Earlier in the week, we covered Pixel Beta chaos, Google’s chip strategy, the return of Live Caption, anti-blur toggles, and Samsung’s Quick Tap copy moves. Today brings fresh leaks and surprises. The Pixel 10a may arrive much earlier and with bold new colors, battery health alarms are buzzing over Pixel 10, Google is testing a resurrected launcher shortcut, an SOS page surfaced on unsupported devices, Pixel Buds Pro 2 get smarter, and T-Mobile is ending its Google One perk.
Let’s dive right in.
Pixel 10a leak hints at early launch and bold new colors
A fresh leak from Telegram tipster MysticLeaks suggests the Pixel 10a could arrive “much earlier” than expected — possibly before the end of the year. Even more eye-catching is the claim that Google is testing five color options: black, blue, dark blue, red, and green. Matching wallpapers have also surfaced and mirror the silky ribbon-like style seen on the flagship Pixel 10 lineup. One brushed-paint variant appears tied to the rumored dark blue model.
Rumors about the 10a have been rare, with only an early January mention speculating a slightly boosted Tensor G4 chip. The latest chatter also suggests Google may downgrade storage to UFS 3.1 and skip features like Magic Cue. Even so, the talk of an earlier launch and brighter colors has sparked fresh interest in what’s usually a summer release.
Battery health concerns surface on the Pixel 10 Pro
Just weeks after launch, at least one Pixel 10 Pro XL owner has reported abnormal battery degradation, claiming their device showed 97% health after only 31 charge cycles. For comparison, a Pixel 9 Pro user reported 96% health after 100+ cycles, and others say their phones remain near 99% after months of use.
It’s still unclear whether this is a calibration quirk or a real battery issue. Some suspect the 80% charging cap or incomplete charging history is skewing numbers. Inaccurate health reporting could be fixed through calibration or a software update, though third-party apps like AccuBattery show only slight discrepancies so far. There’s no confirmation yet on how widespread the issue is, but users are already voicing concern.
Pixel Launcher tests the return of the quick app launch shortcut
Some users are beginning to see the revival of a once-popular Pixel Launcher behavior: typing to immediately open apps without leaving the keyboard. Right now, the bottom-right keyboard button defaults to web search, forcing users to lift a finger and tap results.
Recent reports show the “open” state returning in the search field, with an arrow replacing the magnifier icon to launch apps directly. Before Android 13 QPR1, this was the default behavior — much like iOS. The change appears to be a limited server-side test, as it isn’t showing up broadly on Android 16 QPR1 or QPR2 yet.
Satellite SOS page mistakenly appears on older Pixel phones
Pixel users on the 7 and 8 series briefly spotted a Pixel Satellite SOS settings page that shouldn’t exist on their devices. The menu appeared under Settings > Safety & emergency, identical to what’s available on the Pixel 9 and newer, including setup pages for sharing preferences and emergency contacts.
The absence of the “Try a demo” button (as seen below) and the lack of required modem hardware made it clear this was a bug. Google has confirmed the issue will be fixed by the end of the day, and the page will disappear automatically. Satellite SOS officially remains limited to the Pixel 9 lineup, Pixel 10 models, and their Fold and XL variants in supported regions.
Pixel Buds Pro 2 quietly add ‘Fully charged’ alert and persistent battery info
A new update is rolling out features Google never mentioned in its release notes. The Pixel Buds Pro 2 now send a “Fully charged” notification, matching the Pixel Watch’s behavior. More surprisingly, the earbuds and case can now broadcast battery levels to all your connected Pixel devices, even when they aren’t actively connected over Bluetooth.
That means the Pixel Battery widget will always show left bud, right bud, and case levels without opening the lid. This behavior mirrors how Apple syncs AirPods info across devices. The change appears after firmware version 4.467, alongside newly available head gestures and Adaptive Audio.
T-Mobile ends new Google One enrollments starting September 2025
While not Pixel-exclusive, Android users on T-Mobile will soon lose a perk many rely on. The carrier has updated its Google One support page to confirm that new Google One enrollments through T-Mobile will end on September 30, 2025. Existing members can continue managing billing through T-Mobile until further notice, but fresh sign-ups have stopped.
The plan currently offers expanded storage, backups, photo tools, family sharing, and perks like YouTube Premium offers. For anyone using the T-Mobile billing route on Android or iOS, this change signals the end of bundled access through the carrier.
Hillary Keverenge
2445 Posts
Tech has been my playground for over a decade. While the Android journey began early, it truly took flight with the revolutionary Lollipop update. Since then, it's been a parade of Android devices (with a sprinkle of iOS), culminating in a mostly happy marriage with Google's smart home ecosystem. Expect insightful articles and explorations of the ever-evolving world of Android and Google products coupled with occasional rants on the Nest smart home ecosystem.
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