Droid Life: Opinionated Android news.

Original Pixel Watch Will Get Wear OS 4 Update “Later This Year”

Kellen October 5, 2023 6

There's a chance you watched the Pixel Watch 2 unveiling yesterday and said, "Cool, I'll stick with my original Pixel Watch." And that's fine! We don't all need to upgrade to the shiny new things whenever the shiny new things show up. But if you did decide to...

Samsung Wallet Gets Mobile Driver’s Licenses, Arizona and Iowa Will Have First Access

Tim October 5, 2023 9

Samsung announced this week that Samsung Wallet now supports mobile driver's licenses, a relatively new way to house and provide identification when shopping and traveling. This builds upon the work Samsung recently did with university IDs, which was only...

Android 14 QPR1 Beta 2 Update Released for Pixel Phones

Kellen October 5, 2023 5

Android 14 only arrived in stable form yesterday, but Google has another Android 14 update available for testing. The Android 14 QPR1 Beta 2 just dropped for those participating in the program and want to see some bugs squished. Like the previous build, Google...

Typhur’s Sous Vide Station Might Get Me to Finally Try Water Cooking

Tim October 5, 2023 16

Ever heard of Typhur? Before 2023, I was unaware of the company, but I was made familiar with their existence back when a close friend of mine showed me their own Typhur-made InstaProbe after I wouldn't shut up about my beloved MEATER smart meat thermometer....

Google Will Supply Pixel 8 Buyers With 7 Years of Spare Parts, Too

Tim October 5, 2023 20

Google is committed to 7 years of life for the new Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, whether you plan to use them that long or not. When news first hit that the latest Pixel phones would get 7 years of Android OS and security updates, many minds went directly to the...

$30 Galaxy SmartTag 2 Now Official With 500+ Day Battery Life

Tim October 5, 2023 15

We got our first look at the all new Galaxy SmartTag 2 back in July of this year when it passed through the FCC. Since then, we have been patiently awaiting its launch, and with Google taking over the news this week with new Pixels and Android 14, Samsung...

Google Confirms What We’ve Known: Pixel’s First Monday Update Schedule is Out

Kellen October 5, 2023 18

During yesterday's full reveal of the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, hearing Google confirm that it was indeed committing to a full 7 years of updates, that includes Android OS upgrades, is still something I'm not sure we've wrapped our brains around. Updates on a...

Google Fixes 75 Issues in Stable Android 14 Release

Kellen October 4, 2023 18

Android 14 has arrived on still-supported Pixel phones and devices. You have likely already grabbed the update, because you own a Pixel device and updates are a big part of ownership. We've laid out all of the new features in a separate post, but wanted to...

Android 16 QPR3 Beta 1.1 Released for Pixel Phones!

Tim December 23, 2025 18

A small fixer update is rolling out to Google Pixel devices, labeled as Android 16 QPR3 Beta 1.1. It doesn't appear to be...

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Pixel 10 Pro XL at $400 Off is Crazy Stuff

Kellen December 22, 2025 18

Last minute shoppers, the greatest Pixel 10 Pro deal in history is here at the perfect time. You can take up to $400 off the...

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

Kellen December 19, 2025 18

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 18

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 18

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 18

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 18

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 18

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

Kellen May 6, 2025 6

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 6

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 6

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 6

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 6

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 6

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 6

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 6

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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