Feb 14, 2026
3 min read
Addendum: iOS 26.3 is easier to switch to Android, Google cancels the Android 17 beta and releases YouTube on Apple Vision Pro.
On February 25, Samsung will hold a Galaxy Unpacked event in San Francisco.The company sent out invitations earlier this week.The event will begin at 10am (1pm Eastern) and will be streamed here.
Rumors suggest the Galaxy S26 series—which will include the Galaxy S26, Galaxy S26+, and Galaxy S26 Ultra—will not undergo major changes from its predecessors.They may be powered by the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, with a slight improvement in charging speed and a minor upgrade to the camera hardware.
Parts of artificial intelligence may remain at the forefront, perhaps with Gemini's new tricks.However, another important new feature is the privacy screen built into the phone itself.It will allow you to block parts of the screen from people around you.Unfortunately, even if it's only a small improvement, the prices of these phones may increase due to the lack of RAM.As usual, Samsung is letting you keep your Galaxy S26 device for now.When pre-orders open you'll find a $30 credit to use and a chance to win a $5,000 Samsung.com gift card.
Don't expect to see the Galaxy S26 Edge.Samsung's ultra-thin Edge phone from 2025 hasn't been a success, and leaks suggest its successor has been canceled.However, Edge launches in May 2025, so we could still see a sequel by then.All we know is that it probably won't appear on this Unpacked show.Samsung usually announces products other than smartphones and this year, it could be a new pair of wireless headphones Galaxy Buds.
We'll be there and bring you updates right away.
Fitbit's personal health tracker is coming to iOS
Months after Fitbit's Personal Health Coach launched in public preview for Android users, Gemini's health service is now available for iOS users.To try it, you'll need a paid Fitbit Premium subscription or trial and a phone running iOS 16.4 or higher.(You can check the full list of requirements here.) Personal health coaches are also reaching out to English speakers in other countries, including the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Singapore.
As I said in my demo of the service, I would be careful not to disclose personal health information to a large company, even one that promises not to use it in advertising.I also found it easy to start consulting Coach for advice in every part of your day, which your IRL family and friends will find weird and frustrating.However, it's the easiest, most effective, and most responsive AI coaching service I've tried so far, and $10 a month for Fitbit Premium is cheaper than a real running trainer.As always, your (actual) mileage may vary.—Adrienne So
iOS 26.3 makes switching to Android easier
Apple released iOS 26.3 for iPhone this week, and the new feature might surprise you.The company is making the transition to Android phones easier thanks to a partnership with Google, which has added a similar feature for switching from Android to iPhone.
Now you can place your Android device next to your iPhone to start the transfer process, just like you switch between iPhones.Photos, texts, notes, apps and even phone numbers are transferred.(You'll need to download some apps to do this beforehand.)
iOS 26.3 also includes a new privacy feature called "Restrict exact location," which limits "certain information that cellular networks can use to determine your location."Unfortunately, this feature is only available on Apple devices with a dedicated Apple C1 or C1X modem: iPhone Air, iPhone 16e, or iPad Pro M5 Wi-Fi + Cellular.You'll also need a supported carrier, and currently in the US that's Boost Mobile.Stay tuned for a wider rollout later this year, especially with the iPhone 18 series, as Apple is expected to add its own C2 modem to them.
The Android 17 Beta that never existed
Google said it would launch Android 17 beta — the next version of its mobile operating system — this week, but the company pulled the release without explanation.This launch is a change because Google releases developer betas first, then releases public betas where anyone can join to test the software.Access for developers to test test features and platform changes.
Google says the public beta is "coming soon," so when it finally arrives (first for Pixel phones), what can you expect?There is a mandatory requirement for apps to support resizing and multitasking done by windows to improve Android performance on large screens (Aluminum OS, anyone?).
Beyond performance improvements, there's a new application programming interface (API) that allows apps to access metadata from all the camera sensors, so hopefully there'll be less lag and stuttering when you launch the camera through a third-party app like Instagram.There's also a new API that smooths audio across your apps.If you switch between apps and find that YouTube plays much louder than Instagram, this API will mean that the audio will be adjusted so that they have the same volume, assuming the developers take advantage of it.
Android 17 isn't groundbreaking, but that's in line with what Google said because the company plans to provide more frequent updates instead of one big update every year.As the beta progresses, expect to see more new features.It's hard to say when the final version will be available, but it will probably land around the beginning of summer.
YouTube has arrived on Apple Vision Pro
Two years after Apple Vision Pro hit the market, the YouTube app is finally available on visionOS.This means that you can watch standard 2D videos on a cinema-like screen in a virtual space, but you can also watch 3D, 180- or 360-degree videos and enjoy an immersive experience under the "Special" tab.Until now, AVP owners could only watch YouTube through the Safari browser on visionOS.
Google has yet to launch any apps exclusively on Apple's visionOS platform as it prepares the services for its own rival Android XR platform.With the release of the first Android XR headset, the Samsung Galaxy XR, Google may gradually release its apps on VisionOS.
