shutter and pinch to zoom beyond that, but the only other settings are flash in the top-right corner and switching between the front and rear-facing cameras. There are unfortunately no grid options.
One new feature is directly switching between the Photo and Video modes from the bottom of the camera. Previously, Google Messages made you choose before entering the fullscreen UI.
This just started rolling out via a server-side update and we’re seeing it with the latest beta version (20240312_00_RC00) .
A custom UI should allow Google Messages to add more expressive features down the road, but the loss of camera controls by not using the default view is unfortunate.
Google appears to be working on a new Pixel feature called “Adaptive Touch” which will be able to adjust sensitivity of the touchscreen automatically based on certain factors.
On Pixel phones, users have been able to, for a while now, boost the touchscreen’s sensitivity when a screen protector is applied. On Pixel 8, Google even made that automatic. Now, Google appears to be working on a new “Adaptive Touch” option that bring this ability a step further.
As spotted by Android Authority, Android 14 QPR3 Beta 2 labels “Adaptive Touch” as a feature for 2024 Pixel devices, meaning it’s likely set to debut with the Pixel 9 series. The feature would allow the touchscreen sensitivity to be adjusted based on certain factors. Google describes:
…touch sensitivity will automatically adjust to your environment, activities and screen protector.
It’s not clear exactly how this will work, but it seems likely that this would include the automatic boost we saw on Pixel 8 extend to other cases. A wet screen, wearing gloves, or a boost when playing games are other places where this could feasibly come in handy.
Notably, OnePlus last year debuted “Aqua Touch” on the OnePlus 12 which delivered impressive touchscreen response on a wet display, so this “Adaptive Touch” could be Google’s play at something similar.
It also remains to be seen if this feature would make its way back to existing hardware, but given another new feature Google is working on is exclusive to newer hardware, it seems likely that it won’t.
Your phone’s touch sensitivity determines how well the screen reacts to your touches.
Various factors like how wet your fingers are or whether a screen protector is applied can affect how sensitive your phone’s screen feels.
The Pixel 9 may add an “Adaptive Touch” feature that automatically adjusts touch sensitivity to account for these factors.
If you’ve ever tried to swipe through your phone on a rainy day, you’re probably aware of how finicky it can be. Wet fingers can disrupt the ability for capacitive touch screens to register your touch, causing your tap or swipe inputs to be dropped. Thick or low-quality screen protectors can also reduce your phone’s touch sensitivity. For these reasons, many phones offer touch sensitivity settings or at least a dedicated “screen protector mode” to boost the touch sensitivity. The upcoming Google Pixel 9 may take things a step further by offering an automatic “Adaptive Touch” mode.
While I was digging through last month’s Android 14 QPR3 Beta 1 release, I found evidence that suggests Google is preparing to add an “Adaptive Touch” setting under Settings > Display > Touch sensitivity. Although the setting doesn’t currently show up on my Google Pixel 8 Pro running the latest Android QPR beta, I dug into the code and found that when Adaptive Touch is enabled, “touch sensitivity will automatically adjust to your environment, activities and screen protector.”
Touch sensitivity settings on a Google Pixel 8 Pro running Android 14 QPR3 Beta 2.
It’s not quite clear yet what environmental factors or activities will cause the touch sensitivity to be automatically adjusted, but it’s possible that wet fingers (or a wet screen) will be one factor. Google may be taking inspiration from the OnePlus 12 and its Aqua Touch feature that adjusts the touch sensitivity when the phone is wet, making it possible to use the phone in the rain.
Adaptive Touch is said to also automatically adjust the touch sensitivity when a screen protector is detected. With the launch of the Pixel 8 series, Google quietly debuted a new “screen protector detector” service that can detect when the user puts a screen protector on or takes one off. The OS then informs the user that they should enable or disable screen protector mode accordingly.
When I first discovered the code for “Adaptive Touch” in Android 14 QPR3 Beta 1, I wasn’t sure if this feature would be coming to existing Pixels or if it would be reserved for upcoming devices like the Google Pixel 8a and Pixel 9. Now, however, I’ve found evidence that links this upcoming “Adaptive Touch” feature to Google’s 2024 flagship Pixel lineup.
Code within the latest Android 14 QPR3 Beta 2 release reviewed by Android Authority explicitly labels “Adaptive Touch” as a “P24” feature. Google often uses shorthands like “P2X” internally to refer to their Pixel devices for a particular year. “P23”, for example, refers to the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro because they were released in 2023. The Pixel 7a was also released in 2023, but it’s referred to as “P23_MIDYEAR” because it was released in the middle of the year. Thus, if we’re going by past history, then “Adaptive Touch” may be a Pixel 9 feature.
However, we don’t know if “Adaptive Touch” will be exclusive to the Pixel 9 or if it’ll eventually trickle down to older devices. While Google does bring a lot of new features to older Pixel devices through their quarterly Pixel Feature Drop updates, they also intentionally leave out some features that older Pixels are technically capable of running. The company does this to differentiate its product lineup and make newer devices seem more appealing, but it remains to be seen if the Pixel 9’s Adaptive Touch feature will be worth keeping as an exclusive.
Back in September 2023, Google introduced an updated wordmark and 3D robot design for Android. That new wordmark is appearing on Pixel devices with the Android 14 QPR3 Beta.
On Pixel devices, the boot sequence starts with the “Google” logo appearing in full color and then a Material You Dynamic Color “G” that animates in. “Powered by Android” then appears at the bottom of the screen.
Starting with Android 14 QPR3 Beta 1 on some devices, “Powered by” is centered (instead of left-aligned) with the updated wordmark that prominently features a capitalized “A” and other tweaked letters. This is followed by the Android head.
As of QPR3 Beta 2, not all devices, like the Pixel Tablet, have been refreshed with the new Android wordmark.
On newer Android devices, like the Honor Magic 6 Pro and Xiaomi 14 Ultra, a 3D version of the head, which appears at the bottom edge of the screen, is used. The Galaxy S24 features the new wordmark.
Meanwhile, QPR3 Beta 2 increases the size of the boot animation as evidenced by the size of the “Google” logo getting bigger when the animation starts.
It’s a shame that this change wasn’t timed with the initial Android 14 release in October, or the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro launch.
In addressing a Pixel feature that’s disappeared, Google has confirmed that the Pixel 8a is on its way.
Back in Android 14’s QPR1 update, Google added a new extension of battery stats, which showed charging cycle counts and the date the battery was manufactured. This was a welcome addition, but also limited in how useful it actually was. In the March 2024 update for Pixel phones, though, this feature disappeared.
According to Google on a bug tracker page, that’s intended behavior, as this page was never meant to show up on existing devices.
Rather, Android’s new battery stats are only supported to be showing on Pixel 8a and other future Pixels. Google says:
We only enable this page on Pixel 8a and beyond, so this is WAI(Working as Intended)
So, now we know a feature that’s coming to future Pixels, as well as getting Google’s first official confirmation of the Pixel 8a coming.
Exactly why the feature was showing on existing Pixels in the first place, and for as long as it’s been available, is unclear, but the stats themselves were often not particularly accurate. It also opens up the possibility that Google intends to build on this feature going forward, perhaps even adding proper battery health information.
The Pixel 8a is expected to launch in the next couple of months, most likely around Google I/O in May 2024.
During the Q&A portion, a Google engineer on the Android generative AI team said that Gemini “Nano will not be coming to Pixel 8 because of some hardware limitations.”
Google is otherwise “working to bring Nano to more devices.” Specifically, more “high-end devices in the near future.”
This does not bode well for older/existing devices getting Gemini Nano. Specs-wise, the difference between the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro is RAM at 8 GB versus 12 GB. In terms of whether the Pixel 8 could run Gemini Nano at a technical level, it probably is capable as evidenced by how the entry-level Galaxy S24 also has 8 GB of RAM and uses it for on-device Magic Compose in Google Messages.
That said, running an intensive model — for a handful of features — might have other performance impacts on the rest of the user experience that Google does not think is worth making.
On the Pixel 8 Pro, Gemini Nano powers Recorder’s Summarize capability (more on that below) and on-device Gboard Smart Reply in WhatsApp, Line, and KakaoTalk.
Meanwhile, Google detailed a bit more about how Gemini Nano powers the “Summarize” feature in the Pixel Recorder app. When Google started experimenting with such a capability in 2022, it was looking at cloud-based models:
User privacy is a top priority and we really wanted our most privacy-centric users, which for Recorder is roughly half of our users, to be able to use such a highly requested feature. This caused us to pause the project at the time.
Recorder then switched to Gemini Nano and a smaller team was able to implement it in 4 months:
We were pleasantly surprised with Gemini Nano’s reduced latency and with how capable the model was despite it being much smaller than what we used during prototyping.
If Gemini Nano is not coming to older Pixel devices, Google really should implement a cloud-based summarization for the other half of users that want this “highly-requested feature.” After all, Recorder already introduced a cloud-powered “Transcribe again” feature in December that makes possible speech-to-text in a lot more languages. Just make cloud summaries something users have to manually trigger for each recording and then delete that audio.
Satellite connectivity for smartphones has proven valuable on Apple’s iPhone, but it’s a feature that’s struggling to get out the door on Android devices. This week, though, a new “Satellite SOS” feature has started appearing on Google Pixel phones, and we’ve got a sneak preview of what it will be able to do.
If you dive into Settings > Safety & emergency on a Pixel phone today, you’ll very likely see “Satellite SOS” appear between Emergency SOS and Car Crash Detection. Google, seemingly in an error, has rolled out the setting widely to virtually all Pixel device through a recent update to Adaptive Connectivity Services.
But, right now, the feature doesn’t do anything. Tapping “Satellite SOS” on a Google Pixel device doesn’t open any menus, but it will soon.
Through a rooted Pixel, we were able to access the menu Google is preparing for this feature. The Satellite SOS page explains:
With your Pixel, you can message with emergency services and share your location when you can’t connect to a mobile or Wi-Fi network.
The page explains that you can call or text emergency services, share your location using Google Maps, and answer questions about your emergency. There’s no word if you’ll be able contact anyone outside of emergency services, but Google also details that it will share your name and phone number from your Google account, as well as contact details for up to three emergency contacts.
Google reiterates what details are shared at the bottom of the page:
When you connect with emergency services by satellite, your name, email, phone number, location, device information (IMEI, language, model, battery level), and emergency information are share with emergency services and satellite service providers.
The page links out to a Google support page about what countries are supported by Satellite SOS, but the page unfortunately is not yet live. There’s also a link to a Garmin Search and Rescue Insurance plan. Notably, Google Messages previously showed signs of using Garmin services for satellite connectivity.
There are demos for satellite connectivity, but neither “Try a demo” or “Test real mode” are currently working.
It’s unclear when Google intends to push this functionality live, but the fact that the shortcut is appearing widely on Pixel phones today combined with how fleshed out this behind-the-scenes settings menu is suggests that it’s not too far off.
The Pixel 8 series brings some big improvements to Google’s flagship series, and it’s also now bringing in awards, as the duo has now won the 2023 Phone of the Year award at MWC.
Each year at Mobile World Congress (MWC), the GSMA hosts the “Global Mobile Awards.” The event includes a series of awards for the mobile industry such as “Best Mobile Technology Breakthrough,” “Best Mobile Network Infrastructure,” and more. In the “Device” category, one of the biggest awards is given to “Best Smartphone.”
The Best Smartphone award combines outstanding performance, innovation and leadership as determined through assessment of smartphones on the market during the period January 2023to December 2023, by world leading independent analysts, journalists and influencers.
Candidates this year included the iPhone 15 Pro series, OnePlus Open, Samsung Galaxy S23 series, and Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5, as well as the Google Pixel 8 series.
And, as announced at the event, the Google Pixel 8 series took the crown and ended up being named the “Best Smartphone” of 2023 by the GSMA. Rick Osterloh posted about the win on Twitter/X this evening.
Notably, Apple’s iPhone 14 Pro took the title in 2023, with the iPhone 13 Pro Max winning the year prior. In 2021, the Galaxy S21 Ultra won, but this is the first time Google has taken the title. The Pixel 6 Pro was on the shortlist in 2021 while the Pixel 3’s Night Sight feature won a GSMA award for “Disruptive Device Innovation” in 2019.
Google reportedly hit a new milestone on the back of Pixel 8 this year, shipping 10 million total devices in 2023.
Thrilled about Pixel 8 winning another important Phone of the Year award at MWC! @madebygoogle thank you to the entire Pixel user community for helping us get there, and congratulations to our team for great progress! pic.twitter.com/zIN75YHSmS
With the latest beta updates to Android 14, Google seems to have drastically sped up how fast Pixel devices can install an OTA update. Now, we’re getting a closer look at how that’s been accomplished.
First spotted with Android 14’s QPR2 Beta 1 update, the “Seamless Updates” feature has gotten a whole lot faster on Pixel phones.
Where Google’s updates used to take upwards of 20-40 minutes to install a simple OTA, the new process could be as quick as 10-15 minutes, perhaps even less. It’s extremely impressive and would make anyone wonder how Google pulled it off.
On Twitter/X, APKMirror founder, Artem Russakovskii, discusses a few main points of improvement that seem to be responsible for faster seamless updates. Russakovskii cites “Google’s tests” and Google’s David Anderson (a software engineer working at the company since 2018), but Google itself doesn’t seem to have publically shared this data.
That starts with compression operations, which Android is now parallelizing for a speed boost of 26% in Google’s own tests, Russakovskii explains. OTA updates on Android require the compression of thousands of “small blocks” of data, so putting those operations in parallel certainly speeds things up.
Related to that, Android is now batching operations for those same blocks. Where the OS previously would make 200 separate writes of 4KB files, it now makes a single write of one 800KB file. Google apparently found a 24% reduction in install time with this method.
Finally, the biggest improvement comes in newer Pixels switching from the GZ compression method to the LZ4 method. Google describes LZ4 as “extremely fast compression,” and it certainly shows here.
This apparently results in a 50% reduction in install time but only applies to specific devices. Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Pro, Pixel 7a, Pixel Tablet, Pixel Fold, Pixel 8, and Pixel 8 Pro are the only devices eligible for this new compression method, as older Pixels will stick with the slower GZ method. It’s unclear why this is the case, but it could have something to do with the chip. Mishaal Rahman highlighted on Twitter/X that, when installing Android 14 QPR2 Beta 1, Pixel 8 Pro was taking advantage of Tensor G3’s mid-cores to speed things along, and Google specifically notes that LZ4’s faster compression is “scalable with multi-cores CPU.”.
Google is, according to Russakovskii, changing its guidance for other Android OEMs with this new method in mind, so there’s a chance we could see similar improvements outside of Pixel in the future.
3. Google switched the Pixels (I'm getting clarification on exactly which, but at least P7) to use LZ4 compression instead of GZ. This resulted in a 50% (!!) decrease in install time.
All of these combined take a ~25 min install time down to around 6 minutes.
