Google Pixel Hub

Gemini 3 Deep Think: Advancing science, research and engineering
- Better performance and reasonings while dealing with maths and programming problems.
- Excels in scientific domains such as chemistry and physics.
- Capable of handling engineering tasks.
- Available for Google AI Ultra subscribers and select researchers, engineers and enterprises via Gemini API (early access).

More info: Google Blog
#Apps #Gemini @PixelHubUpdates

Gmail for Android now lets you create labels
- Google finally adds a simple menu option which let you create labels on the go on the Android app.
- However, color customisation is still not possible within it.
- To edit or delete a specific label, head over to Settings > Gmail address > Notifications > Manage labels.
- Note: This feature is rolling out via server side.

#Apps #Gmail @PixelHubUpdates

Android 17 Beta 1 announced
- Google has announced Android 17 Beta 1 is coming soon.
- If you want to receive Android 16 QPR3 stable release without wiping your data, you need to opt-out your devices from the Beta program, ignore the downgrade OTA update, and wait for the public release.
- Rest of the devices will automatically receive Android 17 Beta 1 once available and will only be able to opt-out without a data wipe until June 2026, the estimated time for Android 17 stable release.

Source: Reddit
#News #Android @PixelHubUpdates

Android 16 QPR3 Beta 2.1
- Build ID: CP11.251209.009.A1, CP11.251209.009 (Pixel 6 Pro, Pixel 6, Pixel 6a, Pixel 7 Pro, Pixel 7)
- January 2026 Security Patch (December 2025 for Pixel 6 series, Pixel 7, and Pixel 7 Pro)
- Play Services: 25.47.33

Download: Factory Images | OTA Images | GSI
Changes: Android Developers
#Updates #A16 #Beta #Pixel @PixelHubUpdates

Lyrics in YouTube Music may require a Premium subscription

Google is experimenting with locking YouTube Music lyrics behind paywall aka YouTube Premium Subscription.

Basically, YouTube music will only let you see the lyrics of the song "partially".
Users get only 5 free lyrics before they have to subscribe. When that happens, you’ll only see the first few lines, with everything else blurred and unscrollable.

Google told Ars Technica that no final decisions have been made about this feature, and the number of free lyric views will vary across the test. However, this "testing" has expanded considerably in recent days and lot of users are seeing the lyrics being paywalled now.

We are running an experiment with a small percentage of ad-supported users that may impact their ability to access the lyrics feature repeatedly. We often run experiments on YouTube Music to better inform our decisions around feature improvements. The majority of our global users will not see any changes to the lyrics feature.

Follow @TechLeaksZone

LineageOS 23.2 for Pixel 4 and newer devices
- LineageOS 23.2 based on Android 16 QPR2 is officially released; 146 (+1 from 22.2) devices previously on 23.0 are promoted.
- Among the devices are Pixel devices from Pixel 4 to Pixel 9 series, alongside Pixel Fold and Pixel Tablet.
- Eligible devices running 23.0 official builds will receive an OTA update as soon as it is available.
- With AOSP source code dropping every six months, LineageOS will only release a new point release every six months.

What's New
- Material 3 Expressive that was previously absent in 23.0, and all other goodies that were added in QPR1 and QPR2.
- The Updater app will be receiving a completely redesigned UI, improved update management, delightful animations and various bugs fixed.
- Additionally, Twelve (Music) and ExactCalculator also receive Material 3 Expressive UI design; other apps will be receiving it in the near future (specifically DeskClock).

More info: LineageOS
#News #LineageOS @PixelHubUpdates

Pixel 10a announced: Pre-order starting February 18 in Google Store
#Pixel #Pixel10a @PixelHubUpdates

Alphabet's Q4 2025 earnings
- Q4 2025: $113.83B (up by $17.36B compared with Q4 2024: $96.47B)
- 750M+ monthly active users on Gemini App
- 325M+ paid consumer subscriptions

More info: Google Blog
#News #Alphabet @PixelHubUpdates

February 2026 Android 16 Pixel Update
- Build ID: BP4A.260205.001, BP4A.260205.002 (Pixel 9 series)
- This update excludes Pixel 6 series, Pixel 7, and Pixel 7 Pro
- Zero bug fixes, only one security patch related to VPU Driver is listed under Pixel Security Bulletin with high severity (CVE-2026-0106)

Download: Factory Images | OTA Images
Changes: Pixel Community | Android Security Bulletin | Pixel Security Bulletin
#Updates #A16 #Pixel @PixelHubUpdates

Android Distribution Usage as of December 2025
Android 16: 7.5%
Android 15: 19.3%
Android 14: 17.2%
Android 13: 13.9%
Android 12: 11.4%
Android 11: 13.7%
Android 10: 7.8%
Android 9 / Pie: 4.5%
Android 8.1 / Oreo: 2.3%
Android 8 / Oreo: 0.8%
Android 7.1 / Nougat: 0.4%
Android 7 / Nougat: 0.4%
Android 6 / Marshmallow: 0.4%
Android 5.1 / Lollipop: 0.3%
Android 5 / Lollipop: 0.1%

Source: 9To5Google
#News #Android @PixelHubUpdates

Gemini in Chrome: Side panel & Auto browse
Side panel
- Access Gemini from the side panel while browsing the tab you are currently on.
- Nano Banana is integrated into the browser so you can just share your screen and enter the prompt to get the image you want (clicking on the generated image open it in a new tab).
- Connected Apps feature is also available once enabled in Gemini settings, allowing for integrations across Google products.
- Personal Intelligence can give relevant answers that is uniquely tailored to you, available in the coming months.
- These features are arriving on Windows, macOS, and ChromeOS.

Auto browse
- Handle multi-step chores on your behalf after prompting Gemini.
- Once activated, a glow shows up around the webpage, with the instructions listed in the sidebar.
- Tasks like masking a purchase or posting on social media require your explicit confirmation.
- Available as preview for AI Pro and AI Ultra subscribers in the U.S.

More info: Google Blog
#Apps #Chrome #Gemini @PixelHubUpdates

New Android Theft Protection fearures
Improvements coming to Android 16+
- A toggle for Failed Authentication Lock: Decides whether to lock the device after several incorrect authentication attempts (enabled in Android 15+ devices by default).
- Identity Check (utilize biometric authentication outside of trusted places) has been expanded to cover all services that use biometric authentication, including third-party apps.
- Lockout time has been increased after several failed attempts; identical incorrect guesses won't count towards your retry limit so you won't be locked out by mistake.

Miscellaneous
- Remote Lock let you add optional security question or challenge, so it can only be activated by the real owner, available for Android 10+ devices.
- In Brazil, Theft Detection Lock and Remote Lock is enabled by default for new Android devices.

More info: Google Security Blog
#Android @PixelHubUpdates

Miscellaneous Jan 2026 updates from Google
- YouTube Music syncs queue: Queue should now sync seamlessly, the last play session will be prioritised
- Personal Intelligence in AI Mode: Rolling out to AI Pro and AI Ultra subscribers in the U.S. via Labs
- Better AI Overviews for everyone: Powered by Gemini 3 and seamlessly continue the conversation (on mobile) in AI Mode
- Google AI Plus rolling out worldwide: Available for $7.99/month, 50% off limited-time offer for the first 2 months of the subscription; Google One Premium 2TB gets extra benefits that are offered in AI Plus
- Google Developer Program (GDP) for AI Pro and AI Ultra subscribers: $10/month Google Cloud credits for AI Pro; $100/month for AI Ultra, bundled in subscription
- Agentic Vision in Gemini 3 Flash: Capable of inspecting small details, annotating, and parse high-density tables in images with Python, available via Gemini API in AI Studio and Vertex AI
- YouTube Rewind is gone forever: All YouTube Rewind videos from 2010-2019 had just been made private after being unlisted last month.
- Gemini in Google Maps for walking and cycling: Talk to Gemini while you are on your way to somewhere safely.
- Pixel Tablet support extended: The tablet will receive guarantee updates till June 2028 (previously June 2026).

#Misc #YTMusic #Search #One #Gemini #YouTube @PixelHubUpdates

Android Desktop (AluminumOS) screen recording footage leak
- This was accidentally leaked via the Chromium Issue Tracker which has later turned private.
- Tested on HP Elite Dragonfly 13.5 Chromebook, powered by 12th Gen Intel Core Alder Lake-U processor; running Android 16 (ZL1A.260119.001.A1).
- Status bar allows time with seconds and date to be shown on the left side; with rest of the controls such as keyboard language, notification center, Gemini (shortcut?) icon on the right side.
- Similar interface and interactions as ChromeOS.

#Android @PixelHubUpdates

January 2026 update potentially breaks connectivity features on Pixel
- There are reports that Wi-Fi and Bluetooth stop working for some Pixel owners who are on the latest January 2026 update.
- Affected models include but are not limited to Pixel 8 Pro, Pixel 10, Pixel 10 Pro, and Pixel 10 Pro XL.
- One report on Issue Tracker suggests Google Play Services could be the culprit.
- Additionally, camera is reportedly not working for some Pixel 10 Pro users.
- When using Quick Share to transfer files with an Apple device on Pixel 10 series, the Wi-Fi. connection will be dropped (so far it is not resolved since its debut).
- P.S. Microsoft apps that crashed earlier in QPR3 Beta builds should now be working.

#News #Pixel @PixelHubUpdates

Gemini: Personal Intelligence & Veo 3.1 Ingredient to Video
Personal Intelligence
- Retrieve available information of yours from various services by Google and deliver them in a few taps
- Opt out of personalised conversations by regenerating responses or using temporary chats
- The experience is off by default, with the option to disable any time
- All of the data are processed within Google's data centers, with Google promising not to use them for training their Gemini models
- First available in the U.S. for Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers (personal accounts only), coming to more regions and free tier soon

Gemini App usage limit (updated)
- AI Plus: 30 prompts/day (Pro); 90 prompts/day (Thinking)
- AI Pro: 100 prompts/day (Pro); 300 prompts/day (Thinking)
- AI Ultra: 500 prompts/day (Pro); 1500 prompts/day (Thinking)

Veo 3.1 Ingredients to Video
- Better consistency while handling characters, backgrounds, and objects
- Generate vertical videos in 9:16 aspect ratio
- Upscale video resolution to 4K, existing 1080p option gains improvements
- The model is also available via YouTube Shorts and the YouTube Create app

TranslateGemma
- Open source translation models built on Gemma 3, available in 4B (mobile), 12B (laptop), and 27B (maximum fidelity) parameter sizes
- Support 55 core language pairs with high-quality performance, alongside an additional 500 language pairs
- Available on Kaggle and Hugging Face, with the option to deploy in Vertex AI

More info: Google Blog (2, 3) | Gemini Apps Help
#Apps #Gemini #Veo @PixelHubUpdates

Android 16 QPR3 Beta 2
- Build ID: CP11.251209.007.A1, CP11.251209.007 (Pixel 6 Pro, Pixel 6, Pixel 6a, Pixel 7 Pro, Pixel 7)
- January 2026 Security Patch (December 2025 for Pixel 6 series, Pixel 7, and Pixel 7 Pro)
- Play Services: 25.47.33
- Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro gains AirDrop compatibility support (access not available yet)

Fixes:
- App drawer becomes unresponsive when scrolling
- Android Auto incorrectly logs extensive screen time, impacting battery life
- Graphical glitches and performance degradation when interacting with the notification shade in full-screen or PiP modes
- Excessive battery drain issue occurring overnight
- Battery charging limit not being respected
- Wi-Fi connection bug that causes slow internet speeds
- A crash when accessing radio information settings
- Delay and lack of feedback when switching audio outputs to speakerphone during calls
- Display flickering issue when waking the device from AOD
- Application startup issue, including Microsoft applications managed by Intune
- Broken and slow wireless charging
- System crashes that occurred when folding a foldable device with an app open

Download: Factory Images | OTA Images | GSI
Changes: Android Developers
#Updates #A16 #Beta #Pixel @PixelHubUpdates

Quarterly software update for the remaining two years on Pixel
If you owned an older Pixel device that is still receiving updates, you might not be surprised how Google is releasing updates inconsistently. After 6 months of observing the patterns, some are able to tell that Google might have switched to a quarterly update model, and that is actually the case here.

The change is noticeable when Google did not release builds for the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro initially last July. This is also when Google started to not include all the security patches but only the critical ones monthly, with rest of the patches released quarterly.

According to the words of the support team, Pixel devices will be switching to a quarterly update cadence when the phone had about 24 months of support remaining. This explains why this month's update had excluded Pixel 6 series, Pixel 7, and Pixel 7 Pro. Just like the case for security patches, Google might release builds outside of the quarterly cycle if they deemed it "critical."

In short, this means older supported Pixel devices will continue to receive Android OS upgrade and QPRs update, whichever is applicable, alongside Pixel Drop. They just won't receive monthly fixes and security patches anymore.

#News #Pixel @PixelHubUpdates

January 2026 Android 16 Pixel Update
- Build ID: BP4A.260105.004.E1
- This update excludes Pixel 6 series, Pixel 7, and Pixel 7 Pro
- Audio: Fix for noisy ringback tones experienced during Webex calls under certain conditions
- Battery & Charging [except Pixel 7a]: Fix for issue with battery draining in certain conditions
- Display & Graphics [Pixel 10 series]: Fix for issue with AOD flickering under certain conditions
- Display & Graphics [Pixel 10 series]: Fix for noisy lines flashing on the screen when editing HDR photos in the Adobe Lightroom app under certain conditions
- Display & Graphics [Pixel 10 series]: General improvements for GPU performance in certain conditions
- Touch [Pixel 10 series]: Fix for issue with touchscreen randomly stops working in certain conditions
- User Interface: Fix for an issue where deleting a Live Universe wallpaper could occasionally cause the Wallpaper and style app to become unusable until the device is rebooted

Download: Factory Images | OTA Images
Changes: Pixel Community | Android Security Bulletin | Pixel Security Bulletin
#Updates #A16 #Pixel @PixelHubUpdates