Droid Life: Opinionated Android news.

SEGA’s Sonic the Hedgehog 2 Spins Onto Google Play, Costs $2.99

Tim December 12, 2013 11

I grew up playing the original Sonic the Hedgehog game on my older brother's SEGA Genesis 16-bit, and with SEGA re-releasing all of these great titles like Sonic the Hedgehog 2 for Android, I feel like a kid again. Being completely optimized for mobile devices...

Urbanspoon Receives UI Makeover, Powerful New Search Engine, and More

Kellen December 12, 2013 4

Popular restaurant finding service, Urbanspoon, received a full makeover on Android this morning, along with some other goodies that are sure to impress its userbase. They are calling this major UI change a "beautiful all-native Android experience," and we'd...

Google is Killing the “Display Images Below” Button in Gmail, Coming to Android in 2014

Kellen December 12, 2013 43

How many times in your life have you clicked that link? You know, the one that says "Display images below" in almost all of your Gmail messages. Hundreds of times? Thousands? It's a safety measure, but man, how long have we wished Google would find a better...

Sprint Moto X Now Receiving Android 4.4 “Kit Kat” as Build 13.11.3Q2.X-69-3-8

Kellen December 12, 2013 12

Sprint Moto X owners, you can finally stop feeling left out - your Kit Kat (Android 4.4) update has been approved and is ready to rollout as build 13.11.3. Motorola shocked the world a bit when it released Android 4.4 to the Verizon Moto X only three weeks...

Google Maps 7.5 on Android Secretly Matches iOS Version – Now Pulls Hotel, Flight and Restaurant Reservations From Gmail

Kellen December 12, 2013 37

Yesterday afternoon, an update to the iOS version of Google Maps rolled out, bringing with it hotel, flight, and restaurant reservation info that it had pulled from Gmail. In other words, Google Maps on iOS became a lot like Google Now. If you have emails from...

Download: Instagram Version 5.0 With IG Direct, Private Video and Photo Messenger

Tim December 12, 2013 17

We know how difficult it can be waiting for a staged rollout to hit your phone, so if you are trying to download version 5.0 of Instagram from Google Play, you no longer need to wait. Version 5.0 features Instagram Direct, which allows users to send private...

New Swiftkey Beta Introduces 500 Emoji, Optional Number Row

Kellen December 12, 2013 53

Swiftkey, a 3rd party keyboard that remains one of the favorites around this site, received a beta update to version 4.5 this morning that finally introduces emoji and an optional number row. Seems silly, right? That we're talking about an update that...

Instagram Announces Instagram Direct, Private Video and Photo Messenger Built Into Instagram

Eric December 12, 2013 26

Instagram, the filter-centric social network, took to the stage this morning before a small crowd of press to announce their latest experiment, Instagram Direct. Instagram already lets you share photos with everyone on your list, but no real option for...

Google Decides That Google Assistant Can Stick Around a Bit Longer, Pushes Gemini Switch to 2026

Kellen December 19, 2025 26

You may have forgotten the timeline, but Google was pushing to force all off of Google Assistant and onto Gemini by the end...

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What’s New in Android 16 QPR3 Beta: At a Glance, Flashlight, Navigation Buttons, More

Kellen December 18, 2025 26

Google may have released Android 16 QPR3 Beta 1 at the worst possible time of the day, but we're still going to dive into it...

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Android 16 QPR3 Beta Program Goes Live for Pixel Devices

Kellen December 17, 2025 26

Android 16 QPR3 Beta 1 released. Google shipped Android 16 QPR2 to stable channels this month as the December Pixel update,...

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Verizon Pixel 8, Pixel 9, and Pixel 10 Devices Get New December Update (Updated)

Kellen December 17, 2025 26

All of Google's still-supported Pixel devices received a huge QPR2 update in early December with new features and tons of bug...

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Google Makes Controversial Pixel Search Bar Change

Kellen December 17, 2025 26

Within the past several days, a group of Pixel owners noticed a change to the way the Search bar at the bottom of their Pixel...

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Samsung December Updates Continue Roll Out to All These Devices

Kellen December 17, 2025 26

Samsung started sending December updates to a batch of devices earlier in the week, but they weren't quite done with 2025....

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Galaxy Z TriFold Sells Out Quick in South Korea, Even With High Price Tag

Tim December 12, 2025 26

We shouldn't be surprised, folks. Samsung launched the Galaxy Z TriFold this week in its home country of South Korea, with in...

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YouTube TV Will Offer 10 Genre-Specific Plans in 2026

Tim December 10, 2025 26

More choice and more flexibility. That's what everyone has been clamoring for lately. If you'll recall, YouTube TV used to be...

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Google’s Latest Ad Pokes at iPhone for Copying Its Features, iPhone 17 Rumors

Kellen May 6, 2025 11

The iPhone 17 won't arrive for months, likely after Google releases its Pixel 10 series. For the most part, all talk around...

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Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro Unboxing and Tour!

Kellen October 11, 2023 11

Some of you have been lucky enough to receive your Pixel 8 or Pixel 8 Pro pre-orders a day early, thanks to Google's wildly...

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Pixel Watch 2 Unboxing and Tour!

Kellen October 11, 2023 11

The Pixel Watch 2 has been on my wrist for a full week and my list of notes has only grown. I've tested sleep tracking, put...

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Video: Galaxy Z Flip 5, Z Fold 5 Unboxing!

Tim July 27, 2023 11

Samsung was gracious enough to send us its latest foldables devices, the Galaxy Z Flip 5 and Galaxy Z Fold 5. Naturally,...

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Google Pixel 7a Unboxing and Tour!

Kellen May 10, 2023 11

Because the Google Pixel 7a is available today for you to run out and buy at $499, you may not want to wait around for our...

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VIDEO: Galaxy S23 Ultra Unboxing!

Tim February 3, 2023 11

Unboxing time, baby! We have the Galaxy S23 Ultra in-house, a bit before they're set to make their way to buyers later this...

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Pixel 7 Pro: First 10 Things to Do!

Tim October 13, 2022 11

Fancy new Pixel 7 or Pixel 7 Pro just show up at your doorstep? Perfect, then this video is for you. As is tradition, we've...

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Pixel Watch: First 10 Things To Do!

Kellen October 13, 2022 11

The day that most of you will receive your Google Pixel Watch from pre-orders is here. It's time for you to slap Google's...

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