Google Lens tends to get catalogued as a way to figure out how to identify plants or translate a menu while traveling. That's true, but it can do a lot more than that. You don't need to wonder about stuff or run vague Google searches to figure it out; Google Lens is basically Google search on your phone.

You want your phone to last as long as it can on a charge, but you should pause before you swipe away those background apps — closing them might cause your phone to use more power, not less. It's counter-intuitive, I know, but here's why.

Whether we like to admit it or not, notifications are the primary reason why so many of us are attached at the hip to our phones. No one wants to miss an important one. Android handles notifications the best, but if you have a Pixel phone, it gets even better.

Samsung is the reigning champion of foldable phones for a reason: it pushes the category forward with strong designs. The Galaxy Z Fold 8 is one of my favorite folding phones of all time, and it helped popularize the passport-style shape that's quickly taking over the mobile world.

Wired Android Auto is about as plug-and-play as it gets. The moment you plug the USB cable into your phone, everything connects in less time than it takes your engine to warm up a little before you roll off. However, annoyingly, it always seems to turn on Bluetooth too, but why does that keep happening when you’re using wired Android Auto?

A colleague recently went to see The Prodigy live, and it made me nostalgic about my old PlayStation. Wipeout 2097 was one of the first games I owned for the console, and the song Firestarter still makes me think of the futuristic racing game. I really want to play it again, but instead of setting up RetroPie on a Raspberry Pi, I used an old phone.

I used to think Android Auto had only one job: help me get where I’m going. Once I parked, I’d usually forget about it. I’d rather call my friend and start gossiping, recheck my article, or just stare out the window. But lately, I’ve realized I was wasting those little pockets of free time.

Android Auto is great and easy to use, especially in wireless mode. You hop in the car, the phone connects, and you're good to go. However, that doesn't help with all the settings, controls, playlist selection, and other things that distract you on the road or make you sit in the driveway for a few minutes before leaving. That's why I built a one-tap shortcut that changes everything at once.

For the most part, Android phones aren’t made with microSD card slots anymore. That doesn’t mean you can’t still use one with your phone. There are a handful of ways to do this — some good, some extremely awkward. Let’s go over them.

Android's NFC reader does more than tap to pay. Held against the right tag or accessory, it can do a ton of stuff. Here are just some things you can do that will immediately improve your experience.

Unless you own a Google Pixel phone with the built-in Now Playing feature, you have to use Shazam to recognize songs playing around you, right? Well, actually, no. Many Android phones have access to Google's built-in Song Search feature, which is almost as good as Now Playing and Shazam.

Samsung has ended guaranteed security updates for the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Z Flip 3. Here’s what owners should know and whether it’s time to upgrade.

The post Samsung Ends Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Flip 3 Updates: Is It Time to Upgrade? appeared first on TechRepublic.

Nothing OS 5 leaves three phones without Android 17. See which Nothing devices are affected, what support remains, and whether owners should upgrade.

The post Nothing OS 5 Ends Support for Three Phones: What Owners Should Do Next appeared first on TechRepublic.

“Can it run DOOM?” It’s the question people love to half-jokingly ask about every gadget with a screen. Android, of course, can run DOOM — but what about Android Auto? That’s an entirely different beast.

Apple’s first foldable meets Samsung’s eighth-generation Fold. Here’s which makes more sense for Apple loyalists, multitaskers, and other premium buyers.

The post iPhone Duo vs Galaxy Z Fold8: Which Foldable Should You Buy? appeared first on TechRepublic.

Got an old Android phone sitting unused in a drawer? By installing an open-source ROM, you can bring it bang up to date and give it a whole new lease of life. That's what I did with my old Motorola phone. Here's how it went.

The notification pull-down bar on Samsung Galaxy phones has changed quite a bit over the last few years, and not for the better. If you feel like your notifications aren't the same, out of order, and just seem a bit weird lately, you're not alone. The last two One UI updates changed the look and order of alerts, but one quick change in settings can fix it.

Our Samsung Galaxy phones get better with each update, but sometimes the best features are completely hidden or don't get talked about enough. A prime example is the powerful "Finder" app feature that apparently Samsung doesn't want you to know about. Better yet, you can now put it right on your home screen.

Amazon is adding the Activity Feed and other features from its Quick desktop app to the AI assistant’s mobile apps for iOS and Android.

The Activity Feed is the signature feature of Amazon Quick. It combines email, Slack messages, calendar invites and CRM updates into one prioritized list, and lets people act on items (opening and responding to emails, for example) without switching apps.

Amazon said Wednesday that the Quick desktop app, released in preview in April, is now generally available on Windows and macOS. The company also said Quick’s agents now run in the cloud, so they keep working after a laptop is closed and deliver results to the feed.

The desktop and mobile apps now sync, as well, so a task started on a laptop can be picked up on a phone, for example.

Quick has a free tier, with paid individual plans starting at $20 per user per month billed annually, and business plans running $20 to $40 per user per month.

Quick is Amazon’s entry in a crowded market for AI assistants at work, competing with Microsoft Copilot, Google Gemini, OpenAI, Anthropic and others. Amazon’s announcements cited business customers for Quick including Southwest Airlines, LabCorp and the PGA Tour.

The desktop app came together fast, as part of a new effort inside Amazon to use small teams to move quickly: Swami Sivasubramanian, the AWS vice president of agentic AI, told GeekWire in June that a team of about six engineers started in late January and shipped April 28.

I've had problems with Android notifications arriving late for years. Usually, it's not a huge deal—if someone needs me urgently, they'll just call instead of texting me.