Latest news with #AssembleDebug
Android Authority
4 days ago
- Android Authority
Pixel 10 series users could get free access to Google's smartest features (APK teardown)
TL;DR Code within the latest version of the Google app suggests the upcoming Pixel 10 series could come with a free trial of Google AI Pro. The length of the trial is still unconfirmed, but based on past promotions, it could be between six and twelve months. Google is set to announce the Pixel 10 series flagships in the coming weeks. While the phones are well-rounded in specs, Google's trump card is the software experience, with the company going all in on providing meaningful AI features. Many of those features are expected to be on-device, but a few may require cloud access and potentially even a Google AI Pro plan. Thankfully, it seems that Google could bless Pixel 10 series buyers with a free trial of Google AI Pro, letting them enjoy all of the company's AI features. ⚠️ 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. Within Google app v16.30.59, we spotted code suggesting Pixel 10 series users would be getting a trial of Google AI Pro plan with their purchase, giving them access to all the good Gemini perks they would need on their phone. AssembleDebug / Android Authority This list of devices dictates which devices are eligible for free Google AI offers. We spotted the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Flip 7 as new additions to this list recently, and Samsung eventually went on to announce that Fold 7, Flip 7, and Flip 7 FE buyers can get six months of Google AI Pro with 2TB of cloud storage for free with their phone purchase. It's unclear what the Pixel 10 series devices will offer in terms of trial tier and duration. Based on past trends, we speculate that Pixel 10 series users could get between six and twelve months of Google AI Pro with their phone purchase. Note that the Pixel 9 Pro phones came with one year of free Google AI Pro, while the base Pixel 9 came with a six-month trial, so Google could opt for a similar split again. We hope to learn more when the Pixel 10 series flagships launch in the coming weeks. Follow
Forbes
31-07-2025
- Forbes
New Google Photos Leak Reveals Much-Needed Money-Saving Upgrade
Key Takeaways Google is testing a small but much-needed change to Google Photos that could not only help declutter your Google Photos library, but also help you save money on subscription fees. As spotted by app investigator AssembleDebug for Android Authority, Google Photos is working on a new option that lets you automatically back up only your favorite photos, keeping the remaining pictures on your local device but out of the cloud. With this option selected, all of your favorite images will be safely stored on Google's servers, and everything else will remain just on your local device until you choose to delete it. Without the option to back up only favorites, users currently have to choose between backing up everything or manually backing up individual photos. Unfortunately, neither option works well in all scenarios. Here's a summary of the current backup options and the expected benefits of Google's new option. Turn Backup On If you turn backup on, every photo or video you shoot will be backed up to Google Photos' servers, keeping them safe but consuming valuable storage space. Google provides an 'undo device backup' feature to remove all backed-up photos and videos from the cloud while keeping them on your local device, but there's currently no easy way to do this for individual images. This can result in a lot of clutter in your library. FEATURED | Frase ByForbes™ Unscramble The Anagram To Reveal The Phrase Pinpoint By Linkedin Guess The Category Queens By Linkedin Crown Each Region Crossclimb By Linkedin Unlock A Trivia Ladder Leave Backup Off If you leave backup turned off, Google Photos displays a 'cloud' icon at the top of the screen that you can tap when viewing an individual image to back it up. However, if you do this, Google will nag you occasionally to turn backup on when you open the app. It also forces you to view each picture in turn to back it up. New! Back Up Just Favorites According to code found in the latest Google Photos app, a new option is under test that will let you 'Automatically back up only your favorites,' and 'Keep your favorites safe by automatically backing up photos when you favorite them.' This feature offers a useful middle ground, ensuring that your favorite photos and videos are backed up while keeping cloud storage requirements as low as possible. Details are scarce at the moment, and a few questions remain: Will users still be able to back up individual (non-favorite) photos? Will enabling the feature back up all previously favorited images, or will it only back them up 'when you favorite them,' as specified above? It's also not clear what happens when you un-favorite a photo that has already been backed up. Will the backup be removed? Will the original remain on your local device? Google should clarify these points, as Google Photos community support pages show that confused users are still permanently losing photos when trying to clear cloud storage. Follow @paul_monckton on Instagram.
Forbes
26-07-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Google May Launch Low-Cost AI Plan To Rival ChatGPT
Google is reportedly developing a lower-cost "Gemini AI Lite" subscription tier. Key Takeaways Google may soon offer a cheaper way to access its premium Gemini AI features. Code found in the latest Google app and Google One app points to a new 'AI Lite' subscription tier, potentially offering a lower-cost alternative to the $20-per-month Google One AI Pro plan. Google One AI Lite: Cheaper AI For Everyone? As revealed in a recent Android Authority APK Teardown report, app analyst AssembleDebug has unearthed text within Google's app code, suggesting that new pricing options could be on the way. The code references features like 'Deep Research' and access to the Gemini 2.5 Pro model in connection with a new 'ROBIN_G1_UPGRADE_LITE_FREEMIUM' option. 'Robin' is reportedly Google's codename for Gemini. These references strongly suggest that Google may soon offer improved access to features like Deep Research and the powerful Gemini 2.5 Pro AI model at a lower price, undercutting arch-rival ChatGPT. Google's Google One "AI Lite" plan could fit below the current Google AI Pro plan. Currently, free users get to use Deep Research mode only 'a few times a month,' and gain only limited access to Google's top-tier Gemini 2.5 Pro model. Google One AI Pro subscribers, on the other hand, receive significantly higher usage limits and expanded capabilities, including Gemini models with larger context windows that can handle more data in one go. This move could also help retain many Google One AI Pro customers who are about to reach the end of complimentary 12-month subscriptions bundled with devices such as a Pixel 9 Pro or a Chromebook Plus. As an unannounced feature, pricing and feature details are currently unknown. It's also possible that Google could cut back on other, non-AI, features — for example, offering less than the 2TB of Google One storage currently bundled with Google One AI Pro. The move would echo Google's budget-friendly 'Google One Lite' subscription tier, launched last year, which provides low-cost Google One subscriptions on a country-by-country basis, first in India and later expanding to Brazil, Mexico and Indonesia. Google One Lite offers just 30GB of cloud storage, compared to 100GB for Google One Basic, but at a price less than half that of Google One Basic. It's possible, therefore, that any new Google One AI Lite plan could also launch in selected regions only — assuming it launches at all.
Forbes
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Google Photos AI Remix: Are Your Memories Still Real?
Google Photos is prepping a new AI-powered feature that can turn still images into moving videos. SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images Google Photos is developing a new 'Remix' feature that turns still photos into AI videos. Remix prioritizes fun and ease of use over creative control The feature raises concerns over how we view our memories. Google Photos is primed to significantly change the way we interact with our memories, thanks to an experimental new AI-powered 'Remix' feature that will let you transform any still images into entertaining video clips using AI. While this sounds like a fun new way to enjoy our photos, for me, it also raises questions about the authenticity of our memories and whether such a feature is really appropriate for Google Photos. Early signs of the Remix feature were first spotted in the Google Photos app a couple of months ago, focused mainly on transforming photos into various artistic styles, but now a new report from Android Authority , reveals Google's demo of a new image-to-video function, suggesting that the feature is getting closer to release. Google's Remix feature turns still images into fun videos with AI. GOOGLE/ANDROID AUTHORITY The demo video, unearthed by software sleuth AssembleDebug , shows a still image of a cute dog, accompanied by two human friends in the park. Remix then transforms this image into a celebration including natural movements from all three participants, with the addition of applause and falling confetti. Introductory text below the clip states, 'Simply choose a photo, pick a fun prompt to apply, and see your photo transform,' displayed above a large 'Try now' button implying that Google is preparing to introduce the new Remix feature to users imminently. According to previous discoveries reported on by Android Authority , these 'fun prompts' will include 'Subtle Movements, ' 'Go Wild,' and 'I'm Feeling Lucky,' suggesting that users will have only limited control over the videos they create. With the Pixel 10-series launch just weeks away, the release of Remix could be strategically timed to showcase the capabilities of Google's latest Pixel devices. However, there's nothing in the code to suggest when, or for whom, the feature will eventually become available. Perhaps it will launch as a Pixel 10 exclusive, or for Google One subscribers only: we'll have to wait and see. Not The Same As Gemini's Veo 3 Image-To-Video? Google adds image-to-video capabilities to Gemini for Gemini Pro and Gemini Ultra subscribers GOOGLE Remix appears, at first glance, to offer similar functionality to other image-to-video AI applications, including the version powered by Google's own Veo 3 model, recently made available to Gemini Pro and Gemini Ultra subscribers in the Gemini app. However, there seem to be some important differences between the two, not least being the fact that Veo 3 allows you to type any text prompt you like when generating a video rather than forcing you to pick from a list. Veo 3 can also generate audio for your AI clips, something which isn't mentioned as a feature of Remix. However, I think Remix's inherent limitations could be vital in maintaining Google Photos' core usage as a place for storing, reliving and sharing memories. Is Google Photos the right place for AI Video? Google has a history of using the latest available technologies, including AI, to enhance and repurpose the photos and videos in our libraries by automatically-generating animations and short videos and collating our most interesting memories into 'Moments.' However, the Remix feature appears to take things a step further by encouraging users to turn their photos into videos of moments that never actually happened. I feel Google Photos should be a place for storing real memories rather than a platform for creating synthetic content. Google Photos is pretty good at separating out different types of content, such as screenshots and documents, so it's reasonable to hope it will do the same with AI-generated videos. However, if Remix AI-videos start appearing in Google's automatically-generated 'Moments,' I think we'll have a problem — especially if they become difficult to distinguish from reality. Remix runs the risk of blurring the lines between genuine memories and what many would consider 'AI slop.' I'm sure there's plenty of fun to be had in sharing short AI-generated clips, but I wouldn't want them clogging up my photo library. Much will depend on the details of how Google implements Remix and how Google Photos curates these AI videos alongside our genuine photos and videos. Would you use Remix? Let me know in the comments below. Follow @paul_monckton on Instagram. Forbes Google Photos Gives New AI Photo Editor To All — And It's A Genius Move By Paul Monckton Forbes Google Photos Is Getting Smarter About Deleting Your Worst Pictures By Paul Monckton
Yahoo
04-07-2025
- Yahoo
Google Drive's redesign is slowly spreading to all corners of the app
Google's in the process of visually updating its apps (and Android itself) with its shiny new Material 3 Expressive design language. These changes have been rolling out piecemeal. Back in June, Google Drive got a new Material 3 Expressive-styled video player. Now, in an APK teardown of the latest version of Google Drive, Android Authority managed to enable a new look in other corners of the app. These Material 3 Expressive overhauls haven't been particularly dramatic so far, primarily tweaking existing layouts and touch targets to better direct your attention to important bits of the UI. This upcoming Google Drive refresh is along those lines. According to screenshots published by Android Authority, Drive will soon get a spiffed-up overflow menu, accessible by tapping the three-dot icon in any document. Old, new, old, new. Source: AssembleDebug via Android Authority The new menu has colorful, pill-shaped buttons. For folders, these buttons are Share, Add to starred, and Summarize this folder. Instead of Summarize this folder, individual files have aMake available offline option. Android Authority also points out that the old version's Manage access button is gone in the redesigned version, with that functionality now tucked behind the share menu. Android Authority also spotted a more prominent Summarize this file button in Drive's PDF viewer. Noted Android tinkerer AssembleDebug was able to get these changes up and running in version of the Google Drive app; they're not user-facing in any released version of Drive yet. But given Google's been updating tons of its apps with Material 3 Expressive elements in recent weeks, you should expect to see these updates in your own Drive app soon. Google Drive Google LLC PRODUCTIVITY Price: Free 4.3 Download
