Google has had a rough October, but this week things are looking good for the company. Android 15 is here and brings small but appreciated improvements to the Android experience; the Pixel 9 series is outselling previous generations; and a federal judge halted Play Store changes that were mandated in the wake of the Epic v. Google lawsuit. Google is also shaking up its voice assistant teams, and I think this could be for the better.
Hello, I’m Taylor. As a Google Editor at AP, I read and write about Google and Android week in, week out, and in this column I summarize the biggest Google developments of the week and discuss what those developments mean and why they matter. Here’s the Google news you need to understand this week.
Android 15 brings some low-key improvements to Pixels
The wait for Android 15 was longer than we expected, and it still felt longer than it actually was: the Pixel 9 series launched with Android 14 last year, an unusual development that made us especially eager to get our hands on the update to get.
The time has finally come: Android 15 rolled out to Pixel devices on October 15. There aren’t really any major new features on the level of, say, Android 12’s dynamic Material You themes; Android 15’s most notable user feature is something called private space. This is a semi-hidden space to store apps and data that you want to be extra sure stay private in case your device ends up in the wrong hands. Along with some other minor tweaks, like the option to archive apps directly from your home screen and the ability to save app pairs to large-screen devices, Android 15 helps make your Android experience more complete, but you don’t have to necessarily feeling other than Android 14.
Google has pointed out that Android is getting new features more frequently than it ever has since introducing a quarterly update frequency. In fact, Android 15 QPR1 will be at least as important as Android 15 itself, with new features such as charging optimization and lock screen widgets on tablets.
Read my review
Review: My favorite Android 15 features are far from flashy
A small update with welcome adjustments to the quality of life
Google has a hit on its hands with the Pixel 9 series
Pixel phones get a ton of attention in the tech media, but they don’t actually sell that well. Pixel phones accounted for about three percent of smartphone sales in North America in the fourth quarter of last year, compared to Apple’s 23 percent and Samsung’s 16 percent.
Things are apparently looking good for Google in the wake of the Pixel 9 series launch: Counterpoint Research has reported that the third quarter (July, August and September) of 2024 was Google’s best yet in terms of smartphone sales units. Counterpoint hasn’t shared any details, so we don’t actually know how many units have been moved, but setting a record can’t be a bad sign.
Full story
The Pixel 9 just gave Google its best three months ever for phone sales
Google has never sold more phones in a quarter
Epic v. Google Remedies at Break
Epic sued Google over its Play Store policies in 2020. Earlier this month, a ruling in the case included much of what Epic was asking for: Judge James Donato ruled that, among other concessions, Google must distribute third-party app stores through the Play Store, and that Google couldn’t force developers to use Google’s Play Billing infrastructure, which gives Google a deep cut of in-app sales. Google said at the time that it planned to appeal and asked the court to suspend the changes until the appeal process was completed.
In the wake of that ruling, Xbox President Sarah Bond announced on . (You can currently download games to your Xbox console via the Xbox mobile app, but you must complete the purchase on the console itself.)
But late in the week, Judge Donato granted Google his stay on key parts of the ruling, conceding that the three-week period he initially gave Google to make sweeping changes to its Play Store policies was not enough time was to carry out the ordered changes safely. No new deadline has been set, so it appears Bond’s Xbox app announcement may have been premature.
Latest development
Google just got a reprieve in the Epic App Store battle
The judge extended Google’s deadline
Google is shaking up its voice assistant teams
Google is making changes to its Assistant and Gemini teams. On Thursday, CEO Sunday Pichai announced a number of internal restructurings: the Gemini app team will join DeepMind, Google’s artificial intelligence research arm, and the Assistant teams will be merged into Google’s Platforms & Devices division .
The change has some interesting implications. It looks like the old Google Assistant won’t be phased out in favor of the newer Gemini anytime soon. Instead, Google is merging Assistant’s workforce with Platforms & Devices, allowing these employees to be “closer to the product surfaces they build for.” Pichai also writes that the shift will “bring our AI-powered home initiatives into one team and focus on improving the user experience.”
To me that reads like good news. Google’s smart speakers and displays have felt neglected for years, and bringing together the people shaping the Assistant experience into the team that develops and manages products like Nest Audio feels like a good step toward breathing new life into it of those devices.
Full story
The gap between Google’s Gemini and Assistant teams just got a lot wider
Assistant joins Devices, Gemini goes to DeepMind
