Android Faithful

People have finally had enough of their smart TVs, and so they’re using those vibe coding skills they read about in the news and directing chatbots to de-cruft the experience! This week, Jason Howell, Huyen Tue Dao, and Florence Ion compare it against old-school rootin’-n-ROMin’ that made underpowered devices more capable back in the day. Plus, Googlebooking ChromeOS, a smartphone-sized crypto wallet, and a mega-array of potential foldables coming next year from Samsung.

BIG NEWS: Subscribe to our NEW YouTube Channel at youtube.com/@androidfaithfulpodcast

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00:04:53 - NEWS

• Someone got Googlebook OS running on a Chromebook, and it's surprisingly smooth
• People are using AI to make their smart TVs dumb again
• Developers Are Using AI to Strip Ads and Tracking From Smart TVs
• Google lets you make personal Android apps for free now – with just prompts
• PATRON PICK: Ledger’s new hardware wallet is an Android phone without the phone

00:42:48 - HARDWARE

• REDMAGIC 12 Pro+ Debuts With RGB Liquid Cooling and 185Hz Display
• Dizzying lineup of Galaxy Z Fold 9 devices leaks, including the Galaxy Z ‘Slide’
• Samsung reportedly hasn’t finalized Galaxy S27 details, considers February launch
• ANBERNIC is quietly removing a controversial extra from its Android handhelds

00:59:51 - APPS 'n SOFTWARE 'n STUFF

• Google upgrading Gemini for Android Auto with Personal Intelligence
• Google launches its ‘universal’ online shopping cart ahead of the holidays
• Google Messages adding ‘enhanced protection mode’ as Android works to combat phone scam

01:10:49 - COMMUNITY FEEDBACK

• Tom asks how the crew deals with Pixel video falling short of the iPhone and whether Video Boost is a practical solution
• Bryan sends in audio of Gemini on Android Auto reading “ETA” as a mysterious phrase in another language
• Wil asks why some Google app notifications require a fingerprint to open after updating to One UI 9

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It's a rare week in the world of Android where we don't talk THAT much about phones and yet still have a ton of new hardware devices to discuss. Instead this week Jason Howell, Huyen Tue Dao and Ron Richards wrestle with the newness of the Googlebook still and ponder Amazon's Android decisions and celebrate potential new Google TV Streaming devices and yet another fitness tracker.

BIG NEWS: Subscribe to our NEW YouTube Channel at youtube.com/@androidfaithfulpodcast

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00:07:19 - NEWS

• Sales keep dropping and yet we haven't hit bottom yet as Smartphone shipments drop another 20%
• Indie developer teams Smart Launcher and Kustom Industries have joined forces to create Wild Pixels
• PATRON PICK: Hey, we DID discuss a phone! The Oppo Find X10 Pro Max!

00:29:26 - HARDWARE

• More people are spending more time with their Googlebooks and the criticisms are starting to come out
• Amazon unveils a new line of tablets called Alexa Tablets! And they're not called Fire Tablets and they run Android!
• Details are beginning to emerge on the next gen Google TV Streamer and they're pretty interesting!
• The Google Fitbit Edge is finally formally announced by Google and well, it's a fitness tracker.

01:05:44 - APPS 'n SOFTWARE 'n STUFF

• The Google Play Store is making moves around discovery of Games and making big changes to the Car experience
• Nothing OS 5.0 brings Android 17 in the Nothing flavor to Nothing phones.
• Wait no longer! Pixel 10s and Pixel 10As finally get LineageOS support

01:16:52 - COMMUNITY FEEDBACK

• Jared points out that Shannon was right last week about the big three mobile carriers motivations in bringing coverage to uncovered areas
• Robert from Alaska writes in to commiserate with Zip from last week about the Assistant to Gemini transition
• Tharanga from Melbourne, Australia sends in a detailed review of his Pixel 11 Pro Fold

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We're very excited to welcome back Shannon Morse back to the show and just in time as Ron Richards got his hands on a Googlebook and he's ready to show it off to Huyen Tue Dao and Jason Howell and the rest of the Android Faithful!

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00:06:58 - NEWS

• The Android Developer Verification program has begun, how will the world change?
• Has hell frozen over? The big three mobile carriers are working together to bring service to dead zones...but why?
• Sad news in Android media as Android Central is faced with massive layoffs
• PATRON PICK: Google Japan is at it again, this time with a wacky conveyor belt keyboard!

00:39:18 - HARDWARE

• Hands on with the HP Googlebook 14
• How much do you miss the BlackBerry? Well if you open your wallet, you could relive the magic.
• The Google Pixel phone is 10 years old - can you believe it's been 10 years? We can't.

01:11:17 - APPS 'n SOFTWARE 'n STUFF

• Guided Vision mode in Gemini is pretty amazing and great for low vision and blind people.
• Want to make 3D Models in Android? Now with Blender, you can! And you can't on iOS (for a little bit at least!)

01:17:57 - COMMUNITY FEEDBACK

• Wil in Tigard, Oregon has got a couple of dead devices thanks to Google Assistant going away
• Mark Zip is has got a solution to Google Assistant going away in favor of Gemini and runing all his routines
• Jeff in Knoxville, Tennessee is not a fan of the recent changes to the news feed in Google Discover

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Jason Howell returns from the Qualcomm Snapdragon Summit in Hawaii and Ron Richards and Huyen Tue Dao are not jealous at all, in fact they want to hear all about the exciting new technologies and new phones he saw there. That plus more Gemini insanity gets dealt with as we wind down Bugdroids in Bucket Hats month here on Android Faithful!

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00:06:39 - NEWS

• It's time to start talking Android 18 as Google just dropped the first hint about it...
• And we have the first official non-Pixel phone running GrapheneOS...from Motorola!
• It's a bold new future for F-Droid as they announce F-Droid 2.0
• PATRON PICK: Beware! Your Android phone will no longer protect you from walking into a pole

00:33:00 - HARDWARE

• Jason reports on the cool phones he saw at the Qualcomm Snapdragon Summit from Xiaomi, Oppo, Motorola and more!
• Thanks to our interview last week, people went hunting for the Googlebook easter egg. Oh and it looks like Chromebooks will be moving to Googlebooks after all!
• Details and specs have emerged for the Motorola Wide Foldable
• Bigger batteries are becoming the norm, like on the new Honor Magic 9 Pro Max

01:00:58 - APPS 'n SOFTWARE 'n STUFF

• Gemini can now make phone calls. Yes, phone calls. Can't make this stuff up.
• And now Google Messages wants to chat with you. And there's a bug in Google Messages that might be ruining your photos!
• Adobe brings Premiere to Android!

01:17:17 - COMMUNITY FEEDBACK

• Chris Barrett wants to know if the iPhone Duo will have an impact on foldable apps?
• Zip is dealing with the finality of Assistant going away in favor of Gemini on Android

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The wait is over as Google finally unveils and rolls out the Googlebook line of premium laptops! We've got all the details plus an exclusive interview with Alexander Kuscher, Sr. Director of Product for Laptops & Tablets at Google to in-depth on the new line of devices and what it means for Android users. Ron Richards breaks it all down for Huyen Tue Dao and Florence Ion, along with the rest of this week's Android news PLUS Jason Howell checks in from Hawaii direct from the Snapdragon Summit with the latest news from the event!

September Special - get 10% off supporting Android Faithful on Patreon with code AFSEPT and enter to win a Google Swag giveaway at the end of the month!

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00:05:22 - HARDWARE

• The full details on the Googlebook and the line of laptops from all the OEMs like HP, Asus, Lenovo, Acer and Dell and what it means for Android users.
• And what is the critical reaction to the new Android-focused laptop?

00:26:20 - INTERVIEW

• Alexander Kuscher, Sr. Director of Product for Laptops & Tablets at Google gives us the inside look on what went into the development of the Googlebook and who this laptop is made for and what you can do with it.

01:06:03 - NEWS

• Samsung's new position is MORE FOLDABLES! Plus OneUI 9 with Android 17 begins rolling out
• A tale of David vs Goliaths as a little company is trying to get Samsung, Apple and Google devices banned in the US
• Clicks Communicators pre-orders begin and they get a bump up in specs at no extra cost?
• Jason Howell visits us from Hawaii to report on the news from the Snapdragon Summit and a give a peek at the new Motorola Signature 27
• PATRON PICK: Google's back to talking about Emoji design and this time getting a little cheeky and NSFW

01:39:30 - COMMUNITY FEEDBACK

• Kevin had a Surface Duo and looks back on it fondly
• Gary from Houston spotted a Pixel 11 in the wild on a soap opera

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The unthinkable has happened! We're talking about a new Apple iPhone on the show this week with a very special guest! None other than Tom Merritt of the Daily Tech News Show joins the show to chat about the new iPhone Duo and what it means for the world of Android with Jason Howell and Ron Richards. Will we ever be the same?!?

September Special - get 10% off supporting Android Faithful on Patreon with code AFSEPT and enter to win a Google Swag giveaway at the end of the month!

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00:05:31 - NEWS

• The iPhone Duo is here, how does it stack up against other Foldables? Also that cool iPhone Duo transition? Yeah someone replicated it on a Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8
• The flagship chip game gets a new entrant with the MediaTek Dimensity 9600 Pro
• One critique of Passkeys gets undone as Google is rolling out the ability to transfer passkeys between devices
• PATRON PICK: Rambler is so cool but it's a Pixel Exclusive, so SwiftKey went and copied Rambler and made it available to all Android devices

00:44:52 - HARDWARE

• Not to be left out, Motorola makes it official and unveils their passport style foldable
• Curious what's inside the Honor Robot Phone? Watch JerryRigEverything tear one apart
• Pour one out for the Pixel Tablet, looks like it's cooked and not coming back

00:54:49 - APPS 'n SOFTWARE 'n STUFF

• Weird stuff is going on with Google Maps as the Speedometer and Traffic Overlays are disappearing for users.
• It's the September 2026 Google Pixel...DROP
• And we've also got the Android 17 QPR1 release details

01:08:58 - COMMUNITY FEEDBACK

• Tom from Manhattan is a OnePlus loyalist looking for a new phone that isn't a Pixel
• Nik is having RCS cause havoc on his phone
• Jon in Minneapolis uses LineageOS and did some research behind his troubles with RCS and it's pretty fascinating

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Huyen Tue Dao returns from Japan just in time to join Jason Howell and Ron Richards as something happens on the podcast that's NEVER happened before! Thankfully IFA brings about some wacky news in the world of Android for us to delight in along the way!

September Special - get 10% off supporting Android Faithful on Patreon with code AFSEPT and enter to win a Google Swag giveaway at the end of the month!

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00:05:29 - NEWS

• Want to try Nothing's new products early? Now's your chance!
• Gaming on Android is about to change forever thanks to AI Upscaling
• Alert! Do you use WhatsApp? Well, turns out it can access your photos without unlocking your device...what?
• PATRON PICK #1: This crazy Android phone features a detachable action camera for $999 AND is available in the US!
• PATRON PICK #2: TCL’s new Nxtpaper phone offers both e-reader and OLED

00:41:35 - HARDWARE

• The Enough phone has got target specs and they look to be...just enough
• Now Motorola's got a wide foldable and we've got a first look at it AND they're back with a Moto WearOS watch too!
• Is your Galaxy Z Fold 8 soft? Not emotionally, but in the corners? Then you're not alone.

01:01:41 - APPS 'n SOFTWARE 'n STUFF

• MapQuest is BACK BABY!
• Google says let's do it LIVE and rolls out GMail Live, Docs Live, and Keep Live. Everyone is going LIVE!
• Thankfully Google is rolling out a fix for that pesky bug in Google Messages that was sending old texts to other people. Good cause that was hella awkward.

01:09:33 - COMMUNITY FEEDBACK

• Chad writes in that it's been a while since he and his wife have upgraded and are looking for advice
• Harry from Florida had a pretty bad experience upgrading to the Pixel 11 via Google unfortunately

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It's time to ride into fall with our Bucket Hats on our Bugdroids as Jason, Flo and Ron navigate a quiet week in the world of Android as the world awaits Apple to "invent" the foldable phone. But we know better, don't we. Still, we find some time for some interesting Android news and discussion this week along with a September Android....DROP!

September Special - get 10% off supporting Android Faithful on Patreon with code AFSEPT and enter to win a Google Swag giveaway at the end of the month!

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00:08:22 - NEWS

• Foldables are primed to explode with shipments doubling by 2028, but Flippables? Not so much.
• Age Verification laws in California won't affect Linux/GPL License based software
• The dreaded AI Memory Crunch is coming for Android Apps. When will the madness end?
• PATRON PICK: The perfect Android phone exists and it's made by Sony, but there's some issues...

00:38:15 - HARDWARE

• What up fans! It's time for the Samsung Galaxy S26 FE!
• How does the Pixel Fold Pro 11 stack up? Not so great it seems...
• Have you ever seen a more stylish tri-fold than the Huawei Mate XT 2?

00:53:46 - APPS 'n SOFTWARE 'n STUFF

• It's the Android September Feature DROP!
• That's not all that's dropping, Android 17 QPR2 Beta 4 dropped!
• Who says Google can't do whimsy? Froggy says Google can do whimsy!
• Drama with GrapheneOS and Google as GrapheneOS skips the Pixel 11 over the lack of MTE

01:16:14 - COMMUNITY FEEDBACK

• Craig writes in with some gripes about the new phone transfer process hiccups
• Jeremy has some RCS issues to report
• Daniel checks in on his audio volume issue and why he's not upgrading his Pixel Fold 9

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This episode is sponsored by TORRAS.

Jason, Flo are reunited with Ron who has tales of the Pixel and Friends Made By Google 2026 After Party in New York City and the gang all weigh in on the Pixel 11 lineup up of phones with our official Android Faithful review and the results may surprise you!

This episode of Android Faithful is brought to you by TORRAS. The Pixel 11 is coming, and you'll want it protected from day one. Buy the TORRAS Q3 Air for the Pixel 11 Pro XL on Amazon today at https://amzn.to/3TDn5gC and use promo code JASON2608 at checkout for 15% off. Thanks to TORRAS for supporting Android Faithful!

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00:12:14 - NEWS

• More bad news on the horizon with sales numbers, but hey Samsung looks to be #1 again!
• And now Xiaomi is getting in on the "make your own chips" game
• RCS being glitchy for you? Don't worry, Google is on the case and they're working with the carriers to fix it
• PATRON PICK: Now you can customize Discover and News audio briefings on Google with chat!

00:39:38 - HARDWARE

• The official Android Faithful Google Pixel 11, 11 Pro and 11 Pro XL Review!
• Google announces the Googlebook unveiling event in NYC on September 15
• Motorola phones running GrapheneOS will launch in 2027!

01:14:48 - APPS 'n SOFTWARE 'n STUFF

• Puke no more! Google's motion sickness feature is finally rolling out
• What the heck is Android Pulse? Spoiler: it's boring
• Someone hacked HiLight already, because of course they did

01:22:24 - COMMUNITY FEEDBACK

• Derek from Illinois weighs in on Gemini and the other AI's popularity
• Tom from Colorado sends a very lengthy, thoughtful missive about Rambler, Data Privacy and how we screwed it all up

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This episode is sponsored by TORRAS.

Jason, Huyen, and Flo question what a user actually is in the world of Gemini, give their... ahem... IMPRESSIONS of the Pixel 11 family one week in, and marvel at reviews of the Honor Robot Phone that say the gimbal camera isn't a gimmick at all. We'll believe it when we get it for review!

This episode of Android Faithful is brought to you by TORRAS. The Pixel 11 is coming, and you'll want it protected from day one. Buy the TORRAS Q3 Air for the Pixel 11 Pro XL on Amazon today at https://amzn.to/3TDn5gC and use promo code JASON2608 at checkout for 15% off. Thanks to TORRAS for supporting Android Faithful!

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00:06:14 - NEWS

• ‘That is not acceptable’: Judge orders Google to make rival app store installs easier
• Gemini becomes Google’s fastest-growing product ever as it hits 1B users
• Google Pixel strategy is now ‘attack,’ 13 million phones in 2026, ending China production
• PATRON PICK: This developer setting was keeping my Android phone awake for no good reason

00:40:58 - HARDWARE

• Pixel 11 impressions
• The Fairphone (Gen 6+) costs $650, but its repairability makes it better value than a flagship
• Fairphone officially starts selling its new repairable Android phone in the US for $649
• Honor launches Robot Phone in China with 200MP titanium gimbal camera
• Honor’s Robot Phone is better than a gimbal in a phone has any right to be
• Honor Robot Phone Hands-On: This Isn’t a Gimmick

01:03:53 - APPS 'n SOFTWARE 'n STUFF

• Google's Gemini finally arrives in Chrome for all US Android users, with a powerful new trick for subscribers
• Here’s everything new in Android 17 QPR2 Beta 3 [Gallery]
• Gboard could soon show this fun animation when your typing hits hyperspeed
• Gboard is cooking up a speedy new way to add content to messages
• Gboard Rambler has a usage limit, and here's what happens when you reach it

01:16:35 - COMMUNITY FEEDBACK

• Ron, Michael, Craig all shared why they will miss Google Assistant in the Gemini era
• Shawn took Android Faithful to South Korea!

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