Google Gemini gets a major makeover in a week full of Android 16 and Galaxy S25 news – Android Police

The week in mobile was chock-full of exciting Android news. We finally got to see the

Galaxy S25
series in all its glory, plus we got a peek at a pair of new Samsung phones in the pipeline. Google followed that up by releasing the first public beta build of Android 16, and

Android XR
got two big shots in the arm. Meanwhile, Google Gemini got a major makeover, so if you weren’t staying on top of smartphone news, let’s get you caught up. Oh yeah, and stuff happened with TikTokIf you were looking closely at the new Galaxy S25 series (more on that later), you might have noticed the phones — which come with Gemini preinstalled — sported a new UI for Google’s AI assistant. Almost immediately after Samsung’s Unpacked presentation concluded, a wave of users on other Android devices started noticing the new UI.Google’s new minimalist interface for the Gemini assistant overlay is now rolling out widely. It’s not much larger than the text input field in your favorite messaging app, so you can see more of the screen when you’re asking questions, and most of the previous functionality has been retained. The only thing we’re really missing so far is a way to quickly access the full UI without having to wait for a response from the assistant first.See more of your screen while talking to the assistantThe rumor phase had practically spoiled it all, but Wednesday’s Unpacked event left nothing to the imagination. A new trio of Galaxy S25 phones is here, and “more AI” is Samsung’s selling point, with Google even chipping in to help out on that front.It can’t be all about AIOutside of new AI features and the usual iterative spec bumps, not a ton has changed. On one hand, the S25 Ultra’s S Pen ditched Bluetooth support and lost a few features, but on the other, the cheapest S25 no longer cheaps out on RAM. In a plus for the whole series, Samsung has finally added seamless update support to this year’s flagships.But perhaps the most interesting hardware news to come out of Unpacked was Samsung teasing a set of phones that aren’t yet available. In a classic “one more thing” move, Samsung ended its presentation with a glimpse of the Galaxy S25 Edge, a thinner flagship that has a flat screen despite its name. And the long-rumored tri-fold Galaxy made an official appearance, albeit in line-art form and tucked away in a quick slide almost nobody noticed.One UI 7 is at the center of this year’s launchDeveloper previews of Android 16 have been available since November, but these weren’t intended for the public — in fact, the only way to install them was to unlock your Pixel’s bootloader and flash factory images using Fastboot or a similar tool. So, for all intents and purposes, when Android 16 Beta 1 dropped the day after Unpacked this week, it was the world’s first real look at Google’s next big release.The new build of Android 16 adds support for freely scalable tablet apps and an iOS-like notification feature called Live Updates — something that looks similar to Samsung’s new Now Bar, but with an API for third-party apps. While a lot of other goodies were uncovered in the final developer preview, we’ve also noticed that Beta 1 brings Google’s predictive back animation to three-button navigation in a likely bid to help broaden app support.No flashing needed — just opt in and downloadAR and VR are perpetually the next big thing, but it feels like the segment could finally have its moment this year. Meta is signing deals with new sunglasses brands, and its first true AR glasses are due out next year. But Google’s newest operating system, Android XR, could easily open the floodgates.The first Android XR headset, a joint venture between Samsung, Qualcomm, and Google code-named Project Moohan, was shown off at Samsung’s Unpacked event this week. While the company didn’t let reporters try the headset on, we certainly got our best look yet at the VR device that uses passthrough video, much like the Apple Vision Pro.Behind the scenes, Google was making moves to bolster Android XR’s future. Much like the acqui-hire move that brought HTC’s smartphone hardware engineers onto the Pixel team, Google has inked a deal with the Taiwanese company to source some of its experience from the HTC Vive VR project. Google hopes the $250 million investment will “accelerate the development of the Android XR platform across the headsets and glasses ecosystem.”HTC Vive will continue to live onGoogle One, as its name suggests, has always been envisioned as an all-access pass to premium Google services — but in practical terms, it was never more than a Google Drive storage tier until Gemini Advanced plans came into play. Meanwhile, YouTube Premium bundled ad-free videos with the full version of YouTube Music, but Google’s two main subscription services remained separate — until now.As of this week, there’s a new Google One add-on with discounted rates on YouTube Premium, though only for individual plans. To celebrate, Google announced a mini feature drop for YouTube Premium users, with new experiments rolling out that let you skip straight to the best parts of videos on the web, or even watch music videos with high-bitrate audio.New ways to enjoy YouTubeWe want to hear from you! Share your opinions in the thread below and remember to keep it respectful.Your comment has not been savedThis thread is open for discussion.Be the first to post your thoughts.Not cool Google, not coolIs this the biggest nail in the Assistant coffin?The Google Assistant killer?Gemini 2.0 brings useful new features and enhancements Pixels might last 7 years, but 128GB won’tGemini Advanced hits all the sweet spots for my use cases

Source: https://www.androidpolice.com/weekly-android-news-roundup-january-25-2025/