Taking a look back at this week’s news and headlines across the Android world, including Galaxy Z Fold Wide teased, the final Galaxy Z Flip, Honor Magic V6 arrives in the UK, OnePlus pushes Oppo brand in Germany, fighting for F-Droid, WhatsApp username details, and Google’s big GIF decision.
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.
Samsung Confirms Galaxy Z Fold 8 Wide
Samsung’s online marketing campaign for its summer handsets kicked into high gear this week with a raft of images and videos showing wider rectangles and cut-outs in various locations. Forbes contributor David Phelan cuts through the fun to find the practical:
“There’s a serious backbone to all these videos, of course. It’s the first official confirmation that a new wider model is coming to the Galaxy range. Just as importantly, since it’s thought the first Apple foldable, possibly called the iPhone Ultra, will have a similar aspect ratio, it’s Samsung’s way of getting in first. The company’s videos can be seen, for instance, in its Instagram feed where it asks for comments if you can guess what’s coming. It’s not hard, but there are more clues.”
Will This Be The Final Flip From Samsung?
Samsung is expected to launch three foldable phones this month, the presumptively named Z Fold 8 Wide, the Z Fold 8 and the Z Flip 8. As the former brings a larger form factor to the Galaxy Z range, the Flip’s smaller form factor is under pressure. Abid Iqbal Shaik reports on the discussions around the Flip:
“According to the tipster, the brand plans to discontinue the Galaxy Z Flip lineup to focus more on the Galaxy Z Fold series. If that turns out to be true, the Galaxy Z Flip would become the second major smartphone lineup the company has discontinued after the Galaxy Note series.”
Honor’s Foldable Standard Goes On Sale In The UK
Announced at MWC in March, Honor’s Magic V6 foldable went on sale in the UK this week. Four months after its reveal, it remains the most advanced foldable on the market. Whether that will change following launches from Samsung and Apple remains to be seen, but for now, the Magic V6 is the standard others will have to match. As NotebookCheck’s analysis of the V6 shows, it’s a high standard:
“When it comes to the battery, however, Honor goes all out and offers the largest battery capacity in a foldable. While the global version tested here has a capacity of 6,660 mAh, some models in China even reach up to 7,150 mAh. Either way, that’s impressive, especially given the V6’s slim design. So far, the Honor foldable is also the only one to offer full IP69 certification.”
OnePlus Pushing Oppo In Germany
Customers visiting OnePlus’ website in several European countries are being shown a top banner promoting parent company Oppo and several of its products. With rumors of the OnePlus brand being found down, many are reading this as another step in a consolidation under the Oppo name. Ben Schoon looks at the impact of the Oppo banners for the German market:
“The writing has been on the wall there for a while, but this is one of the most explicit signs we’ve seen that, in at least some global markets, OnePlus is effectively dead despite existing products still remaining available for purchase. In markets where both OnePlus and Oppo operate, this sort of push makes sense, it just won’t apply to the US, where Oppo is not sold.”
Why F-Droid Is Worth Fighting For
Continuing his look at third-party open source app directory F-Droid, The Bryant Review talks with prolific open source developer DocWolle on the need for F-Droid, the open source space in Android, and the impact of Google locking down installation routes in Android 17:
“[F-Droid’s] community’s unwavering focus on privacy and transparency sets it apart—a contrast that’s starkly missing from Google Play. I believe Play Protect exists less to safeguard users and more to protect Google’s revenue streams and market dominance. Privacy and transparency are its core values—principles that are becoming increasingly rare elsewhere. Most mainstream platforms ultimately prioritize monetization and data collection over user autonomy.”
WhatsApp Usernames Are Coming Soon.
WhatsApp is built around your phone number, but that is set to change as the popular messaging app introduces usernames. David Phelan notes the timeline for their introduction, but why you need to move now to be easily found:
“So, starting this week, users will be able to reserve their own usernames, which will go live later this year when the feature is properly launched. Reservations are open now to allow everyone to find their own name in good time — there are 3 billion users on WhatsApp, after all.”
And Finally…
Google has effectively killed the Tenor API, which offered a database of animated GIFs used by countless applications on Android and beyond. While the Tenor website remains in use, app developers are likely to turn to Giphy and Klipy if they want to offer GIF support. Ryan Whitwam answers why Google has partially shuttered the service:
“In January, Google announced it was going to start winding down that API access. It stopped accepting new integrations at that time, and the end date has now arrived: As of June 30, the Tenor API is no more. Google, a company with nearly 200,000 employees and more than $130 billion in 2025 profit, says it decided to stop supporting the image API so it could better focus its resources. The real problem was probably that Tenor was free, and Google didn’t see a way it could make money from a GIF API.”
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!
