The debut of Gemini 3.1 Flash Live could make it harder to know if you’re talking to a robot
Google’s new conversational audio AI is rolling out in search, Gemini, and developer tools today.
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Ryan Whitwam
Senior Technology Reporter
ryan.whitwam@meincmagazine.com
Ryan Whitwam is a senior technology reporter at Ars Technica, covering the ways Google, AI, and mobile technology continue to change the world. Over his 20-year career, he's written for Android Police, ExtremeTech, Wirecutter, NY Times, and more. He has reviewed more phones than most people will ever own. You can follow him on Bluesky, where you will see photos of his dozens of mechanical keyboards.
Recent stories by
Ryan Whitwam
Google’s TurboQuant AI-compression algorithm can reduce LLM memory usage by 6x
TurboQuant makes AI models more efficient but doesn’t reduce output quality like other methods.
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Google’s new version of Android Automotive will move beyond infotainment
Google wants Android in cars to break out of the infotainment box.
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Google details new 24-hour process to sideload unverified Android apps
The “advanced flow” will be available before verification enforcement begins later this year.
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After three months, Samsung is ending sales of the $2,899 Galaxy Z TriFold
Samsung didn’t offer an explanation for its decision, but it’s not exactly a surprise.
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Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra review: Private and performant
If you want to spend $1,300 on a phone, it might as well be this one.
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Adobe settles DOJ cancellation fee lawsuit, will pay $75 million penalty
Adobe says it will also give customers who “qualify” free services but is vague on details.
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Google Maps gets its biggest navigation redesign in a decade, plus more AI
Google Maps is about to get more chatty and immersive.
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Most Read
Google Play Games for PC is getting more premium titles and cross-buy with Android
Google is more focused on desktop gaming than ever before.
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After complaints, Google will make it easier to disable gen AI search in Photos
One toggle for “fast classic search.”
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Gemini burrows deeper into Google Workspace with revamped document creation and editing
Gemini can now pull context from your files, emails, and more to create and edit documents.
Ryan Whitwam
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Google’s new command-line tool can plug OpenClaw into your Workspace data
This could make it easier to use multiple Workspace APIs, but it’s not yet an official Google product.
Ryan Whitwam
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Google and Epic announce settlement to end app store antitrust case
The era of the 30 percent app store cut has ended.
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With developer verification, Google’s Apple envy threatens to dismantle Android’s open legacy
Questions remain as Google prepares to lock down Android app distribution in the name of security.
Ryan Whitwam
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Google reveals Nano Banana 2 AI image model, coming to Gemini today
Google’s new image model replaces the previous versions immediately.
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The Galaxy S26 is faster, more expensive, and even more chock-full of AI
Samsung’s Galaxy S26 series is available for preorder today and ships on March 11.
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Google announces Gemini 3.1 Pro, says it’s better at complex problem-solving
Google says 3.1 Pro is ready for “your hardest challenges.”
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Record scratch—Google’s Lyria 3 AI music model is coming to Gemini today
With a simple prompt, you can generate 30 seconds of something like music.
Ryan Whitwam
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Google’s Pixel 10a arrives on March 5 for $499 with specs and design of yesteryear
Google’s new budget phone is here, but don’t expect a big upgrade.
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Get ready for new Macs and iPads: Apple announces “Special Experience” on March 4
Apple has not confirmed whether you’ll be able to watch live, but Ars will bring you the news.
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The first Android 17 beta is now available on Pixel devices
Don’t expect big changes yet.
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We let Chrome’s Auto Browse agent surf the web for us—here’s what happened
Auto Browse is capable of some impressive things, but it can also crash and burn spectacularly.
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Google recovers “deleted” Nest video in high-profile abduction case
Users only get three hours of free Nest video storage, but Google can retrieve videos much later.
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Upgraded Google safety tools can now find and remove more of your personal info
The Results About You tool is getting an upgrade.
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Google experiments with locking YouTube Music lyrics behind paywall
After a lengthy test, YouTube Music is making lyrics a premium feature.
Ryan Whitwam
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Waymo leverages Genie 3 to create a world model for self-driving cars
With Genie 3, Waymo wants to explore rare and even impossible driving conditions.
Ryan Whitwam
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Google hints at big AirDrop expansion for Android “very soon”
AirDrop came to the Pixel 10 last year, and more Android phones will join the party in 2026.
Ryan Whitwam
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Google court filings suggest ChromeOS has an expiration date
ChromeOS may be canned once the current support guarantee has run its course.
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Inside Nvidia’s 10-year effort to make the Shield TV the most updated Android device ever
“Selfishly, a little bit, we built Shield for ourselves.”
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Google Project Genie lets you create interactive worlds from a photo or prompt
Project Genie lets you generate new worlds 60 seconds at a time, but only if you pay for AI Ultra.
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Google begins rolling out Chrome’s “Auto Browse” AI agent today
The Auto Browse agent is available to AI Pro and AI Ultra subscribers, but there are some limits.
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AI Overviews gets upgraded to Gemini 3 with a dash of AI Mode
AI Overviews may get it right more often with the move to Gemini 3.
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Google begins offering free SAT practice tests powered by Gemini
Google says more kinds of standardized tests will be added in the future.
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Google adds your Gmail and Photos to AI Mode to enable “Personal Intelligence”
Personal Intelligence is optional and rolling out first to AI Pro and AI Ultra subscribers.
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Google temporarily disabled YouTube’s advanced captions without warning
Google says SRV3 captions were causing playback errors, so it has “temporarily” disabled them.
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