Google is making it easier than ever for potential iPhone converts to make the jump to Pixel 10 and switch allegiances over to Android. If you pre-order or purchase a Pixel 10 series handset directly from the Google Store, you’ll receive a helpful email that prepares your iPhone data for transfer. This will include passwords from iOS, other wallet items, and app data. It’ll do this even before your new phone arrives. Once you have your new Pixel 10 in hand, the support continues. If you’re new to Android, your Pixel 10 will provide contextual tips as you use it, guiding you through basic functions like taking a screenshot or turning the device off. Most of that is not new, but it might help those not familiar with the intricacies of Android make that daunting jump over from the mess that is Liquid Glass on iPhone. To simplify things further, the upgraded My Pixel app works in tandem with these features to get you up to speed quickly. When combined, these tools aim to make your switch as effortless as possible, so you can start enjoying your new device without any stress. You can also stay connected with your friends and family using RCS in Google Messages, no matter what phone they have. A new on-device, AI-powered agent is also available to provide instant support and help troubleshoot issues. This agent can seamlessly hand you off to a live customer support representative if you need further assistance. It’s up to Google now to convince people to switch from iPhone to the Pixel 10, but maybe this might give people an easier “out” from Apple if they want it.
Apple pivots to a full LLM Siri after hybrid led to delays; promising context‑aware tasks, legacy app control, and evaluating external models to accelerate capability without compromising privacy
Apple is developing a new version of Siri that’s supposed to be better than the existing Siri in every way. It will be smarter and able to do more, functioning like ChatGPT or Claude instead of a barely competent 2012-era smartphone assistant. The next-generation version of Siri will use advanced large language models, similar to ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and other AI chatbots. Here’s what we’re waiting on: Personal Context: With personal context, Siri will be able to keep track of emails, messages, files, photos, and more, learning more about you to help you complete tasks and keep track of what you’ve been sent. Onscreen awareness will let Siri see what’s on your screen and complete actions involving whatever you’re looking at. Deeper app integration means that Siri will be able to do more in and across apps, performing actions and completing tasks that are just not possible with the personal assistant right now. Apple is rumored to be considering a partnership with ChatGPT creator OpenAI or Claude creator Anthropic to power the smarter version of Siri. Both companies are reportedly training versions of their models that would work with Apple’s Private Cloud Compute servers, and Apple is running tests with both its own models and models from outside companies. No final decision on Siri has been made as of yet. Partnering with a company like Anthropic or OpenAI would allow Apple to deliver the exact Siri feature set that it is aiming for, while also giving it time to continue work on its own LLM behind the scenes.
Google confirms ChromeOS and Android are being merged into ‘a single platform’ with more robust app support likely on this combined platform
Google’s Android head has confirmed that ChromeOS is being combined with the company’s mobile platform. Sameer Samat, President of the Android Ecosystem, noted the usage of Apple’s typical ecosystem of products — including a MacBook Pro and an Apple Watch — before finally acknowledging the writing on the wall with ChromeOS. The only real hint comes from Samat’s curiosity over, as he says, how people currently use their laptops to get work done. That could hint at a focus towards providing more robust app support on this combined platform. This move comes with plenty of questions for current ChromeOS users, including how their laptops will adapt to this new platform and if the move to Android will change the typical decade-long support window provided by Google and various Chromebook OEMs. It could also cause plenty of headaches for enterprise users, especially schools, depending on how the rollout is conducted. It doesn’t sound like the move is right around the corner, of course — to reiterate, there’s nothing here that would really constitute real details. But with ChromeOS feeling stagnant at times and ARM laptops having a bit of a moment, it feels like there’s no better time than the present to enact this sort of shift.
Apple’s future devices may feature two-stage displays with a camera and flash embedded within a display that allows the camera to remain completely hidden when not in use
Apple has been granted a newly revised patent that in part describes embedding a camera and flash within a display. “Electronic devices with two-stage displays,” is concerned with producing a screen that has layers of different display technologies. It’s ostensibly for any conceivable device with a screen — and Apple lists the broadest possible range of those — but much of the patent describes the Apple Watch. “An electronic device may be provided with a two-stage display,” it says. “The display may have an inner layer with a pixel array for displaying images and an outer layer formed from a light modulator with an array of cells that can each be placed in a transparent mode or a light-blocking mode.” The patent describes having first a type of fast-reacting display that is capable of showing video. Then on top of that there could be a second display layer that’s typically used to show slow-changing images, such as text. That layer could be effectively turned off to allow users to see the video on the layer below, or it could be turned on to change the appearance of the device. In that case, a camera shutter “may have an appearance that matches the housing of the electronic device.” “When it is desired to capture images, control circuitry in the electronic device may temporarily place the shutter in a transparent mode to allow light from a flash and/or light being imaged by the camera to pass,” continues the patent.
Google adds simplified Unsubscribe feature to Gmail
Google has added a feature to make it easier for Gmail users to unsubscribe from emails. The company’s recently announced “Manage subscriptions” tool lets users view and manage subscription emails, to make it easy to unsubscribe from the ones they don’t want from a single place. “It can be easy to feel overwhelmed by the sheer volume of subscription emails clogging your inbox: Daily deal alerts that are basically spam, weekly newsletters from blogs you no longer read, promotional emails from retailers you haven’t shopped in years can quickly pile up,” Chris Doan, director of Gmail, wrote on the Google blog. Google’s move is part of a larger trend, with customers seeking more control, more meaningful content and greater value from their brand interactions. “If email doesn’t meet that standard, people now have a faster and easier way to walk away,” Omar Merlo, an associate professor of marketing strategy at Imperial College London told. “This isn’t the end of email marketing. It is perhaps the end of sloppy email marketing.”
Google adds AI-powered local business calling to search
Google is expanding its AI capabilities in Search by rolling out a new, free feature that lets it call local businesses on the user’s behalf to do things like check pricing and make reservations. The agentic AI tool is designed to help users accomplish tasks faster by eliminating the need for them to make routine phone calls themselves. The automated call feature is rolling out to users and businesses in the United States — except in Indiana, Louisiana, Minnesota, Montana and Nebraska, according to a support page. Subscribers to Google AI Pro and AI Ultra will have higher limits. To use automated calling, users start by searching for local businesses. Once Google displays the results, a horizontal bar appears above the list labeled, “Have AI check pricing.” Google writes a summary of the request for the user to double-check, and then the user clicks “Submit.” Google will then get information from different local businesses to canvas pricing and other data. It will send the options to the user. The feature lets Google Search call local businesses to book appointments, check restaurant wait times, and confirm pricing and availability of services. If a local business like a restaurant uses an online booking partner, Google can use that as well. Calls will be monitored and recorded for quality control. Google is adding “Deep Search” to AI Mode as well.
Gmail’s new feature lets users manage their subscriptions in one place by offering a view of active subscriptions organized by the most frequent senders alongside the number of emails they’ve sent in the past few weeks
Gmail is launching a new Gmail feature that is designed to help users easily manage their subscriptions and declutter their inboxes. The new “Manage subscriptions” tool is rolling out on the web, Android, and iOS in select countries. With the new feature, users can view and manage their subscription emails in one place and quickly unsubscribe from the ones they no longer want to receive. Users can view their active subscriptions, organized by the most frequent senders, alongside the number of emails they’ve sent in the past few weeks. Clicking on a sender provides a direct view of all emails from them. If a user decides to unsubscribe, Gmail will send an unsubscribe request to the sender on their behalf. Users can access the new feature by clicking the navigation bar in the top-left corner of their Gmail inbox and then selecting “Manage subscriptions.” Google says the new feature will begin rolling out on the web starting Tuesday, with Android and iOS users starting to receive it on July 14 and July 21, respectively. It may take up to 15 days from the start of the rollout for the feature to reach every user, the company says.
Gemini Live to natively support Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 flip phone’s external screen with support for the multimodal elements and camera mode, allowing for easy answers without having to flip it open or hold the device in one hand
Google is announcing some big changes to how Gemini works on flip phones today, starting with Samsung’s all-new Galaxy Z Flip 7. The Galaxy Z Flip 7 is the first flip phone that allows for easy access to Gemini Live from its external screen, complete with support for the multimodal elements of Google’s voice assistant. In addition to basic conversations, Gemini Live on Flip 7 supports camera mode, which, when paired with the phone’s form factor, allows for easy answers without having to flip it open or hold the device in one hand. It’s not a wholly unique idea; this year’s Moto Razr lineup was also big on utilizing a clamshell in tabletop mode for hands-free AI commands, though I’d hazard a guess that Gemini Live integration will outperform Motorola’s in-house AI toolset. But again, this partnership with Samsung’s latest hardware sounds like the launching point for Gemini Live on cover screens — I wouldn’t be surprised to see this feature expand to the Razr in the coming weeks and months. Google is also adding support for additional “device apps,” starting with pre-installed Samsung services like Calendar, Notes, and Reminders, before eventually rolling out to other OEMs.
Google is testing access to AI Mode directly within Search and adding new functionalities such as visual place and product cards that can be tapped on to get more details on a topic
Google is expanding access to AI Mode, its experimental feature that allows users to ask complex, multipart questions and follow-ups to dig deeper on a topic directly within Search. The tech giant is also adding more functionality to the feature, including the ability to pick up where you left off on a search. Now anyone in the U.S. who is at least 18 years old can access the feature if they’re enrolled in Labs, Google’s experimental arm. Google is also going to make AI Mode accessible outside of Labs, as it’s testing an AI Mode tab in Google Search that will be visible to a small percentage of people in the U.S. As for the new functionality, Google is making it possible to go a step beyond asking detailed questions about places and products. Now you can use AI mode to do things like find a new restaurant or things you need for your next trip. You will now start to see visual place and product cards in AI Mode that you can tap on to get more details. Google is also making it possible to pick up where you left off when using AI Mode, which should be helpful in cases where you’re working on longer-running projects and tasks. On desktop, you can now click the new left-side panel in AI Mode to get to your past searches to see the information you were already given, and to ask follow-up questions.
Google to expand Gemini’s feature to reference past conversations to free users; Gemini to become proactive assistant that anticipates user needs, offers insights and actions before they ask and turns ideas into action
Google announced the ability for Gemini to reference your past conversations in February for Gemini Advanced. Today’s “launching soon” tease does suggest it will come to free users as well, just like Saved info. Looking ahead, the future is “personalized context” from the Google services you use: “Gmail, Photos, Calendar, Search, YouTube, etc.” Google started testing this in March with the “Personalization (experimental)” model. Right now Gemini looks at your past Search history when considering a prompt to see if it can “make the answer better.” Beyond Search, Google at the time teased YouTube and Photos, with the company uniquely positioned to already have this information. On the proactive front, Google wants an assistant that anticipates your needs. Gemini will “offer insights and actions before you ask, freeing your mind and time for what truly matters,” or “Less prompting, more flow.” In terms of powerful, Google says the “best assistant turns your ideas into action.” This is talking about Gemini 2.5 Pro. Notably, Woodward says this “new era of models” will lead to a “new era of user experiences.” A recent example of that is something like Canvas. Meanwhile, the Gemini app lead credits Google’s infrastructure, especially TPUs, as making all this possible. It’s the kind of infra people dream about, but it actually exists here — and it’s going to let us make all this FREE for everyone to try, especially students.