nandika.iyerravi@futurenet.com (Nandika Ravi)
2025-05-17 05:00:00
www.androidcentral.com
News Weekly
News Weekly is our column where we highlight and summarize some of the week’s top stories so you can catch up on the latest tech news.
This is Android Central’s News Weekly, your go-to source for a concise roundup of the week’s most significant tech stories. This is where we delve into the top headlines that provide the latest developments and innovations contributing to the digital landscape.
This week, we dive into all things Android. Google snuck in its future XR tech, the Android Show gets an I/O edition, HBO Max makes a comeback, Nothing’s Phone 3 is set to show up this summer, and Samsung quietly unveiled a limited-edition Galaxy ring.
Before we dive in, Google I/O is coming up — starting on May 20th at the Shoreline Amphitheater in California. Android Central will be there live, so if you want all the updates as they happen during the two-day event, keep an eye out for our live coverage right from where it happens.
The Android Show: I/O edition
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Google wanted to switch things up a bit with this year’s I/O. It revealed some of the significant developments much earlier than expected, giving users a full look at what’s in store with Gemini, Material 3 Expressive, and its updated safety and privacy tools.
First up, Gemini comes to more devices. Gemini is expanding across the Android ecosystem, replacing Google Assistant on phones and integrating into Wear OS, cars, TVs, and XR.
This integration focuses on providing more intuitive, hands-free, and context-aware AI assistance across various devices. “Like when your hands are covered in flour while cooking, when you’re rushing between meetings, or when you’re in the middle of a bike ride,” Google explained in the press release.
As for Material 3 Expressive, Google is modifying its UI experience to be more expressive and interactive with Android 16. Google explains that M3 Expressive is all about design that feels good, makes sense, and helps you do things with ease. It leans on five key components, such as color, shape, size, motion, and containment, to steer the user’s attention to the stuff that matters.
Wear OS 6 is also getting a fresh coat of paint, more customization via color options, and a customizable UI. Watch faces will now be able to change the whole color of the OS, giving the wearable a more thematic feel.
During the show, it announced a whole slew of privacy and security tools that will show up on all Android devices with Android 16.
New warning systems will be built into Android’s caller and Google Messages, which help prevent fraud by sending you pop-up messages when common scam tactics are used.
For instance, Google Messages is also getting a big security update with AI-based detection that can help stop scammers pretending to be government officials or bank employees, or even”tech support” scams, and several other new categories. These messages will be automatically flagged and filtered as spam if spam detection is enabled.
Google’s Find My Device will also evolve into Find Hub with UWB tag support and satellite connectivity for enhanced tracking. The tech giant will partner with airlines to simplify lost luggage recovery using Bluetooth tag location sharing.
Did Google just show us its smart glasses?
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As The Android Show 2025 drew to a close, Samat put on what appeared to be a pair of Google and Samsung’s upcoming smart glasses, with tinted lenses. While putting them on, he pretty much hinted that Google I/O 2025 would be full of more Android announcements, “and maybe even a few more really cool Android demos.”
This only means we’d be getting more than just a peek at those highly anticipated wearables this year. These smart glasses look a lot like Meta’s and have customizable styles. While we know little to nothing about these glasses, they’re said to have a small screen in the lens, similar to the upcoming Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses 3. And would obviously be powered by the latest Gemini smarts.
Surprise, surprise! Max is back to being HBO Max
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Warner Bros. Discovery announced this week that it will be rebranding Max as HBO Max again. Just two years after ditching the HBO Max name, the company confirmed the switch will happen this summer.
This will be the second time the service has changed its name in just three years —first it launched as HBO Max in May 2020, when it was still under WarnerMedia, replacing HBO Now (its standalone streaming option since 2014) while keeping it separate from HBO Go (its old cable-authenticated VOD service that’s since been retired).
Looks like not many users were a fan of this rebranding, and learning from its past mistakes of chasing a “quantity over quality” approach with tons of content. Bringing back the HBO name is a key move in Warner Bros. Discovery, in its plan to grow a global customer base and keep up with other streaming giants.
The company believes that reintroducing the HBO brand on Max will make things more seamless for customers as to the kind of content they can expect to see.
Nothing Phone 3 coming this summer
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Nothing has been teasing its next flagship model for the past couple of days, be it dropping emojis or outright announcing its price.
During Google’s Android Show, Nothing’s CEO Carl Pei discussed what consumers can expect next: the Phone 3, and when. Pei announced that the Phone 3 will launch this summer. Pei states the company is “going all in” with the device, granting it “premium materials, major performance upgrades, and software that levels things up.”
More importantly, Pei all but confirmed to consumers its price, reportedly “somewhere around” £800 (~$1,062).
Pei adds that users will be given the “secure” and upgraded Android experience within the upcoming Nothing Phone. The video then gets into Nothing’s AI efforts, considering they had to postpone the launch of the device last year. Pei states the company has worked with its community to create software that’s “not just bolted on, but built in.”
Samsung dropped a limited-edition Galaxy Ring
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Samsung quietly launched an exclusive Galaxy Ring colorway for its Korean customers. It snuck in a quick announcement about the wearable at the end of the Galaxy S25 Edge’s press release — something extra for wearable fans.
According to Samsung’s Korean website, the new Galaxy Ring is pretty much the same tech-wise as its past versions/ Samsung calls it “Two-Tone Titanium Black,” a smooth mix of the classic Titanium Black and Titanium Silver. We weren’t able to spot any images of this exclusive smart ring yet, but it’s clear the company is going for a premium vibe here.
For now, this color is only for the South Korean audience, and it remains unclear whether it will be available on this side of the globe.
More stories this week
Those are some of the biggest stories from this week. Meanwhile, here are some other stories that are worth catching up on:
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