There are views that prove that exactly 12 people are interested. Twitterbut we never could have imagined how loud a dozen people would be in the comments section when Elon Musk’s name came up. It’s gotten to the point where it’s hard to find writers who are willing to use harsh language just to document change for posterity. But this is our weekly news column, written by a moderator with access to a shadowban button, so those tactics have no teeth here, and posterity will no doubt remember some of these questionable decisions. need to hear about.
Beyond the Billionaire App drama, the week in the mobile industry was full of ups and downs. Google had a tough time in court earlier in the week, but it came out of the trial without incident, causing some internal turmoil along the way. Meanwhile, Google Photos seems to have entered a new era of development, with new shiny phones set to arrive all the time, so there’s still plenty of positivity in the top headlines from the past seven days.
Last week on mobile
YouTube’s ‘you’ shows who Google put the screws on in last week’s news
AdRevenueTube might be a better name these days
As classic Twitter continues to decline, Bluesky is eyeing mass adoption.
×? Similar to FAFO
Elon Musk has been considering this idea for months, but X’s blocking feature is currently more focused on silencing people than keeping them away. Shortly after purchasing the platform, Musk declared that “blocks, with the exception of DMs, will be removed as a ‘feature.'” This received a lot of backlash, but about six months later he reiterated that idea, saying, “’Blocking’ public posts doesn’t do any good. It’s time to abolish it,” he tweeted.
X has implemented this change so that users you have blocked will be able to see your public posts again. Previously, blocked users could view these posts using their writing account, but with this change, no additional steps are required.
As soon as X made this change, competing platform Bluesky saw a huge increase in users, to the point where it was creating 500,000 new accounts per day. There is a point in the lifecycle of a technology adoption when a new device or service reaches a level of market saturation and widespread success becomes inevitable. I get a little poetic when it turns out that Bluesky just hit this tipping point of mass adoption and X can’t do it anymore. Please ignore it.
main story
X users appear to be flocking to Bluesky after Twitter’s latest furore
Is this the turning point?
Regulators take on Google
You need to master the app if you know what I mean.
There are two pending lawsuits that could have a major impact on the Android ecosystem. They are Epic v. Google and the U.S. Department of Justice’s antitrust case over the company’s search dominance. Earlier this month, the gavel was handed down in the Epic case, and the presiding judge gave Google 30 days to make some important changes to the Play Store.
This week, Google will appeal the court’s ruling and implement these changes, arguing that Apple has a 90-day compliance obligation in Epic’s lawsuit against the iPhone maker and that the plaintiffs have not challenged the 90-day deadline. asked for more time to do so. The court refused to grant a permanent suspension, but gave Google time to finish this week so the company won’t have to implement some of the mandated changes while the case awaits appeal. However, starting next month, Google will no longer be able to enter into agreements with carriers or OEMs to block other app stores from being preinstalled on Android devices.
main story
Google wants to suspend Play Store changes made by Epic’s ruling pending appeal
The judge’s ruling gave a limited time limit.
Google Photos is on track
Four new features discovered during development this week
It’s subtle and easy to overlook, but there’s a natural ebb and flow in app development when engineers switch from the implementation phase to idea generation, and things are definitely flowing with Google Photos right now.
First, a new video player UI with a modern look and additional buttons was discovered during development. Then the “enhance” feature we saw earlier appeared again, but this time it appears you can apply filters when sharing images. It was then suggested that the new “Memories” tab would soon be renamed “Timeline”, but “Memories” itself would remain the same. And just when I thought I’d seen it all, as the week drew to a close, the Google Photos website turned on automatic desktop backups.
main story
Google Photos can now automatically back up files from your desktop
Save your favorite memories on cloud nine
Google’s internal reorganization creates a rift between Assistant and Gemini
Gemini is the new Assistant, Assistant is the new Google Home
In the section above about Google facing regulatory pressures, we mentioned as an aside the company’s pending antitrust case, but this section may be more than just a tangent. In a move that largely reflects the Justice Department’s opinion that last week recommended that Google be broken up, the company has recently been reorganizing itself internally.
Earlier this year, Google’s parent company Alphabet created its DeepMind division to bring its growing AI and machine learning teams under one umbrella. The company then created a new Platforms & Devices division that includes Android, Chrome, ChromeOS, Nest, and Google’s Pixel hardware division.
Today, CEO Sundar Pichai announced that members of the Google Assistant team will be moving to Platforms & Devices to continue supporting smart home needs, and the Gemini apps team will be moving to DeepMind. While this may create further dichotomy in Google’s already disruptive digital assistant product in the short term, we are optimistic about the long-term potential of these changes.
main story
The gap between Google’s Gemini and Assistant teams has grown even larger.
Assistant joins Devices, Gemini moves to DeepMind
Some exciting phones are coming
Expect more news from Nothing, OnePlus, and Samsung soon
Usually this time of year is when Google gets a lot of attention with its new Pixel smartphones, but the 2024 Made By Google event was held a few months early. So it looks like there’s a lull in the smartphone release cycle, with some big names vying for our attention over the next month or so.
First up is Samsung’s slimmer Galaxy Z Fold 6 Special Edition, which is set to debut early next week ahead of limited availability in China and South Korea. And there’s also a fun new glow-in-the-dark version of the Nothing Phone 2a coming, which should be released the day before Halloween. But perhaps the most exciting upcoming phone confirmed this week is the OnePlus 13. This was leaked in live photos shortly after it was revealed that it would likely feature new display technology never seen before.
main story
Samsung’s better, slimmer Galaxy Z Fold 6 will debut on October 21st
It’s almost here
