'Twas the last weekend before Christmas, when all through the...okay, I'm not doing that. No one would blame you if you didn't read every single Android article published this week. Lucky for you, I've hand-picked five for you to check out—along with a cheat sheet of top headlines.

You’ve probably customized your Android phone with a new launcher, swapped out the keyboard, and maybe even installed an icon pack. But you might be missing out on a tiny, powerful secret that could fundamentally change how you use your phone.

2025 was supposed to be the end for Google Assistant on Android devices. Nine months ago, Google said Assistant would be fully replaced by Gemini “later this year.” The number of days left on the calendar is dwindling fast, but Assistant isn’t going anywhere just yet.

Every app seems to end the year with a Spotify Wrapped-style recap now, but what if you could get one for the neighborhood where you live? How many people complained about potholes? What was the most complained-about spot? A new project turns neighborhood complaints into a personalized highlight reel for your city.

Last month, Google and Disney had a bit of a spat over YouTube TV licensing. One of the unexpected consequences was that Google Play and YouTube movie purchases disappeared from the Movies Anywhere service. The dust has finally settled, but you’ll need to take action to get your media back.

Arguably, the biggest hurdle to switching from iPhone to Android is transferring all your stuff. It’s painless moving from iPhone to iPhone, but changing platforms is a different story. Oddly enough, Apple is taking steps to make it easier. You read that correctly.

Waze is great for shaving minutes off your commute and avoiding those pesky speed traps, but it’s always been just a few steps behind Google Maps. One small feature that can be surprisingly helpful is traffic light icons along your route. Waze may finally be getting this feature, too.

Many of us have old phones shoved away in a box somewhere, and there are plenty of great ways to repurpose them. If you’ve been interested in getting into the home media server craze, you may be hesitant to buy a bunch of new hardware. What about that old Android phone?

When Wear OS first launched as “Android Wear,” it had an awesome gesture that allowed you to navigate without touching the screen. The feature went away at some point, and I’ve missed it ever since. Google has finally brought it back, but it works a bit differently.

Webcams in laptops aren’t great, and even external webcams struggle unless you pay for a high-end model. Before you look for an upgrade, think about the much better camera that’s already in your pocket. You can turn your Android phone into a high-definition webcam with shocking ease.

Every week is a busy week in the Android ecosystem—so let's just skip to the good stuff. I've hand-picked five articles published in the past week that I think you should read. Once you're done with that, there's a list of news headlines you may be interested in. Let's go!

Let’s be honest, sending Christmas cards is not a fun holiday task. It’s time-consuming and can even be pretty expensive. Using AI to generate a Christmas card “from scratch” is tempting, but it’s a sure-fire way to end up in my trash bin.