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• Android used to let you place widgets on the lock screen, but this feature was killed off in Android 5.0 Lollipop.
• Code within the latest Android 14 QPR2 beta suggests that this feature might return in some form.
• We don’t have the full details on what lock screen widget support might look like in Android 15, nor whether third-party widgets may be supported.

Google is reorganizing the Devices & Services teams responsible for Pixel, Nest, and Fitbit hardware. This change was announced to employees today, and Google confirmed the changes in a statement to 9to5Google.

As part of this reorganization, we’ve learned that Fitbit co-founders James Park and Eric Friedman, as well as other Fitbit leaders, are leaving Google.

This reorganization will see Google lay off a few hundred roles across Devices & Services, though the majority is happening within the first-party augmented reality hardware team. This downsizing suggests Google is no longer working on its own AR hardware and is fully committed to the OEM-partnership model. Employees will have the ability to apply to open roles within the company, and Google is offering its usual degree of support.

• Google has announced that it will focus on quality and reliability for its voice assistant, Google Assistant, by removing almost 20 features starting January 26.
• The features being removed include controlling audiobooks, setting media alarms, managing stopwatches, and sending emails. Google suggests alternative methods for these tasks.
• The company is also changing how users can access Assistant on their phones, with the microphone button in the Google search bar starting a search instead of pulling up Assistant.

• Unity Software said Monday that it would lay off about 1,800 employees, or 25% of its overall workforce, as part of a corporate restructuring plan.
• The company said it is unable to “reasonably estimate the costs and charges in connection with this reduction, which it expects will be substantially incurred in the first quarter of 2024.”
• In October, John Riccitiello retired as Unity’s CEO, while former Red Hat CEO James Whitehurst became interim CEO.

It’s all too common to want to keep Android apps hidden, with quite a few launchers offering a way to hide or disguise an app from onlookers. OnePlus and Samsung both even offer a built-in way to stash apps into a “Hidden Space,” ensuring your privacy stays intact if you ever need to hand your phone to someone else.

• Google starts showing prompts to create and use passkeys to streamline the way you sign in to your personal account.
• You'll also see a new option to "skip password when possible" in your account settings page.
• Users will still be able to sign in with a password and can opt out of passkeys for the time being.