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It’ll be a major boost to the availability of Gemini features for iPhone users.
(Image credit: Google)
What you need to know
The public build of the Gemini app for iOS is getting Gemini 2.0 Experimental models before the Android version.
Gemini 2.0 Flash Experimental hit the Gemini app in the Android beta channel earlier this week.
Additionally, the iOS app supports more languages and extensions.
Google is continuing to roll out experimental features based on its Gemini 2.0 models, and now, the Gemini app for iOS is starting to get feature parity with its Android counterpart. According to the release notes, the latest Gemini app update landed on the App Store on December 18. Among them, Google included support for the experimental Gemini 2.0 model and support for two additional Gemini extensions.
Currently, updating toversion1.2024.4970016of the Gemini app for iOS adds the option for Gemini Advanced subscribers to use Gemini 2.0 Flash Experimental. This is an early version of Google’s smaller, lightweight AI model. Although the app’s release notes describe the update as adding support for “our latest experimental Gemini 2.0 models,” only 2.0 Flash Experimental appears to be live at the moment. The higher-end model,Gemini 2.0 Experimental, hit the Gemini web client Dec. 17 but isn’t available in the mobile app.
Notably, the Gemini app for iOS is receiving the Gemini 2.0 Flash Experimental model before the Android app. The functionalityreached beta testers this week, while it went straight to public release on the iOS version. It still requires Gemini Advanced, which costs $20 per month.
(Image credit: Google)
The iPhone app got a few other upgrades, too. It’s available in the following 11 new languages: Bulgarian, Estonian, Gujarati, Kannada, Latvian, Lithuanian, Malayalam, Serbian, Slovenian, Swahili, and Urdu. Additionally, Gemini Live support was added for the following 21 languages: Bengali, Chinese, Danish, Dutch, Gujarati, Hungarian, Kannada, Korean, Latvian, Lithuanian, Malayalam, Marathi, Norwegian Bokmål, Romanian, Slovenian, Swahili, Swedish, Tamil, Telugu, Ukrainian, and Urdu.
Gemini Advanced users can also agree to store their personal information to get better responses from Gemini. Plus, “conversation starters” are coming to the Gemini app for iOS for non-subscribers.
Two new extensions are arriving on the platform for the first time, too. TheGoogle Home extension launched on Android last month, and it’s now available for iOS. The same goes for the Google Photos extension.
As it tries to build up Gemini to compete with ChatGPT, it has done a decent job of bringing its best features to both versions of the Gemini mobile app — iOS and Android. This time around, the public build of the Gemini app for iOS is getting a hit feature before the Android version.
You can check your Oura Year in Review report now, while Oura has highlighted global trends for Oura users’ sleep, stress, and more.
What you need to know
Oura released its 2024 Year in Review report highlighting Oura Ring users’ Global Community Data.
New Zealand retained its 2023 crown for the country with the best sleep scores, followed by Australia and Sweden.
The United States is the “most stressed country,” with North Dakota topping the states.
You can check your personal 2024 trends in the Oura app’s Today tab, with monthly stats for steps, resilience, stress, and so on.
Oura Ring users looking for some insights into what went right (and wrong) in 2024 should open up their apps: Oura just released its 2024 Year in Review reports, with “personalized insights” based on your sleep, stress, and activity data this year.
The report will highlight your average sleep and wake times, and how those changed every month, noting if you weren’t consistent or formed bad habits over time, based on data from yourOura Ring 4orOura Ring 3.
The Oura Year in Review report will also indicate the times of day when you were most active (or stressed), your total steps and naps for the year, and whether your Cardiovascular age (relative to your real age) trended upwards or downwards in 2024.
(Image credit: Oura)
Outside of your personalized data, Oura is also releasing some curatedGlobal Community dataabout its users, showing international trends and average stats.
According to Oura, New Zealand, Australia, Sweden, Finland, and Austria had the five best sleep score averages worldwide. Compared to the2023 report, the Kiwis improved their sleep average by 1.8 points to 79.8 to keep their top spot, while Australia rose from #5 to #2 and Austria kicked off Switzerland. The worldwide sleep score average is 77, or Fair.
Ireland led the daily step-count average at 10,079, the only country to hit the10,000-step mark— though there’s reason to questionhow many of those steps are false positives. Estonia, the UK and Northern Ireland, Sweden, and Czechia took the next four spots.
Sweden seems to be the all-around champion of this Oura 2024 report, as its users have the lowest cardiovascular age gap of -2.63 years, followed by Norway, The Netherlands, Switzerland, and Denmark. Generally speaking, these Scandanavian and middle-European countries seem to have a healthier lifestyle worth emulating.
If you’ve noticed America’s conspicuous absence from this list, the U.S. did show up #1 in one category: most stressed. Oura attributed it to our “fast-paced cultrue, sedentary lifestyles, and pervasive sleep deprivation,” as well as a “high-stakes election” pushing up stress in recent months.
Oura didn’t share specific U.S. state data in this summary, but it did share some interesting tidbits with us directly: Montana had the highest sleep scores, New Yorkers were the most active, Hawaii had the lowest Cardiovascular age, and North Dakota was the most stressed.
We love this trend of fitness companies sharing general trends, as a baseline for people to compare against. For example, theStrava annual reportshowed the median averages for runners, cyclists, and hikers across age groups, along with their favorite devices for activities. And theGarmin annual reportdiscussed people’s average Body Battery, Daily Readiness, sleep, and stress scores; Garmin users seem to sleep worse and be less “ready” than Oura users, though this may be because of a more active lifestyle.
The service would reportedly have customers rent devices instead of buying them.
Apple has apparently shelved its plans for aniPhone hardware subscription service. It’s just as well — the last thing anyone needs in this economy is yet another ongoing expense.
Bloombergreports that Apple is no longer working on its iPhone subscription service, according to sources close to the matter.First rumoured in 2022, the tech giant’s hardware subscription would have given customers the option to pay a regular monthly fee to essentially rent their iPhone. They’d also be able to upgrade to the latest iPhone as new models were released.
This iPhone subscription service had reportedly been planned for launch the same year it was leaked, but was delayed by issues such as software problems and legal concerns. Now it seems the service won’t arrive at all.
Judging from the scant details that have emerged, Apple’s proposed subscription service seemed to have borne some similarities to its iPhone Upgrade Program. Introduced in 2015, this program allows customers to enter a two-year monthly payment plan for their iPhone, with current plans starting at $39.50 per month for the 128GB iPhone 16. Once they’ve made 12 payments, they’re eligible to upgrade their phone when the next model arrives, entering a new loan.
However, the iPhone Upgrade Program enables customers to ultimately own their device outright if they complete the payment plan. In contrast, Apple’s previously planned service sounded more akin to renting a device, with customers presumably required to return their iPhone if they cancelled their subscription.
Apple also discontinued its Apple Pay Later service earlier this year, a possible indication that the company is reassessing its financial products. Initially announced in 2022, Apple Pay Later was a Buy Now Pay Later service that allowed customers to split payments into multiple smaller installments spread out over several weeks.
Verdict For the most part, Google didn’t try and reinvent the wheel with the Pixel Tablet. As an Android tablet, it’s pretty much the perfect tablet for almost everything. But it really flexes its muscles when attached to the included Charging Speaker Dock, transforming it into a supercharged smart home display. There are a few quirks here and there, but honestly, it’s nothing that’s earth-shattering.
Pros
+Pixel experience comes back to tablets
+Includes Charging Speaker Dock
+USI 2.0 support
+Could be a look at the future of Google’s Nest products
+Design is reminiscent of the Pixel 5
Cons
-Not ideal for serious gaming
-No first-party stylus or keyboard options
-Removing the tablet off of the dock takes a bit of practice
I’ve used my fair share of tablets over the years. Predominantly, my time has been spent with an iPad Pro of some sort, but I do enjoy a good Android tablet whenever one is actually released. Like many of us Android nerds, we’ve been longing for Google to get back into the tablet game, and our prayers were finally answered with the Pixel Tablet.
I’ve been longing for a Google tablet that can capture my interest in the same way that theNexus 7did. And after a couple of weeks with the Pixel Tablet, Google is definitely onto something here.
Google Pixel Tablet: Price and availability
The Google Pixel Tablet was first introduced atGoogle I/O 2022, before making it was officially released in June 2023. There are three different colors available, as Google is offering it in Porcelain, Hazel, or Rose, complete with matching a Charging Speaker Dock in the box. Pricing starts at $499 for the 128GB model and goes up to $599 for the version with 256GB of storage.
Google Pixel Tablet: Brand new, yet familiar design
The first thing that I noticed when I took the Pixel Tablet out of the box is the feel of the back cover. It reminds me of the finish found on older Pixel phones like thePixel 4 XLandPixel 5. It’s soft to the touch, yet comfortable to hold and there aren’t any worries about fingerprints turning this into a smudgy mess, at least on the back.
This isn’t the same sentiment when it comes to the display, thanks to the glossy finish, which will likely show fingerprints as soon as you unwrap it. But something else I noticed is that Google didn’t want to go down the same path as theGalaxy Tab S8or iPad Air here. Instead, the bezels are large enough so you don’t have to worry about accidentally touching the screen. It’s likely the same approach Google made with the bezels on the Pixel Fold, and it’s actually been a bit refreshing.
Admittedly, the larger bezels do make the Pixel Tabletlooklike a device that was released a few years ago. Well really, thePixel Tabletlookslike the Nest Hubwith a better screen, but more on that in a bit.
That being said, I’m also a big fan of both the selfie camera and fingerprint scanner being placed in the correct positions. It seems that every other company, besides Apple, has learned that the camera should be orientated for landscape use, not at the top of the screen. And the fingerprint scanner, even with a case on, is still accessible and has been more reliable than the in-display one in my Pixel 7 Pro.
Google Pixel Tablet: Performance is what you’d expect
I won’t bore you with benchmarking scores and a spec breakdown because basically, the Pixel Tablet is aPixel 7wrapped in a larger screen. Google’s getting the most out of theTensor G2chip, which debuted along with the Pixel 7 and is now powering a total of five devices in Google’s lineup (including thePixel Fold.)
What that means is that it’ll handle pretty much all of the best Android games, while the 8GB of RAM is enough to take advantage of the changes to multitasking inAndroid 13. In fact, I’m sitting here writing this review with the Pixel Tablet propped up on my desk connected to a Bluetooth mouse and keyboard.
The new taskbar is similar to what you’ll find on theGalaxy Z Fold 4and other large-screen devices. With just a swipe up from the bottom, the taskbar appears, revealing your most recently-used apps, along with an app drawer button. Touch and hold on an app icon and you’re able to drag it into split-screen mode, but it’s not all sunshine and roses.
For example, you can’t have more than two apps open at a time when working on a split-screen. And this decision honestly has me scratching my head a bit. I haven’t even been able to get a third app to open as a floating window, which is pretty disappointing if I’m being honest.
Then again, Google isn’t positioning the Pixel Tablet as a productivity device, at least not yet. The software changes for Android tablets are more than welcome, especially on a large-screen device from Google. And you can still adjust the size of the app windows by dragging the line in the middle of the screen left or right.
If there was one thing that surprised me about the Pixel Tablet announcement, besides the obvious stuff, is the included support for USI 2.0. This means you can use the same USI pen from your Chromebook with your Pixel Tablet. My go-to USI pen has been thePenoval USI 2.0 stylus, and it’s worked pretty darn well, whether I’m trying to find a song to play or jot down some quick notes. You can even install the Google Canvas web app, along with any of the other best note-taking apps for Android, and don’t have to worry about dealing with a pairing process just to use a stylus.
Keeping with the stylus for a moment, I’m not someone who takes a bunch of hand-written notes on tablets orfoldable phones, but there are times when being able to do so just comes in handy. But I can’t help but feel like there’s just a little bit too much lag between what I write on the screen and when it actually shows up.
At first, I thought maybe something was up with the Penoval pen I was using, but it also happened with my otherUSI pens. Perhaps there’s a setting in Developer Options that will let me tweak things, but I also wouldn’t be surprised if improvements are made with future software updates.
Google Pixel Tablet: My new smart home hub
I have more smart displays and speakers in my house than I can count, but none of them are being actively used in my office. Until I/O 2023, there was aNest Hubon a shelf, accompanied by a Nest Hub Max in the kitchen and another Nest Hub in my living room. But even before I was offered to write this review, I knew that I would end up with a Pixel Tablet.
And instead of throwing it in a corner of the room, I’ve placed it on my desk, just to the right of my monitors. Google keeps trying to tell everyone that the Pixel Tablet is not a Nest Hub replacement, but after spending some time with it, I’m still of the mindset that Google’s just playing coy.
When docked, the Pixel Tablet’s Hub Mode can be customized with many of the same options that you’ll find on the Nest Hub Max. But the biggest benefit is the redesignedGoogle Homeapp which continues to come in handy when I want to turn on the lights or check my cameras.
As for the speaker itself, it’s quite a bit louder than I expected, despite the difference in speakers compared to theNest Hub Max. But what has come in really handy is the built-in Chromecast, as I have a tendency of starting videos when I take out my dog and want to continue watching them when I come inside. As you can see in the pictures, there is no shortage of screens in my office, but casting from my phone to the Pixel Tablet is much faster compared to anything else.
Instead of trying to find reasons to use the Pixel Tablet, it’s just become second nature to rely on it for things like music playback or video watching when I want something off to the side. Google really nailed it here, and while you won’t enjoy the best audio quality, it’s still quite a bit better than what I was expecting.
Google Pixel Tablet: There are trade-offs, for now at least
As much as I want to sit here and tell everyone to go buy the Pixel Tablet right now, I can’t exactly do that. It’s not the “end-all-be-all” device, let alone thebest Android tabletout there. Google did have to make a few compromises, some of which have shown up in my time with it so far, while others might just be a non-factor.
My biggest disappointment, so far at least, shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise, but Ireallywanted Google to release a first-party stylus and keyboard cover for the Pixel Tablet. As someone who likes being able to work from pretty much anywhere, at any time, I don’t always want to throw in aBluetooth keyboardjust to get some work done on my tablet. There are some rumors that this could be rectified in the coming months, but I’m of the mindset of “I’ll believe it when I see it.”
That’s not to say that Google’s first-party Pixel Tablet case is bad, as the built-in adjustable kickstand has been quite nice to use. Plus, it still works with the Charging Speaker Dock, so I don’t need to worry about taking off the case whenever I want to throw my tablet on the dock. And as I mentioned earlier, the case doesn’t get in the way of my trying to unlock the tablet with my fingerprint, which is a nice touch.
Instead, my biggest problem with the case is that I feel like I’m either destined to live with scratches, or I’ll need to buy a screen protector if I ever want to take the tablet with me. The case does have a bit of a lip around the edges, which will definitely help if I place the tablet screen down. But that will do practically nothing if I throw the Pixel Tablet in my bag and then accidentally put something else in the same sleeve.
Another disappointment that I’ve had, was one that I didn’t expect, and that’s the Charging Speaker Dock becoming a large paperweight whenever the tablet is detached. After this was revealed by Google, I really didn’t think it would both me all that much, and honestly, it hasn’t. But there have been times when I was listening to music, then wanted to pick up the tablet to look at something, only to have the music switch.
Google Pixel Tablet: The competition
As is the case with most tablets, the most obvious competition to the Pixel Tablet is an iPad, and in this case, it’s theiPad (10th Generation). This is priced at $50 less than the Pixel Tablet but adopts the modern design found with almost every other option in Apple’s lineup. But for $449, you’ll only get the iPad and charging cable in the box and will need to spring for any other accessories that you might want.
In hishands-on, my colleague callie noted that theLenovo Tab P11 Pro Gen 2is also a formidable competitor. However, Google gains an edge in the software update department, while Lenovo’s tablet “costs slightly less with a better display.”
Google Pixel Tablet: Should you buy it?
You should buy this if:
You want an Android tablet with Google’s Pixel software interface.
You want an Android tablet that doubles as a smart home hub.
You want software updates as soon as Google makes them available.
You want a solid overall tablet and are okay with a few compromises.
You shouldn’t buy this if:
You’re looking for a productivity-focused tablet.
You’re on a budget.
While I’ve come around to One UI and am okay with software interfaces from other OEMs, there’s just something about Pixel UI that brings me back. It’s part of the reason why I wanted to see aGoogle Play Edition of the Galaxy Z Fold 3or 4 until Google announced the Pixel Fold.
The Pixel Tablet is not the best at any one thing but still manages to stand out from the pack with Material You and the Charging Speaker Dock. I’m still holding out hope that Google will release a keyboard case and its own USI stylus, but there are some pretty great options already available.
It’s also not often that I actually want to pick up and use a tablet while sitting on the couch, as opposed to just using my phone. To answer the question of what is “the one” from the title, the Pixel Tablet is the master of doing everything you want. Including things, you wouldn’t have expected.
Here’s a rundown of what’s new on your iPhone with iOS 18.2
Apple Intelligence is definitely the headliner when it comes toiOS 18.2, the most recent update to Apple’s iPhone software. But the list of new features doesn’t end with Image Playground, Genmoji and any of the other AI-powered tools that iOS 18.2 brings to the table.
And that’s good news for most iPhone owners who either haven’t upgraded to the latestiPhone 16 modelsor own aniPhone 15 ProoriPhone 15 Pro Max. Those are the only iPhones that can run Apple Intelligence, making additional AI capabilities irrelevant to other iPhone owners. In contrast, nearly all of the remaining iOS 18.2 improvements benefit any iPhone that supports theiOS 18update — which includes devices dating back to the iPhone XR and XS models released in 2018. (For the record, there are a few iPhone 16-specific features in iOS 18.2, which we talk about later.)
We’ve detailedall the currently available Apple Intelligence featuresbrought about the iOS 18.2 update this month as well as theiOS 18.1 releaseat the end of October. Here’s a look at the rest of the iOS 18.2 improvements and additions aimed at your iPhone.
Video playback in Photos in iOS 18.2 (left) vs. video playback in Photos in iOS 18.1 (right)
Outside of Apple Intelligence, Photos probably sees the biggest batch of changes in iOS 18.2, with the most significant ones giving you expanded control over how to customize the redesigned photos app. I’ve shown youhow to use many of the new iOS 18.2 features in Photos, including deleting images from the Recently Viewed and Recently Shared folders, turning off auto-looping on video playback and re-ordering your albums so that they’re listed in alphabetical order.
But there are some other changes to be aware of, too, starting with video playback. It’s now full-screen in iOS 18.2 — previously, you had to tap on the video as it played to switch to full screen mode. You can also now scrub frame-by-frame when watching videos by pressing and holding on the slider, before dragging it back and forth.
There are a few other cosmetic changes to Photos in iOS 18.2. An album of Favorites now appears in the Utilities section. When looking at Collections, swiping right now takes you back to the previous view.
We’ve covered the changes to Mail in iOS 18.2, but just to be thorough, iOS 18.2 introduces a new organizational layout, where your inbox is split into different categories. Besides Primary, you get a Transactions inbox that houses receipts; Updates, which features newsletters and other notifications; and Promotions, which is where various e-commerce and sales promos will appear.
I’m not necessarily a fan of the new look in iOS 18.2 Mail, primarily because it’s hard to tell when new mail has arrived in the different folders. Managing older emails from the same sender is also more difficult than it needs to be. If you feel the same way — or if you don’t like the look of iOS 18.2 Mail for any other reason, just tap the More button in the upper right corner. (It’s the one with three dots.) That summons up the option of reverting to the familiar list view featuring a single inbox.
Here’s another reason to explore the More pop-up menu: in the shipping version of iOS 18.2, it’s added an option to disable Group by Sender. Tap that option and emails from the same source are no longer bunched together, addressing my complaint that it’s too difficult to delete individual messages while keeping the ones that are still relevant to you.
iOS 18.2 Safari
Besides some security improvements — URLs are now upgraded to HTTPS wherever possible, and Apple’s browser now warns you when a website doesn’t have a valid SSL certificate for an encrypted connection —Safarimakes a few house-cleaning changes. You’ll see new options for your start page background images. (Hit Edit at the bottom of the start page to find them.) Import and Export controls let you move browsing data between Safari and other browsers.
Download a file in Safari, and you can now chart the progress of the download in the Dynamic Island area of your iPhone if your handset offers that feature. The feature appears as a circle that fills in, much like an AirDrop transfer, but if your Safari downloads are as speedy as mine, the download indicator will likely appear and disappear before you even notice it.
TV app searches (left) and favorite genres in Podcasts (right) in iOS 18.2
As part of Apple Intelligence,the Photos app supports natural language searches— a capability that’s even supported by older iPhones based on my iOS 18 testing. The same thing now goes for searches in the Music and TV apps. You can type things like “Coen Brothers movies from the 1990s” and the TV app will bring “Fargo” and “Barton Fink” to the top of your results list.
As for Apple’s Podcasts app, it now invites you to designate your favorite genres — doing so will apparently influence recommendations the app makes on podcasts you should listen to. I’m guessing it also has an impact on another change from iOS 18.2 that promises a “personalized serach page,” where Podcasts will highlight the most relevant categories and collections based on your interests.
iOS 18.2 Voice Memos
I’m told musicians like to use the Voice Memos apps as way to try out music and lyrics they might be working on, and it sounds like there’s a change in the Voice Memos app that will appeal directly to that use case. As of iOS 18.2, the app supports layered recordings, where you can add a vocal track over an existing song.iPhone 16 ProandiPhone 16 Pro Maxusers can also import any two-track projects into Logic Pro.
iOS 18.2 Apple News Plus
The array of puzzles available to Apple News Plus subscribers continues to grow. AfteriOS 17.5 brought the Quartiles word puzzleto the subscription news service earlier this year, Sudoku now joins the ranks of games.
You can try out a sample Sudoku game in the Puzzles section of the News app. But if you find yourself hooked, you’ll need to pay $12.99/month for an Apple News Plus subscription.
iOS 18.2 Find My
You have a new option aimed at giving strangers a better opportunity of finding any lost items you’ve equipped with anAirTag. Enabled the new Share Item Location feature, and you can get a link showing the last known location of the item, that you can then handle over to a trusted third party — Apple specifically mentions airlines in its iOS 18.2 documentation.
The link is live for a limited time and doesn’t recall an Apple device, widening the pool of people who can track down anything you’ve left behind.
iOS 18.2 Camera Control
Here’s an iPhone 16-specific addition to iOS 18.2 that brings three new control options to the button Apple added to this year’s models. You now have the option to lock the autofocus and auto exposure settings when you apply light pressure to theCamera Control button, releasing that lock when you lift your finger. That option can be setting in the Camera section of the Settings app: just select Camera Control and toggle on the AE/AF Lock option.
Additionally, heading to the Accessibility section in Settings will let you adjust the double-click speed of the Camera Control button. Besides the default speed, your options are Slow and Slower.
In a settings change that’s sure to ease the worries of anyone who frets about inadvertently pressing the Camera Control button when reaching for their phone, you can now set the button to only work when your iPhone’s screen is active. Go to the Display & Brightness section of Settings and select Require Screen On for the Camera Control.
iOS 18.2 Audio controls
If you’d like the ability to adjust playback volume from your lock screen, you can add a volume slider in iOS 18.2. In the Settings app, select Accessibility, followed by Audio & Visual. On the ensuing screen, there’s a Always Show Volume Control button that restores a slider to the lock screen just under the playback controls. This setting works whether you’re listening via headphones or the built-in speaker on your iPhone.
Another new audio setting lets you adjust the limit of the iPhone speaker volume — helpful if you don’t want to damage the built-in speaker or annoy other people with the audio from whatever you’re listening to. That setting can be found in the Sound & Haptics section of Settings, where you tap Volume Limit to toggle on the control and adjust the volume with a slider. Note that changes you make only seem to affect playback and not things like phone call and FaceTime volume, alerts, alarms, ringtones or system sounds.
Change the default apps
iOS 18.2 expands the number of default apps you can change to include apps for phone calls and messaging.
Apple finallybrought Apple Maps to web browsersback in June, allowing people without iPhones or Macs to access its navigation system for the very first time. That version ofApple Mapswas a bit limited since it was still in beta, but now it’s received a usefulGoogle Maps-inspired upgrade.
Apple has added the Look Around feature to Apple Maps on the web. For those that aren’t familiar with Apple Maps, it’s basically Apple’s take onGoogle Street View— letting you view different locations from street level. Of course, it’s not available in every location, and the system isn’t quite as intuitive as what Street View has to offer.
While Google Maps lets you click specific areas, or drag the yellow Pin man onto the map to load up Street View, Apple’s system is different. So long as you’re looking at a city with Look Around support, you have to keep an eye out for a set of binoculars in the bottom left. Clicking that starts Look Around’s pop-up window that superimposes the street view onto the map.
It works much the same way as Google’s Street View, letting you spin around 360 degrees and click locations in the distance to travel there. Alternatively, you can move the large map around if you want a little more control over where you end up.
I managed to get Look Around up and running in GoogleChromeon Windows, and it seems to be working pretty well. However, it did take me a hot minute to figure out how I was supposed to get started since Apple just expects you to know what to do. The only real downside is that Look Around is a lot more limited than Street View, which has almost the entire world covered in some shape or form.
Only select cities in the U.S., Canada, EU, U.K. and New Zealand are supported, and Apple has afull liston its website. But this won’t stop you from wandering those virtual streets in Look Around when you live elsewhere.
Whether Apple will expand Look Around in the future isn’t clear, but it has promised to improve the beta version of Apple Maps Web. Support for more features, platforms and languages will apparently happen, which hopefully means that Apple Maps will finally come to Android in some form in the near future. While loyal Android users may be appalled at the idea, it’s always better to have options beyond thetwo big Google-owned navigation apps.
If you’ve been following Apple Intelligence closely, you probably got excited when Genmoji arrived with iOS 18.2. In typical Apple fashion, Mac users were left wondering, “When’s our turn?” Well, surprise—Genmoji is officially coming to macOS 15.3, so you won’t have to sit around guessing if it’ll arrive in time for the holidays.
The downside is that it’s currently limited to Developer Beta, which isn’t exactly everyone’s first choice.
Understandably, you might not want to download an unstable version for just one new feature.
To satisfy your curiosity, I’ll walk you through what Genmoji has in store.
That way, you’re ready to hit the ground running when it rolls out to Public Beta or a stable release.
Unlike standard emojis, Genmoji generates custom images from text-based prompts. Just type in your instructions and Apple Intelligence will respond with an appropriate output. You’ll find it in the ever-familiar emoji picker. It’s a simple, intuitive setup that makes it super easy to incorporate AI image generators into your daily conversations. Check it out here:
Update tomacOS 15.3. Click on theApple menu>System Settings>General>Software Update
Unless a stable or Public Beta version has launched, set Beta Updates to macOS Sequoia Developer Beta.
Click Update Now and wait for the installation to finish.
Next, open any app that supports text input. At the moment, Messages, Notes, and Mail support Genmoji.
Press Control + Command + Space to bring up the emoji picker, then select the Genmoji tab.
Type a description of the emoji you want (e.g. winking cat with a party hat)
Press Return and Apple Intelligence will generate a unique emoji based on your prompt.
Once the Genmoji is generated, click on it to insert it into your text.
The Genmoji will appear alongside regular text or emojis, ready to share in conversations or documents.
For Genmoji to appear, you’ll need an Apple Silicon Mac M1 model or above that’s runningmacOS 15.3(Public Beta, Developer Beta, or stable). You should also enable Apple Intelligence on your device.
If you still can’t access it, reach out toApple Supportbecause some features might still be unavailable in your country or region.
Genmoji is a pretty nifty AI feature, and I’m glad that it’s coming to macOS sooner that people thought. However, I don’t think it’s worth the risk of running Developer Beta. Unless you have experience testing beta OS versions, I suggest waiting for the feature to arrive in a Public Beta release first.
An image of what looks like the Chinese version of the Galaxy S25 Plus has leaked online. It shows off a redesigned camera module and what looks like a capacitive camera button, but in reality is a mm Wave 5G radio.
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus is tipped to arrive with minor design tweaks (image source: @Jukanlosreve on X)
Hands-on images of theSamsung Galaxy S25 Ultrahave shown up more than once, and they even gave us a glimpse at Samsung’s next major OS upgrade:One UI 7.0. As anticipated, the phone’s camera module gets a minor redesign. A new leak says that will trickle down to the Galaxy S25 Plus. It isn’t exactly a secret, as it was revealed byCAD rendersfrom earlier this year.
X leaker@Jukanlosrevehas shown off Samsung’s middle-of-the-pack offering via some real-world images. Here, we can see the vertically aligned (and slightly thicker) camera modules covered with masking tape. At the front, there appears to be a notch-like structure, which is, once again, likely masking tape. An image of the phone’s Settings app confirms it is indeed a Galaxy S25 Plus (SM-S936U).The ‘U’ in its name confirms the Galaxy S25 Plus will be powered by aSnapdragon 8 Elite, and not anExynos 2500as previously suggested by multipleGeekbench listings.
While Samsung still hasn’t abandoned its next-gen Exynos chip, it will only debut in thelatter half of 2025alongside the Galaxy Z Flip 7. Beneath the power button and volume rocker, we see an intriguing patch of metal that, at first glance, resembles a capacitive camera slider like the one found on Apple’siPhone 16series. However, the leaker says the Galaxy S25 Plus will sport no such feature, and that is instead a mm Wave radio.
As far as its internals are concerned, the Galaxy S25 Plus will offer largely incremental upgrades over theGalaxy S24 Plus. The 120 Hz 1440p screen is tipped to remain the same,maximum RAMstill caps out at 12 GB, and the battery capacityremains stagnant. Thankfully, a corresponding price increase isnot on the cards, at least in one market.
Google unveiled two new AI models today: Veo 2 for video generation and Imagen 3 for images. According to human evaluators, both models set new benchmarks in their respective fields.
The new Veo 2 model can generate 4K videos and responds to specific filmmaking instructions, including different types of lenses and camera effects. Unlike previous models limited to short clips, Veo 2 videos can be “extended to minutes in length.”
One improvement in Veo 2, Google says, is how it handles common AI generation problems. The model produces fewer “hallucinations” – weird artifacts like extra fingers or random objects that often pop up in AI-generated content. Google also says the model has gotten better at representing realistic physics.
The company conducted direct comparison tests using 1,003 prompts from Meta’s MovieGenBench dataset, with human raters evaluating 720p resolution, eight-second video clips. In these head-to-head comparisons, Veo 2 came out ahead of its competitors, including OpenAI’s Sora Turbo, both in overall video quality and in how well it followed the given instructions.
In the comparison charts, green bars indicate the percentage of times evaluators preferred Veo 2’s output over its competitors.| Image: Google Deepmind
Despite these improvements, Google is upfront about Veo 2’s limitations. The company admits that creating consistently realistic and dynamic videos remains a significant challenge. In particular, the model still struggles with complex scenes and motion sequences – suggesting there’s still plenty of room for improvement in future versions.
For now, Google is taking a cautious approach with Veo 2’s rollout.Veo 2 will be limited to select products including VideoFX, YouTube, and the Vertex AI platform. The system will expand to YouTube Shorts and other products in 2025. All videos generated by the system will include an invisibleSynthID watermarkidentifying them as AI-generated.
Imagen 3 update from Google brings more vibrant AI images with better color balance and detail
(Image credit:Imagen 3 – Google DeepMind)
Along with Veo 2, Google announced a major update to its image generation AI. The newImagen3 model produces more vibrant images with better color balance, thanks to several under-the-hood improvements.
Google says Imagen 3 can now handle a broader range of artistic styles. Whether you’re looking for photorealistic images, impressionist paintings, abstract art, or anime-style illustrations, the model can adapt accordingly. The company also highlights Imagen 3’s ability to create more detailed images with improved textures and finer elements.
Google is makingImagen 3 widely available through its ImageFX tool, launching in more than 100 countries. While users can already access Imagen through Google’s Gemini Chat, the company hasn’t announced when this platform will get the upgraded Imagen 3 model.
Google introduces Veo 2 and Imagen 3, two AI models designed to deliver top-tier performance in video and image generation based on human evaluation.
Veo 2 generates 4K resolution videos, comprehends cinematographic instructions, and minimizes unwanted details. In direct comparison tests, Veo 2 outperforms competitors, particularly OpenAI’s Sora Turbo.
Imagen 3 offers enhanced color balance, more vibrant images, and improved detail through various technical advancements. The model has also been optimized to showcase different art styles.
One UI 7 is a shiny new update making Samsung phones feel fresh and new again.
The Samsung One UI 7 beta program is fully underway, having justreleased its second betathat’s filled with bug fixes for all eligible Samsung Galaxy phones. I’ve been using it on my Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra and am already convinced this is the best version of One UI Samsung has made in a very long time.
The latest beta is all about fixing bugs, but there are so many new features in One UI 7 that it’s hard not to sift through them all to find my new favorites. Samsung is doing a lot to cater to long-time fans and folks who dislike One UI by doing what it does best: offering options for every imaginable preference.
So, what’s it like to use One UI 7? Exceptional in most ways, thankfully.
Right off the bat, seasoned Samsung users — and there are a lot of you out there — will immediately notice that Samsung has split the notification shade by default. This means that pulling down on the right side of the status bar brings up a full screen of quick toggle buttons and sliders while swiping down on the left side of the status bar brings up notifications. It’s exactly like an iPhone.
I can see a lot of people getting really frustrated with this new default behavior, and I’m not sure it’s my favorite decision ever. On the bright side, you can quickly move between the two panels with a horizontal swipe, so it doesn’t take much effort if muscle memory kicks in and you need to get to the other panel.
Thankfully, you can change it back to the original single-panel behavior, but you’ll need to hit the pencil button in the quick toggles pane and swap back over. It’s a little bit hidden, and I think Samsung needs to surface it a bit more. I tried the new split pane for a while, but I really don’t like it, so I made the switch back to the Android-style behavior.
Finally! A vertical app drawer by default!
The next thing you’ll likely notice is the vertical app drawer. Ironically, while Samsung is copying Apple with the default split notification pane, it’s going with a more Android-like experience with the default app drawer layout. If you don’t like this, you can switch back by choosing the “custom” sort order. It’s a weird wording choice and I think Samsung needs to just change it to “vertical” or “horizontal” to avoid confusion.
The new vertical drawer is wonderful, though, and even has a scroll bar on the right for quickly moving between apps, all sorted alphabetically by default. The vertical app drawer is a massive improvement that makes One UI instantly feel like it was developed in the 2020s rather than the 2000s.
The new multitasking UI is SO MUCH BETTER than Google’s awful default design in Android.
The third huge thing you’ll notice is the new multitasking UI, which finally lets you see more than one app tile at a time. Instead of spacing tiles out horizontally and making the middle one take up most space, Samsung now arranges tiles in a 3D carousel so you can peek behind and easily see apps ahead as you scroll through the list.
The active app immediately moves to the right of the screen so you can quickly juggle between multiple apps. Of course, this design is nearly identical to the iOS style of multitasking that has existed on iPhones for over a decade, and it’s about time, too.
Google launched the old horrendous layout with Android 9, and I never understood why the company kept it for as long as it did. It’s not a multitasking UI if you can only see one app at a time. This at least does a lot to fix that, even if it’s a blatant iOS ripoff.
Good Lock isn’t ready yet, so what you see is what you get until then.
If you want any of the other multitasking styles, you’ll have to wait until Good Lock’s Home Up module gets updated for One UI 7 compatibility, likely after the final OS launch, which is expected in January.
Other refreshes around the OS include new icons, updated fonts, a new battery indicator that looks super swanky, and plenty of new widgets you’ll definitely want to play around with. I particularly love the countdown widget, which lets you pick a specific date on the calendar and drop it on your home screen to build anticipation.
While the new UI changes are mostly positive with a few controversial decisions, the “feeling” you get is something of a non-measurable category. If I compare One UI to something likeOxygenOS 15, for instance, Samsung’s user experience still doesn’t feel like the best of the best.
Haptics, for instance, still feel weak and are often missing in important places and it makes the experience feel so vacant compared to my OnePlus 12. Moving the brightness slider or clearing notifications on a OnePlus phone delivers satisfying haptics that make them feel like physical buttons or sliders, while Samsung’s UI doesn’t vibrate or feel responsive at all.
Animations in One UI 7 aren’t anywhere near the caliber of OxygenOS 15 on the OnePlus 12. For instance, when you set a timer and swipe home on OnePlus’s OxygenOS 15, the app will “minimize” to the status bar in a super slick way. When you click the timer, it then warps and enlarges into the app when you click it. This is better shown in motion, which you can see below.
Samsung’s new animations still aren’t the same caliber that can be found in OxygenOS 15, and haptics in One UI 7 still feel vacant and hollow.
However, in One UI 7, the app just slides down and away without any pomp. Clicking the live notification timer in the status bar just opens the app in the standard way. No pizazz. Nothing fun is happening at all.
What I will say is that Samsung’s new Live Notifications are a great riff off of the iPhone’s Dynamic Islandthat I’ve been craving. But instead of just copying Apple, Samsung improved on the concept by making the notification “pill” appear at the bottom of the display where it’s most clickable.
You’ll see this new pill on the always-on display or the lock screen, making it easy to quickly pause that timer or take actionable information for a supported app. Otherwise, the little pill lives in the status bar on top, so you can see it at all times without it taking up any more room than the status bar ever does. Bravo, Samsung.
Ten thousand features
As you might expect from Samsung, the new features list for One UI 7 is a mile long. While some belovedfeatures were removed, the new OS version is packed full of things you might only use a handful of times but, ultimately, will find useful when you get the chance to use them.
There’s something here for everyone, even if you only find yourself using it once in a blue moon.
One example is moving all calendar entries to a new calendar instead of having to do it one by one. If you’re sharing a file over Quick Share and it fails, you’ll now be offered the option to transfer it using an internet connection instead of having to redo the transfer.
Notifications will also stack when an app gives you a bunch at a time. This is handy for when you have multiple Gmail accounts, for instance, as you’ll get one instance of Gmail in the notification shade but can easily swipe down on it to see everything.
Even the camera got some love, although I’m not super crazy about everything. The camera has a 2x zoom button right on the viewfinder, adding to the list of .6, 1, 2, 3, 5, and 10x zoom options to instantly get where you want without having to scroll. Samsung even added fun new effects for live photos so you can quickly turn them into a Boomerang or slow-motion preview of your photo.
Still a work in progress
One UI 7 isn’t perfect, but I think it’s a huge step in the right direction for Samsung. One UI has felt a bit dated for a while now and needed some updating to feel modern again. I’m glad to see Samsung not only taking feedback but also being willing to make much-needed changes for UI elements that have been around for way too long, like that terrible horizontal app drawer.
This is only the second beta release for One UI 7, and the next release of the beta is expected to fix more bugs that’ll likely crop up; plus, it could make a few tweaks based on user feedback in the beta program. Most likely, we’ll see the next beta update pop up before the year ends.
Video playback in Photos in iOS 18.2 (left) vs. video playback in Photos in iOS 18.1 (right) 
