A plain-English guide to AI in 2026, including top chatbots, free AI tools, humanoid robots, key terms, and what comes next.

Good things take time, but not all things that take time are good. The jury is still out on the Google Home Speaker, but it certainly took a while to arrive. After announcing its new speaker last August, Google finally has a release date. The company's first new smart home speaker in years will launch on June 25, and you can preorder it today for $100.

The generically named Google Home Speaker is Google's first home audio device in almost six years. The last one was the Nest Audio, which debuted back in September 2020. The new device is small and round—an oblate spheroid, technically. It's covered in a partially recycled fabric available in four colors: hazel, porcelain, jade, and berry (jade and berry are limited to the US). Google says the device produces "360-degree sound" for a uniform listening experience anywhere in a room.

Google is into lighting effects again. Credit: Google

Previous Google speakers included Assistant-style illuminated lights, but the Google Home Speaker features a light ring around the bottom that glows when the device is listening, "thinking," or responding. This is becoming a trend with Google. The company will require a similar glowing lightbar embellishment on the upcoming Googlebook laptops. There are three far-field microphones distributed around the speaker that will pick up your speech, and there's a mute switch when you don't want it listening for the "OK Google" trigger.

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Google is betting generative AI can breathe new life into the smart speaker. The company's new $99.99 Google Home Speaker replaces the rigid commands of the Google Assistant era with more conversational Gemini interactions.

Good things take time, but not all things that take time are good. The jury is still out on the Google Home Speaker, but it certainly took a while to arrive. After announcing its new speaker last August, Google finally has a release date. The company's first new smart home speaker in years will launch on June 25, and you can preorder it today for $100.

The generically named Google Home Speaker is Google's first home audio device in almost six years. The last one was the Nest Audio, which debuted back in September 2020. The new device is small and round—an oblate spheroid, technically. It's covered in a partially recycled fabric available in four colors: hazel, porcelain, jade, and berry (jade and berry are limited to the US). Google says the device produces "360-degree sound" for a uniform listening experience anywhere in a room.

Google is into lighting effects again. Credit: Google

Previous Google speakers included Assistant-style illuminated lights, but the Google Home Speaker features a light ring around the bottom that glows when the device is listening, "thinking," or responding. This is becoming a trend with Google. The company will require a similar glowing lightbar embellishment on the upcoming Googlebook laptops. There are three far-field microphones distributed around the speaker that will pick up your speech, and there's a mute switch when you don't want it listening for the "OK Google" trigger.

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© Google

Upgrades include 360-degree audio and deeper integration with Google's Gemini.

Google started rolling out Android 17 on its Pixel devices, though some of its headline AI features will not arrive for another few months.

The initial version of Android 17 became available yesterday (16 June) on its devices, with other hardware brands to follow throughout 2026.

A new feature available in the launch is Bubbles, a multitasking tool which lets users collapse any app into a floating window which stays visible on screen, Google stated in a blog post.

Bubbles can be stacked, dragged to position and resized as required. On large-screen and foldable devices, bubbles are docked in a dedicated bar at the bottom of the display.

Google positions the feature as useful for referencing maps, writing notes during a call or keeping texts visible without opening the app switcher.

Screen recording has been updated with a new toolbar and feature called Screen Reactions, which lets users record themselves via the selfie camera while simultaneously capturing what’s on their phone screens.

Bloomberg reported the tool is Google’s response to the growing popularity of reaction-style video across social media, building the format directly into Android to reduce reliance on third-party apps such as CapCut and Instagram Edits.

For foldable device owners, Android 17 introduces a dedicated gaming mode with an optimised 50/50 layout placing a game view on top and a dynamic gamepad below.

Google has also reduced frame drops and improved memory cleanup for high-definition gaming, with native controller remapping available for external controllers.

Security
On the security and privacy front, users can now grant apps one-time location access rather than making a permanent decision and share only specific contacts rather than their full address book.

Lost Mode has been tightened to require biometric authentication alongside a PIN, making it harder for thieves to access a missing device even if they know the passcode.

Live Threat Detection has also been improved to block a greater range of suspicious apps and scams, and enhanced Advanced Protection mode helps keep users safe from sophisticated threats.

To stop bad actors trying to guess their way into users’ phones, Google reduced the number of times someone can guess a PIN and added longer wait times between failed attempts.

Many of Android 17’s more advanced features will follow later this year. Gemini Intelligence, redesigned emoji, smarter voice dictation and vibe-coded widgets will arrive soon, coming first to the Pixel 11 series and upcoming Samsung devices.

Google is also updating Wear OS 7 with longer battery life, better interoperability with connected devices including smart glasses, and Gemini Intelligence features including multi-step app automations.

The Android updates came a week after Apple unveiled a long list of AI and Siri improvements due in the coming months, highlighting the intensifying rivalry between the two mobile platforms.

The post Google launches Android 17 with multitasking, security upgrades appeared first on Mobile World Live.

Android 17 Reaches Pixel Google started pushing Android 17 to Pixel phones today, and the update arrives alongside

Google’s Android 17 update includes highlights like new floating “Bubble” app windows for easier multitasking, a Screen Reaction recording mode, and a 50/50 split gaming mode for foldable phones. Meanwhile, Wear OS 7 brings Live Updates and better battery life for smart watches, and it prepares connections for new Android XR smart glasses that will launch this fall. 

The update is rolling out to Pixel phones first, then other devices, with some features, like Gemini Intelligence, set to debut later this year.

Follow along here for the latest updates.

• Android 17 arrives on Pixel phones today
• Android foldables are getting new gamepad controls.
• Google launches Wear OS 7 with Live Updates and a battery life boost
• The Google / Xreal Aura XR glasses are now available to preorder
• Android 17 is getting its own version of Apple’s Handoff
• Wear OS 7 will keep track of deliveries and sports scores on your wrist
• A first (and second) look at the Android XR glasses launching this year
• The 9 biggest new features in Android 17
• A new Android 17 beta reveals plans for “Pixel Glow” light animations.
• Android 17 will let you share one-time location data with apps.
• The second Android 17 beta is out now for Google Pixel.
• Google and Xreal extend hardware partnership for Android XR.
• A first look at Google’s Project Aura glasses built with Xreal
• Google announces Android XR, a new OS for headsets and smart glasses

The US Department of Defense has a lot of congressionally mandated homework to do every year involving hundreds of required reports on various national security topics. But Pentagon officials have been proudly describing a new shortcut—using generative AI tools to write such reports for Congress.

Pentagon Chief Technology Officer Emil Michael highlighted AI-generated reports to Congress as a key example of how the Department of Defense—stylized as the Department of War under the Trump administration—has adopted generative AI during an event hosted by the Hudson Institute think tank in Washington, DC, on June 12. The Pentagon has made AI tools, starting with Google Cloud’s Gemini for Government, widely available to members of all six military branches through the department’s bespoke GenAI.mil platform since December 2025.

“I have to report to Congress every year on this thing,” Michael said. “Let me load all the papers onto it and have it draft me a congressional report that would otherwise take 200 hours of staffing time and do it in five hours.”

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© SAUL LOEB / AFP via Getty Images

Android 17 has been in testing since early this year, with the final beta hitting devices just a couple of weeks ago. Insofar as a mature operating system like Android still has big days, this is one of them. The official Android 17 build is starting its rollout on Pixel phones, adding a small set of new features and laying the groundwork for the future. This release also coincides with a Pixel Drop and a new version of Wear OS (based on Android 17) on Pixel Watches.

Google no longer uses an unmodified version of Android on its phones—the Pixel build includes numerous features that are distinct from Android 17 itself. Other device makers will include versions of some of these features when they eventually update their phones, but for now, Google's Pixel phones are the only way to experience Android 17.

The multitasking Bubbles system in Android 17 expands on a similar (but underutilized) messaging feature. In Android 17 on Pixels, you can long-press on any app icon to open that app as a floating window. When minimized, these bubbles stay on top of other apps. On foldable phones, the bubbles dock into a "bubble bar" for easy multitasking.

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© Ryan Whitwam

Android 17 has been in testing since early this year, with the final beta hitting devices just a couple of weeks ago. Insofar as a mature operating system like Android still has big days, this is one of them. The official Android 17 build is starting its rollout on Pixel phones, adding a small set of new features and laying the groundwork for the future. This release also coincides with a Pixel Drop and a new version of Wear OS (based on Android 17) on Pixel Watches.

Google no longer uses an unmodified version of Android on its phones—the Pixel build includes numerous features that are distinct from Android 17 itself. Other device makers will include versions of some of these features when they eventually update their phones, but for now, Google's Pixel phones are the only way to experience Android 17.

The multitasking Bubbles system in Android 17 expands on a similar (but underutilized) messaging feature. In Android 17 on Pixels, you can long-press on any app icon to open that app as a floating window. When minimized, these bubbles stay on top of other apps. On foldable phones, the bubbles dock into a "bubble bar" for easy multitasking.

Read full article

Comments

© Ryan Whitwam

Following its official debut last month, Google is now rolling out Android 17 to compatible Pixel phones, alongside additional exclusive features as part of the June Pixel Drop. Not every feature announced alongside the OS at the pre-I/O Android Show is available today, though.

Android 17 itself is arriving on Pixel phones today, and Google says other manufacturers will be issuing the update throughout 2026. The biggest user interface update is the introduction of Bubbles, floating app windows that you can open with a long press - similar floating windows are already found in many Android skins, but are now an official part of 17. Google is …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Google's Wear OS 7 update is starting to roll out today for the Pixel Watch 2, 3, and 4, adding a new Live Updates feature that tracks live events from your Android smartwatch. Live Updates will now sync with Wear OS devices, so updates like sports scores or an ongoing meal delivery will show up on both your watch and your phone.

You might also notice your watch lasting a little longer - Google claims Wear OS 7 offers up to 10 percent more battery life than Wear OS 6.

Wear OS 7 will also introduce some new Gemini Intelligence features, but Google says these aren't launching until "later this year." They'll include Create My Widget, which …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Google has released Android 17 and Wear OS 7, introducing new multitasking features, parental controls, security tools, and smartwatch upgrades. The launch is also accompanied by a Pixel Drop that brings Google’s latest AI models to its devices.

The Project Aura glasses collaboration between Xreal and Google is now one step closer to being something you can buy. Reservations for the second Android XR device, now dubbed the Xreal Aura, are available for $99 starting today, with a full launch in the US, UK, Japan, Canada, and South Korea expected sometime this Fall.

The Xreal Aura follows Google's first Android-powered XR device, the Samsung Galaxy XR headset, which launched at $1,799 in October 2025. We still don't have a full price for the Aura - which Google has previously described as "a headset masquerading as glasses" - but Best Buy will be the first in-store retail partner whe …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Google sued Outsider Enterprise, alleging the group used Gemini to create phishing sites and scale text scams tied to major financial losses.

AI is once again at the heart of a college graduation protest — this time for the technology's use in Google's defense contracts.

Up, up and away! (Just try not to crash.)

Google AI is transforming Search from a list of links into an AI-powered answer engine, reshaping visibility, trust, and web traffic.

Try six AI photo-editing prompts tested across ChatGPT, Gemini, Qwen, and Meta AI to achieve more realistic lighting, texture, and detail.