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Android Authority
15-05-2025
- Android Authority
Sony's new flagship headphones automatically use your Pixel's Bluetooth LE Audio
TL;DR Sony's new WH-1000XM6 headphones will use Bluetooth LE Audio by default on Pixel phones with Android 16, no manual activation needed. This is because Google added them to an LE Audio 'allowlist' after testing, unlike most devices where the feature is experimental. Other devices like Samsung's Galaxy Buds 2 Pro & Sony's WF-1000XM5 are also on this list, ensuring automatic LE Audio use. Sony makes some of the best headphones you can buy right now, regardless of whether you're an Android or an Apple user. This week, Sony unveiled the WH-1000XM6, its latest flagship headphones with a significantly faster QN3 processor, improved ANC, superior voice call quality, and other upgrades over its predecessor. Similar to last year's model, the WH-1000XM6 supports LE Audio. However, a small difference is that Pixel phone users will find LE Audio enabled by default, eliminating the need for manual activation. You're reading an Authority Insights story. Discover Authority Insights for more exclusive reports, app teardowns, leaks, and in-depth tech coverage you won't find anywhere else. With the release of Android 13 in 2022, Google introduced support for Bluetooth LE Audio, a new standard enabling audio streaming over a Bluetooth Low Energy connection. Despite a growing number of LE Audio-compatible products on the market, Android still doesn't utilize this standard by default. Instead, users must manually enable LE Audio for each device by navigating to its Bluetooth details page and toggling the 'LE Audio' option. Mishaal Rahman / Android Authority The reason LE Audio requires manual activation lies in its 'experimental' status in Android, as indicated in the toggle's description. This means Google cannot assure users that enabling the feature will be entirely bug-free or stable. Additionally, feature parity with traditional Bluetooth Classic isn't guaranteed; for example, Android only introduced support for spatial audio over Bluetooth LE Audio in its 2024 release. However, Android does enable LE Audio by default for a select list of audio products. For these devices, Google has personally tested and verified full LE Audio compatibility, meaning the feature is not considered 'experimental.' Consequently, the 'experimental' tag is absent from their Bluetooth device details page. Initially, this list featured only the Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro. It later expanded to include the Sony WF-1000XM5 in late June 2024 and the Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro in late November 2024. With the latest Android 16 beta, Sony's new WH-1000XM6 headphones also join this list. This means that when connected to a Pixel phone running Android 16, the WH-1000XM6 will automatically use Bluetooth LE Audio by default. Mishaal Rahman / Android Authority The Bluetooth device details page on a Pixel 9 when the Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Pro is connected. Android 16 Beta 4 was released nearly a month ago, meaning the WH-1000XM6 was technically part of Android's LE Audio allowlist even before its official unveiling this week. This isn't particularly surprising, as Sony likely provided Google with pre-release hardware to test the headphones' compatibility with Android features such as LE Audio and Fast Pair. With the WH-1000XM6 now joining this curated list, Pixel phones will automatically use LE Audio by default with the following audio products: SM-R510 (Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro) SM-R630 (Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro) WF-1000XM5 WH-1000XM6 G2 (unknown) AG2 (unknown) For other LE Audio-compatible products not on the official allowlist, users must still manually activate the feature via the Bluetooth device details page. However, a developer option provides a workaround to use LE Audio by default, even if a specific device isn't on Google's pre-approved list. To do this, navigate to Settings > System > Developer options and toggle 'Bypass Bluetooth LE Audio Allowlist.' Once enabled, Android will attempt to use LE Audio with any connected audio product that supports the standard. Got a tip? Talk to us! Email our staff at Email our staff at news@ . You can stay anonymous or get credit for the info, it's your choice.
Android Authority
15-05-2025
- Android Authority
Here's how Material 3 Expressive may come to Google Drive (APK teardown)
Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority TL;DR Google's preparing a handful of changes to the interface for its Drive Android app. The tweaks appear to follow Material 3 Expressive guidance, ahead of Google's plans to widely embrace the look later this year. Google has already started making similar changes to its other Android apps, like Keep. Google's got a hot new look for 2025, and we're not just talking about that dreamy new smooth-rainbow G; this week the company jumped the gun on Google I/O with its early Android Show announcements, including a full unveiling of Material 3 Expressive. The newly refreshed design language is about to become the face of Android and its apps as we push further into the year, but we've already had the opportunity to bring you a few early previews of how certain apps are getting ready for it. That trend continues today, as we check out some of the latest changes to Drive. Authority Insights story on Android Authority. Discover You're reading anstory on Android Authority. Discover Authority Insights for more exclusive reports, app teardowns, leaks, and in-depth tech coverage you won't find anywhere else. An APK teardown helps predict features that may arrive on a service in the future based on work-in-progress code. However, it is possible that such predicted features may not make it to a public release. Material 3 Expressive is a lot of things: it's bold, it's colorful, it's springy. And while it will be a little while before we're seeing it everywhere, Google developers have already gotten a head start implementing its Expressive design UI changes across the company's vast software library. Today we're looking at how that's impacting Google Drive, as we tear into the new release. Over on the left here, we've got our current look for Drive, both in light and dark themes. And while that looks fine, the Material 3 Expressive changes we've been able to preview on the right side here offer a denser, arguably more engaging view. It's a lot of subtle changes that individually add up to a more cohesive shift. Bigger icons match the labels they're attached to more naturally. The style switcher clearly presents both grid and list options, better telegraphing its purpose. And of course we've got that colorful tweak to the floating action button. Maybe the most motion is happening up top, where we get a fatter search bar (complete with Gemini icon) that splits off from the hamburger menu and account switcher icons that now flank it. If that feels familiar, there's a good reason for that, as it's largely the same redesign we saw developers working on for Google Keep last week. Like we said, so far this represents a bunch of smaller tweaks that themselves may not be hugely impactful, but as we consider them all together, we can start to see the direction Google is trying to move things in with this Material 3 Expressive push. As we start getting into summer 2025, expect to see a lot more progress along similar lines — we'll keep working to identify those changes ahead of them going public, and share an early look with you. Got a tip? Talk to us! Email our staff at Email our staff at news@ . You can stay anonymous or get credit for the info, it's your choice.
Android Authority
15-05-2025
- Business
- Android Authority
Keep an eye on your money: Pixel's At a Glance may soon show you finance recaps (APK teardown)
Joe Maring / Android Authority TL;DR The Pixel-specific version of Google's At a Glance (SmartSpace) may add a Finance Recap feature. There's no official timeline yet, and other leaked features like sports scores have also not yet released. The At a Glance widget is popular on Android flagships as a quick way to get contextual information surfaced on the home screen. However, we wouldn't fault you for not knowing that Google Pixel devices have two 'At a Glance' implementations. We've now spotted Google working on a Finance Recap feature for the Pixel-specific At a Glance home screen addition. Authority Insights story on Android Authority. Discover You're reading anstory on Android Authority. Discover Authority Insights for more exclusive reports, app teardowns, leaks, and in-depth tech coverage you won't find anywhere else. An APK teardown helps predict features that may arrive on a service in the future based on work-in-progress code. However, it is possible that such predicted features may not make it to a public release. The popular At a Glance widget is part of the Google app and is available to all Android smartphones that have the app installed. Another 'At a Glance' feature, codenamed SmartSpace, is Pixel-exclusive as it is part of the Pixel Launcher's home screen and lock screen. This looks like a widget, but it cannot be removed from the Pixel Launcher, so it is a permanent addition to the home screen and lock screen. Here is what At a Glance (SmartSpace)'s current settings look like on the Pixel 9 Pro XL running Android 16 Beta 4.1: Even though At a Glance (SmartSpace) is part of the Pixel Launcher, it gets much of its functionality through the Android System Intelligence app. With v.25 of the Android System Intelligence app, we've spotted clues that indicate Google is working to add Finance information to At a Glance on the Pixel Launcher: Code Copy Text Finance information Finance The Google app already has a Finance Watchlist widget, which shows stock data for the companies you follow on Google. The Finance Recap feature on At a Glance (SmartSpace) could be implemented similarly. The word 'recap' indicates that it could provide quick recaps from the world of Finance and stocks, rather than live information. We managed to activate the UI for the feature, but the information is pretty barebones. It is clearly a work in progress, as Google hasn't even given it its own icon yet. AssembleDebug / Android Authority Keen-eyed readers would also spot that the Sports scores toggle is also new. It had been spotted previously, but hasn't rolled out yet. Google has yet to share any information about the Finance Recap or the Sports feature within Pixel Launcher's At a Glance functionality, so we don't know when, if at all, these features will arrive. We'll keep you updated when we learn more. Got a tip? Talk to us! Email our staff at Email our staff at news@ . You can stay anonymous or get credit for the info, it's your choice.
Android Authority
13-05-2025
- Android Authority
Wear OS 6 should let you talk to your assistant by raising your wrist (APK teardown)
Andy Walker / Android Authority TL;DR Raise to Talk will let you summon a voice assistant with a flick of your wrist. Code related to the feature has been found in the leaked settings app from One UI Watch 8. The feature should be a part of Wear OS 6, which could be announced at The Android Show. Google I/O might not be until May 20, but Google's kicking things off today with The Android Show, where Google's announcing everything new that's coming to our operating system of choice. Wear OS 6 should be announced either at The Android Show or Google I/O proper, but thanks to an APK teardown, we may have found one of the upcoming features. Authority Insights story on Android Authority. Discover You're reading anstory on Android Authority. Discover Authority Insights for more exclusive reports, app teardowns, leaks, and in-depth tech coverage you won't find anywhere else. An APK teardown helps predict features that may arrive on a service in the future based on work-in-progress code. However, it is possible that such predicted features may not make it to a public release. Earlier this month, One UI 8 Watch leaked, which told us a lot about Samsung and Google's plans for smartwatches, as One UI 8 Watch will be based on Wear OS 6. Buried within the settings app APK from the leak, we found strings referencing a 'Raise to Talk' gesture. Code Copy Text Raise to talk The assistant you choose will also be used when you press and hold the Home button if you haven't already chosen to show the Power off menu. Raise your wrist toward your mouth and start talking. The AI assistant you choose will respond. The AI assistant won't respond if sound is playing on the watch speaker, if the microphone is being used, such as during a call or voice recording, if health data is being recorded, or if the screen doesn't turn on when you raise your wrist. This isn't the first time we've seen mention of Raise to Talk. In April, we found references to it within Google app v16.14.39 beta. However, there wasn't much there, and we couldn't determine if this feature would be released for existing Wear OS versions or require an update. Now that we've found code for it in the Wear OS 6 settings app, we can be sure it'll need that version of Wear OS to function. The code here gives us some ideas about how this will work. The second string tells us that this will work alongside using the power button to summon your assistant, while the fourth string says this feature won't activate if you're recording health data, if the screen doesn't switch on when you raise your wrist, or if the speaker/mic is being used. What's most interesting is the third string, which says 'the AI assistant you choose will respond.' In the context of Samsung's watches it could indicate that Raise to Talk will work for Bixby, and not just Google Assistant/Gemini. Do you use voice assistants on your smartwatch? Would Raise to Talk make you more likely to? Let us know in the comments. Got a tip? Talk to us! Email our staff at Email our staff at news@ . You can stay anonymous or get credit for the info, it's your choice.
Android Authority
08-05-2025
- Business
- Android Authority
More ways to pay? ChatGPT may be exploring weekly and lifetime subscriptions (APK teardown)
Kaitlyn Cimino / Android Authority TL;DR Code suggests ChatGPT might be testing weekly and lifetime subscriptions. This could offer more flexible payment options for users, especially those looking for an annual discount or a lower starting price. Annual billing for ChatGPT Plus may also be on the horizon. ChatGPT has become a staple part of several people's routines, to the point that many of us happily pay for the ChatGPT Plus monthly subscription. However, at $20 per month for the digital AI assistant, there is no denying that it is fairly steep, even though it brings a lot of value. There's room for OpenAI to explore more subscription tiers, either with annual billing options that could save users money in the long term or weekly duration options that lower the barrier of entry. OpenAI seems to be doing all that, and then some, as there are clues the company is working on Weekly and Lifetime subscriptions. Authority Insights story on Android Authority. Discover You're reading anstory on Android Authority. Discover Authority Insights for more exclusive reports, app teardowns, leaks, and in-depth tech coverage you won't find anywhere else. An APK teardown helps predict features that may arrive on a service in the future based on work-in-progress code. However, it is possible that such predicted features may not make it to a public release. X user M1 spotted code in the 'latest ChatGPT build' that suggests the digital AI assistant is exploring more subscription durations, namely Weekly and Lifetime subscriptions, in addition to the usual Monthly and Annual subscriptions. One of the strings mentions 'Upgrade to Plus,' indicating that these durations could be for ChatGPT Plus. ChatGPT Plus is currently offered in a singular $20 per month subscription, billed monthly. If you need annual billing options, you must jump up to ChatGPT Team or Enterprise offerings. Even the $200 per month ChatGPT Pro is offered only as a monthly billing option. Independently, we can confirm that the following strings exist within ChatGPT v1.2025.126: Code Copy Text %1$s annually %1$s billed annually Annual Lifetime Monthly Weekly %1$s / month Choose your plan Note that strings for monthly and annual prices are mentioned, but not for monthly and lifetime subscriptions. That doesn't necessarily mean these durations are not coming; just that they are still in development and could be added in the future. A weekly subscription for ChatGPT Plus makes a lot of sense, especially for target audiences like students and young adults who may need the AI digital assistant for shorter durations (though students could get ChatGPT Plus for free recently, too). A weekly plan lowers the price barrier to accessing the Plus subscription since it will hopefully be cheaper than the monthly subscription (unless OpenAI raises prices across the board). Even extending the Plus subscription to annual billing makes plenty of sense for users who are loyal enough to ChatGPT. However, a lifetime ChatGPT Plus subscription sounds a bit of a stretch. OpenAI will have to factor in future development costs for AI technology and features, potentially pricing the subscription tier to an absurdly high number. Yet, it might just make sense for some hardcore AI loyalists. Given the relatively nascent state of AI, it doesn't make much sense right now to subscribe to any AI digital assistant for such a long time. Who knows what the future holds, what ChatGPT looks like, how competitors catch up or lag behind, and if you'd even need a Plus subscription in the first place! OpenAI hasn't discussed further billing options for ChatGPT Plus or other tiers. We'll keep you updated when we learn more. Keep in mind that Google has also been spotted working on more Google One AI plans with annual billing, so it could be that OpenAI is getting ready to react as needed. Got a tip? Talk to us! Email our staff at Email our staff at news@ . You can stay anonymous or get credit for the info, it's your choice.
