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Samsung is planning a big expansion of AI features on Galaxy phones, and claims that a huge percentage of its users are already leveraging AI features in one way or another. Samsung says that 70% of Galaxy S25 owners are using Galaxy AI features. There’s no specific timeline (as in, how often after the features being used), but it’s still a big number. Samsung further adds that: “More than half” of Galaxy S25 owners use Circle to Search (a Google feature); Photo Assist usage “doubled” compared to Galaxy S24 users; Now Brief is used by “one in three” Galaxy S25 owners; Google Gemini use “tripled” on “the latest Galaxy S series.” With all of this in mind, Samsung says that it will expand Galaxy AI to hundreds of millions of devices over the course of 2025. Specifically, the company wants to double its previous “200+ million” figure to over 400 million. At the center of our innovation is a desire to bring consumers seamless and secure mobile AI experiences that align with their needs. That’s why Samsung Galaxy is committed to expanding Galaxy AI to 400 million devices by the end of this year — democratizing the power and possibilities of mobile AI to even more users.  It stands to reason that new device launches and updates to existing devices will play a big role, but it’s still a big promise.

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Google Messages is beginning to test the new Messaging Layer Security (MLS) protocol. Universal Profile 3.0 adds support for MLS, which makes E2E encryption possible across different RCS clients and providers. Google first announced its support for this interoperable protocol in 2023. The GSMA and Apple announced official adoption this March. Google Messages is now beginning to test MLS encryption for RCS. It starts with a new message “Details” (long-press on the chat/text) screen that’s fullscreen compared to the current approach. You get a preview of the message at the top, with Google also showing a “Status” section for “Sent” and Delivered” that explains the new checkmarks. We see Google using the latest single circle design that has yet to become widely available. There’s also a “From” section, while the bottom portion provides more technical details including Type, Priority, Message id and Encryption Protocol. This new design is not widely rolled out in the beta channel. It’s unclear if that’s also the case for MLS as the old UI makes no indication, while Apple has yet to specify when support is coming.

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Google researchers have developed a new framework for AI research agents that outperforms leading systems from rivals OpenAI, Perplexity and others on key benchmarks. The new agent, called Test-Time Diffusion Deep Researcher (TTD-DR), is inspired by the way humans write by going through a process of drafting, searching for information, and making iterative revisions. The system uses diffusion mechanisms and evolutionary algorithms to produce more comprehensive and accurate research on complex topics. For enterprises, this framework could power a new generation of bespoke research assistants for high-value tasks that standard retrieval augmented generation (RAG) systems struggle with, such as generating a competitive analysis or a market entry report. Unlike the linear process of most AI agents, human researchers work in an iterative manner. They typically start with a high-level plan, create an initial draft, and then engage in multiple revision cycles. During these revisions, they search for new information to strengthen their arguments and fill in gaps. Google’s researchers observed that this human process could be emulated using a diffusion model augmented with a retrieval component. (A trained diffusion model initially generates a noisy draft, and the denoising module, aided by retrieval tools, revises this draft into higher-quality (or higher-resolution) outputs. TTD-DR is built on this blueprint. The framework treats the creation of a research report as a diffusion process, where an initial, “noisy” draft is progressively refined into a polished final report. This is achieved through two core mechanisms. The first, which the researchers call “Denoising with Retrieval,” starts with a preliminary draft and iteratively improves it. In each step, the agent uses the current draft to formulate new search queries, retrieves external information, and integrates it to “denoise” the report by correcting inaccuracies and adding detail. The second mechanism, “Self-Evolution,” ensures that each component of the agent (the planner, the question generator, and the answer synthesizer) independently optimizes its own performance.  The resulting research companion is “capable of generating helpful and comprehensive reports for complex research questions across diverse industry domains. In side-by-side comparisons with OpenAI Deep Research on long-form report generation, TTD-DR achieved win rates of 69.1% and 74.5% on two different datasets. It also surpassed OpenAI’s system on three separate benchmarks that required multi-hop reasoning to find concise answers, with performance gains of 4.8%, 7.7%, and 1.7%.

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Some Wear OS watches are starting to show Google Wallet photo passes with patterns like QR codes or barcodes. The interface is in Spanish, and the pass includes a label that translates to “Press to scan,” suggesting it’s the kind of pass that contains a barcode or QR code. The other screenshot below shows a disclaimer explaining that the pass was created with a photo and that some of its information might not be visible on the watch, with a prompt to open it on your phone for the full view. hoto passes that include a QR code or barcode appear to show up on some Wear OS watches, while passes that are simply photos, like an image of a document, don’t. That suggests Google may be experimenting with support specifically for scannable photo passes rather than full photo pass support. There’s been no official announcement from Google, and its support pages still state that “private” passes aren’t supported on Wear OS. But this is the clearest sign yet that things might be changing.

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Google Wallet app on Android now requires that you grant the location permission to get “detailed receipts” with addresses and maps. A detailed receipt includes merchant (store) name and address displayed on a map, with a Call shortcut also available. Previously, this was included by default, but Google Wallet made a change in late July/early August. My transactions in the past week don’t show the map card, just the cost, day/date, statement, and transaction ID. In place of where the map usually would be, there’s a prompt: “Get detailed receipts, like merchant name and address, for future tap to pay transactions.” If you tap “Set up location settings,” Google Wallet walks you through enabling the “Precise location” permission “While using the app.” Select a card and open your most recent receipt to start the process. Enabling location just brings back the old map, with no other updates to Google Wallet receipts. After enabling, past transactions that lack location will not retroactively get the map after granting the permission. Ideally, Google Wallet would notify users ahead of time about this change, so that they can enable it before missing the map on any of their last 10 payments. Overall, asking explicitly for location permission is always nice for privacy.

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Google Pay is getting a handful of updates today centered around Chrome autofill, like expanded card benefit details. Last year, Chrome’s autofill dropdown menu started showing credit card reward details to help you decide which payment method to use for a transaction. For example, you might see “1.5% cash back” or “3x points on flights” alongside a photo of the card and full name. Desktop and mobile Chrome now supports over 100 credit cards in the US after initially working with American Express and Capital One. In addition to Affirm and Zip, Klarna, Afterpay, and other providers will appear as “buy now, pay later” (BNPL) options in Chrome autofill. “Pay over time options” will appear beneath credit/debit cards in the menu. You’re then presented with a list of the various options, and can continue from there with a virtual card generated for this purchase. To make “global money transfer easier,” wallet.google.com and Google Search (when you look up currency exchange rates) will “show straightforward fee and exchange rate information with remittance providers like Ria Money Transfer, Xe and Wise.” “Compare quotes & send money” appears below the chart with the ability to specify the amount. In the Wallet website, there’s a new “International transfers” page. Google will also let you send funds with those services “from the U.S. to India, Brazil, Mexico and the Philippines.” …with Stripe processing the funding transaction. This is still in testing and coming soon.

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Google is rolling out a new feature called “Preferred Sources” in the U.S. and India, which allows users to select their preferred choice of news sites and blogs to be shown in the Top Stories section of Google’s search results. Enabling this feature means you will see more content from the sites you like, the company says. When users search for a particular topic, they will see a “star” icon next to the Top Stories section. They can tap on that icon and start adding sources by searching for them. Once you select the sources, you can refresh the results to see more content from your selected sources. Google said that for some queries, users will also see a separate “From your sources” section below the Top Stories section. This feature enables users to get information from sources they like, but that would also likely trap them in an ideological bubble without exposing them to different points of view on a particular topic. Google debuted this feature as a Search Labs feature on an experimental basis, so users had to opt in to enable it.  The company said that during the test phase, more than half of the users selected four or more sources. Now, the company is making it available to all users for English language searches in the U.S. and India.

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While Google Wallet and Apple Wallet are similar in nature, they have several key differences that make one stand out over the other. Google Wallet has custom cards.  Not all card types or passes are supported by digital wallet apps, such as those for your local library, gym, or coffee shop. That’s where Google Wallet’s “Everything Else” feature comes in handy. It enables you to add a custom card to your Google Wallet for use on the go. If the card has a QR code, Google Wallet can scan it and add it to the custom card. While the custom card might not fully replace the physical card, it offers a convenient way to store and access information like a loyalty card number or QR code when necessary. Wider compatibility across devices. While Apple Wallet does sync across your Apple devices, its compatibility isn’t nearly as extensive as Google Wallet. Google Wallet works with Pixels, of course, as well as Samsung, Motorola, OnePlus, and many other Android brands. I hope someday I can open Google Wallet on my iPhone or use Apple Wallet on my Pixel. Until then, Google Wallet’s broader device support makes it more accessible and versatile. Nearby pass notifications. This feature  lets you enable notifications for a specific card or pass when you’re in an area where it can be used. Although not all cards support it yet, it’s a helpful addition, and once more widely adopted, it will be very convenient. You can easily manage Google Wallet online. By visiting wallet.google.com and signing in to your Google account linked to Google Wallet, you can easily handle all your stored cards. Google Wallet’s website allows you to add or remove payment methods, loyalty cards, passes, and gift cards, as well as view your recent transactions. While you can do all this on your smartphone, using your PC is very convenient, especially if you want to review any transactions or update multiple cards.

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While most wallet apps, like Samsung Wallet, let you store cards and even digital keys, Google Wallet offers features you don’t often see in other wallet apps. You can store your passport, various IDs, including your driver’s license, loyalty cards, and hotel keys, all within the Google Wallet app. While these features are already impressive, another feature completely changes how the app is used and it might be useful for you too. You can favorite frequently used cards and passes, but if you’re like me and use a mix of both, you’re still stuck hunting through the list. The  Nearby Passes notification feature in Google Wallet uses your device’s location and the cards or passes in your wallet to surface the right one at the right time. For example, say you have a loyalty card for a coffee shop near your place. Google Wallet, using your device’s location, sends a notification to your phone’s lock screen so you can access that card instantly, without opening the app or scrolling through everything. The only catch is that it’s not always activated by default, particularly on devices that have had Google Wallet installed for a while or are running an older version of Android. Thankfully, you can activate it easily on your phone. In addition to the feature mentioned above, another Google Wallet feature I’ve been using a lot is the ability to create a loyalty card or pass, even for items that aren’t natively supported by the app. You can manually add unsupported passes to the app. So, if you need to access a card but don’t have your physical wallet on hand, this can be incredibly useful. It’s a lifesaver and allows you to create a centralized place to store all your passes.

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Apple is behind Google in the race to add artificial intelligence (AI) features to smartphones, according to Wall Street Journal Personal Tech Columnist Nicole Nguyen. An iPhone user, Nguyen wrote that her experience with Google’s upcoming Pixel 10 showed that Google has “lapped” Apple as both companies work to develop the “killer AI-powered phone.” Nguyen highlighted the Pixel 10’s AI-powered ability to surface information when needed, provide translations via a real-time voice clone and transcript, coach users to take good photos, and edit photos that have already been taken. “The race continues and for now, Apple has a lot of catching up to do,” Nguyen wrote. Apple faces the risk of its iPhone becoming a commodity because the Pixel 9 has, and Pixel 10 will ship with, embedded AI that lets users speak, search, transact and navigate with a native AI experience. The risk is how many consumers will keep waiting around for Apple to deliver. It’s a massive pain to switch from iOS to Android devices, and most people don’t. Getting an AI-powered Android device just may be enough for people to dump their iPhones.

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