Another week, another antitrust headache for Google. In a long-running Epic vs. Google case ruling, where Google was found to have monopolized Android app distribution, Epic received almost everything it had asked for, including the temporary right to distribute its Epic Games Store via Android's Play Store. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) is also considering breaking Android and Chrome away from Google in a separate antitrust case.
However, it’s not all legal news. We’ve seen some new features coming to Android 16, Ask Photos has begun rolling out, and our dreams of booting ChromeOS from our smartphones have been dashed. Here’s a roundup of Google’s biggest news this week:
DOJ is talking about breaking up Google
In August, a U.S. federal judge ruled that Google is a "monopoly" in the search engine market, emphasizing that the company had used its dominant position in online search to block competitors from gaining a foothold. A few days later, it emerged that the DOJ, among other remedies, was considering breaking up Google.
Now, the DOJ has officially proposed remedies, including one particularly harsh measure: forcing Google to separate itself from Chrome and Android, effectively breaking up the company. The department is also demanding Google share key data with competitors via APIs related to search and feeds, along with other concessions. You can read the full DOJ proposal here.
Google, for its part, has called the DOJ’s proposals “radical,” arguing that sharing data with competitors could harm user privacy and that separating Chrome or Android from Google would “change their business models, raise device prices, and weaken Android and Google Play in their competition with Apple’s iPhone and App Store.”
This case is sure to drag on for years. We’ll be watching all developments closely.
Epic scores a major win against Google
The DOJ’s push to break up Google wasn’t the only legal trouble the company faced this week. In a case brought by Fortnite’s developer Epic against Google, a California jury found that Google’s Play Store had monopolized Android app distribution. The final ruling came on Monday, bringing more bad news for Google.
According to the ruling, Google will need to make serious changes in app distribution. If nothing changes, starting November 1, Google will have to allow alternative app stores (like the Epic Games Store) to distribute apps via the Play Store. These app stores will have access to the entire catalog of apps and games available through Google Play, among other remedies.
Epic had brought a similar case against Apple at the same time, but the outcome wasn’t as favorable for Epic. Google has requested a delay in implementing the proposed changes while it appeals the ruling.
More Android 16 leaks
Outside the courtroom, it's business as usual for Android. This week, we’ve seen some new leaks about 2025's Android 16. First: new priority modes may allow users to create several different notification priorities and switch between them in Android’s quick settings panel. Priority modes will be highly customizable, with user-defined names, 40 different icons to choose from, and the ability to specify which apps and contacts can notify you when each mode is active.
It also looks like Android 16 could allow any app to float inside “bubbles,” similar to how some communication apps do now. These bubbles float over the general phone UI and open the full app in a windowed view when tapped. It seems like a great multitasking option.
Google denies claims that Pixel 9 harvests excessive user data
Earlier this week, a report by CyberNews suggested that Google’s Pixel 9 phones—particularly the Pixel 9 Pro XL—send private user data to Google every 15 minutes, including location, phone number, email, and more. In a statement, Google said that CyberNews' analysis misrepresented the ways data is collected and how it is used.
“The report lacks important context, misinterprets technical details, and fails to explain that data transmission is necessary for legitimate services across all mobile devices, regardless of manufacturer, model, or OS, such as software updates, on-demand features, and personalized experiences,” a Google spokesperson told CyberNews.
For more context, Google points to a support page explaining what data is collected and why.
Ask Photos is finally rolling out
Google’s anticipated Ask Photos feature, an AI-powered Google Photos search experience designed to leverage Gemini to enable more complex searches within your Google Photos library, is finally coming. First announced at I/O 2024, Ask Photos allows users to perform more specific searches and even ask questions that Google’s AI will attempt to answer using the context from your photo library and other Google-related information (e.g., “What did I have for dinner two years ago on my birthday?”).
It might not yet be globally available, but I’m seeing it on my Pixel 9 Pro. If you don’t have access yet, you can see some Ask Photos in action here.
Pixel Watch 1 and 2 are expected to receive Wear OS 5 this year.
Wear OS 5 began rolling out for the first and second generation Pixel Watches in September. However, a few days later, after multiple reports of issues with the update, Google paused the rollout. This week, Google addressed the situation by posting on the Pixel Watch Help Forum that they plan to "resume the Wear OS 5 rollout on these devices later this year, once the observed issues have been mitigated. The updates will be available as soon as they are ready."
With only two months left in 2024, "later this year" doesn’t seem too long to wait. Hopefully, Google resolves the issues soon. The new grid-style app drawer layout of Pixel Watch 3 looks great, and Wear OS 5 will bring it to older generations as well.
Our ChromeOS-on-Android dreams are crushed
Earlier this spring, Google demonstrated an app called FerroChrome, which made it possible to launch ChromeOS on an Android device—an exciting proposition that could have posed serious competition for Samsung’s DeX mode. Shortly afterward, it emerged that this project was primarily a tech demo intended to showcase the Android Virtualization Framework. Still, we hoped it might eventually see the light of day.
Now, it seems not: Google has apparently halted development on FerroChrome, with no plans to ship or maintain its code. Running ChromeOS on an Android device is still technically possible, but I think it’s safe to give up on seeing this feature in a mainstream release anytime soon.
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