Apps

Google is officially launching Android 11 today

Has already started rolling out

Published

September 9, 2020

Luigi Leonardo

The wait is finally over. After months of leaks, rumors, and betas, Google is officially launching Android 11 today. The new update will come with both major and minor updates. Here’s a rundown of the best features coming with Android 11.

Conversation notifications

Though previous updates revel in major changes, Android 11 will focus on managing the number of things you can now do with your smartphone. One of the more notable set of features includes better management over your phone’s notifications.

With Android 11, users can separate conversation-centric notifications in one convenient section. If it involves talking to another person, Android 11 will gather them all in one section, providing a easier way to manage all your conversations.

Bubbles

Speaking of conversations, Android 11 has a new feature, Bubbles. The feature will allow users to collate and pin conversations inside a multi-app group of bubbles. Much like the bubbles in Facebook Messenger, Bubbles will keep the conversation going while multitasking.

Notification history

Going back to notifications, Android 11 will allow users to revisit notifications that they might have accidently swiped away. Through a new setting in the Notifications section of the Settings, you can toggle notification saving on or off. The feature will also include “silent” notifications you might not have even seen.

Media controls

Managing multiple media platforms might turn into a nightmare with enough apps. Now, Android 11 will also separate media controls into its own separate section. Pinned on top of other notifications, the new media controls can manage both volume and which device it plays from.

Built-in screen recorder

One of the tiny niggles of previous Android versions is the lack of a screen recorder. Running on pure Android, a smartphones usually needs a separate app to record whatever is happening on the screen. Users can also decide whether the feature will record screen taps and screen audio.

Better predictions

Built with better AI, Android 11 now has better prediction software for messages, app suggestions, and recommended folders. The system can analyze your day and then suggest tools to accomplish what you need to do.

Helping with sleep health

Android 11 is now better at scheduling sleep-improving features for users. Recently, Google finally introduced a native dark mode for Android. However, the feature’s current iteration does not allow dark mode scheduling. Android 11 changes that.

In Android 11, users can schedule when they want their phones to go dark. Further, a new Bedtime Mode will automatically set your phone to Do Not Disturb and change the screen to grayscale while sleeping. The Clock feature can now also help you track your sleeping patterns.

As always, the Google Pixel lineup will get the update first. (In fact, it should have rolled out by now.) Meanwhile, other brands have committed support for Android 11 and will likely get the update soon.

Apps

YouTube makes picture-in-picture mode free for everyone globally

The update is rolling out globally now.

Published

April 30, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

Picture-in-picture (or PiP) mode is a godsend for multitaskers. The feature lets users watch videos in a tiny floating window while doing other tasks. However, the feature isn’t readily available for all users. Or wasn’t, at least. YouTube is now rolling out PiP mode for free globally.

Previously, PiP mode was exclusive to YouTube users who pay for Premium or Premium Lite. It was also exclusive to the United States.

Now, YouTube is making the feature completely free for users all over the globe. It will be available for both iOS and Android versions of the app.

There’s still a catch, though. The free version is available only for “longform, non-music content.” The same goes for Premium Lite subscribers. Music is still an exclusive feature for those who pay for the regular version of Premium. Basically, there is no change for paying users or users in the United States.

Using PiP mode is simple. All you need to do is load up a video you want to watch in the background. Then, just exit the YouTube app and go about your other tasks. The video will be inside a floating, resizable window while you look at other things.

There’s no timeline on when the update will reach your device. However, YouTube has promised that it will roll out globally within the coming months.

Apps

Google might be moving away from flat design

Bye bye, Material Design.

Published

April 27, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

It’s time to kindly shove off, flat design. After over a decade of Google’s Material Design, Android is finally showing signs of ditching flat, monotonous colors. In a series of logo redesigns, Google is reportedly trying out gradients as its latest reinvention.

As spotted by 9to5Google, Google is moving forward with incorporating gradients into its designs. Previously, the company started changing the icons of a few first-party apps including Photos and Maps. Now, it seems that the new design philosophy will reach the rest of Google’s suite.

In the obtained designs, the rest of Google’s plethora of apps will no longer look static. The splash of gradient adds the feeling of layering without losing the company’s roots in flat design. Docs and Sheets, for example, look like a light shining on pieces of paper.

Image source: 9to5Google

It’s unknown when Google plans to incorporate the new philosophy. However, with Google I/O coming fast, it’s fair to bet that an update might come out around that time, especially since that event’s logo already has gradients.

Google’s evolution is not without its precedent. Besides the company’s small trial previously, Apple’s iOS has also made inroads into more three-dimensional designs with the new Liquid Glass. However, unlike Apple, Google’s newest design is a far cry from the former’s return to Windows Vista aesthetics.

Personally, I don’t mind the transition to 3D, as long as it’s done well. Though still visually pleasing, flat design has started overstaying its welcome. It’s time to try something new.

Apps

Significantly better ChatGPT Images 2.0 launches

Stronger creative reasoning, better design output, more formats, improved overall experience

Published

April 22, 2026

GadgetMatch

OpenAI has launched ChatGPT Images 2.0. This updated image generation model has a meaningful jump over competitors and its current ImageGen 1.5.

Now available across ChatGPT, Codex and the API, Images 2.0 delivers stronger creative reasoning, better design output, more flexible formats, and a faster, more intuitive user experience.

Paid users (Plus, Pro, Business, and Enterprise) will benefit from a more advanced image experience (ImageGen Thinking 2.0). The state-of-the-art model can take on complex visual tasks and produce precise and immediately usable visuals.

ChatGPT Images 2.0 is likewise better for creative and professional use cases. It has a significantly better performance at producing text-heavy assets, infographics, product mockups, UI concepts, and more structured visuals.

Moreover, users can generate images in a wider range of aspect ratios. The outputs are limitless, from posters to comics or anime to detailed infographics to simple images. API users, on the other hand, will also have access to 4K resolution.

To try the upgraded image generation model, simply head to ChatGPT and select “Images” in the sidebar.

Users will be able to see the top five prompts as well, curated by OpenAI, for them to try. This is to highlight the capabilities of the new model.

Overall, ChatGPT Images 2.0 offers a more seamless experience on mobile, web, and desktop. The intuitive user experience includes improved prompt suggestions, loading states, editing features, and multi-output views.