Google Classroom experienced a sudden outage on Tuesday, with Downdetector reporting more than 500 user reports within an hour after the issue surfaced at 12:33 p.m. ET. The disruption appears isolated to Classroom; other Google Workspace services such as Drive and Gmail remain operational. The spike suggests a widespread problem rather than isolated connectivity failures. Google has not issued a statement, but the service is expected to be restored promptly. Classroom, which continues to receive feature updates and [...]

Google has released an Android Auto update that lets users change their Google Maps “driving avatar” directly from the car’s display. The feature, previously available only on phones, now appears in the Maps app on Android Auto alongside home, work, and alert settings. Users can tap the avatar option to select an icon and color. The update is part of a server‑side rollout, first noted in Android Auto 17.8.163744 and Maps 26.38.01.980791571, though the option remains unavailable [...]

Google announced Home MCP, a Model Context Protocol that lets AI agents such as Antigravity, Claude, Hermes, and OpenClaw access and control devices in the Google Home ecosystem. The protocol provides agents with real‑world context, enabling them to analyze camera footage, manage Nest thermostats, Matter light bulbs, and more, while enforcing rate limits and safety rules that block sensitive actions like unlocking doors. Home MCP is currently available to Google Home Premium Advanced users in U.S. English [...]

Google introduced Home MCP, a Model Context Protocol extension that lets third‑party AI agents such as Claude, Codex, Antigravity, Hermes and OpenClaw interact directly with the Google Home ecosystem. Currently available only to Google Home Premium Advanced subscribers in the United States, the service promises real‑world physical context for AI, enabling tasks like summarizing camera footage, managing devices, and building smart‑home dashboards via natural language. The rollout follows Google’s earlier Gemini for Home effort and represents the [...]

Patrick, an eCommerce editor at Android Central, transitioned from a decade in independent bookstores and freelance writing to full‑time tech journalism in 2020. He joined the site in 2022, leading its eCommerce coverage and major sale events. Patrick specializes in helping consumers avoid buyer’s remorse, simplifying complex tech purchases such as carrier switches and smart TVs. His guidance is grounded in extensive hands‑on experience, and he balances his professional work with outdoor adventures and time with his [...]

Google rolled out updates to its Home app, adding a battery‑saving homescreen widget that pauses background updates and polling when the phone’s screen is off, locked, or displaying a screensaver, then refreshes instantly upon unlock. The change also reduces power draw on connected cameras. In the same release, Google fixed a visual glitch that left sensor, camera, smoke and carbon‑monoxide detector tiles gray after users returned from device controller screens, eliminating the need to reload those pages. [...]

Sergey Brin, Google’s co‑founder, has re‑entered the company’s artificial‑intelligence work in a hands‑on capacity, focusing on the Gemini model as Alphabet intensifies its generative‑AI push. Though he holds no formal executive title, Brin now operates from a converted micro‑kitchen in Google’s Gradient Canopy building in Mountain View, convening a small team of engineers and leaders. Employees say he participates in Gemini‑related discussions, influences computing‑resource allocation, and advocates a faster, startup‑like development pace. Brin’s involvement follows an April town‑hall [...]