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It looks like Google is preparing to roll out the Pixel Studio app on the Pixel 8, Pixel 8 Pro and Pixel 8a. Android Authority and Assemble Debug have found evidence suggesting that the Generative AI image creation app may be headed to the 2023 flagship lineup. It is currently exclusive to the Pixel 9 series and uses AI to generate images from text commands.

We found a new APK stub for Pixel Studio on APK Mirror. The notes on the website say it’s from the Pixel 8 Pro with the recent Android 15 update. After further investigation, we were able to confirm that the same APK stub was also pre-installed on the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8a with Android 15.

An APK stub looks just like the app it stands for and is signed with the same security keys. However, it’s essentially a placeholder that doesn’t contain any actual app content; instead, it simply directs users to the Play Store to download the full app. This allows device manufacturers to include apps without using much storage space. Google will have to allow the Play Store entry for Pixel Studio to let Pixel 8 series users officially download the app. So even though the APK stub is now present in the Android 15 update for the older Pixels, Google will have to turn on the switch at the backend for users to be able to get Pixel Studio.

Another piece of evidence we found was the removal of the com.google.android.feature.PIXEL_2024_EXPERIENCE feature flag from the app. This flag has been available in all previous Pixel Studio APKs. It is used for devices launched in 2024 (Essentially, the Pixel 9 series). Its removal indicates that Google is ready to roll out the Pixel Studio app to older devices.

This is also why sideloading a previous APK of the Pixel Studio app doesn’t work on the Pixel 8, 8 Pro, and 8a right now. Earlier versions of the APK include the flag that requires your Pixel device to be from 2024, i.e., a Pixel 9 series phone. So even if you sideload Pixel Studio right now, the APK will refuse to open if it cannot find that 2024 feature flag in the system, which obviously isn’t available in the Pixel 8 series.

Meanwhile, we checked, and it doesn’t look like the Pixel 7 series is in line to get the app right now. The APK stub was not available on the Pixel 7 running Android 15.

Nowadays, all Android flagships come with 5G support, and carriers have been ramping up their network to give customers the 5G advantage, especially in crowded urban areas. If 5G didn’t satisfy your need for network speed, we’re already staring at another network upgrade in the form of 5G-Advanced. The good news is that T-Mobile plans to bring 5G-Advanced to its network before the end of this year.

T-Mobile’s President of Technology, Ulf Ewaldsson, mentioned to Fierce Network that T-Mobile plans to deliver its 5G-Advanced-based service by the end of 2024. The service will offer features such as improved spectral efficiency and advanced positioning.

T-Mobile is said to be ahead on its 5G-Advanced plans because it has deployed a nationwide 5G standalone (5G SA) network instead of running a 5G RAN on a 4G LTE core, allowing it to roll out 5G-Advanced to its network as a software update. The report notes that AT&T started to deploy 5G standalone in late 2022, and Verizon has now launched standalone in several states in the US, but neither carrier has a nationwide 5G SA footprint yet.

5G-Advanced, also known as 5.5G and formally defined in 3GPP Release 18, is an upgrade to existing 5G networks. It promises faster speeds, improvements to Massive MIMO, high-precision finding, and energy efficiency by letting devices enter low-power states when idle.

Once the network comes online, smartphone OEMs and chip makers will start heavily touting 5G-Advanced capabilities in their smartphones. Not only does the modem need to support 5G-Advanced (most of Qualcomm’s recent releases, like the Snapdragon X75, X72, and X80 modems, support it), but the phone also needs to include the requisite RF antenna hardware and licenses to use 5G-Advanced.

The OPPO Find X7 series in China supports 5G-Advanced (5.5G) on China Mobile. We couldn’t locate reliable information for smartphones that already support this network in the US. We could likely see a new wave of 5G-Advanced-ready smartphones once the upcoming Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 possibly launches with the Snapdragon X80 modem. So, if you were hoping to enjoy 5.5G, you might need a new smartphone.

Google finally rolled out the Android 15 update to Pixel devices today, ending the nearly month-and-a-half-long wait since it released the operating system’s source code. One particularly cool trick in Android 15 is app archiving. This feature frees up storage space by removing an app’s installation and temporary files, but it doesn’t remove its data, saving you from having to set it up again in the future. App archiving isn’t exclusive to Android 15, as Google’s app store already supports it, but the feature is less restrictive in Android 15 and works with all app distribution formats — not just app bundles.

Last year, the Google Play Store rolled out an “auto-archiving” feature that automatically archives apps you don’t often use. Google Play’s auto-archiving feature achieves a similar result as Android 15’s app archiving feature, but the way it works is completely different under the hood. See, in order to make Google Play auto-archiving work without OS-level support, Google had to employ a clever trick: The company made use of the compartmentalized nature of the Android App Bundle format that many developers use to distribute Android apps on the Google Play Store.

When developers upload an Android App Bundle for distribution on Google Play, the Play Console automatically generates the base APK, split APKs, and multi-APKs needed for all configurations the app supports, but it also generates an additional “archived APK.” An archived APK is essentially a trimmed-down version of the base APK that’s installed on devices when you download many apps from Google Play. When the Google Play Store goes to archive an app, it installs the archived APK on top of the base APK file, which is possible because the archived APK has the exact same signature as the base APK.

Since the archived APK is almost empty, save for the app’s original icon (with a cloud-download logo overlaid on top) and some tiny amount of code to send the command to restore the app when the icon is tapped, it takes up much less space. Plus, since only the base APK was overwritten, the app’s data is kept intact, and all the Play Store has to do to restore the app back to normal is redownload the base APK (and any other necessary splits).

To simplify things for developers, Google decided to make the Play Store’s auto-archiving feature only work with Android apps distributed in the Android App Bundle format, because with the way bundles are typically generated and signed, developers don’t have to do any additional legwork to support the feature. One of the main reasons why Google wanted to bake app archiving support into the OS is so third-party app stores can support the feature. Most third-party app stores don’t use app bundles, though, which is why Google decided to make app archiving in Android 15 work with apps distributed as APKs, too.

The fact that Android 15’s app archiving feature works with regular APKs isn’t mentioned in Google’s documentation, but it’s easy to verify. Instagram and Threads, two popular Android apps distributed in the APK format, can both be archived in Android 15, for example. When Android 15 archives an app like this, it doesn’t install an “archived APK” on top of it. Instead, it completely deletes the app installation files but still treats the app like it’s installed, so it appears in the home screen and in Settings. Android also stores a copy of the app’s original icon in a private data directory which it then applies a filter over and adds an overlay to make it clear the app is archived.

The fact that app archiving in Android 15 works with all Android apps is great news, and it’ll hopefully spur third-party app stores to add support for the feature, just as Google intended. If you’re wondering how to use the new app archiving feature in Android 15, follow that link where my colleague Rita El Khoury explains everything.

Gemini is Google’s attempt at bringing powerful, modern AI to the masses, and just as just as you’d expect from a robust generative model, it’s pretty handy at dreaming up images. All you have to do is ask Gemini to make a picture for you, and it’ll cook something up in just a few moments. With the upgrade to Imagen 3, Gemini’s output is looking better than ever, and now we’re checking out one way the app could soon give you even greater control over the kind of pictures it generates.

Like many AI image-generation tools, Gemini with Imagen 3 has both its hits and its misses, but there’s always been one commonality about the pictures it produces: They’re square. Gemini creates all its art in a 1:1 aspect ratio, and if you’re looking for something different, right now your only option is to crop that square down.

Looking through version 15.41.34.29.arm64 beta of the Google app, we’re able to activate some in-development settings for resizing the images produced by Gemini. These include a bunch of common aspect ratio options, like 16:9 for widescreen displays.

But the important thing here is that this isn’t just an in-app way to quickly crop Gemini’s output. Instead, Google’s AI goes back and can add to its original image, creating more and more background detail. You can even keep the aspect ratio unchanged and just shrink down your picture’s subject — Gemini will be happy to fill in the blanks around it.

It looks like Google’s currently working on a number of ways to give users more control over how Gemini creates imagery. Just last week we checked out the company’s efforts towards giving Gemini new tools to refine an image. Combined with this ability to change the size and shape of the canvas you’re working with, these represent a pretty notable evolution of Gemini’s capabilities.

We still can’t say exactly when any of this might go live in a user-facing way (or technically, if at all) but this feels well on its way towards being ready for you to give it a go.

Android 15 has started rolling out to Pixel devices today, but Google’s handsets aren’t the only hardware getting a taste of the new OS. If you have an ASUS ROG Phone 8, you can sign up today to be one of the lucky few to preview Android 15.

ASUS has announced that it is launching an Android 15 Preview Program. Unfortunately, this program is only meant for the ROG Phone 8, so you’re out of luck if you have a different ASUS phone.

In a post on its community forum, ASUS explains this program will let Phone 8 owners experience its Android 15 skin in its first stage of development. As it’s a preview, the program is meant to help the company find and fix bugs. Although it’s inviting owners to join the program, it warns that people should deliberate first on whether they want to join as they’ll likely run into bugs.

How to sign up for the Android 15 Preview Program

To register for the program, you’ll need to go to Settings>System>System update. On the System update page, there will be a gear icon in the top right that will show a “Enroll in Android preview Program” option once tapped. From there, you just have to agree to the privacy policy, sign up for an ASUS member account, and click submit.

If you’re selected, you’ll get an email from ASUS notifying you that you’re in. Although you won’t be able to brag about anything you see in the preview as it is confidential, ASUS says there will be an official forum exclusive to participants where you can ask questions or report bugs. Additionally, you won’t lose your warranty for installing the software and you can leave the preview by replying to the email of enrollment.

If you own a different Android phone and you want to know when Android 15 will be available, you can check out our Android 15 update tracker. Typically, Samsung is one of the first brands to get it, but that won’t be the case this time as the beta for its skin isn’t expected to launch until later this year.

Google finally rolled out the stable Android 15 update to Pixel devices today, delivering many new features like Private Space, app archiving, predictive back animations, and more. However, the stable update doesn’t include some of the features we spotted during the Android 15 beta program, such as the entry point for the Device Diagnostics app in Settings, as well as the new cellular security features that Google announced at I/O. Here’s why the Android 15 update doesn’t feature these new cellular security capabilities.

For a bit of context, the first beta of Android 15 introduced a new settings page called “cellular network security” under Settings > Security & privacy > More security & privacy. This page was later renamed to “mobile network security” in a later beta, which also added a description that stated “these settings help protect your calls, messages, and data from outdated or unencrypted networks that could expose you to data theft or surveillance.”

On the mobile network security page, there were two toggles: “network notifications” and “allow only encrypted networks.” The “network notifications” feature lets you “get notified when your device connects to an unencrypted network, or when a network records your unique device or SIM ID.” The “allow only encrypted networks” setting improves the security of your mobile network connections at the cost of limiting your network options in some locations, but emergency calls should still go through.

As Google explained at I/O, these cellular security features were aimed at “defend[ing] against abuse by criminals using cell site simulators to snoop on users or send them SMS-based fraud messages.” The technical terms for these Android 15 features were Cellular Cipher Transparency and Identifier Disclosure Transparency, and they’re designed to protect you from rogue “stingray” tracking devices.

While it’s true that these features are part of Android 15’s source code, they’re not available by default because they “require device OEM integration and compatible hardware,” according to Google. Given that these features appeared available to Pixel users during the Android 15 beta, though, it would seem reasonable to assume that Pixel phones support them. That’s not actually the case, as it turns out, as the visibility of the “mobile network security” settings page on Pixel phones was just a mistake.

It turns out that none of the current crop of Pixel phones — not even the four phones in the Google Pixel 9 series — currently support Android 15’s new cellular security features. Google actually went ahead and hid the “mobile network security” settings page from Pixel users in Android 15 Beta 4 and then prevented it from appearing in searches in Android 15 Beta 4.2, according to an Issue Tracker post. In a now-deleted comment on that same Issue Tracker post, a Googler explicitly stated that the visibility of Android 15’s mobile network security settings is tied to hardware support.

That comment was made before the launch of the Pixel 9 series, leaving the possibility that maybe Google’s latest devices support the feature. However, I confirmed today that the page doesn’t appear on even the Pixel 9 Pro after updating it to Android 15. It’s possible that will change in a future release, though, as Google’s mention of hardware support may refer to radio driver/HAL support that it could implement with the help of its modem provider (Samsung).

Google at I/O said that it was “working with the Android ecosystem to bring these features to users” and that it “expect[s] OEM adoption to progress over the next couple of years,” so hopefully these new cellular security features will actually make their way to some Android devices in the near future.

The big day is here: Android 15 is out. That means Pixel owners everywhere lining up to download Google’s latest updates for their phones, and everyone else counting the days until we start seeing other OEMs begin to follow suit — though maybe we shouldn’t hold our breath.

Even with many of you in for a wait, Android 15’s release gives us a lot to look forward to. This year’s build doesn’t really represent a major overhaul to the platform itself, and instead feels like a boatload of smaller changes, all arriving en masse.

Today’s a bit complicated, though, for anyone keeping score, as we’re also getting Google’s latest Pixel Drop, armed with a bunch of new features for the company’s own phones. And while stuff like the Pixel 9’s new underwater photography mode sounds cool, it’s important to keep track of what’s an Android 15 change, and what’s a Pixel change.

Luckily for you, we’ve been keeping track — and there are a lot of them to look forward to. While you should absolutely check out the full list of Android 15 features, we’ve picked a few of our favorites to help us get a sense of which you’re anticipating the most:

You may have seen this poll on a couple of our other Android 15 stories, and that’s because we’re trying to get it in front of as many eyes as possible, all in the interest of collecting the biggest, most useful data set. If you’ve already participated, we appreciate you taking the time, and if you haven’t yet — well, no time like the present!

Are you a fan of Android 15’s new theft-deterrent protections? Are you interested in hiding sensitive apps from prying eyes? Or maybe you’re into foldables and are looking forward to saving your favorite split-screen app combos?

If you’re a big video-shooter, are you excited about Eyes Free videography? And we have to admit, it’s hard not to be impressed by the basic idea of our smartphones talking to satellites. Some of these changes are a lot less flashy than others, but nonetheless pretty important-sounding; have you ever made a screen recording and captured more than you meant to? Maybe you just appreciate how Android is finally formalizing the idea that not all notifications are created equal (and some should be kept closer to the vest than others).

Way too few of you have probably even bothered using your Android phone as a USB webcam — will Android 15 change that? And how has it taken this long for a smartphone platform to address the problem of preposterously loud vibrations when we’re trying to keep our phone silent during a meeting?

Like we said, there’s just mountains of changes to look forward to with this release. Let us know which you’re most eager to try out for yourself, and hop into the comments to spell out just why. We can’t wait to hear from you!

YouTube rolled out support for custom playlist thumbnails last month, but the feature wasn’t exactly what users wanted. It only allowed users to create playlist thumbnails using AI instead of letting them upload custom images for their playlists, leaving many playlist curators disappointed. Fortunately, YouTube has listened to user feedback and is rolling out custom image uploads for playlist thumbnails along with a host of other highly requested features and improvements.

YouTube says the custom thumbnail feature now lets you upload images from your camera roll and personalize them with text, filters, or stickers. In addition, the platform is adding a feature that makes it easier to collaborate with friends and create new playlists using a shareable link or QR code. Later this year, YouTube will add a new voting system and corresponding filter to playlists, allowing users to vote on videos in playlists and make the best video in the playlist easier to discover.

Along with the playlist improvements, YouTube is adding fine-tunable playback speed support that allows for adjustments in 0.05-second increments, a revamped miniplayer for the mobile app that you can resize and move around while browsing other videos, and a new Sleep Timer that will automatically pause videos after a predefined time. YouTube tested the Sleep Timer feature with YouTube Premium subscribers earlier this year, and it’s now rolling out to all users on the mobile app.

For creators and artists, YouTube is introducing new badges that will let viewers celebrate milestones, like being the first set of paid members of a creator’s channel, correctly completing quizzes, or being a top listener of an artist on YouTube Music. These badges will roll out to users over the coming weeks and will be available in the “You” tab on the mobile app.

Lastly, the YouTube app for TVs is getting a new UI for Shorts and subtle interface changes that should give videos a more cinematic feel. These changes join the immersive channel pages for YouTube on TV that rolled out last month.

Are you constantly running out of battery? It might be time to invest in a good power bank, and Anker has some of the best. The Anker Prime 27,650mAh Power Bank (250W) is the company’s higher-end model that is still portable. Right now, this portable battery is $60 off, the biggest discount we’ve seen on it. This brings the total cost down to $119.99.

Buy the Anker Prime 27,650mAh Power Bank (250W) for $119.99

This offer is available from Woot!, an Amazon-owned website that specializes in deals. There’s a limit of five units per customer, and the discount is scheduled to expire in three days, or “until sold out.”

As already mentioned, the Anker Prime 27,650mAh Power Bank (250W) is Anker’s best portable battery pack. Anything better is put into the Anker SOLIX sub-brand, which specializes in much more capable and expensive power stations. This is a great deal, considering the all-time low on Amazon is still $143.99, so you’re saving more by going with Amazon’s subsidiary brand.

This is a very powerful portable power bank. As its name implies, it has a large 27,650mAh battery, which should charge the average smartphone about four to five times. It is also very fast, with a maximum output of 250W. You’ll get access to two USB-C ports and a single USB-A connection. Both USB-C ports can reach up to 140W, while the USB-A port is limited to 65W, which is still very fast. 140W is enough to charge smartphones, tablets, and most modern laptops. Of course, wattage gets divided as you connect more devices simultaneously.

Raw capabilities aside, the Anker Prime 27,650mAh Power Bank (250W) has other great features you’ll love. It has an integrated screen that will give you the live status of the battery and ports. Additionally, you can connect to it over Bluetooth and use the official app to see more stats and information. You can even locate the battery using the app, if you happen to misplace it.

Make sure to buy your power bank soon. Remember, the deal ends in a few days or until stock runs out, which could happen at any time.

The Phone 2a launched back in March, giving Nothing fans a new mid-tier device to jump on. Around the same time, the company started a community-focused project asking members to chip in on codesigning a Phone 2a Community Edition. We’re now close to seeing this Community Edition device launch.

On X (formerly Twitter), the UK-based brand teased that a big reveal would be coming our way on October 30, 2024. The teaser includes a video of a firefly landing on the ground and glowing green before walking off-screen. The teaser is for the Phone 2a Community Edition and the unusual green glow is referencing a unique feature on the device.

If you go on to Nothing’s website, you can get a preview of the soon to be announced handset. The website lists out the separate stages of development the community helped with, which include the design, wallpaper, packaging, and marketing.

As far as the device is concerned, it looks like a normal Phone 2a. What sets the Community Edition apart from the normal Phone 2a, however, it the glow-in-the-dark back panel. You’ll also notice that the device will get new wallpapers and revamped packaging that highlight the device’s neon green hue.

The marketing has also been designed to point out the difference between this model and the normal Phone 2a. Although the website appears to make it pretty clear what we’re going to get, it’s important to note that there’s a possibility Nothing could make slight tweaks before launch.