When switching Android phones, your saved Wi-Fi networks are usually automatically transferred to the new device along with your account. But that sync isn’t real-time. If I connect to a new Wi-Fi network on my Pixel, I still have to enter the password again on my Vivo phone. Google aims to fix this limitation with the second March 2026 Play services update.
With the v26.10 build of Google Play services, Google is introducing a new Wi-Fi Sync feature. It will supposedly share and sync trusted Wi-Fi networks across all devices signed in to the same Google account. This means you can switch to a new device and start using it right away, without first having to connect it to Wi-Fi.
Below is how Google explains the feature:
[PC, Phone] Wi-Fi Sync helps keep users’ devices online by making it easy to share and sync known, trusted Wi-Fi networks across a user’s personal device ecosystem, ensuring that wherever connectivity is available, it’s quickly and easily accessible.
There’s still a lot we don’t know about Wi-Fi Sync. The feature might work only across Pixel devices. And while Google mentions it in the release notes, it may not be fully functional until a future Android update. Google has followed a similar pattern before. It will list some new features in the Play Services update release notes, only to enable them with a future OS update.
The latest Google Play services build started rolling out on March 16, 2026. So, it could take a while to show up on your phone.
Play Store updates bring small but useful changes
Another minor change, as spotted by Android Authority, is the Wear OS Play Store showing animated placeholders while the Browse page loads. This is rolling out as part of Play Store’s v50.6 update.
The new build also enables the Game Trials feature, which Google announced earlier this month. It will allow you to take a paid game for a spin without paying for it. This option will only appear for select paid mobile games, and in the future, expand to Google Play Games on PC.
Note that you currently can’t carry over your progress from the trial when you upgrade to the paid version.
