Have you got Gemini’s new compact UI?

The Google Play Store is absolutely filled to the brim with messaging apps, and Google has certainly made plenty of contributions to this app type. But at the end of the day, we all have our favorites. For me, I use Google Messages as my primary messaging app, thanks to its RCS support, sending media to friends and family rarely poses an issue. Still, I have a soft spot for Telegram because it offers speedy communication, as well as a desktop app.

But what about you? Which messaging app is your favorite, and which would you choose to use if you were only allowed to use one? Hit the comments to shout your choice loud and proud.

Last year, the Pixel 8 debuted a redesigned version of the Pixel Camera app. The updated camera looks and feels a little more standard (read: like Apple and Samsung’s camera apps), but I’ve never been happy about the change. Aside from shifting the shutter button up and making me re-learn muscle memory after thousands of photos, the updated app hid sliders for brightness, shadows, and warmth behind a settings button, and could only show one slider at a time (as shown below). Previously, all three controls would surface any time you tapped to focus. Ever since, I’ve been complaining — both on AP and in real life to anyone who will listen — about how much harder it is to take good photos with the updated app. 

But now, in Pixel Camera 9.7, there’s a setting in the app labeled Quick access controls. Turning that setting on will see the same three sliders as before show up in your viewfinder whenever you tap to focus, reducing the time it takes to dial in the look you want and thereby pot

I recently switched to Projectivy Launcher because I was sick of Google adding more and more recommendations into my Android TV interface, more or less shoving advertisements for things I didn’t want to see, into my living room. Not only does my Shield TV run better when it doesn’t have to load videos in the background of the UI, I regained full control of how my TV looks.

I also know there are many out there who are perfectly fine with Google’s recommendations and enjoy Android/Google TV for what it is. But this got me thinking about how many people out there like me have installed a third-party launcher to clean things up. So, sound off in the comments whether or not you’ve considered or are using a third-party launcher on your Google/Android TV, as I have a feeling this trend is growing.

Say what you want about AI, but it does appear to have one use that anyone can enjoy, and that’s wallpaper creation. I know I’ve dabbled with image creation in Gemini and Pixel Studio and have come away with some quality results. But there are still some issues with AI, like the inability to spell words correctly or show the correct amount of fingers. But if you stick to images without words or people, you’ll definitely find better results.

So, have you been playing with AI wallpaper generation, and if so, are you finding the results worthwhile? Hit the comments to share your favorite AI-generated wallpapers, and let’s see who is getting the best results with their creations.

Now that the iPhone is sporting RCS in its messaging app, bringing together Android and iOS users for easy messaging that doesn’t ruin images and videos, I’ve been wondering how many of our readers know someone on iOS who is indeed taking advantage of RCS. For me, I know my friend group that uses iOS has remarked on the improvement in our group chats. But what about you, have you noticed your iOS friends and family are using RCS? Hit the comments to let us know, as I truly wonder if many iOS users give a hoot about messaging with RCS.

I can’t say I get a ton of use out of AI, but I do sometimes dip into Gemini to create images. Images of logos and certain word combinations, mainly for fun and ideation. You never know when you’ll need to make a website for Waffle Cats, and I’ll have some logos ready to roll when it’s time. Still, that’s pretty personal to me, so I was wondering what everyone else uses AI for. Have you managed to use AI to make some of your daily tasks easier, or are you still skeptical AI will amount to anything meaningful?

Google has added Tasks to Calendar, Search, and Assistant, all the while also offering a standalone app, and each of the services that offer Tasks offers the exact same functionalities, begging the question of whether the app is even necessary at this point. So, if Google were to finally kill off its Tasks app, would you miss it? I think I would, as I prefer my apps to stand alone rather than dip into, say, a calendar app to adjust my tasks.

Google Maps — or mapping applications in general — might be one of the least appreciated aspects of our modern age. By the time I got my license, I already had a smartphone with Maps preloaded out of the box, but I have distinct memories of helping my parents get to new locations using printed directions from MapQuest, to say nothing of our dedicated TomTom GPS unit.

But as good as navigation apps might be, when they fail, it can be stressful. Missed turns, wrong exits, scrambling to fix a frozen app while flying down the interstate — anything going wrong with Google Maps can be cause for alarm, and lately, I’ve been noticing a lot going wrong. From trying to take me down one-way streets going the opposite direction to sending my fiancée in literal circles while leaving her job’s parking garage, the last year or so with Google Maps has caused me a lot of friction. Yet, any time I think about swapping apps — maybe to Google’s other app Waze, or even to Apple Maps on the iPhone — the ex

Over here at Android Police, you’ll find a lot of people who like Android more than iOS, perhaps not all for the same reasons, but in our minds, Android is still the best place to be. But even if you feel this is a subject that is up for debate, there is no denying Android 15 offers plenty of features iOS doesn’t. As a matter of fact, we recently wrote about five ways Android 15 is better than iOS 18, so if you’d like to read more about what makes Android so great compared to iOS, click through and enjoy the list.

While we still don’t know when the first One UI 7 beta will drop, it’s coming nonetheless. Some screenshots have already leaked, and plenty of rumors are swirling about incoming features, as the UI is expected to see a major design overhaul. One leak suggests there will be a split notification panel, and another hints at live activity in the lockscreen and status bar. More or less, big changes are expected, so even though it is early days with little nailed down, there are already some possible features to look forward to.

So, what leaked feature has you most excited for One UI 7’s incoming drop? Hit the comments to let us know. For me, the split notification panel sounds like it could be a great addition.

There are plenty of streaming music apps to choose from, from Spotify to Amazon Music, Apple Music, and YouTube Music. Despite the lack of originality in the app names, all of these services are fairly well received by their users. I’ve been subscribed to Spotify for years but have considered moving to Amazon Music for its high-quality audio. I’ve yet to take the plunge, but if Spotify continues to drag its feet instead of launching high-quality audio, the move seems inevitable. This is why I appreciate that we have so many excellent choices at our disposal.

Still, with so many to choose from, I thought it might be fun to ask what everyone is using and why. So hit the comments below to share which music streaming app is your current platform of choice.

In order to make Pixel Phones enticing to the masses, Google tucks away its best Android features into its high-end Pixel line. But out of all of the features, surely there is one that stands above all others. Is it the call screening? Because I know that’s my favorite, never having to answer calls myself. Or maybe it’s message transcript, another handy feature that allows us to easily ignore contact with the outside world. Whatever it is, hit the comments below to share your favorite Pixel feature.

We have a lot of good choices when it comes to e-mail apps on the Play Store. Sure, there is Gmail, a staple that comes installed on our phones. But there is also Proton Mail, Thunderbird, and even Outlook. And that’s just the big stuff; there are plenty more to pick from. So, out of all the e-mail apps we have to choose from, which is your weapon of choice?

The beauty of Android has always been its customization, and that often starts with your launcher. While the third-party launcher has lost some of its prominence in recent years, popular options like Nova Launcher, Action Launcher, and Niagara Launcher are still pushing things forward.

Android 15 is rolling out today and should be live as you read this post. If you happen to own a Pixel, you should be able to install the update right now. Of course, new versions of Android can often introduce bugs, but this is likely why Google held the update back and didn’t ship it on the Pixel 9. So, it should stand to reason that 15 has had a chance to be smoothed out, ideally squashing bugs during testing. Still, there is always a chance that new software will bring instability. So, will you be updating today, or are you going to wait to see how things pan out before hitting the update button?

I moved away from Chrome once I caught wind of Manifest V3 and how it would hobble ad blockers. Sure, lite versions of ad blockers have popped up since Manifest V3 was implemented in Chrome, but I was already well-established with Firefox, my current browser of choice. I can sync all of my data across all of my Firefox installs across my operating systems, just like Chrome, but of course, I have the ability to block ads across every OS without having to worry about the shortcomings of Manifest V3.

But what about you? Which browser do you prefer, and why do you prefer it? From Samsung Internet to Edge to Brave to Chrome, there are plenty of choices, so which do you prefer for your web browsing needs?

Taking pictures of the night sky isn’t something that ever occurred to me. I’ll use my phone to take quick shots of interesting things while out and about around town, but that’s about as much use as my phone cameras get. But, since I purchased a Pixel 9, I figured why not give its astrophotography mode a shot. And so I’ve dabbled a few times with mixed results. I can’t say it’s something I’ll go out of my way to use.

This got me wondering how many others out there make use of the Pixel’s astrophotography mode. So, if you’re a night sky shooter thanks to your Pixel, sound off in the comments below, and if you have a slick shot to share, all the better.

Google’s latest smartphones are excellent pieces of hardware — there’s a reason the Pixel 9 Pro won our Smartphone of the Year award — but the Pixel’s software experience has always been the brand’s bread and butter. I’m sure everyone has plenty of favorite software experiences on the Pixel, but personally, no amount of AI can top Now Playing. Google’s always-listening, offline-ready Shazam alternative launched with the Pixel 2 in 2017, and I’ve been a huge fan of it ever since. Gathering an updated list of every song that plays around you at all times is incredible, whether you’re scrolling through a DJ’s set or enjoying dinner at a restaurant.

In its near-decade of existence, Google has continued to build it out, adding features like online search — for when your Pixel’s database of tracks isn’t enough — album art, and default music services. And yet, despite the tool’s popularity, no one has taken the initiative to follow in Google’s footsteps. While I wouldn’t say it’s enough to k

Back during the early years of Android I was a rooting and romming maniac, flashing ROMs left and right, always in search of the most stable version with the most features I could find. Sure, I dabbled with Cyanogen, but I was more a stock ROM seeker, seeing I was on carrier phones back then, LG, HTC, Samsung, all of which offered their own custom skins that weren’t all that great. But that was years ago, I’ve since given up the ghost hunting down quality ROMs, perfectly happy with the status quo and the software that ships on modern smartphones. So for me, it’s been almost a decade since I stopped loading custom ROMs on my Android devices.

But what about you, our dear readers, when was the last time you sought out a custom ROM and installed it on an Android phone? Hit the comments to let us know, I imagine it’s been a while for many.

Sure, I use Google Messages for its RCS support, more often than not using the service for with friends and family that can’t be convinced to switch to an internet messaging service. My true love is Telegram, not only for its incredible speed delivering messages but also because it offers a desktop app, which I find key in my day-to-day working from home on my desktop computer. Sure, Google offers a web app that can be used on a desktop, but I don’t like it, where Telegram’s is plenty serviceable and runs on Linux.

But what about you? Which is your favorite messaging service to use on your phone, and why?