This week started off with the world’s largest mobile show in Barcelona, as MWC 2024 brought the most prominent names in tech under one roof to showcase their latest concepts and prototypes. But even with all that hubbub, the two biggest companies in the Android space dominated headlines as usual, with rumors and releases on the hardware and software fronts from Samsung and Google hogging the limelight. If you missed out on any of the biggest headlines this week in Android amid all the commotion, we certainly don’t blame you — in fact, we’ll get you caught up in no time with the five biggest stories from the past seven days after the jump.
Catch up on last week’s biggest Android headlines here
Google kills an app, pauses a killer feature, and births a new partnership — all before MWC
Another new Chromecast spotted in the code
Coming in late on Friday was news of another new Chromecast — or at least its codename — being spotted in the Google Home app for Android. In an APK teardown, mentions of a “YTD” model were found alongside the existing “YTV” (4K Chromecast) and “YTB” (1080p) models we all know and love. This seems to point to new hardware in the works, though a similar finding early last year tells us we probably shouldn’t hold our breath.
Signs of another new Chromecast appear in the Google Home app
We don’t know anything about it, but it does seem to exist
Aside from refinements like squared edges and titanium frames, Samsung’s Galaxy S24 series offers some rather familiar hardware — yet it’s been selling like hotcakes. Why? Because there’s more to a phone than OLED screens, giant batteries, and powerful processors, and Samsung’s fully aware of this, as evidenced by the attention it has paid to software in this year’s flagships.
In addition to its useful-if-not-quirky Galaxy AI software suite, Samsung has been quick with the updates for its S24 series. After rolling out its first new firmware just three weeks after the phone’s release, Samsung started seeding a second update late in the week. This came on the heels of the S24 and other Galaxy devices receiving the February Google Play System Update, so it’s clear software is a focus for Samsung this year.
The Samsung Galaxy S24 is already getting its second firmware update
Just a week after the first update dropped
Wear OS goes all in on battery life
The MWC fanfare kicked off in earnest with the release of the OnePlus Watch 2, which we’d already had under embargo ahead of our full review by Gadgets Editor Taylor Kerns. There’s a lot to like about the new wearable, including a charger that just plain nails it, but one thing clearly stands out: a legit four-day battery life in real-world testing, not just on a spec sheet. We quickly learned this was no fluke — the gains could be largely attributed to a new hybrid interface for Wear OS that was built by Google.
The battery savings come from a dual OS interface that allows watches to offload certain tasks to a low-power chip running its own operating system. We later found out that Google’s new watch face format, which it is encouraging developers to use to ensure compatibility for future versions of Wear OS, was likely built with this in mind. If you’re a smartwatch user, this is probably the most significant piece of tech news this week for you, so we’d highly recommend reading Android expert Mishaal Rahman’s in-depth explainer on the new Wear OS hybrid interface.
Everything you need to know about the Wear OS hybrid interface
Plus Google’s take on its potential for expanding to more smartwatches
Google drops a big MWC update for Android
First thing Monday morning Barcelona time (and obnoxiously early for those of us in US time zones), Google dumped a heaping helping of new features on our plates. We learned the company was rolling out Gemini in Google Messages, but only in the beta channel and only to users who were likely still asleep at the time, and the long-awaited rollout of Spotify Connect integration in Android’s new media player finally began.
But the story doesn’t end there — Google also had some fresh updates for Wear OS to help you get around easier, and it pushed new functionality to flagship products like Google Docs and Google Maps. You can read all about it in our big roundup of Google’s spring release below.
Google is starting spring with a big Android feature roundup
Get ready for Gemini in Messages, Spotify Connect integration, Wear OS updates, and more
Samsung’s next big hardware event is bubbling up
We’ll end this week’s news recap with an eye toward the future — Samsung still has a lot of hardware in the pipeline for 2024, and the rumor mill has been heating up of late. Everybody at MWC went gaga over their first glance at the upcoming Galaxy Ring, and while it wasn’t available to try on, we did learn quite a bit about the new wearable at the trade show.
Meanwhile, we got our first good look at the upcoming Galaxy Z Flip 6 courtesy of some leaked renders, and that came on the heels of another set that showed off the Galaxy Z Fold 6. Speaking of the latter, we learned there might even be a Z Fold Ultra model this year, though conflicting reports think the second variant might be a cheaper Z Fold FE. Luckily, we won’t have to wait very long to find out, because Samsung’s next Unpacked event, expected to showcase foldables and the Galaxy Ring, has been tipped to happen earlier than usual this year.
The next Samsung Galaxy Unpacked could happen sooner than you think
The Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Z Flip 6 may launch by early July
