Google Messages for Android gets a new look

Old vs. new look (Image: 9to5Google)

Google Messages for Android received a subtle but noticeable update: a bolder send button. Before this, the paper airplane icon blended into the conversation's background. Now, it pops against it in a contrasting colour, so it's easier to spot and tap.

The background colour matches your Dynamic Colour theme or one of eight Custom Bubble options. The paper airplane icon will be light or dark, depending on the background colour, ensuring you see it. This change is rolling out to Google Messages beta users (version 20240813_00_RC00). It's a minimal but welcome improvement to make sending messages more intuitive.

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Google offers a 'The Mandalorian' AR experience, but for select 5G phones only

So, 5G seems to be big in the galaxy far, far away as Google and Lucasfilm launch a The Mandalorian augmented reality experience on the 5G Pixel and other "select 5G Android" phones. But as Android Police reports, they could sideload the app on older, 4G-only handsets, and the experience still works. The experience is built on ArCore, so it will presumably work on phones that support that.

The Mandalorian AR Experience turns you into a bounty hunter following the trail of Mando and the Child. It will let you interact with characters and learn more about the Star Wars show's first season. You can even take the snowy scenes into your home and share these with others. 

As part of Star Wars' Mando Monday, Google even promises Pixel owners to "keep an eye out for additional exclusive content outside of the app as well."

Sonos files another lawsuit against Google for infringing five more speaker patents

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A day before Google's hardware event where the new Nest Audio might be launched, Sonos has filed another lawsuit against the search giant. The company claims Google infringed on five more patents, including patents that cover technologies some of Sonos' best-known features are based on (including the Trueplay tuning tool). This new lawsuit is more about modern wireless speaker system features, which seem to focus on smart speaker control (like setting the volume on a speaker from your phone). 

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Google to acquire Fitbit for US$2.1 billion

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Fitbit is going to be the newest brand to be taken under Google's wings. Google announced that it has "entered into a definitive agreement" to acquire Fitbit for US$2.1 billion (around CA$2.7 billion). The announcement comes days after reports are going around that Google was in talks to purchase the fitness tracker company. Fitbit will be joining Google itself, in the same way that Nest is under Google right now.

According to Rick Osterloh, Google's senior vice president for hardware, the reason they want Fitbit is to help them create wearables within the company. That they "see an opportunity to invest even more in Wear OS as well as introduce Made by Google wearable devices into the market."

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