Chethan Rao

Mangalore

Technology Writer at Freelance

News reporter for Android Police. My siblings have built a fully offline AI chatbot, give it a try while you're here: @private_llm

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Articles

Android Auto's light theme is almost ready for primetime

1 week ago | androidpolice.com | Chethan Rao

Modern-day smartphones can automatically switch the display themes depending on the time of the day, with manual controls also available. However, things have been different for some Android Auto screens, with Google removing the system light theme and defaulting to dark mode in 2019. We first learned that Android Auto's light theme was on track for a revival a couple of years ago, with more evidence emerging early last month and again in the latter half of May.
Google Messages bug forces you to get creative while sharing media and links

1 week ago | androidpolice.com | Chethan Rao

There are plenty of benefits to using a beta version of an app, including the ability to try new features before they're widely available. However, things aren't always smooth with beta apps, as they can sometimes be unstable and/or break key functionality. Users of Google Messages were reminded of that fact over the weekend, with the app's most recent beta breaking image and link sharing/forwarding.
Google Clock's Material 3 Expressive redesign inches closer to reality

2 weeks ago | androidpolice.com | Chethan Rao

Google's Material 3 Expressive is the big design upgrade we're all waiting for, and we've seen some Google apps already taking steps to incorporate elements of the new design language, including Google Clock. Last month, an extensive leak gave us a glimpse of what the app's Material 3 Expressive makeover looks like. Now we have yet another, albeit minor, look at the changes coming to the app, courtesy of an upcoming version of Google Clock.
Google's Pixel Watch app is working on a cool security feature for your phone

3 weeks ago | androidpolice.com | Chethan Rao

A teardown of the Pixel Watch companion app has revealed an upcoming feature that will automatically lock a paired phone when it's out of range. This will work in tandem with anti-theft features already available on Android. Though there are no specifics available on the feature's launch date, we expect to hear more about it soon.
YouTube Music is getting creative with its ad placement

3 weeks ago | androidpolice.com | Chethan Rao

YouTube Music is testing static banner ads on the Now Playing screen for free users. The banner ad placement could irritate some users due to the shrinking of the album art and playback controls. This new ad format has not been widely rolled out to free users of the app. YouTube Music is among the best audio streaming services you can find today.
Samsung's Galaxy S25 Edge fares surprisingly well in JerryRigEverything's bend test

3 weeks ago | androidpolice.com | Chethan Rao

Samsung's Galaxy S25 Edge holds up well in JerryRigEverything's durability test, impressing with decent scratch resistance and surviving the bend test. The phone uses Corning's Gorilla Glass Ceramic 2 for the display, bringing "vibrancy and strength" to the phone's front glass, per Samsung. However, the 5.8 mm-thick frame of the Galaxy S25 Edge comes at a cost, as it includes a smaller battery while also lacking a telephoto camera.
Gemini Live's Astra features are finally rolling out to free users

4 weeks ago | androidpolice.com | Chethan Rao

Gemini Live's camera and screen-sharing features are now available to all users on Android and iOS, regardless of their subscription status. Google brought these features to some devices initially, before bringing them to subscribers of the Google One AI Premium plan recently. The rollout of Gemini Live's camera and screen-sharing capabilities to users on the free tier was announced last month.
The Google app's Activity tab is finally live for all users

1 month ago | androidpolice.com | Chethan Rao

The Google app's Activity tab, which has been in development since last year, is now rolling out widely. This tab brings together your search history and saved items for quick access to relevant information. Google is also giving the Daily Listen card a new monochrome look that aligns with recent design changes. Google has taken its sweet time to implement the Activity tab that we first learned about last year.
The Google Pixel 10 makes its first appearance in the wild during an ad shoot

1 month ago | androidpolice.com | Chethan Rao

A Google Pixel 10 ad shoot in Vancouver has just come to the surface courtesy of a photographer. Images published by the photographer show the Pixel 10 Pro, sporting a largely unchanged design from the Pixel 9 series. Furthermore, a storyboard provides some hints about the direction this commercial will take, potentially focusing on AI and camera features like Add Me. We know that the Google Pixel 10 will launch sometime in the second half of the year, much like the Pixel 9 series.
AI Mode is getting a front row seat on the Google app

1 month ago | androidpolice.com | Chethan Rao

Google Search's AI Mode has found a home within the Google app's search bar following multiple changes. AI Mode previously existed within the Google app's shortcuts row, and its relocation has led to the removal of Homework, Translate, and Sound Search shortcuts. The repositioned AI Mode shortcut is rolling out to both stable and beta versions of the Google app. We've known about AI Mode in Google Search since December, though it only went official two months ago.