Valve has released the Lepton project on GitLab, which aims to bring Android games to Linux devices, with a focus on VR Android games for the Steam Frame.
Valve has open-sourced Lepton, an Android compatibility layer for the Steam Frame headset, allowing VR developers to adapt existing Android games for the device. The code is available on Valve's GitLab repository and facilitates the transition without needing to reconstruct games for a different platform. Lepton is designed to create a game-optimized Android environment rather than transforming the Steam Frame into a general Android device. It disables unnecessary Android services to maintain efficiency and integrates with the SteamOS host system, supporting various graphics stacks and Vulkan tools for enhanced VR gaming. Lepton operates without requiring root access, with each process running as a non-root user, and provides developers with tools for debugging and performance profiling. The open-sourced code offers insight into Valve's approach to supporting Android games on SteamOS.
In a survey by Android Authority with nearly 1,500 participants, Google Chrome was the most preferred web browser for Android, receiving 32.1% of the votes. Brave followed with 27.2%, while Firefox secured 17.5%. The Samsung Browser came in fourth with 6.4%, Vivaldi at 4.8%, and Microsoft Edge at 4.2%. A Firefox fork received 2.6%, surpassing a lesser-known Chromium-based browser at 2.2%.
Valve has opened the source code for Lepton, a compatibility layer for running Android games on Linux. Lepton is designed to work with the Steam client and focuses on getting Android games to run seamlessly on the Linux operating system. It is not intended for general Android use, but specifically for launching games. Lepton also offers features to assist game developers in bringing their VR Android games to Steam. Valve's commitment to open-source projects like Lepton benefits the wider Linux gaming community.
Google's Play Store has launched a collection of applications and games for Android XR, indicating a strategic move into extended reality devices ahead of Samsung's Galaxy XR headset release. The Play Store features a dedicated page for "immersive experiences made for your XR headset," including popular titles like "Beat Saber" and productivity apps such as YouTube VR. The listings include well-known VR favorites and new entries optimized for the platform, emphasizing social and interactive experiences. Over a dozen apps marked with an XR compatibility badge span gaming and media consumption. Google is enhancing its developer tools for Android XR, supporting spatial computing capabilities and attracting major studios to expand the library post-launch. Other manufacturers, like Lenovo, are rumored to explore Android XR devices. Despite challenges in XR adoption due to costs and limited applications, Android XR aims to provide accessible entry points and innovative features to attract users. Concerns regarding privacy in immersive environments persist, as XR devices collect significant spatial and biometric data.
Google is expanding its Nano Banana AI image-generation tool to several Android services, including Google Lens, Circle to Search, and AI Mode in Search. Since its launch in August, Nano Banana has achieved over 200 million edits. A new "Create" button featuring the Nano Banana logo has been found in the navigation bar of Google Lens, allowing users to edit images directly within the app. A similar "Create" option is also visible in Circle to Search, although it is still in development and non-functional. Additionally, a beta version of AI Mode for Search includes a "Create images" option. Speculation about the rollout has been fueled by Rajan Patel, Vice President of Engineering for Search. There are also hints that Nano Banana may be integrated with Google Photos in the future.
Google will require app developers to undergo a verification process starting in September 2026 to distribute apps outside the Google Play Store. An early access program for developers will begin in October 2025, with a broader rollout planned for March 2026. Developers will use a new Android Developer Console to verify their identities, enabling Android devices to block apps from unverified developers.
Windows Subsystem for Android (WSA) was introduced during the Windows 10 era to allow users to run Android applications on their PCs but was removed in Windows 11. Despite Microsoft's withdrawal, there remains a strong demand for Android app capabilities on Windows, as evidenced by the popularity of platforms like Bluestacks and Google's Google Play Games app for Windows. The initial implementation of WSA faced criticism due to poor execution and limited geographic availability, which hindered user access. Users had to navigate through the Microsoft Store to install the Amazon Appstore, complicating the process. The partnership with Amazon restricted the range of available applications, leading to user frustration, as many popular apps required Google services. Performance issues also affected WSA, with users facing resource consumption trade-offs. Microsoft's adjustments to allow some Android services to run in the background were a step forward, but the initial setup could have been more efficient. The discontinuation of WSA left many users puzzled, and there is hope for its reintroduction with improvements in the future.
The July Google Play System update brings new features to several Android services, including improved security, privacy, and bug fixes for Android TV and Android WebView. Cross devices can now join a phone's hotspot with Google account-connected devices.
