Should We Talk About the Weather? - Android Faithful #133

European regulators have opened a new front in their scrutiny of Big Tech, launching proceedings against Google regarding the deep integration of its Gemini AI into the Android operating system. Meanwhile, stateside users of the Google Pixel Weather app faced critical failures during a major winter storm, and OnePlus issued a carefully worded rebuttal to rumors regarding its future in key global markets. These developments highlight a volatile week in the Android ecosystem, balancing regulatory headwinds with hardware controversies and software updates.

Key Points

• EU Probes Google: The European Commission has invoked the Digital Markets Act to investigate whether Google must open Android’s core AI integration capabilities to third-party rivals.
• Pixel Weather Fail: Google’s native weather application suffered severe accuracy issues during a recent US winter storm, fluctuating wildly while competitor apps remained stable.
• OnePlus Stays Put: Following reports of a potential market exit, OnePlus confirmed it remains active in North America and India, though observers noted the specificity of their commitment to "after-sales support."
• Samsung’s $2,900 Phone: The Galaxy Z Trifold is set for a US release on January 30, positioning itself as a productivity device bridging the gap between phone and laptop.
• Service Sunsets: Google is deprecating "Gmailify," a decade-old feature that allowed third-party email accounts to utilize Gmail’s spam and sorting features.

European Commission Targets Android AI Integration

The European Commission has launched new proceedings against Google under the Digital Markets Act (DMA), focusing on the company's deployment of Gemini within the Android ecosystem. The investigation aims to determine whether Google is leveraging its dominance in mobile operating systems to give its own AI assistant an unfair advantage over competitors.

The core of the dispute involves the deep system-level access granted to Gemini. European regulators are exploring whether Google must allow rival AI chatbots and search engines equivalent access to Android’s internal framework. Furthermore, the proceedings suggest Google may be required to share anonymized ranking, query, and click data to foster a level playing field.

If found in violation of the DMA, Google could face fines of up to 10% of its global annual sales. The Commission is expected to offer preliminary findings within three months, with a conclusion aimed for the six-month mark.

"The EU has opened DMA proceedings against Google to ensure that this advantage that Google is reaping from having Gemini deeply embedded inside of its mobile OS... needs to open the features and kind of like services that are accessible to its own AI, Gemini, to third-party services."

The technical implications of this regulation are complex. Unlike standard app integrations, Gemini operates in collaboration with the operating system to access context and screen data. Opening this level of access to third-party developers raises significant security and privacy questions regarding who is permitted to interact with system services.

Pixel Weather App Falters During Major Storm

Confidence in Google’s native Pixel Weather app took a significant hit this week following erratic performance during a severe winter storm affecting the United States. While established competitors like The Weather Channel and the National Weather Service provided consistent data, Pixel users reported wildly fluctuating precipitation forecasts.

Users observed the app oscillating between predicting over a foot of snow to less than an inch within hours, despite the storm system’s trajectory remaining relatively constant. This unreliability forced many users to revert to legacy weather applications for safety and planning.

"Needless to say, from that point on, the Pixel Weather app no longer had any accuracy whatsoever for the rest of the storm... whatever was feeding the Google Pixel weather app, it just was straight up wrong. And they start seeing really weird responses across the whole country."

The failure is notable given Google's recent redesign of the app and its integration of AI modeling for forecasting. While meteorological prediction is rarely 100% accurate, the discrepancy between Google’s data and other major aggregators suggests a specific failure in Google’s internal forecasting system or data ingestion pipeline.

OnePlus Denies Market Exit Rumors

OnePlus has officially responded to reports alleging the company was planning to exit the mobile hardware market in India and North America. The initial reports, which cited unverified sources, suggested a "fast-track demise" for the brand. OnePlus refuted these claims, stating that operations in key markets remain active.

However, industry analysts have parsed the company’s statement closely. While OnePlus confirmed continued operations, their specific language focused heavily on guaranteeing "after-sales support, software updates, and rights commitments." This phrasing has led to speculation about the company's long-term hardware roadmap, particularly regarding foldables and flagship devices.

"OnePlus North America continues to operate with full guarantee of users after-sales support, software updates, and rights commitments. All three of those things could actually apply to a company that is basically saying we've got nothing else coming out and we promise to support what we've already done."

This response comes amidst broader shifts in the smartphone market, including component shortages and tariff uncertainties, which may be influencing the strategies of brands under the Oppo umbrella.

Hardware Market: Trifolds and Design Leaks

In the ultra-premium segment, Samsung is preparing to launch its Galaxy Z Trifold in the US on January 30. With a retail price of approximately $2,900, the device is the most expensive consumer Android phone on the market, excluding luxury limited editions. Early reviews suggest the device functions more as a laptop replacement than a traditional tablet, utilizing Samsung DeX to justify the high entry cost.

Upcoming Release Leaks

• Oppo Find X9: Renders have surfaced showing a "retro" camera design featuring a dual-tone finish and a shower-head style camera array, moving away from the massive singular bumps seen on recent competitors.
• Samsung Galaxy S26 Accessories: Leaked specifications for a Qi2 battery bank suggest a custom design to accommodate the Galaxy S26's camera housing. The accessory features a cutout in the magnetic ring area to prevent misalignment caused by the phone's camera bump.

Software Ecosystem Updates

Google is streamlining its service offerings, resulting in both the addition and removal of features across its ecosystem.

Gmailify Deprecation

Google is shutting down "Gmailify," a feature that allowed users to link third-party email accounts (such as Yahoo or Outlook) to the Gmail interface to utilize Google's spam protection and sorting categories. The underlying POP3 technology supports this feature is being deprecated, forcing users to migrate to native Gmail accounts to retain those specific features.

YouTube Music and Photos

YouTube Music is finally rolling out real-time queue syncing across devices. This update allows users to switch between desktop, mobile, and Android Auto without losing their spot in a playlist. Additionally, Google Photos is rolling out a new AI-powered "Memeify" feature to US users, allowing them to insert their own faces into popular meme templates.

Looking ahead, the market awaits the conclusion of the EU's preliminary findings on Google's AI practices in three months, which could set a global precedent for how operating systems integrate artificial intelligence.