Taking a look back at this week’s news and headlines across the Android world, including Android 16 release, Material 3 Expressive design, another Galaxy Z Fold7 tease, Pixel 10’s colorful design, AOSP’s fundamental change, Nothing Tech turns to North America, and Emoji fans have an upgrade.
Android Circuit is here to remind you of a few of the many discussions around Android in the last seven days. You can also read my weekly digest of Apple news here on Forbes.
Android 16 Released
Google has released the latest version of Android. Android 16 is looking to bring more accessibility to the platform. One key focus is on reducing the complexity of notifications while making they more dynamically reactive to the environment:
“Waiting for your food delivery to get to your house? Instead of opening your delivery app every 5 minutes, live updates keep you informed in real-time. These live updates are starting with compatible ride-share and food delivery apps. We’re working together with these app partners to bring this capability to the Android ecosystem, including in Samsung’s Now Bar and OPPO and OnePlus’ Live Alerts.”
(The Keyword, Google Blog).
Android 16 Will Turn Expressive Later This Year
Although the update to Android 16 has rolled out this week, not everything is on show. One of the key elements is a change to the UI, specifically the Material Expressive UI. Given the announced dates, it’s likely that the Pixl 10 family will be the first devices on sale with the new look.
“Android’s big Material 3 Expressive redesign is set to go live in the upcoming Android 16 QPR1 release. According to a source, Google plans to roll out the update to supported Pixel devices on September 3, 2025. The update’s source code will be released a few weeks earlier, on August 20, 2025.”
(Android Authority).
The Next Galaxy Z Fold Teased And Leaked
Samsung continues to tease its upcoming foldable, setting the scene with a prologue-like press release ( This year, that journey reaches a new milestone. The newest Galaxy Z series is our thinnest, lightest and most advanced foldable yet – meticulously crafted and built to last”). While some details are still to be confirmed, the latest documents submitted to the FCC confirm what many hoped, that the next Galaxy Fold will run Snapdragon and not Exynos:
“The United States of America’s Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has certified a Samsung smartphone with model number SM-F966B. Going by Samsung’s model number convention for smartphones and multiple reports, this is the international variant of the Galaxy Z Fold 7. The certification says that the phone uses the SM8750 SoC, which is the model number for the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite.”
(SamMobile).
Pixel’s Colorful Design Choice
For all the changes inside the Pixel 10 and Pixel 10 Pro, the one that consumers will notice first is the new colors on offer, and the potential changes to the almost-black and almost-white neutral colors seen in previous smartphones. With Obsidian and Porcelain likely out, everything is going to look new on retail shelves around the world:
“The Pixel 10 family enters a highly competitive market, one where the smallest rise in price can have an outsized impact on sales, where one burst of fashion is easily noticed, and the sway that a new color can bring might make all the difference.”
(Forbes).
The Impact Of AOSP Changes
Google has changed the reference mode targetted by the Android Open Source Project. Previously AOSP would target the Pixel hardware, making it easy for third parties to build a functional operating system for the Pixel. With a move to Cuttlefish—a virtual machine rather than physical hardware—it’s going to be much harder for hobbyists and software projects to be rolled out to the public.
“Google’s decision to now discontinue the Pixel as an AOSP reference device is unfortunate, as it has pulled the rug from under developers like the teams at LineageOS and GrapheneOS who build Android for Pixel devices. These developers will still be able to build AOSP for Pixel devices, but it will now be more difficult and painful to do so than before, as they will need to build their own device trees from scratch.
(Android Authority).
Phone (3)’s American Ambitions
Nothing Tech is expanding in the North American market. This week, the company announced that its upcoming flagship—the Nothing Phone (3)— will be available through American and Canadian carriers:
“Phone (3) – Nothing’s most advanced flagship to date – will be available in the US via nothing.tech and Amazon, with support for major carriers including AT&T and T-Mobile. This is the first flagship phone Nothing has launched in North America since Phone (2) in 2023… And in a first for Canada, both products will be sold through Best Buy Canada via an exclusive retail partnership. “
(Nothing Tech via Tech Crunch).
And Finally…
It’s not strictly Android 16, but the latest GBoard update has refreshed one of unsung heroes of communication, the emoji, GIF, and sticker interface is now faster and easier to use:
“After beta testing started last month, Gboard for Android is now rolling out the Emoji, GIF, and Sticker picker redesign to stable users. The primary change is to bottom navigation. “ABC” at the left is placed in a pill, while Emoji, GIF, Sticker, and Emoticon are housed in rounded rectangles. These containers are a bit wide, and will most likely not fit in a single screen. That said, you can still tap the last time without scrolling.”
(9to5Google).
Android Circuit rounds up the news from the Android world every weekend here on Forbes. Don’t forget to follow me so you don’t miss any coverage in the future, and of course, read the sister column in Apple Loop! Last week’s Android Circuit can be found here, and if you have any news and links you’d like to see featured in Android Circuit, get in touch!
