Droid Life: Opinionated Android news.

How is Android 14 Treating Your Pixel?

Kellen October 9, 2023 61

Google released Android 14 to its Pixel line-up of devices almost a full week ago, so you have had quite a bit of time to test it, if you hadn't already through several beta builds. You should have been able to play with new features, check out new settings,...

The Response to Google’s 7 Year Update Promise for Pixel is Getting Weird

Kellen October 6, 2023 105

Google finished off its Made by Google event this week by confirming that its new Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro smartphones would receive a full 7 years of software support. Those years will see security patches, Pixel Feature Drop releases, and Android OS upgrades...

Pixel Watch App Updates to 2.0 With New Pixel Watch 2 Features

Kellen October 6, 2023 2

The Pixel Watch 2 will be here in about a week, so Google is preparing that arrival by updating the Pixel Watch companion app. In a community post shared today, they showed off a bit of a redesign as well as a number of changes, including new features. The new...

Pixel 8 Pro is the Choice This Year

Kellen October 6, 2023 42

The decision over which Pixel 8 phone to pre-order this year seemed so clear to me after watching the reveal (all of the leaks too) and then pulling up the Google Store a couple of days ago. In past releases, I can't say the same, because I was always torn...

Here’s the Sweet New Software Updates Page on Android 14 QPR1

Kellen October 5, 2023 9

Within the new Android 14 QPR1 Beta 2 update that dropped on Pixel phones today, a new "Software updates" page showed up that lets you know in a flashier way if your device is up-to-date or not. And we aren't just talking about system-level updates - this...

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...

Verizon Wastes No Time Switching Device Unlock Policy to 365 Days

Kellen January 20, 2026 5

When the FCC cleared Verizon of its 60-day device unlock policy a week ago, we talked about how the government agency, which...

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Samsung Makes New Bixby Official in One UI 8.5 With Perplexity AI

Kellen January 20, 2026 5

The betas of One UI 8.5, as well as supposedly leaked screenshots, showed a potentially renewed investment in Bixby from...

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How to Claim the $20 Verizon Outage Credit

Kellen January 15, 2026 5

Verizon announced today that it would give all of its customers a $20 credit after experiencing a 10-hour outage yesterday....

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Android 16 QPR3 Beta 2 Just Released for Pixel Phones

Kellen January 14, 2026 5

Google has released Android 16 QPR3 Beta 2 for all of its still-supported Pixel phones, tablets, and foldables. After...

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Google Just Gave Gemini “Personal Intelligence”

Kellen January 14, 2026 5

Google's Gemini now has Personal Intelligence and can reason across your data, assuming you give it access. For AI as an...

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2026 January Pixel Update Available for Your Pixel Phone

Kellen January 12, 2026 5

We've entered 2026 and the first Google Pixel update of the year is here. For those with a still-supported Pixel phone or...

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Apple to Use Gemini to Power New Features on iPhone

Tim January 12, 2026 5

Google and Apple released a joint statement today, announcing a multi-year collab which will bring Gemini to Apple's...

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Galaxy S25 Sales Going Up When It Should Be Going Down

Tim January 12, 2026 5

There's something funky going on with Samsung's Galaxy S25 series sales numbers. As one might imagine, after the first few...

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

Kellen May 6, 2025 61

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 61

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 61

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 61

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 61

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 61

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 61

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 61

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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