What you need to know
- Google launches LE Audio Auracast for synchronized listening on multiple devices like the Pixel series 8 and Sony headphones.
- Introducing Androidify: create your personalized Android bot with AI tools to reflect your unique style.
- Revamped Gboard enhances texting with AI suggestions and a new Emoji Kitchen for expressive sticker creations.
New month, new drop! Google just announced a whole host of new Android features, AI-powered tools, and an exclusive Pixel feature drop today (Sept. 3). This update brings several fun tools for Android users, along with expanded support for LE Audio sharing and Auracast.
Users will finally be able to pair two LE Audio Bluetooth headphones to one phone, so two people can listen to the same track at the same time. No more trying to hit play at the exact same moment — you’ll both be in sync! This just makes it more intimate for two people to basically watch anything together, whether you’re at a cafe or on a plane; watching your favorite show becomes seamless.
And this feature isn’t limited to just two people; if you’re with a group and want to share a catchy soundtrack you’ve just been hooked onto, you can also share the audio with multiple people, thanks to Auracast.
All you have to do is connect their headphones to your phone by scanning a QR code or with a single tap using Google’s Fast Pair — without needing to hand over your earbud. It can pretty much transform your next hangout session with your friends into a private silent disco, without the hassle of looking for a speaker or having them open up the soundtrack on their devices. However, for this feature to work, both the phone and headphones must support LE Audio.
Furthermore, LE Audio Auracast will now become available for Google Pixel 8 series and newer, Samsung flagship devices released since 2023, and some Xiaomi and POCO models.
Android bot that looks like you
Imagine yourself as an Android bot in a superhero costume, or you’d simply like to turn a fun picture of yourself into one that features an Android bot that looks just like you! Google is finally bringing a tool called “Androidify” that will let you build your own Android bot.
All you have to do is upload a selfie onto the web or the Google Play app, write a prompt, add some accessories, and see what AI builds. The tool will then use “Gemini 2.5 Flash to caption the photo, Imagen to generate your custom Android bot, and (in some cases) Veo 3, Google’s latest video generation model, to animate your bot with different vibes.
This is definitely a cool tool to bring tap into the creative side of you, or probably experiment with your style as an Android bot. You can check out some inspiration from Google’s own experiments with their mascot, like their garage band filming a music video or an Oreo superhero saving the world from an asteroid.
Additionally, Google notes that animating your Android bot into an 8-second video on Veo is a feature restricted to Fridays in September, with a limited number of creations available.
Along with these major drops, Google is also making it easier to text with AI-powered suggestions on Gboard. It will seamlessly provide prompts on the go so you can “review your tone to be more formal, expressive, or concise.” It will also help with spelling and grammar prompts to make sure your message is accurate and fully vetted, based on your personal needs.
Additionally, the tech giant is bringing Emoji Kitchen updates to help you mash up two of your favorite expressions or emojis into one fun sticker. For example, if you love flying shoes, you can pick both stickers and let AI do its magic!
“Browse the library, save your favorite options, and explore unique emoji suggestions, created just for you.”
Finally, users will also be able to share their images and videos with just a tap. With the redesigned Quick Share, you can toggle between sending and receiving, preview the photos you’re sharing, and open received files right away.
It will also give you live updates, showing you how long it will take for your files to be transferred with a new progress indicator.
A new standard
The Pixel 10 is one of the smartest phones you can buy thanks to the Tensor G5 chip and new Gemini AI features like Camera Coach and Magic Cue.
