All articles tagged with #authority insights
Android Canary 2607 reveals Google is prototyping a new Status bar settings section that would let users show or hide the Android Halo AI icon and the mute indicator, with Halo tied to an unreleased Agent Task feature. A separate toggle to hide the mute icon is also in development. The changes aren’t live yet, and APK teardowns predict features that may or may not reach a public release.
Android Authority reports that Google Maps’ Ask Maps, which already uses Gemini for restaurant recommendations, is being readied to actually place food orders on a user’s behalf. The exact mechanism (cloud-based Gemini versus device hardware) and any restrictions aren’t clear yet, and there’s no public rollout announced.
Google is testing new 'Live' voice features in Keep and Gmail, previewed at Google I/O and expected to roll out over the summer; Gmail Live is already seen in beta for some users, while Keep Live lets you create or edit notes by speaking (with reminders handed to Tasks). Google also hinted that Docs and other apps may get Gemini-powered conversational abilities, signaling a broader move toward voice-first interactions.
Google is rolling out a system-level Signature app for Android that stores multiple signatures (scribble, initials with fonts, or uploaded photos) and lets apps fetch them as needed, with a Manage Signatures hub to organize assets; the feature ships with the June 2026 Google Play system update and supports Android 12+ (API 31+), though Google hasn’t announced developer-use plans yet.
Google Messages is adding support for custom chat wallpapers, including animated GIFs, and Android Authority previews how wallpapers look in dark mode. The feature isn’t live in beta yet, but appears close to rollout based on early testing and APK teardowns.
Google Messages’ latest beta adds per-chat themes with customizable color palettes and new wallpaper backgrounds, offering galleries or the option to use your own photo, plus a reset to defaults as the feature nears wider rollout.
Android 17's QPR1 beta 3 introduces a toggle to hide Gboard's globe icon even when multiple languages are enabled, while still allowing language switching via long-pressing the space bar; Google is also redesigning the keyboard switcher UI, but it's unclear if these changes will reach the stable release, and some third-party keyboards (like SwiftKey) may not support the space-bar switch feature.