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The mobile apps are available in over 150 countries but European territories are notably absent. That’s about 500 million people who still don’t have access thanks to pesky EU laws that combat disinformation and protect user privacy and data.

Google says it will gradually expand Gemini to additional regions “that are consistent with local regulations and our AI principles.”

The split screen feature that pulls in up to four channels at once launched on smart TVs last year, and iOS last month — now it’s Android’s turn. Google spokesperson Allison Toh confirmed to The Verge that the launch started today, and said it’ll roll out to all Android phones and tablets over the next few weeks.

Only two at a time, though — try a third, and it’ll be pending until one of those finishes. My Pixel 6 can already do this, but Google often stages rollouts, so you may not have it just yet.

According to 9to5Google, this only applies to new downloads — app updates will still come down the internet tubes single file.

This time, we get a full-on Pixel 8A promo video leaked courtesy of MySmartPrice showing it’ll get Google’s AI features from the Pixel 8, including Best Take, Circle to Search, Live Translate, and Audio Magic Eraser.

It’s arriving just hours after the last Pixel 8A leak, but Google’s tradition of coughing up hardware info early goes back much, much, much further.

Update April 29th: Original video was taken down.

Underneath your Home and Work address shortcuts, the Google Maps widget now has a shortcut that lets you launch a map of your current location. This is neat, considering that, unlike Garmins, most Wear OS watches don’t have native compasses or maps preloaded.

The WSJ reports that Nvidia’s Jensen Huang and Google’s Sundar Pichai also have a seat on the board, which the Department of Homeland Security formed to promote AI safety and security. Other members include academics, civil rights leaders, and government officials, according to the WSJ.

We warned you about pause ads nearly six years ago, and again when YouTube started trialing them last May. Now, Google’s Philipp Schindler says the results of that trial is that advertisers unsurprisingly love them!

They are driving strong results and “commanding premium pricing from advertisers,” he said on today’s earnings call. No news about a wider rollout, but...

Alphabet’s first-ever dividend will pay shareholders 20 cents per share on June 17th, and the Google owner “intends to pay quarterly cash dividends in the future” too. Meta made a big splash when it announced a 50 cent per share dividend in February, and Microsoft increased its dividend to 75 cents per share last September.

The two companies say their partnership “has never been stronger,” possibly calming any fears after Google merged its Android and hardware teams. It sure looks like we’re going to see more AI in both Samsung and Google devices soon beyond Circle to Search, which is something to watch for as more AI-powered devices like the Rabbit R1 come to market.

The search giant says it will phase out third-party cookies in its dominant Chrome browser in 2023, no 2024, erm... actually 2025, reports the Wall Street Journal, citing “ongoing challenges related to reconciling divergent feedback from the industry, regulators and developers.” That assumes the effort to better protect user privacy gets approval from the UK’s CMA and ICO which are monitoring implementation.

Android expert Mishaal Rahman spotted an “even dimmer” option in Android 15 that allows the display “to go dimmer than normal.” There’s already an “extra dim” option you can manually toggle on, but Rahman suspects this new setting will automatically kick in when you’re in a dark area.

The best free Game Boy Advance emulator for Android is back now its developer is less scared. Pizza Boy’s Davide Berra:

After a few weeks of consideration and after discussing with several people (both in the field and not), I’ve realized that I can’t set aside a passion and effort of so many years. Experimentally, I am trying to revisit the apps to make them available again on the Google Play Store with some renewals. Let’s start with Pizza Boy A Basic and hopefully continue with the others.

The pro version let me turn my Samsung Z Flip into a GBA SP.

The Pixel 8a leaks continue. This time, Google’s upcoming entry-level smartphone appears in a short hands-on video by an apparent smartphone dealer in Casablanca — who three days ago posted that they’re getting the goods.

God, that mint is good.

The firings included “non-participating bystanders,” according to Jane Chung, a spokesperson for No Tech for Apartheid. Google initially fired 28 employees after last week’s protest against Project Nimbus, a $1.2 billion defense contract. The sit-in lasted for eight hours before nine employees were arrested.

Chung said in an email to The Verge that these additional firings bring the total to over 50. We’ve reached out to Google for comment.