Despite some recent headlines, iPhones remain safer than Androids given Apple’s tighter restrictions and control of its ecosystem. But Google is catching up — and Samsung is moving even faster to narrow the gap. Now, a new Android upgrade for 2025 could make Androids more like iPhones than ever before — but there’s a twist.

The latest update to Android Auto has made a slight UI change to Google Maps. The change is now causing some issues.

Google spent $250 million to acuire engineers from HTC Vive for Android XR, echoing moves it made with HTC for the Pixel in 2017.

Google says the new multimodal Gemini feature is available to all Gemini users on the web, Android and iOS. Google does have a paid AI subscription tier and Samsung has teased charging for Galaxy AI at the end of this year. For now, though, these AI updates are free and accessible to most smartphone users.

Credit: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central The Galaxy S25 is yet another product from the Korean tech giant that has access to some features from Google that other phones don't yet have. It's not the first time this has happened;

The monthly “ Google System Release Notes ” primarily detail what’s new in Play services, Play Store, and Play system update across Android phones/tablets, Wear OS, Google/Android TV, Auto, and PC. Some features apply to end users, while others are aimed at developers. The following first-party apps comprise the “Google System”:

The Google Maps app for Android Auto now centers your arrow on the map, making it tricky to see behind the large destination box.

Live Updates are dynamic notifications that live on your lockscreen, but they’re limited to ride shares, food orders, and navigation for now.

Android Auto 13.6 is now available for download; the rollout started on the Play Store, but users can also update using the APK installer

Google is officially launching a new Android security feature for Pixel devices with Android 15 to prevent phone thieves from accessing your digital accounts. The feature, called Identity Check, requires biometric authentication to access some account and device settings when you’re not at a trusted location (such as your home or your workplace).

Google is preparing to roll out a new shortcut for launching Google Wallet, and it could arrive in this year's Android 16 update.

The search giant has recently updated how Google Maps is shown on the screen when navigation is not enabled on Android Auto