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Google expands Pixel Weather, Google Wallet for kids, Digital Wellbeing nudges, and enhanced Magic Editor for Photos

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Google Pixel Weather Rolls Out to More Devices

In the October 2024 Feature Drop, Google expanded Pixel Weather to Pixel 6 and newer models, including the Pixel Tablet. This app enhances weather updates, offering real-time forecasts and city-specific backgrounds on your Pixel devices.

Pixel Weather is a background service that you can activate with an update from the Google Play Store. Once you install version 1.0.20240910.x, a “Weather” app icon will appear in your app grid. During setup, allow notifications and enable precise location for the most accurate updates. In the Pixel Weather settings (accessed via your profile avatar), select it as your main source for weather notifications, turning off “Weather forecasts” from the Google app for a streamlined experience.

For a seamless setup, consider restarting your device so existing widgets and “At a Glance” default to Pixel Weather. Additionally, sign in with your Google Account to sync saved locations across devices. The interface shows detailed weather elements, including hourly forecasts, precipitation, wind, UV index, and air quality. On foldable devices and tablets, the app features a two-column layout for easier access to each city’s customized display.

Pixel Weather includes a 6-hour precipitation forecast powered by Google nowcasting, available in the U.S., U.K., and many European countries (with a few exceptions like Italy and Luxembourg). You can also customize units, themes, and receive tomorrow’s forecast at night or city-specific rain alerts. For users in the U.K., Germany, France, and Italy, pollen count information is also available.

Google Wallet for Kids with Family Link Support in 2025

Starting in 2025, Google Wallet will support tap-to-pay for children’s Family Link-managed devices, marking a step towards safer, parent-monitored digital transactions. Using the Google Wallet app on Android, children will be able to make in-store payments, with each transaction requiring device PIN, password, or biometric authentication for security.

Parents must approve every credit or debit card linked to a child’s account. Through the Family Link app, parents can monitor transaction history, remove cards, and block access if needed. This feature builds on Google’s success with tap-to-pay for kids on Wear OS-powered smartwatches, emphasizing family security.

Initially, the feature will be available in the U.S. and select other countries, with a broader rollout planned in the future.

Digital Wellbeing’s New “Mindful Nudge” Feature for Healthier Screen Time

Google’s Digital Wellbeing app will soon introduce “Mindful Nudge” reminders to encourage more mindful app usage. Part of version 1.19.688167517.beta, this feature gently prompts users when they’ve spent extended time on an app, helping break excessive browsing patterns and promoting healthier screen time habits.

While similar to Apple’s Screen Time, this approach aims to be more flexible. When active, users can tap on the nudge for more details or disable it for specific apps. Though not yet widely available, “Mindful Nudge” is expected to roll out on Pixel devices and possibly other Android phones soon.

Google Photos’ Magic Editor Enhancements for Easier Edits

Google Photos is enhancing its AI-powered Magic Editor with an improved user interface. The “Reimagine” feature now allows users to adjust images in various ways, from altering backgrounds to resizing and moving objects. A new UI update for the Magic Editor, coming soon in Google Photos v7.6, simplifies using these features by providing intuitive tools like “Insert” and “Replace.” These options offer quick prompts for customization, such as changing a background with just a few clicks.

Magic Editor aims to make photo editing accessible to all users with easy-to-use AI-driven options, perfect for creating the ideal image without needing advanced photo editing skills.

Google’s recent updates across Pixel Weather, Google Wallet for kids, Digital Wellbeing, and Google Photos’ Magic Editor all highlight a commitment to enhancing user experience through personalization, family-friendly features, mindful tech usage, and simplified AI tools for creative expression.

Google

Google Search to help with health questions using AI and user tips, plus an Android bug alert

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Artificial intelligence has become a big part of how we find information online, especially about health, which is a popular topic. Google recently shared that its Search tool is getting an upgrade. Soon, when you ask something like, “Why does my leg hurt?” you’ll see tips from real people pulled from online chats, alongside other health info.

When you search for a health issue on Google, you’ll notice neat sections tailored for medical questions. The AI Overview at the top will pull together details from reliable places like journals or trusted websites to explain what might be wrong. Scroll down, and there’s a “Related health conditions” part with advice from places like the Mayo Clinic.

Coming soon, a new section called “What people suggest” will show ideas from everyday folks chatting online. It’ll look familiar, like other health-related boxes on Google, with little social media icons—like Twitter (before it became X), Reddit, and Quora—showing where the tips come from. You’ll get short summaries with dropdowns to read more or check the source. Not every tip might be spot-on, so knowing where it’s from matters.

Google says AI will power these health suggestions, just like other parts of Search. There’s a small chance it might pick up funny or wrong ideas from joke posts, but it still adds to the pile of info you get. This “What people suggest” feature is starting on mobile phones in the U.S.

Meanwhile, some Android users are dealing with a glitch. A pesky “Update Google Play services” pop-up keeps showing up, even though there’s no update ready. Google Play services help run lots of phone features, and apps like Messages or Search need it to work right. Tapping the notice takes you to the Play Store, but nothing updates—it’s stuck on version 25.09.33.

You can swipe the notification away, but it comes back. Restarting the phone or clearing data doesn’t fix it either. It seems like a bug, with reports from Pixel and Samsung users, though it’s not hitting everyone. Fingers crossed Google sorts it out soon with a quick fix!

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Google’s Pixel 10 Tensor G5 to feature a brand-new camera processor

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Pixel 10 Pro XL

Google is making big changes for its next Pixel 10 smartphone, set to launch with the Tensor G5 chip. Unlike before, where Google teamed up with Samsung to build its Tensor chips, this time they’re partnering with TSMC, a different chip-making company. To pull this off, Google is mixing some ready-made parts with its own designs, including a brand-new, fully custom camera processor (ISP).

In the past, Tensor chips were a blend of Google’s ideas and Samsung’s parts, built using Samsung’s tech alongside its Exynos chips. But with Tensor G5, Google is stepping away from Samsung and turning to TSMC. This shift means swapping out some pieces of the chip for new ones that fit TSMC’s process. According to a report from Android Authority, Google will keep some of its own upgraded designs—like the ones for AI tasks, sound, and memory—but it’s replacing other bits with off-the-shelf options.

Here’s what’s changing: the graphics part will switch from Arm Mali to Imagination Technologies DXT, the video system will move to Chips&Media WAVE677DV, and the display controller will now use VeriSilicon DC9000. The biggest highlight, though, is the camera processor. Google is ditching the Samsung version it tweaked before and building its own from scratch. This isn’t new for Google—they’ve made custom camera chips like the “Pixel Visual Core” for the Pixel 2 back in 2017 and the “Pixel Neural Core” for the Pixel 4, before switching gears with Tensor in 2021.

Other swaps include a new MediaTek modem instead of Samsung’s and different controllers for things like storage and power. For most people using the Pixel 10, these changes might not stand out day-to-day. Still, it’ll be worth watching to see if the new camera processor or other parts bring better photos, smoother performance, or maybe even some unexpected hiccups. Google’s move to TSMC and its own camera tech shows it’s aiming to take more control over what makes its Pixels tick.

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Android 16 makes it simple to capture your external screen

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Android 16

Android phones come with a handy tool to record what’s on your screen. Normally, this works great for the phone itself, but if you hook your phone up to a bigger screen—like a monitor—it’s been tricky to capture what’s happening there. The built-in recorder just didn’t support external displays. Good news, though: Android 16 is bringing a fix for that.

I tried this out by plugging my Pixel phone, running Android 16 Beta 3, into a monitor. When I opened the screen recorder, I spotted a new choice in the menu: “Capture HDMI Display.” It wasn’t there when I unplugged the monitor—then it just showed the usual “Record one app” or “Record phone screen” options.

This new “Capture HDMI Display” feature let me record whatever was on the monitor, not the phone’s own screen. The video saved just like a regular phone recording, though the file name included a little tag with the monitor’s ID. It’s a small difference, but it helps you know which screen you captured. Still, there are a couple of catches.

For one, this only works with Android’s own recorder. If I used a third-party app to mirror my screen or tried casting it with the Cast option, the “Capture HDMI Display” choice disappeared. That’s a bummer because some apps could really use this trick. I hope Google opens it up more later.

This ties into something Android 15 started—taking screenshots of external screens. Since that update, the phone saves a separate picture for each connected display, tagged with its ID. Google’s also cooking up a Desktop View mode, so letting apps record or share external screens could make that even better.

In short, Android 16’s new feature is a step forward. It’s not perfect yet—third-party apps can’t join in, and I couldn’t trigger tools like Gemini or Circle to Search on the monitor. But for anyone who uses a bigger screen with their phone, it’s a nice upgrade worth trying out.

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