Author Archives:

Chrome for Android Update

 Hello Everyone! We've just released Chrome 147 (147.0.7727.49) for Android to a small percentage of users. It'll become available on Google Play over the next few days. You can find more details about early Stable releases here.

This release includes stability and performance improvements. You can see a full list of the changes in the Git log. If you find a new issue, please let us know by filing a bug.

Harry Souders
Google Chrome

Get your Wear OS apps ready for the 64-bit requirement

Posted by Michael Stillwell, Developer Relations Engineer and Dimitris Kosmidis, Product Manager, Wear OS

64-bit architectures provide performance improvements and a foundation for future innovation, delivering faster and richer experiences for your users. We’ve supported 64-bit CPUs since Android 5. This aligns Wear OS with recent updates for Google TV and other form factors, building on the 64-bit requirement first introduced for mobile in 2019.

Today, we are extending this 64-bit requirement to Wear OS. This blog provides guidance to help you prepare your apps to meet these new requirements.

The 64-bit requirement: timeline for Wear OS developers

Starting September 15, 2026:

  • All new apps and app updates that include native code will be required to provide 64-bit versions in addition to 32-bit versions when publishing to Google Play.
  • Google Play will start blocking the upload of non-compliant apps to the Play Console.

We are not making changes to our policy on 32-bit support, and Google Play will continue to deliver apps to existing 32-bit devices.

The vast majority of Wear OS developers has already made this shift, with 64-bit compliant apps already available. For the remaining apps, we expect the effort to be small.

Preparing for the 64-bit requirement

Many apps are written entirely in non-native code (i.e. Kotlin or Java) and do not need any code changes. However, it is important to note that even if you do not write native code yourself, a dependency or SDK could be introducing it into your app, so you still need to check whether your app includes native code.

Assess your app

  • Inspect your APK or app bundle for native code using the APK Analyzer in Android Studio.
  • Look for .so files within the lib folder. For ARM devices, 32-bit libraries are located in lib/armeabi-v7a, while the 64-bit equivalent is lib/arm64-v8a.
  • Ensure parity: The goal is to ensure that your app runs correctly in a 64-bit-only environment. While specific configurations may vary, for most apps this means that for each native 32-bit architecture you support, you should include the corresponding 64-bit architecture by providing the relevant .so files for both ABIs.
  • Upgrade SDKs: If you only have 32-bit versions of a third-party library or SDK, reach out to the provider for a 64-bit compliant version.

How to test 64-bit compatibility

The 64-bit version of your app should offer the same quality and feature set as the 32-bit version. The Wear OS Android Emulator can be used to verify that your app behaves and performs as expected in a 64-bit environment.

Note: Since Wear OS apps are required to target Wear OS 4 or higher to be submitted to Google Play, you are likely already testing on these newer, 64-bit only images.

When testing, pay attention to native code loaders such as SoLoader or older versions of OpenSSL, which may require updates to function correctly on 64-bit only hardware.

Next steps

We are announcing this requirement now to give developers a six-month window to bring their apps into compliance before enforcement begins in September 2026. For more detailed guidance on the transition, please refer to our in-depth documentation on supporting 64-bit architectures.

This transition marks an exciting step for the future of Wear OS and the benefits that 64-bit compatibility will bring to the ecosystem.

Upcoming change to default setting for downloading Google Meet recordings

Currently, Google Meet video recordings do not allow viewers to download or copy them by default unless the recording owner explicitly allows it. As a result, the "Ask Gemini" functionality within the Drive viewer is also disabled by default for viewers who aren’t file owners.

Starting April 30, 2026, we will change this default for new recordings. From that date forward, recording owners will need to manually restrict this setting for individual recordings if they do not want viewers to be able to download or copy them. This change applies only to future recordings and will not impact existing files.

If you want to keep downloads disabled by default, you must uncheck "Let Users download and copy Meet Recordings" in the Admin console before April 30, 2026. As a reminder, this will restrict Ask Gemini for viewers unless the recording owner takes action to allow downloads.

Getting started

  • Admins: Admins can manage this via the new "Meet video settings > Let Users download and copy Meet Recordings" control at the domain, OU, or group level. The new default is to allow users to download and copy Meet Recordings. Admins can change this default at any time. Visit the Help Center to learn more.
  • End users: Recording owners retain the ability to manually restrict downloading and copying for individual recordings through the file sharing settings. Visit the Help Center to learn more.

Rollout pace

Availability

  • Business: Business Plus and Business Standard
  • Enterprise: Enterprise Essentials, Enterprise Plus, Enterprise Standard, and Enterprise Starter
  • Education: Education Plus and the Teaching and Learning Upgrade

Resources

Early Stable Update for Desktop

  The Stable channel has been updated to 147.0.7727.49/.50 for Windows and Mac as part of our early stable release to a small percentage of users. A full list of changes in this build is available in the log.

You can find more details about early Stable releases here.

Interested in switching release channels?  Find out how here. If you find a new issue, please let us know by filing a bug. The community help forum is also a great place to reach out for help or learn about common issues.


Krishna Govind

Google Chrome

Developer’s Guide to Building ADK Agents with Skills

The Agent Development Kit (ADK) SkillToolset introduces a "progressive disclosure" architecture that allows AI agents to load domain expertise on demand, reducing token usage by up to 90% compared to traditional monolithic prompts. Through four distinct patterns—ranging from simple inline checklists to "skill factories" where agents write their own code—the system enables agents to dynamically expand their capabilities at runtime using the universal agentskills.io specification. This modular approach ensures that complex instructions and external resources are only accessed when relevant, creating a scalable and self-extending framework for modern AI development.

Form creation with Gemini and more now available in more languages

Last year, we announced Help me create in Google Forms and then expanded access to the feature to seven more languages.

Help me create in Google Forms drafts your questions 3x faster than doing it manually.*

Now, this feature is also available to users in 21 more languages including Arabic, Catalan, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Malay, Mandarin, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian and Vietnamese.

You can use Help me create to enter a prompt that describes the form you want to create or a prompt that references supporting Docs, Sheets, Slides, or PDFs. Gemini will then generate a draft form, incorporating details from any files you reference, that can be used instantly or further customized.

Last year, we also announced Gemini-powered question suggestions. Now, this feature is also available to users in 28 more languages including Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese, Korean, French, Italian, and German.

*Note: The time savings for the feature are calculated from a randomized experiment of real users using Google Forms.

Getting started

Rollout pace

Availability

  • Business: Business Standard and Plus
  • Enterprise: Enterprise Standard and Plus
  • Education: Education Plus, Teaching & Learning, Google AI Pro for Education
  • Consumer: Google AI Pro and Ultra

Resources

Generate beautiful and editable slides with ease in Google Slides

Slide generation just got a major upgrade. Gemini can now create fully editable, brand-matched slides using dynamic layouts tailored to your specific content. To ensure visual consistency, Gemini securely analyzes your existing deck to generate designs that fit your established style. You can also manually reference specific files for content or style or allow Gemini to automatically surface relevant files from your Google Drive. In addition, users can now edit existing Slides to change layouts and design elements or content. Just click “Create” or “Enhance this slide” to get started.

You can still beautify your slide as an image as well, but that option is now only available from the Slide menu.

At launch, this feature will be supported in English and several additional languages.

Getting started

  • Admins: There is no admin control for this feature. Visit the Help Center to learn more.
  • End users: Visit the Help Center to learn more about generating slides with Gemini.

Rollout pace

Availability

  • Business: Business Standard and Plus
  • Enterprise: Enterprise Standard and Plus
  • AI Add-ons: AI Ultra Access; AI Expanded Access; Google AI Pro for Education
  • Consumer: Google AI Pro and Ultra
Note: This feature will be supported for English and international languages

Resources

Chrome Beta for Desktop Update

The Beta channel has been updated to 147.0.7727.49 for Windows, Mac and Linux.

A partial list of changes is available in the Git log. Interested in switching release channels? Find out how. If you find a new issue, please let us know by filing a bug. The community help forum is also a great place to reach out for help or learn about common issues.

Chrome Release Team
Google Chrome