The social media news cycle was on meth this week. We don't know how else to say it. Twitter and Reddit continue their slow-motion meltdowns while Mark Zuckerberg actually comes out the winner for once. This episode of the Android Police podcast is dominated by Threads and where the yarn goes from here. 02:46 | ThreadsJoin Instagram Threads beta program on Play Store to test drive upcoming featuresYou can't delete your Threads profile without deleting your whole InstagramHow to use Meta's Threads app without sacrificing your privacyWeekend poll: Did you sign up for Threads? 
28:04 | TrimmingsSamsung announces its next foldables on July 26, but you can save $50 by reserving yours right nowEnjoy the Samsung Unpacked lineup from all angles and in all colors ahead of launchGoogle might not go full-custom with its Tensor chips until 2025
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It'd be nice to get a momentum shift in the news, but for as long as it's the apparent elephant in the room, we're talking once again about Google and AI on the Android Police podcast. This week, it's the company's response to users and the publishers who have come to rely on search traffic to keep their sites alive. We'll also pull a few new Android 15 features that we're glad to see and, if we make it past the first-cup crash, we'll get to beat down on Sony for some Overwatch clones and praise it for Astro Bot! 02:11 | Google to websites: Go eat glue and rocksGoogle says it's fixing those odd AI Overviews that told people to eat glue and rocksOpenAI signs deals with Vox, the Atlantic to put news into ChatGPT - The Washington PostMassive Google Search leak unearths treasure trove of SEO dataGoogle won’t comment on a potentially massive leak of its search algorithm documentation - The Verge
29:00 | Android 15Google's newest Android features get you RCS message editing, instant hotspot, and moreGoogle Home widgets will bring one-tap controls to your Android homescreen
38:06 | State of PlayThe incredibly charming Astro Bot launches on the PS5 in September - The Verge
Our regular hosts are Daniel Bader and Will Sattelberg. Our editor is Jules Wang. Android Police lives here. Reach out to us at podcast@androidpolice.com Music - "18" and "34" by HOME licensed under CC BY 3.0

Game of the Decade: Threes

To think that the lowly internet commenter is being done wrong by multi-million-, even multi-billion-dollar brands. Why, perish such sacrilege! You see, there's a certain unease on this week's Android Police podcast as Will and Daniel trickle through how Sonos is banking heavily on some poorly-formed assumptions about its customer base and how Microsoft and Google are overcommitted to making money off of their investments sunk into artificial intelligence. Before all of that, we recap our first-round impressions of the Pixel 8a. 01:48 | AI isn't itGoogle's AI-packed I/O keynote was missing the one thing I actually wanted to seeGoogle Pixel 8a review: A great phone that I'm not sure you should buyThe Pixel 8a might be my favorite Google phone yet, but I'm still not sure I can recommend it
29:44 | DeucesSonos finally enters a new market with $449 Ace headphonesPeople hate the new Sonos app even as company calls redesign 'courageous'Sonos' CEO has some regrets about the recent app redesign rolloutAndroid 15 Beta 2 brings back media volume controls for casting
49:43 | EncroachmentDell, HP, Lenovo, and more jump on the Snapdragon X train with Microsoft's Copilot+ AIHumane is looking for a buyer, just like the AI PinOne week in and Google's AI Overviews are already getting adsGoogle is in damage control mode following AI Overviews fiascoTurns out OpenAI's voice assistant sounding like Scarlett Johannsson wasn't much of a coincidence
Extra Links:Suicide Prevention Resources from OpenCounselingThe Spectacular Failure of the Star Wars Hotel | Jenny NicholsonWhat Does A Great Cup Of Coffee Taste Like? | James Hoffmann
Excerpts from Disney/Pixar, Annapurna Pictures/Stage 6 Films, OpenAI, and James Hoffmann. Our regular hosts are Daniel Bader and <a href="https://www.androidpolice.com/author/will-sattelberg/"...

Everyone is Losing the Redditor

This Android Police podcast, Will and Joe Maring, editor of the section dubbed Mobile for Digital Trends, are starved of sleep and proper equipment prior to sharing their thoughts about Google I/O 2024. If you've been living above ground for the past couple years, you know what this song and dance is working up to: more artificial intelligence promises, more asphalt for the road on which the kicked can lies, and extremely inadequate results that would probably make your parents think twice about sticking them on the fridge door. The good news is that you'll all get to try this smorgasbord in any case, so let's talk it through and prepare you for what you'll see.Google I/O 2024: Everything announced so farGoogle I/O 2024 showed how it wants Gemini to pull all its products togetherAt I/O 2024, the theme for Android's future was safety | Digital Trends
Gemini comes to Google Photos to supercharge search and curationGoogle Photos wants to stop memes from killing your feed's vibeMy Google Photos library is getting to be unmanageableAsk Photos is the AI-powered Google Photos tool I've been waiting for

I saw Google's 'vision for the future of AI assistants' at I/O, and I'm cautiously optimisticI saw Google's futuristic Project Astra, and it was jaw-dropping | Digital Trends

Google's AI-packed I/O keynote was missing the one thing I actually wanted to seeOpenAI releases GPT-4o, a faster model that’s free for all ChatGPT users - The VergeChatGPT will be able to talk to you like Scarlett Johansson in Her - The Verge
Audio excerpts from Disney/ABC and Bad Robot. You can also find Joe Maring on X. Our regular hosts are Daniel Bader and Will Sattelberg. Our editor is <a href="https://www.androidpolice.com/author/jules-wang/" rel="noopener noreferrer"...

For a Pessimist, I'm Artificially Intelligent

What did Apple have to say when it came to their iPads? Perhaps Paramore summed it up best in 2007.I know that your eyes are always glued to me, keeping them here and it makes no sense at all.So, what's the truth about the next-gen iPad Pro and, more importantly, the iPad Air with its 13-inch model, stagnant Liquid Retina screen spec, stubborn price-to-value ratio, and... oof, that really bad ad? Leave it up to the Android Police podcast to once again flip sides and talk all about it. Also up this week, some quick pre-review affirmations about the Pixel 8a and how American Idol may have funneled Americans right into the iMessage barrel. 01:56 | Better than 8a%The Pixel 8a is Google's cheapest phone to promise on-device AI and 7 years of updates — but only justPSA: Don't accidentally spend $499 on the Pixel 7a5 things Google changed on the Pixel 8a compared to the Pixel 8
15:08 | Welcome to Hydraulic Press ChannelWatch out Samsung, Apple just launched its first OLED iPadToo little, too late: Google is finally selling the Pixel Tablet without a dockThe cheaper Pixel Tablet still can't compete with Apple's entry-level iPadCrush! | iPad Pro | AppleiPhone 15 Storage | Don’t Let Me Go | AppleiPhone 15 Plus | Miss You | Apple
47:56 | Cowell HowlTikTok hits back at the US with a lawsuit of its ownMoto G Stylus 5G 2024 finally brings wireless charging to the midrange lineWhy I think American Idol may have helped Apple own text messaging
Excerpts from The ULULU Company/20th Television, Apple, Ethan Meixsell, and Peter Fenn. Our regular hosts are Daniel Bader and Will Sattelberg. Our editor is Jules Wang. Android Police lives <a href="https://androidpolice.com" rel="noopener noreferrer"...

You're Crushing It, Tim

Fresh ep. Time to jump the crevasse. This Android Police podcast, we're shooting down the Rabbit R1 and its ilk for good. We're also measuring up the stakes in TikTok's fight for survival in America. In the Google realms, the Pixel 8a is set for a cakewalk, Android 15 is firming up nicely (hopefully no odd ice crystals in the vanilla ice cream), and Will needs to cool down from all that screen time. Big and busy, that's how we like these shows. 02:35 | AI GadgetryHere’s the real story of the Rabbit R1's reported Android roots
32:26 | Social StrifeUS TikTok ban: How we got here and what happens nextByteDance would rather pull TikTok from the US if its legal efforts failMeta’s upgraded AI comes to WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook
40:39 | In AndroidThe Pixel 8a will reportedly cost the same as the Pixel 7aSamsung’s most powerful customization app comes to the Play Store
52:00 | A Clean FifteenAndroid 15 may finally allow you to force dark mode in any appAndroid 15 could stop you from leaking sensitive content while screen sharingAndroid 15 might have a less awkward landscape UI on phonesAndroid 15 is working on a clever solution for spammy notifications
Check out XDA's video on the legacy of the HTC One M8, ten years on! Excerpt from CH Media (Dropout). Our regular hosts are Daniel Bader and Will Sattelberg. Our editor is Jules Wang. Android Police lives here. Reach out to us at podcast@androidpolice.com Music - "18" and "34" by HOME licensed under CC BY 3.0

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