Google is rolling out a big upgrade for Gemini AI, Gemini 2.5 Flash Native Audio, and it’s all about making conversations feel more natural and human. The new update makes voice interactions smoother, smarter, and far less robotic.

The update comes with major improvements in how Gemini handles tasks while you’re talking. Now, the AI helps to recognize when it needs real-time information without breaking the flow of the conversation. Instead of awkward pauses or replies, you will now get a smooth response after this update.

Moreover, it also enhances instruction following. Gemini used to follow developer instructions correctly about 84% of the time, but after the update, it now reaches around 90%. This means it can better understand complex steps and give more accurate and dependable responses.

The update also makes conversations more connected and natural. Gemini can now remember earlier parts of the conversation more effectively. It helps to stay on topic even if the discussion is long.

Google has also added two small but helpful features for Gemini Live. First, it won’t cut you off if you pause while speaking. Second, you can mute your microphone while Gemini is talking so you don’t interrupt them by mistake.

These new improvements are already rolling out. You can experience the updated Gemini 2.5 Flash Native Audio in Gemini Live, Search Live, Google AI Studio, and Vertex AI. With this major upgrade, Google aims to make AI conversations feel more natural and user-friendly.

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Samsung Health will soon get an update, and with that update, some older features will reportedly be removed. The company has shared a notice with users to explain these changes. While new tools are coming, a few fitness programs will no longer be available in the app.

The notice mentions to users that certain Fitness Program services will be discontinued. Workout programs that were downloaded in the Fitness Program section are going away. Samsung also says that any programs added before December 31, 2022, will be removed from the app after the update.

Even though some features are being removed, Samsung will keep real-time streaming workouts. These are videos you can watch instantly and follow along with, and Samsung says they will stay in the app. This suggests the company is aiming for fresh, updated content instead of older programs.

Samsung has not given an exact date for when the new app version will arrive. It’s also unknown whether these changes will be part of the One UI 8.5 update or a separate release. Once the update is ready, users will find it in the Galaxy Store and Google Play Store.

People who rely on older workout programs may lose access to them soon. Users should be aware of these changes and prepare for the older content to disappear after the update. Stay tuned for more information.

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Google is rolling out Preferred Sources globally after launching it in the US and India last August. Google also announced Spotlighting subscriptions, a feature that highlights links from your news subscriptions in Gemini and will soon appear in Google Search through AI Overviews and AI Mode.

Preferred Sources. Preferred Sources let searchers star publications in the Top Stories section of Google Search, and Google uses that signal to show more stories from those starred outlets. The feature entered beta in June, rolled out in the U.S. and India in August, and is now expanding globally.

Robby Stein, VP of Product, Google Search, wrote:

• “We’re now launching this feature globally: in the coming days, it will be available for English-language users worldwide, and we’ll roll it out to all supported languages early next year.”
• “People have selected a wide range of preferred sources — nearly 90,000 unique sources, from local blogs to global news outlets.”

When someone chooses a preferred source, they click through to that site twice as often on average, Google told me.

How it works. You click the star icon to the right of the Top Stories header in search results. After that, you can choose your preferred sources – assuming the site is publishing fresh content.

Google will then start to show you more of the latest updates from your selected sites in Top Stories “when they have new articles or posts that are relevant to your search,” Google added.

Spotlighting subscriptions. Google also announced Spotlighting subscriptions, a new feature that highlights links from your news subscriptions, “making it easier to spot content from sources you trust and helping you get more value from your subscriptions.”

• Google will prioritize links from your subscribed publications and surface them in a dedicated carousel.
• The feature is coming first to the Gemini app in the next few weeks, with AI Overviews and AI Mode to follow.

Why we care. Top Stories can drive meaningful traffic to publishers, so becoming a reader’s preferred source can be a valuable boost. You might look for a tasteful way to encourage loyal visitors to star your site—such as adding a small icon in your site or newsletter that reminds readers they can set your publication as a preferred source. With any luck, this gives publishers more ways to capture traffic and revenue.

Google is updating the links in AI Mode to make them more inviting to click. Google also expanded the Web Guides Labs test to the All tab, though you still need to opt in to try it.

Links in AI Mode. Google is “increasing the number of inline links in AI Mode, and updating the design of those links to make them more useful,” Robby Stein, VP of Product, Google Search, wrote.

• Google is also adding short contextual introductions to embedded links in AI Mode responses. These quick notes explain why a link might be worth clicking.
• We’ve seen Google test different inline and contextual links styles in AI Mode, and it’s now rolling out some of those experiences.
• Stein told us in August that these features were coming, and now they’re here.

What it looks like. Here’s a screenshot.

Expanding Web Guide to All tab. Google first added the Web Guide feature in the Web tab for those who opted into the search experiment. Now Google is rolling out Web Guide to the All tab. You still need to be in the search experiment.

• “We’ve heard positive feedback from users and websites about Web Guide, which helps people find links they may not have previously discovered and uses AI to organize links into helpful topic groups,” Google wrote.
• Google also said it doubled Web Guide’s speed.
• We spotted Google testing Web Guide in the All tab earlier.

What is Web Guide. Web Guide groups web links in helpful ways, pulling together pages that address specific parts of your query, Google said. It also uses a query fan-out technique – similar to AI Mode – by firing off multiple related searches at once to surface the most relevant results.

Google told me:

• “Web Guide uses a custom version of Gemini to better understand both a search query and content on the web, creating more powerful search capabilities that better surface web pages you may not have previously discovered.”

Why we care. Encouraging clicks from Google’s AI experiences, including AI Mode and AI Overviews, is welcome. We hope it drives more traffic to publishers and websites. Web Guide is also an experience that many in the search marketing community value. We’d like to see Google release it more broadly, without requiring a Search Labs opt-in.

Google Discover is less aligned to Google Search ranking, Andy Almeida from the Google Trust and Safety team, said yesterday at the Google Search Central Live event in Zurich yesterday.

A slide he posted on how existing systems help the Google Discover team solve problems, the slide says:

“Minimal alignment to search ranking gives us the tools we need to combat emerging abuse.”

What this means. It seems that this is an admission that Google Discover is not using Google’s search systems as tightly as it may have in the past for when it comes to combating abuse on that platform.

I asked Andy Almeida at the event what this means, and he said it means that Google Discover aims to surface lesser-known, less-established, and smaller publishers in the Discover feed. So while Google Search may not rank these smaller and less known publishers, Google Discover does. It does this by relying less on Google Search ranking and more on its own systems.

The spam problem. As I mentioned, Google Discover has a big AI spam problem. You have new sites using expired domains, or new throwaway domains, and finding loopholes to get spammy content surfacing in Google Discover. This is something that does not work as well in Google Search.

In 2019, Google told us that the core ranking systems do impact Google Discover, specifically that being hit by a core update can impact a site’s visibility in Google Discover. This seems like a step back from this.

Why we care. As we also said, Google is working hard on fixing the spam issues on Google Discover. Tweaking the balance of allowing new or lesser-known sites to perform well on Google Discover, while also preventing spam from showing up, is hard. Google is working on that now and hopes to find a solid solution for it.

But it also means Google is looking for ways to reward smaller publishers, who may write more about niche topics, within Google Discover. This is a good thing for smaller, and upcoming publishers – if Google can also solve the spam problem on Google Discover.

Google is updating the Samsung Galaxy XR headset with new features that make it more useful for work, play, and video calls. These new features give users a smoother and more interactive experience in the XR world.

PC Connect is one of the new additions that lets you link a Windows computer to the headset. You can see your PC desktop or any app inside the XR environment, right alongside Android XR apps from Google Play. The connection works over Wi-Fi in high resolution with smooth performance.

With PC Connect, you can use a keyboard and mouse from either your PC or headset to control both devices at the same time. Google showed a demo where a user edited photos on a laptop while watching YouTube in XR, with all inputs syncing seamlessly. PC Connect is in beta starting today, and Mac support is expected next year.

Moreover, Google is also adding Travel Mode that keeps the XR view stable even when you’re moving, like in any vehicle. This makes using the headset while traveling much easier and less disorienting.

Aside from this, Google introduces Likeness, a new avatar system for video calls. You create the avatar using a phone app, not the headset. It mirrors your facial expressions and hand gestures in real time.

Notably, these new features roll out today in beta. It makes the Galaxy XR more powerful, flexible, and fun for work, gaming, and virtual meetings.

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Samsung just recently released the One UI 8.5 Beta update, and the company has now announced the start of the One UI 8.5 Beta Program in a newsroom post. The company has also confirmed that it is currently only available for users of the Galaxy S25 series.

One UI 8.5 Beta update lets Galaxy users enjoy new features and enhancements ahead of the official release. This beta update brings new features that make Galaxy devices easier to use, more connected, and more secure. It helps users create content, manage devices, and protect their data more efficiently.

Here are some highlighted features of the One UI 8.5 update:

Advanced Photo Assist

The updated Photo Assist features let users create and edit images without any interruption. Instead of saving every step, users can edit continuously and later view all versions in the edit history and select the best one.

Improved Quick Share

Quick Share has also been improved as it can now recognize people in photos and suggest sending the images directly to them. This makes sharing faster and simpler.

Audio Broadcast 

One UI 8.5 update also improves how Galaxy devices work together. Audio Broadcast now lets users send audio, including their voice, to nearby LE Audio-supported devices using Auracast.

Storage Share 

Storage Share makes file management across devices seamless. Users can access files from other Galaxy devices, including tablets, PCs, and even TVs, directly through the My Files app.

Theft protection 

Security is also stronger in One UI 8.5 as the Theft protection helps keep phones safe if they are lost or stolen. The feature includes automatic locking after multiple failed unlock attempts and stronger identity checks for sensitive settings.

Aside from these features, Samsung also brings several features, UI changes, and improvements. If your device is eligible, you can join the beta program now and enjoy the new features.

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