More than a year after launching voice message transcription on iOS, WhatsApp is finally bringing this feature to Android as well.
Android beta users already have WhatsApp’s voice message transcripts feature
The feature is now live for some users on WhatsApp beta version 2.24.15.5. If you are part of the beta program and see the feature, just head to the Chats option in the app settings to turn it on.
Voice message transcriptions are now active for some beta testers.
As shown in the attached screenshot, some beta testers can already turn on the transcription feature for both incoming and outgoing voice messages. To use it, you will need to download an extra data package to ensure your privacy.
Actually, these voice transcripts are generated right on your device, so no one else can hear your voice notes or read the transcripts. Right now, you can choose from language data packages like English, Spanish, Portuguese (Brazil), Russian, and Hindi.
The iOS version already supports more languages, so additional languages will likely be added to the Android version in the future, too. WhatsApp hasn’t shared any rollout details yet, but we expect the feature to hit the stable channel in the coming weeks.
I find the voice message transcription feature on WhatsApp quite useful, and it is encouraging to see it becoming more widely accessible. This addition not only enhances the app’s usability for users with hearing problems but also proves handy in noisy or work settings where listening to voice messages may not be possible.
In addition to those two foldables, the Galaxy Ring is also coming, Samsung’s very first smart ring. The Galaxy Watch 7 and Galaxy Watch Ultra smartwatches will also launch, as will the Galaxy Buds 3 and Galaxy Buds 3 Pro.
Samsung will allow you to watch its Galaxy Z Fold 6 & Flip 6 launch event, live
If you’d like to watch the event, you’ll find the link embedded below the article. It leads to Samsung’s YouTube channel. The event itself will kick off at 3 PM CET (local time), as the event is taking place in Paris, France.
That event time translates to 9 AM EST, 6 AM PST, 2 PM BST, 6:30 PM India time, and 10 PM China and Korea time. Yes, this is a global launch event, as is usually the case with Samsung’s unpacked events.
Some of you may be wondering why is the Galaxy Tab S10 series not launching. Samsung has an odd schedule when it comes to its tablets. It’s not exactly a yearly upgrade for Samsung, their cycle is a bit longer than for other products.
The company’s new tablets will not launch today
Samsung will likely launch its new tablet series in January, alongside the Galaxy S25 series. Nothing is official yet, so we’re only guessing, but based on everything we’ve seen, the Galaxy Tab S10 will not arrive today, that’s for sure.
The Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Galaxy Z Flip 6 are prime devices from today’s launch, though the Galaxy Ring may be able to steal their spotlight, at least a little bit. Samsung seemingly didn’t change its upcoming foldables all that much, while the Galaxy Ring is the first of its kind.
Either way, there’s plenty to look forward to from today’s event. There’s something for everyone, basically.
Google Photos appears to be working on a nice feature similar to what you have on your Instagram account. The app already boasts quite a lot of advanced AI features, like Magic Editor, Eraser, Photo Unblur, and others. You can also lock sensitive media and use a search option.
Google Photos also allows you to share photos with friends and family with shareable albums, where people can also collaborate.
And now, a feature called My Week is surfacing. First off, references to it were discovered in the code of the app, and at first, it was considered to be related to Google Photos’ memories feature. But it seems like it works more similarly to a story on social media, with fewer followers that is.
Reverse engineer and tipster AssembleDebug together with Android Authority was able to enable the My Week feature and it’s now partially functional if enabled in this way.
When My Week goes live (which we don’t know when it will be), it will show up on the Google Photos app as a tile on the top left, with your avatar and a “+” button. When you tap on it, you’ll be prompted to set it up and pick out photos that bring your last couple of weeks to life. Once you set it up, you’ll be able to invite other Google Photos users to view it. It will be available in a vertical format similar to how Instagram Stories work. Users will be able to like it and leave comments.
It’s a nice little addition to Google Photos, especially for people who like to share with friends and family from the app. We don’t know when Google will launch it officially, but it does manage to sound pretty cool in advance.
Izzy, a tech enthusiast and a key part of the PhoneArena team, specializes in delivering the latest mobile tech news and finding the best tech deals. Her interests extend to cybersecurity, phone design innovations, and camera capabilities. Outside her professional life, Izzy, a literature master’s degree holder, enjoys reading, painting, and learning languages. She’s also a personal growth advocate, believing in the power of experience and gratitude. Whether it’s walking her Chihuahua or singing her heart out, Izzy embraces life with passion and curiosity.
Another Samsung phone has been spotted online running Android 15. The Galaxy S22 recently surfaced on Geekbench with the new Android version. We previously spotted Samsung’s Galaxy S24+ and Galaxy S23 Ultra with Android 15 on the same benchmarking platform, hinting at ongoing internal testing.
Samsung is readying Android 15 for the Galaxy S22 series
Google is expected to release the stable build of Android 15 for other vendors in August. Companies like Samsung, OnePlus, and Xiaomi will then roll out the new Android version to their devices. They are already developing the big update with add-ons and tweaks over Google’s version. These initial development builds are based on developer previews and beta builds Google has released over the past few months.
It appears Samsung’s Android 15 update, which will bring One UI 7.0 to Galaxy devices, has reached a significant milestone in the development process. Over the past few days, we have seen all of the company’s recent flagship lineups in Geekbench benchmarking runs with Android 15. This indicates the Korean firm is internally testing the big update. It might open up public beta programs once it reaches decent stability.
Last year, Samsung started One UI 6.0 and Android 14 beta in mid-August. With the current development pace, its Android 15-based One UI 7.0 update should have also hit the beta stage around the same time this year. However, rumors say the upcoming big update will be delayed a little. The company allegedly plans to complete the One UI 6.1.1 rollout before shifting focus to the One UI 7.0 beta.
Based on Android 14, One UI 6.1.1 is a tablet and foldable specific build that debuted with the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Flip 6 today. Samsung will push the update to older eligible models. Additionally, it will extract the new AI features from One UI 6.1.1 and roll them out to S series flagships. The Galaxy S24 series will also get some camera improvements as part of this update. All of this will take time, delaying One UI 7.0.
Samsung has yet to confirm anything about One UI 7.0
All this said, Samsung has yet to say a word on its Android 15 and One UI 7.0 rollout. It could still begin public beta testing in the second or third week of August. Even if the beta release is delayed, the stable update may arrive on time, possibly by the end of October. The Galaxy S24 series should get the update first, followed by other flagships and foldables. Stay tuned for the company’s official announcement.
Samsung‘s Galaxy Unpacked event is in full swing and that means the company has now officially announced the Galaxy Watch 7 and the Galaxy Watch Ultra. The company’s latest smartwatches come with all of the features you’ve come to expect, like the newest version of Wear OS and multiple sensors for tracking everything from heart rate to sleep. There are, of course, some new additions too.
We all know that with mobile devices it’s the age of AI. Samsung introduced this with the Galaxy S24 series. With that being said, the Galaxy Watch 7 and Galaxy Watch Ultra are Samsung’s first smartwatches to come with Galaxy AI features. The Galaxy Watch Ultra is also a new device category for Samsung. Similar in part to the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro from a couple of years ago, the Ultra is meant to be Samsung’s more rugged, outdoorsy smartwatch.
It’s also a direct competitor to Apple’s Watch Ultra, hence the new squircle shape and the ability to withstand harsh outdoor conditions.
The Galaxy Watch Ultra is Samsung’s toughest smartwatch ever
While the Galaxy Watch 7 is the familiar design fans know and love, the Galaxy Watch Ultra is undoubtedly the more exciting release this year. It’s Samsung’s “toughest smartwatch ever” sporting Aerospace grade 4 titanium. It also comes with a new Quick Button, as well as night vision watch faces and what appears to be Samsung’s longest-lasting smartwatch battery yet.
So far, this title has been held by the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro, lasting around 40-50 hours in most cases for us. The Galaxy Watch Ultra far exceeds this number on average. The company boasts that in daily use it can last up to 100 hours on a single charge. That should help promote users taking this on long treks or camping trips. Or any outdoor activity where they might not be able to charge the watch as often as they normally could. It’ll also last for up to 48 hours during the most strenuous workout modes.
As for the new Quick Button, Samsung says this is a tactile option for triggering your activities or workouts on the fly. You can also use it to pause those activities if you need to. Samsung has boosted other parts of the watch too. For example, the Galaxy Watch Ultra features a dual GPS system for better performance during workouts. Plus, it has up to 3x as many LED sensors as the Galaxy Watch 6 series. Allowing for improved accuracy in tracking heart rate and other things.
Yet another new feature is the ability to monitor for sleep apnea. This was approved by the FDA back in February, but now it’s actually here. Sleep apnea can be a tough thing to deal with and makes it harder to breathe while sleeping. It can also sometimes go undetected by people that have it. So this should prove fairly useful. It’ll be available in one size, which is 47mm. It comes in three colors as well, which are Titanium Gray, Titanium White, and Titanium Silver.
The Galaxy Watch 7 is the same watch you know and love
If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it. Samsung has taken this to heart with the design of its main Galaxy Watch model every year. The Galaxy Watch 7 doesn’t stray from this ideal and comes with more or less the same design as last year’s Galaxy Watch 6. It has the familiar round watch face and the same two side buttons. It does however come with the new Galaxy AI tech. As well as double the storage for apps and the new Energy Score feature and wellness tips.
Storage has never been a huge problem for past Galaxy Watch models. But Samsung has doubled it anyway as the Galaxy Watch 7 comes with 32GB in total. Just like with previous models, Samsung will offer this year’s watch in two sizes – large and small. The Large comes in at 44mm in Green and Silver colors. Meanwhile, the small is 40mm and comes in Green and Cream.
In terms of cost, the Galaxy Watch 7 is starting at a pretty reasonable price point of $299. The Galaxy Watch Ultra, however, will retail for $649. Making it Samsung’s most expensive smartwatch to date. Both watches also
When it comes to wearables, the newly announced Samsung Galaxy Ring is poised to be the most comfortable wearable device you might ever encounter. Samsung has officially announced the new device at Galaxy Unpacked, and the company says it offers “unmatched comfort.” This is a statement that is quite obviously comparing the Galaxy Ring to other already available smart rings on the market. We had a chance to try it on and see how comfortable it really is, and we can confirm that it is indeed very comfortable.
That comfort is no doubt going to go a long way in convincing people to keep this thing on for long periods of time. And with the comfort level where it’s at, it should be easy to wear to sleep without the same issues that can plague smartwatches or wrist-worn fitness trackers. The bulky weight. As watches just don’t feel all that good to wear while you sleep.
This is, of course, a little subjective. Some users don’t mind wearing their smartwatches to sleep. However, smart rings are most certainly more comfortable to wear as they’re less obtrusive. Aside from the unmatched comfort, the Galaxy Ring brings a lot of new features to the table for fitness trackers. Most notably, the Galaxy AI. This new tech inside the ring will power recommendations to users on how to improve different metrics.
The newly announced Samsung Galaxy Ring is designed to be worn 24/7
One thing that smartwatches aren’t capable of in most cases, is constant wear. We’re not talking about wearing them most of the day. But more the ability to wear them 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. Quite simply because most of them just don’t have the battery life to support this. Not to mention, most people probably don’t want to wear a watch 24/7. With the Galaxy Ring, that’s likely to change. Samsung designed it to be worn 24/7 and both its comfort and its battery life are going to make that possible to do.
While the ring certainly is comfortable and that will help the 24/7 wearability, it also has a battery life of up to a week. So you won’t have to charge it until the week is over. Granted, your battery life mileage may vary depending on the features you use. But the promise of an entire 7 days of battery life on a single charge is definitely going to pique people’s interest.
Health and AI are at the heart of this device
Health is a big part of Samsung’s devices these days, and that doesn’t stop with the Galaxy Ring. Samsung says it delivers a “holistic look at your health,” but even if you don’t think of it that way, it still appears to deliver plenty of health insights. This is in part helped by the addition of Galaxy AI. Not only does the Galaxy AI give you personalized recommendations on how to improve different health metrics, but it’s also baked into the sleep tracking.
Samsung says it powers the new sleep algorithm and can give you useful information like how long it takes to fall asleep. If that’s information you might want to know, the Galaxy Ring will be able to tell you. The new sleep algorithm can also give you tips on staying asleep so you wake up well-rested. Additionally, it gives insights into different sleep stages you might have gone through while you were asleep. Naturally, without a display all of this information will be viewable in the Samsung Health app on your Galaxy smartphone.
In terms of other features, the ring is made of titanium and it has a water-resistance rating of up to 100 meters. It can also monitor for high and low heart rates and deliver cycle-tracking data. It even has baked-in gestures for controlling your phone’s camera and snoozing alarms. The Galaxy Ring will come in three colors and nine sizes. The colors are Titanium Black, Titanium Silver, and Titanium Gold. Pricing starts at $399.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 is now official, and that dreaded price increase is also official. This year, Samsung is bumping the price up by $100 across the board for all three storage variants. So the 256GB model is going to be priced at $1,899, 512GB is going to be $2,019, and 1TB is going to be $2,259.
Samsung is going to offer the Galaxy Z Fold 6 in three colors: Pink, Navy, and Silver Shadow. As usual, Samsung is also offering a couple of exclusive colors for Samsung.com, which includes Crafted Black and White. The Crafted Black color is going to look more like a carbon fiber finish, making for a very interesting and unique color for the Galaxy Z Fold 6.
Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile will be selling the Galaxy Z Fold 6 as well. However, so far only Verizon has given us details on pricing and promos. Verizon will be offering the Galaxy Z Fold 6 starting at $52.66 per month for 36 months. It will also offer some epic trade-ins where you can trade in any Samsung smartphone in any condition to get $800 towards a new Galaxy Z Fold 6 or Flip 6. You will also get a free storage upgrade. So you can get 512GB for the price of 256GB or 1TB for the price of 512GB.
If you pre-order your Galaxy Z Fold 6 in the first 72 hours after pre-orders open, you can get an additional $150 off using our exclusive link. That’s $100 in Samsung credit, plus $50 in additional credit if this is your first purchase through the Samsung Shop App. You can pre-order the unlocked or carrier versions from Samsung too.
Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 6 is a modest, yet durable upgrade
The Galaxy Z Fold 6 is not a huge upgrade compared to the Galaxy Z Fold 5, but it is a big upgrade in durability. A big reason for this is because of the new Dual Rail Hinge on the Fold 6, which does make a huge difference, in the short time I spent with the phone ahead of Unpacked today. Additionally, it is slightly wider and a bit shorter than the previous model, making it a bit easier to use. It’s also more flat and squared off, giving you Galaxy Note vibes.
Samsung is equipping the Galaxy Z Fold 6 with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy, 12GB of RAM, 256GB (up to 1TB) of Storage, and a 4,400mAh capacity battery. Samsung is also sticking with the same camera setup as last year, with a 50-megapixel primary camera, 12-megapixel ultrawide, 10-megapixel telephoto, 12-megapixel cover screen selfie camera, and a 4-megapixel under-screen camera.
Samsung just held and wrapped up its Summer Galaxy Unpacked event for 2024, and there were quite a few new devices announced, all of which were expected thanks to months of mounting leaks. In total, Samsung announced some new phones, some new watches, a couple of pairs of new earbuds, and perhaps the most intriguing new wearable, a smart ring.
In this post, we’ll be rounding up everything that Samsung announced at this event. So sit back, grab some snacks, and have a look at all the shiny new tech if you happened to miss the live stream event from this morning. This is certainly likely for those on the West Coast given that Samsung held the event at 6am PST.
Again, none of the announcements made today were a surprise for anyone who’s been following Samsung’s upcoming products for the last few months. Nevertheless, let’s get into it and go over all the new devices that Samsung announced at its Summer Galaxy Unpacked 2024 event.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Galaxy Z Flip 6
Samsung’s latest iteration of foldable smartphones comes once again in two flavors. The Galaxy Z Fold 6 and the Galaxy Z Flip 6. One is designed for people who want a larger phone with more screen real estate, and the other is for those who desire something more compact that easily fits in their pocket, purse, or bag. We’re certain you can guess which one is which.
Both devices come with a slew of notable improvements and feature upgrades compared to last year. One of those is the inclusion of the new Galaxy AI software that Samsung introduced with the Galaxy S24 series earlier this year. These smart features give both new foldable phones plenty of additional functionality from searching for stuff online to jazzing up photos with special effects.
Another set of big improvements are the updated hinges and the stronger, flatter foldable screens. The display on the Galaxy Z Fold 6 in particular is now wider than it was last year. Boasting more screen real estate thanks to the additional width and slimmer bezels. Both phones also come with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 mobile platform inside. Making them perfect for everyday performance, media, and even gaming.
The newest smartwatches from Samsung come with both familiar favorites and new and improved tricks when it comes to features. And of course, the Galaxy Watch Ultra in general is more or less a new smartwatch category for Samsung. Technically. The Galaxy Watch 5 Pro was the closest Samsung has ever been to releasing a more adventure-friendly outdoor smartwatch. The Galaxy Watch Ultra takes things to a whole other level to compete with Apple’s Watch Ultra.
Making it more of a suitable device for outdoor activities. Both watches come with Samsung’s new Exynos W1000 chipset and they both run on Wear OS 5. Making these the first smartwatches on the market to run on this new version of Wear OS. Samsung also doubled the storage on the Galaxy Watch 7 and Watch Ultra from last year’s Galaxy Watch 6 series. Each new watch now has 32GB of storage compared to 16GB. Each watch also has a longer-lasting battery life, along with the inclusion of Galaxy AI.
You can pre-order the Galaxy Watch 7 and the Galaxy Watch Ultra from July 10 with both devices launching on July 24. The Galaxy Watch 7 will start at $299 while the Galaxy Watch Ultra will retail for $649.
Samsung Galaxy Ring
Samsung’s Galaxy Ring might just be the most exciting new device announced. If for no other reason than it being a brand new device type for Samsung. Smart rings themselves are not new but this is the first time Samsung has dipped a toe in these waters. And the ring will likely be the perfect complement to the new smartwatches. Of course, if you just want simple health and sleep tracking, the Galaxy Ring is suitable as your only wearable. But it will no doubt be better as a companion to the watch. With the ring being used for sleep tracking and the watch for everything else.
It comes in three colors and nine different sizes ranging from 5 all the way up to 13. So there should be a size that fits just about everyone. As for the colors, it’s available in Titanium Black, Titanium Silver, and Titanium Gold.
What’s really cool is that the Galaxy Ring has a battery life that can last for up to 7 days. So you can easily wear it all week without worrying about charging it. This includes wearing it to sleep since sleep tracking is its main function. You can pre-order the Galaxy Ring from July 10 with pricing starting at $399.
Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 and Galaxy Buds 3 Pro
It’s been a while since Samsung released a new pair of true wireless earbuds. The time has finally come, however. The Galaxy Buds 3 and Galaxy Buds 3 Pro usher in a new era for Samsung with true wireless earbuds design. While Samsung has never been one to shy away from changing up the look of its true wireless earbuds, these are quite different from any other pair the company has ever launched. At least in terms of design.
They feature a new stemmed look that’s reminiscent of the AirPods and AirPods Pro. Like all the other new devices today, they feature Galaxy AI software to make them even smarter and more useful to you in your day-to-day life. One of the big features this year is the Interpreter integration. This works similarly to how Google’s Pixel Buds Pro earbuds connect with Google Translate on your Pixel phone.
With the Galaxy Buds 3 and Galaxy Buds 3 Pro, you can bring up the Interpreter app on your Galaxy smartphone and speak into it to have it translate what you’re trying to say. Then the person you’re speaking to can speak into the phone in their own language, and that gets translated and played back to you in the earbuds. It’s a pretty neat feature and should be useful for travelers. Or just anyone who lives in an area where there are lots of different languages being spoken on a daily basis.
Naturally, these new earbuds also have an array of voice commands for different functions. Plus, they have better noise cancellation and improved battery life. The Galaxy Buds 3 and Galaxy Buds 3 Pro are available for pre-order from July 10 and they officially launch on July 24. The Galaxy Buds 3 will retail for $179, and the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro will retail for $249.
The tech world has its eyes on Samsung‘s Galaxy Unpacked event in Paris, France today. The company is unveiling the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Galaxy Z Flip 6 foldables, plus a bunch of other products at the event. In the meantime, the Galaxy S25 series is slowly crawling through certification processes. Samsung recently obtained battery certifications for its 2025 flagships.
Galaxy S25 and Ultra get the BIS battery certification
A few days ago, the Indian regulatory body BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards) certified the Galaxy S25 Ultra battery with the model numbers EB-BS938ABE and EB-BS938ABY (the device has the model number SM-S938). The base Galaxy S25 (SM-S931) has now picked up the BIS battery certification. Its batteries have the model numbers EB-BS931ABE and EB-BS931ABY.
Spotted by 91Mobiles, these certification listings don’t reveal anything else, not even the battery capacity. A report last month said the Galaxy S25 will feature a 4,000mAh battery, unchanged from the 2024 model. There is no word yet on the battery capacity of the Galaxy S25 Ultra. Samsung’s Ultra flagships have had a 5,000mAh battery for a few years now.
Even if the 2025 model doesn’t bring a bigger battery, we might get a better battery life. The Galaxy S25’s Exynos 2500 and Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 chips are expected to be more power efficient than their predecessors. Samsung is also working on an AI tool allegedly capable of extending the battery life by 5-10%, potentially giving you up to an hour of additional playtime.
There have been rumors about Samsung using MediaTek’s flagship chipset if it fails to improve the yield rate of its 3nm Exynos 2500 on time. Depending on how things pan out over the next few months, the upcoming flagships could ship globally with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4, get two chip versions with Exynos 2500 in some markets, or three chip versions with MediaTek’s Dimensity in the mix. Expect more detailed leaks in the coming months.
The Plus model may start showing up on certification listings soon
As of this writing, the Galaxy S25+ hasn’t received a battery certification from BIS or any other regulatory body, or at least none have publicly listed the device on their websites. However, we expect it to start showing up on certification listings in the coming days or weeks. Samsung has all three models in development, so it is only a matter of time. The Plus bears the model number SM-S936. The Galaxy S25 series will arrive in early 2025.
Wear OS 5, the latest version of Google’s operating system for smartwatches, will include new requirements for watch face developers. Now, only those developed in WFF (Watch Face Format) will be compatible with Wear OS 5 wearables. The new Galaxy Watch 7 and Watch Ultra are the first devices running this version out of the box.
You can only use WFF watch faces on Wear OS 5 wearables
Wear OS 5 arrived as an update with important improvements in battery life. Google promises up to 20% less power consumption compared to the previous version. To achieve this, the company implemented some important changes, and it seems that support for watch faces is one of the affected sections. From now on, developers will have to adapt their watch faces to the WFF format if they want them to be compatible with the latest Wear OS version. Google launched the WFF format with Wear OS 4, but its implementation was not yet mandatory.
That said, the change will be positive for both users and developers. For the latter, developing watch faces in WFF will be much simpler since there will be no code embedded in the watch face APK. This is because the logical part necessary to run watch faces will now be the full responsibility of the OS. So, developers can focus on the creative and functional sections. That is, they will no longer have to worry about code optimization. On the other hand, Wear OS 5 users will benefit from better battery life thanks to the latest Watch Face Format.
Not all watch faces have been adapted yet
As a drawback, it is possible that some of your favorite watch faces are not yet adapted to WFF. So, they won’t be available on your device running Wear OS 5. However, it seems like things are moving fast. In May, Google revealed that 30% of watch faces available in the Play Store had already been adapted to WFF. A couple of months have passed since then, so it is possible that the percentage is higher now.
Additionally, Wear OS 5 will still take some months to reach most eligible wearables, so you may already be able to set all your favorite watch faces when you receive the update. Currently, all watch faces are compatible with “watches running Wear OS 2 or later.” So, you shouldn’t have any problem using your favorites. Lastly, Google expects all watch faces available in the Play Store to use the WFF format “in early 2025.”
