Google Play's October 2026 updates introduce Ask Play video answers, 30-second gameplay recordings, shareable Play Shorts, and new pairing features for Android XR glasses and wireless earbuds.
Google Play's October 2026 updates introduce Ask Play video answers, 30-second gameplay recordings, shareable Play Shorts, and new pairing features for Android XR glasses and wireless earbuds.
Apple is introducing a βMade for iPhone Duoβ badge to help you find apps optimized for its foldable phone, with Netflix, Microsoft Word, Outlook, and other apps adapting to the larger display.
Google is taking another crack at convincing consumers that it can make compelling laptops for the masses, and the name of this latest attempt is "Googlebook." Chromebooks have officially begun their long decline into obscurity, leaving Googlebooks to bridge the gaps between ChromeOS, Android, Linux, and all the AI features Google wants you to use. At the core of Googlebook OS is the full Google Play Store and its millions of apps, but my time with Android apps on the first-generation Lenovo Googlebook 15 has laid out an undeniable truth: Progressive Web Apps are still superior, and it's not a close fight.
Apple is restricting iPhone Duo walk-in sales in Japan, South Korea, and the UAE ahead of its Oct. 23 launch. Here's what buyers should know before visiting.
Apple is restricting iPhone Duo walk-in sales in Japan, South Korea, and the UAE ahead of its Oct. 23 launch. Here's what buyers should know before visiting.
Australia is forcing Apple to open up iPhone app distribution, allowing rival app stores, alternative payment services, and more freedom for developers from March 2027. Apple plans to appeal the ruling.
If you are looking to get iPhone Duo via walk-in purchase on launch day at an Apple Store and want to know where it will be available, then you have come to the right place.
The company updated its guidelines with strong language around AI and user-generated content, and how app developers should include enough preventative measures to moderate objectionable or offensive content.
The Takedown of an Underground Phishing Engine A coordinated operation led by Microsoftβs Digital Crimes Unit, Health-ISAC, and international law enforcement recently dismantled a massive Chinese-language phishing marketplace responsible for...
Nearly eight years after Epic took on Steam with its own Game Store and launcher, the Fortnite maker is deploying a new tool to give it an edge over Valve: vibe coding.
In announcing the new publicly available "Preview" build of its Epic Games Launcher, Epic writes that "programming is hard. So, instead of doing that, we vibe coded a new Epic Games Launcher thatβs way faster and more responsive than the current one, and has a new look." And while that might sound a little tongue-in-cheek, Epic Games Store General Manager and VP Martin Keely told PC Gamer that the team "started from scratch" and used AI as "a tool to write and review new features and new capabilities from the ground up in a different tech stack than what we had previously." The goal, Keely said, was to "look at functionality that existed [in the current Epic Games Launcher] and [say] we want to replicate that, but not the code itself."
Speaking to IGN, Keely clarified that using AI to code the new Launcher "made us more efficient and allowed a small team to rewrite the code base and be able to launch it faster across platforms, support Windows and Mac, and we're going to have a Linux version as well."
Google has already added a few AI features to the Play Store, but a lot more are coming. The previously released Ask Play feature is expanding to offer more AI-powered discovery options in Google's app store, and Google is also using AI to build a recommendation engine called Game Finder. For people who have embraced AI to build their own apps, the Play Store will soon offer a way to privately host and share those creations.
Google rolled out Ask Play in 2025 as a small chatbot interface on Play Store listings. It lets you ask questions about an app or game, either by typing it in manually or choosing from a list of suggested queries. Starting today, Ask Play is expanding into a more general way to search for apps and games. You ask the robot questions, and it generates recommendations that can include detailed comparison charts. Gemini will roll out a similar capability soon.
Google's other AI discovery announcement focuses on games. The new Game Finder feature leans on all the usage data Google's app platform has hoovered up over the years, featuring insights into the way 1.2 billion people play games on Android. It builds a profile called Gamer DNA and matches you with players who have similar DNA.