GM Tech Nerds.

This week’s edition is bursting with AI upgrades, Android 16 improvements, and a few nostalgic twists from your favorite phone brands.

PLUS – Apple finally joins the RCS messaging party. 'Bout time, too!

📦 In this drop:

🧠 Google Gemini officially launches with personalization features
📞 Google’s testing a weird new way to answer calls
🔋 Android 16 might finally show your Pixel’s battery health
🐉 Dimensity 9400+ launch date revealed
📸 Galaxy S26 Ultra could revive an old S9 camera trick
🖥️ Android 16's desktop mode gets a surprise power-up
⌚ Galaxy Watch 4 deal proves budget wearables still slap
🔐 Apple adds encrypted RCS messaging with Android
🌍 AirPods tipped to get live translation powers in iOS 19

Let’s dive in 👇

The Main Event

🔐 APPLE JOINS THE RCS PARTY — AND IT’S FINALLY ENCRYPTED

Hell has officially frozen over: Apple is embracing RCS, and not just the bare minimum.

The company just confirmed it will support end-to-end encrypted RCS messaging across iPhone, iPad, Mac, and even Apple Watch later this year.

Powered by the Messaging Layer Security (MLS) standard, Apple’s RCS implementation will finally bring secure, modern, and feature-rich messaging between iOS and Android users.

No more green bubble shame — at least not entirely.

👉 What’s changing:

📲 Encrypted messaging across platforms (yes, finally)
✍️ Richer features like typing indicators, higher-res media, and read receipts
🔒 Security powered by MLS encryption protocol
⌚ Coming to iOS, macOS, and watchOS later in 2025

This move follows years of regulatory pressure and global pushback over Apple’s closed ecosystem, especially in markets where iMessage dominance was holding back progress.

👉 Why it matters:

It’s a win for cross-platform messaging
User privacy takes a leap forward—no more insecure SMS between platforms
Apple’s hand was forced, but hey, we’ll take the upgrade

🧠 GOOGLE GEMINI GETS OFFICIAL — AND IT’S PERSONAL NOW

Say hello (officially) to Google Gemini—now rolling out with built-in personalization tools.

As reported by GSMArena, Gemini is no longer just a souped-up AI assistant—it’s becoming your AI assistant, tailored to how you interact with tech.

You can now customize:

Tone and communication style
Response length and detail
Contextual behavior across apps

It’s part of Google’s plan to integrate Gemini deeper into Android and make AI a core part of how your phone works—not just an add-on.

👉 Why it matters:

Personal AI assistants are here to stay—and getting smarter
Gemini is positioning itself as Google’s answer to Apple Intelligence
Expect more AI-powered Android features in Android 16 and beyond

📞 GOOGLE MIGHT BE CHANGING HOW YOU ANSWER PHONE CALLS

According to Android Central, Google is testing a new UI interaction for answering calls.

No swipe, no tap—possibly a gesture or voice-based trigger in the works.

👉 Why it matters:

Could be part of a larger move toward hands-free UX
Could be brilliant… or just weird. Let’s see how it plays out.

🔋 ANDROID 16 MAY FINALLY SHOW YOU REAL BATTERY HEALTH STATS

Battery nerds, rejoice! Android 16 might finally include proper battery health metrics, similar to what iPhone users have had for years.

Think:

Battery wear level
Charge cycle count
Maximum capacity readouts

👉 Why it matters:

Transparency FTW
Helps users know when it’s time for a replacement—before your phone dies mid-scroll

🗓️ DIMENSITY 9400+ LAUNCH DATE REVEALED

MediaTek just announced its Dimensity Developer Conference, happening on April 11, and while they didn’t explicitly name-drop the Dimensity 9400+, let’s be honest—we all know what’s coming.

The company teased a new flagship 5G AI chipset, and unless there’s a surprise twist, this is definitely the debut stage for the Dimensity 9400+.

👉 Why this matters:

The Dimensity 9400+ is expected to be a slightly souped-up version of the 9400, with a higher-clocked Cortex-X925 super core (3.7GHz vs 3.62GHz).
Early rumors suggest it’ll power next-gen flagships like the Oppo Find X8S and vivo X200S, both expected to land in April.

Sure, the performance bump looks modest on paper so far—but MediaTek could have more tricks up its sleeve to justify that shiny “+” branding.

Either way, we’ll get the full picture in a few weeks.

👉 What to watch for next:

Real-world benchmarks
Battery efficiency gains
New AI capabilities baked into the silicon

📸 GALAXY S26 ULTRA COULD BRING BACK A CLASSIC CAMERA FEATURE

A fresh rumor suggests Samsung might revive a Galaxy S9-era camera trick for the Galaxy S26 Ultra.

It’s not official yet, but we could see variable aperture lenses return—great for balancing low-light and sharpness.

👉 Why it matters:

Brings pro-level photography control back to mobile
Adds versatility without relying purely on software post-processing

🖥️ ANDROID 16’S DESKTOP MODE IS GETTING A POWER-UP

Hidden no more — Android 16 Beta 3 gives Desktop Mode a major boost and we're all for it; desktop mode is insanely handy.

Think DeX, but Google’s way.

👉 Why it matters:

This could finally make Android-on-a-monitor a real thing
Multitaskers and tinkerers are gonna love it

⌚ GALAXY WATCH 4 STILL HITS HARD — NOW UNDER $100

The Galaxy Watch 4 just hit $95, and honestly? It’s a steal. It still holds up in 2025 with solid fitness tracking, great design, and full Wear OS support.

👉 Why it matters: