Category: Apple

Image Credits:Apple

Apple’s latest iOS 18.1 software update introduced a series of Apple Intelligence features, including Writing Tools and notification summaries. However, some features were missing from the lineup, like Genmoji, which allows users to create emojis from written prompts.

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Now, with iOS 18.2, iPadOS 18.2, and macOS Sequoia 15.2 public betas officially available, the highly anticipated AI-generated Bitmoji feature is finally here for some users to try.

Here’s what you need to know about the Apple Intelligence feature that many people are excited about, whether you’re in Apple’s beta software program and want to take it for a test drive, or if you’re just curious about what to expect when Genmoji launches for all users.

What is a Genmoji?
Genmoji initially debuted at WWDC 2024 back in June. Built into the iPhone’s emoji keyboard, the feature lets people generate original emojis with prompts. For example, “A sloth wearing a suit and tie.” It can also generate emojis of people using photos. Genmojis can be used not only in Messages but also in Stickers and Tapbacks. It’s also possible to react to a message with a Genmoji or with Apple’s message effects.

How to create a customized emoji with Apple Intelligence

To use Genmoji, first make sure Apple Intelligence is enabled. Then launch the Messages app, start a new message (or go to an existing chat), and click on the emoji keyboard located in the bottom left corner. Next, type the prompt into the search bar and choose “Create New Emoji” just below it. 

After a few seconds, Apple Intelligence creates multiple versions of the AI-generated emoji based on that custom description. To save a favorite Genmoji, tap “Add” in the top-right corner to permanently include that new emoji to the keyboard.

To save a Genmoji that someone else sends, long press on it and select “Emoji Details,” which will display the prompt that was used to generate it. There’s also an option to download it.

Image Credits:Apple

When is the official launch of Genmoji?

Currently, Genmoji is only available to users with Apple’s iOS 18.2 public beta. Note that there may be a waitlist, so users might have to wait a few days or even weeks until they gain access. 

It’s expected that the feature will officially launch in early December.

What Apple devices support Genmoji?  

• iPhone 15 Pro
• iPhone 15 Pro Max
• iPhone 16 
• iPhone 16 Plus
• iPhone 16 Pro
• iPhone 16 Max
• iPad mini with A17 Pro chip
• All iPads with an Apple silicon chip
• macOS Sequoia support coming soon

Is Apple Intelligence supported in my country?

The only regions where Apple Intelligence is not supported are China and the EU because of certain regulations.  

Regarding language support, it’s currently only available in U.S. English. In late 2024, it’ll roll out localized English support for Australia, as well as language support for users in Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, and the U.K. By 2025, Chinese, English (India), English (Singapore), French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, and Vietnamese will also become available.

It’s reported to be a six-inch square screen that can be wall-mounted

• Apple’s long-rumored smart home display might arrive as soon as March 2025
• It could have a six-inch screen and run a new operating system
• Apple Intelligence could be front and center

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There is seldom a shortage ofApplerumors, but one that has been constant – and heating up in recent months – is that the technology giant isplanning to release a smart home display. And it makes a lot of sense as Apple continues to push into the smart home – there are already two smart speakers, theHomePodandHomePod mini, major updates to the Home app, and we can’t forget that Apple is part of the smart home standard Matter.

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Now, though, it seems Apple is working at a record pace to ready a smart home display.Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reportsthat “a wall-mounted display that can control appliances, handle videoconferencing, and use AI to navigate apps” could launch as early as March 2025. That’s just five months away, and it sounds like a direct competitor toAmazon’s Echo Show 15. It might also be my dream Apple smart home display and a bit better than just a HomePod with a screen.

Gurman shares a bit more about the smart display, which is codenamed J490. As expected, it’ll be a showcase for Apple Intelligence and likely the smarter features of the forthcoming Siri. From a design and hardware standpoint, it’ll come in silver or black and stand as a 6-inch square screen that resembles an iPad with thicker bezels. The report states it’s “about the size of two iPhones side by side” with a built-in camera seemingly for FaceTime calls or home monitoring, speakers, and a rechargeable battery.

(Image credit: Apple)

There is no mention of the processor, but we’d expect it to be Apple Silicon as it will need to power some other sensors, including one that can detect how many people are near the display. This is likely similar toGoogle’s Soli technology that is used on the Nest Thermostat to adjust what’s on screen based on whether you’re closer to it or farther away.

Bloomberg’s report notes that theoperating systemis a cross between watchOS and the iPhone’s StandBy mode. This means you’ll likely get dedicated apps and peek into them like widgets. It’s reported that it will run FaceTime,Safari, Music, and Calendar, among others. Of course, it will also be an ideal way to control the smart home, and it is being pegged as a “Command Center.”

As far as interactions go, it will either be touch or hands-free voice through Siri, much like a HomePod or HomePod Mini. The report notes that the smart display was “designed around App Intents, a system that lets AI precisely control applications and tasks” – a feature originally shown off atWWDC 2024when Apple Intelligence was launched.

Just asAmazonoffers several designs for Echos or how Google’s Pixel Tablet can be affixed to a stand, Apple has reportedly made different attachments or bases for the smart display. The report notes that beyond hanging on a wall, there will be bases for placing it on a desk, nightstand, or even counter, and these will offer better sound through additional speakers. It remains to be seen if the wall attachment will be done magnetically to a mount, allowing you to move it around quickly.

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Like other smart displays, Apple’s will likely be a standalone device that you set up with an iPhone and sign in to with your Apple Account (formerly an Apple ID) to enable easy data syncing and the ability to hand off things like music or a call.

While this is a stationary, non-moving smart display from Apple, there are also many rumors of an intelligent display attached to a roboticarmthat the company is said to be working on. Bloomberg’s latest report notes that it is in the pipeline but farther out and will be much more costly at $1,000. That makes sense, considering it’s a robot. This smart display, which could launch next year, is said to be “far-less” expensive and closer in line with competitors like Amazon’s Echo Show.

(Image credit: Future)

All in all, it feels like it’s about time for Apple to really enter the smart home, and it seems like the company really wants to take a piece of the smart display market from the mainstays. If it’s anything like the HomePod, iPad, or iPhone, we can expect it to offer a premium build with strong audio and a good interface. It would also likely check off the box for a lot of folks who have been waiting for a proper smart home control panel.

Further, it would reinforce Apple’s commitment to the smart home and show that it’s a category that the company sees on its roadmap for the long haul and one that it’ll likely continue to invest in. We also saw rumors this week that Apple is considering developing smart home accessories like cameras, and this report does mention that the development of those could be sped up if the smart display succeeds.

Of course, until Apple announces it’s all but a rumor, so take this with a grain of salt.

I wish this had come out months ago

• Apple will soon let you share an AirTags location securely with an airline
• With several airlines onboard, the hope is to help sooner reunite lost baggage with an AirTag inside
• “Share Item Location” will launch with iOS 18.2 later in 2024

If you’ve ever had an airline lose your luggage,Applemight have announced the best news possible. And this is one that I really wish had arrived months earlier.

As part of iOS 18.2, which is expected to launch in December 2024, Apple is giving AirTags and FindMy a significant upgrade that will likely be music to many ears. You’ll now be able to securely share your AirTags location with a specific person, but more importantly, a business.

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With “Share Item Location,” you can easily and quickly generate a shared URL showing the AirTag’s location, a map, and the timestamp. Why is this so handy? Well, if you’re already in the habit of having an AirTag in your luggage, and if it goes missing, you’ll be able to share this URL with, say, an airline – like United or Delta, among others – in the hopes of getting it back sooner. The map viewable by the URL will be similar to seeing the AirTag’s location within the FindMy app, and it can be accessed from a browser.

(Image credit: Apple)

In fact, “Share Item Location” is designed for a trusted person or an airline from the ground up, in that Apple is working with many airlines to let a user share this link if a piece of luggage goes missing. Those airlines include United and Delta Airlines as well as Aer Lingus, Air Canada, Air New Zealand, Austrian Airlines, British Airways, Brussels Airlines, Eurowings, Iberia, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Lufthansa, Qantas, Singapore Airlines, Swiss International Air Lines, Turkish Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, and Vueling as of the time of writing.

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As someone whose luggage has been lost, having an airline better equipped to handle and understand an AirTag and the location it pings will be leagues better. The goal here is that the AirTag’s location, as well as technology that airlines already have in place, can help to end lost luggage … or at least make it a faster return.

David Kinzelman, United’s chief customer officer, said in a statement, “We know many of our customers are already traveling with AirTag in their checked bags, and this feature will soon make it easier for them to share location information with us safely and securely, helping our customer service agents work more efficiently and giving our customers added peace of mind. We plan to accept Find My item locations in select airports initially, with the goal of introducing the service systemwide in early 2025.”

It’s great that United is taking the time to integrate “Share Item Location” and the data it will bring into its systems. When this launches in early 2025 for the carrier, they’ll likely be inundated with questions. Delta is similarly excited about the new solution and hopes that it can close the gap.

Beyond individual airlines prepping for this launch of “Share Item Location,” SITA, which runs the global baggage tracing system WorldTracer, is working to build out support for the feature. Considering it’s used at over 2,800 airports around the world, this is good news in the quest to reunite baggage.

Analysis: This is a win for customers

(Image credit: United Airlines/Apple)

One of the biggest frustrations I had when my luggage went missing was that I could see where it was thanks to the AirTag inside, but that also meant I could tell when it was going somewhere that was the complete opposite of what a customer service representative would tell me. I could not share my AirTag’s location outside of screenshots; I just spoke to them or wrote it up in an email. It was frustrating as I had the information and could see my baggage moving the wrong way while I was told something completely different from the airline.

I truly don’t think this feature can roll out soon enough, and while I’d give the same hope as I do when recommending an AirTag is that you’ll never have to use it to track down your lost luggage, at least the airlines will be better equipped to reunite you even sooner. So yes, if AirTags go on sale again for Black Friday 2024, you should get one for every piece of luggage you own.

• Apple News lets users follow news with a widget that updates in real time
• The feature leverages the power of Dynamic Island on iPhone 14 and later

In order to make it easier to follow the results of the US elections, Apple has implemented a very useful measure: the company is displaying the results in real time on the iPhone’s lock screen. In this way, we can see the progress of the count at a glance.

And not only that, since users of the most recent iPhones will be able to see the count directly from the Dynamic Island (available on the iPhone 14 Pro and later models) while doing other things with the phone. Of course, to see this information on the iPhone screen, you must have previously registered.

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 The feature takes advantage of the potential of iOS Live Activities

The feature we are talking about is part of Apple News, a free app available in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia that compiles relevant news about the topics that interest us most. As reported by the specialized media AppleInsider, the application is taking advantage of the potential of Live Activities to show real-time information about the United States elections.

Live Activities are commonly used in all kinds of apps to show relevant information, thus avoiding the user having to enter the corresponding app to consult the information. For example, they are available in applications such as Uber, showing the time left until the driver picks us up and information of interest, such as the license plate and model of the vehicle.

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The widget displayed by Apple News shows users the electoral count of both candidates for the US presidency, as well as the results of the elections for the Senate and the House of Representatives. Without a doubt, it is a very convenient way to be updated at all times.

The widget is not only available on the iPhone: it also appears on the iPad and the Apple Watch. However, as we mentioned at the beginning of the article, it is necessary to enable the tracking of the results. This is something that can be done through Apple News, where Apple has included a special banner for the elections.

At this point, it is interesting to note that this is not the first time that Apple News has used Live Activities in this way: at the beginning of the year they did the same to report the results of the caucuses, where the candidates of each party for the final elections are chosen.

Charging time predictions could be coming soon

The iPhone 16 Pro Max (Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
Apple, it seems, is all about ‘intelligence’ these days, as following on from the launch of Apple Intelligence, the company might be about to roll out a feature dubbed Battery Intelligence. But unlike Apple Intelligence’s suite of tools, this new feature will seemingly have just one job.

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9to5Mac has found a framework called ‘BatteryIntelligence’ in code from the latest iOS 18.2 beta, and while the feature isn’t active in the beta, it’s reportedly designed to estimate how long it will take to charge your phone.

According to 9to5Mac, Battery Intelligence won’t just estimate the time to reach 100%, but it’ll also let you choose to get an estimate for when your battery will reach 80%, and perhaps other charge levels.

It’s easy to see how this could be a useful tool – if you don’t have long to charge, you’ll be able to get an immediate indication of how fully charged your phone will be able to get in a given time. Or, if you don’t want to charge your phone above a certain level (in order to preserve battery health), but haven’t set a charging limit, you’ll know to check on it after however much time the estimate says.

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We might not get it in iOS 18.2

The iPhone 16 Pro Max (Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

However, as this feature isn’t currently enabled, it’s unclear whether it will actually launch as part of iOS 18.2. It might land with iOS 18.3 or beyond instead, and it’s always possible that Apple will choose not to roll this tool out at all.

Still, there’s a good chance that Battery Intelligence will launch, and since the framework for it is present in iOS 18.2 beta code, we’d think it’s likely we’ll see it sooner rather than later.

Either way, there’s plenty more to get excited about in iOS 18.2, with numerous new AI tools coming, including Image Playground, Genmoji,ChatGPTintegration, and Visual Intelligence.

iOS 18.2 will also add improvements to the Camera Control button and the Find My feature, and it should be coming soon, with iOS 18.2 reportedly landing in early December.

Update AP3A.241105.008 rolls right off the tongue

(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

The next Pixel update has been accidentally teased early by a Verizon support page that detailed all the fixes coming to the Google Pixel 9 line-up – and older Pixel 6,7 and 8 devices.

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First spotted by 9to5Google the patch should have supposedly launched on November 5 according to the Verizon page, however, the update isn’t yet live at the time of writing. That said, we expect it’ll roll out sometime soon to bring the following improvements to your Pixel 9 smartphone via version AP3A.241105.008:

• Security
  • Provides the most up-to-date Android security patches on your device.
• Bluetooth
  • Addressed an issue with Bluetooth range under certain conditions.
• Camera
  • Addressed an issue with camera tilt when zooming between cameras under certain conditions.
• Sensors
  • Addressed an issue that occasionally prevented Adaptive brightness from activating in certain conditions.
• Touch
  • Addressed an issue when pressing the keyboard dismiss button in certain conditions.
• User interface
  • General improvements for performance and stability in certain UI transitions and animations.
• Display & Graphics
  • Resolved an issue that caused white dots to flash under certain conditions.

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(Image credit: Google)
The AP3A.241105.007 update for the Google Pixel 6, Google Pixel 7, and Google Pixel 8 devices includes fewer stability fixes and instead just includes these details:

• The most up to date Android security patches on your device.
• General improvements for performance and stability in certain UI transitions and animations.

So nothing too major for any of the Pixel phones unlike the arrival of Android 15 last month. However, if your Google Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, or Pixel 9 Pro Fold has had problems with any of the listed issues, you’ll appreciate that they’ve finally been addressed.

As for non-Pixel updates, Samsung users are still waiting for the full Android 15 launch, though a One UI 7 beta has been tipped to land later this month with new icon styles, lock screen live widgets, and math and physics support in Circle to Search among other tools. The non-beta rollout is expected sometime in early 2025.

The ideal assistant when you see way too many message notifications

(Image credit: Google)
Step away from your computer or phone for a few minutes, and you might return to an avalanche of notifications about new messages. If you’re using Google Chat, you won’t have to comb through them all to find out what you missed anymore, thanks to Google’s Gemini AI assistant. You can pull up Gemini from the Google Chat sidebar and ask the AI to summarize the conversation and dig into the most important bits.

The new feature expands Gemini’s presence from other Google Workspace applications like Docs and Drive into Google Chat. If you click on the “Ask Gemini” icon at the top of the Google Chat interface, a chat window for the AI will appear where you can ask about what’s been said in group chats, direct messages, and spaces.

If you ask the AI to “catch me up,” you’ll get a complete conversation summary, which you can ask for in bullet points. If it’s too short, you can request a longer summary too. You can also ask for more specific details, like any requests for help, key takeaways, or other decisions made in the thread. You can even ask about other people’s tasks or what a person said about specific topics. The demo below shows how it works.

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(Image credit: Google)
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Gemini Chat

Gemini can’t sort through your entire conversational history, just the current view. It also is restricted to Google Chat. That means no emails or files in Google Drive, despite Gemini having a presence and access to those applications in other circumstances. Google claims this is deliberate as it maintains focus on the current chat in context without pulling in irrelevant information. Plus, tightly constraining data sources reduce the risk of Gemini hallucinating. You also won’t be able to pull up Gemini in Google Chat without a subscription to Gemini Business, Enterprise, Education, or Education Premium.

Even with those (likely temporary) limits to availability, bringing Gemini to Google Chat fits with how Google is working to embed Gemini across all of its platforms and services. That includes Gemini Extensions to take up Google Assistant’s role with Google Messages, Maps, and pretty much everything Android does.

The country’s government says Google failed to adhere to rules forcing smartphone firms to invest in its local economy.

Indonesia has banned the sale of Google Pixel smartphones, just days after stopping the iPhone 16 from being sold legally in the country.

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Government rules require all smartphones sold inside Indonesia to have 40% of their parts manufactured domestically. Or their manufacturers need to make significant investments in the local economy. Febri Hendri Antoni Arief, Indonesia’s industry ministry spokesperson, says the rules are to ensure “fairness for all investors in Indonesia,” Reuters reports.

Unlike rival smartphone manufacturers Samsung and Xiaomi, Google doesn’t have any manufacturing facilities in the Southeast Asian nation. “Google’s products have not adhered to the scheme we set, so they can’t be sold here,” Arief says.

Indonesians can still buy an iPhone 16 or Pixel abroad, but they may have to pay additional taxes, according to the minister. He added that local authorities may deactivate phones that are imported and sold unofficially.

Regardless of the recent clampdown, Indonesian consumers have long favored Asian brands over Western ones, with neither Google nor Apple being the most favored brands. Chinese brand Oppo is by far the country’s most popular smartphone manufacturer, with a market share of around 17%, followed by Samsung at 16.4%.

Indonesia is the world’s fourth most populous country after China, India, and the US with a median age of just over 30 and over 100 million people under 30. It was estimated that 68.1% of Indonesians had a smartphone in 2022, according to data from Statista.

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Google has joined Apple and Samsung in offering certified refurbished models of its phones. These phones come with a warranty and even a charger in the box. However, retailers may sometimes offer better deals.(Google is currently only selling refurbished Pixel phones in the US)

Google is selling refurbished Pixel 7 and Pixel 6 smartphones.

This year Google announced a handful of phones including the budget Pixel 8a and the foldable Pixel 9 Pro Fold. However, it hasn’t stopped selling older models like the Pixel 8 and the Pixel 7a from last year, both of which are available to purchase on the Google Store. Now, it has begun selling certified refurbished units of some older models, too.

Interested buyers can now purchase certified refurbished units of the Pixel 7 for $429 and the Pixel 7 Pro for $629 on the Google Store. There are also refurbished units of the Pixel 6a for $249, the Pixel 6 for $339, and the Pixel 6 Pro for $539.

Google says each device has undergone a careful inspection process and has also been tested to ensure premium quality. Devices that are found to have issues are repaired with original Google parts, and each device is shipped with the latest Android software before repackaging. This should mean the phones will run Android 15 out of the box.

Each refurbished device also comes with a brand-new, one-year warranty and full customer support. In addition, Google is shipping a charger with the refurbished Pixel phones. This is a surprise since Google stopped shipping its phones with a charger since 2021’s Pixel 6 series. The refurbished phones also ship in a 100% plastic-free packaging like the Pixel 9 series.

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The refurbished Pixel smartphones will come with the latest version of Android and a charger in the box. (Image source: Google)

Google is selling the refurbished Pixel phones in the US only for now and has not said if they will be available in other regions. However, what it has confirmed is that it plans to update the generation of available refurbished Pixel phones.

While it is nice to see Google sell refurbished Pixel phones, whether they are worth buying is a different question entirely. Buyers will surely find better deals on newer products on online stores. As an example Amazon currently has the Pixel 8 for $499 which is a better deal than the $429 refurbished Pixel 7.

Heck, you’ll even find renewed and refurbished models for much less, such as this Amazon renewed Pixel 7 that’s available for $249. Although it doesn’t come with a charger in the box.

All set for October 15?

(Image credit: Shutterstock / Mojahid Mottakin)
Last month Google quietly revealed Android 15 would be arriving in October as part of its release notes for the Android Beta Exit update – which is available to people who have been testing the OS ahead of its launch. Now a new report has revealed precisely when Android 15 might release for Pixel devices: October 15.

This comes via Android Headlines that reports that the Android 15 release date for Pixel 6 and later phones, is coming 42 days after the operating system’s source code went up on the Android Open Source Project (AOSP). If correct, this would mark the longest delay between the AOSP release and the update being pushed to users, beating Android 12’s 15-day delay.

The hope is this extended wait time should lead to Android 15 being a lot less buggy and more stable when it finally comes out compared with previous versions.

While the date does match up nicely – a 15th of the month release date for Android 15 – it’s still worth taking it with a pinch of salt, as we recommend with all unofficial leaks. Android Headlines hasn’t revealed how it discovered the October 15 date, and it itself admits that the date could be pushed if Google’s bug-squashing efforts do not go according to plan.

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The Google Pixel 9 (Image credit: Peter Hoffmann)
It’s also worth highlighting that October 15 is being reported as the Pixel launch date for Android 15. Samsung, OnePlus, and other Android OS device makers will still be preparing their own versions of Android 15 to roll out to their phones. Though given the long delay time since being released on AOSP there’s a good chance these non-Google rollouts could follow more quickly behind the Pixel launch compared with previous years.

The wait will be worth it, however. Based on the betas so far there have been some very neat features shown off, such as…

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A battery life boost

Android OS updates also come with subtle tweaks and optimizations that can have a significant effect on how your phone operates. One such upgrade was revealed by VP of Engineering for the Android Platform Dave Burke on the Android Faithful podcast earlier this year; he explained that devices running Android 15 can switch to the low-power doze mode around 50% faster than devices running Android 14.

The upshot of this is that Google saw as much as three extra hours between device recharges. Not every user will see as much of a battery life boost, but even an hour – or just half an hour extra between charges could be a massive helper for users – especially as a free update.

Lock screen widgets

Android 15 should see the return of lock screen widgets (we’ve not seen them since the Android 4 days), and the possible addition of a Communal Space that allows multiple users to share access to apps on the lock screen.

The downside is we expect the selection of apps that support this feature at launch won’t be the most widespread – perhaps limited to tools like Google Calendar and Google Clock – though the delay between the AOSP release and Pixel launch may mean a few other services are ready to support lock screen widgets at launch.

Private Space

Taking a page out of Samsung’s book with its Secure Folder feature, Android 15 is adding a native version called Private Space. It’s a folder for apps that requires a password, PIN, or biometrics to open. Any apps in this folder will be completely hidden from anyone who can’t open it.

Gemini upgrades

Gemini upgrades are coming in 2024 (Image credit: Google)

Google’s Gemini AI is also getting a few Android 15 improvements as well. Ask Photos makes it easier to find old snaps using more natural language, and even use it to answer questions based on pictures you’ve taken.
Then there’s a new Gemini overlay that can answer questions about what it sees on your screen. While Gemini Nano will be an on-device version of Gemini that doesn’t need to share your information with a cloud – making it more private.