Googlebook phone features need Android 17 and did not work with Samsung phones at launch
Key points
- Googlebooks need a phone running Android 17 to use their cross-device "Better Together" features.
- Samsung's Android 17 phones did not work with those features at launch, and Google said support was still weeks away.
- Without an Android 17 phone, Googlebook owners miss a lot of the cross-device features.
- Google admitted that some "complex" Android apps run poorly on Intel-based Googlebooks.
- An iOS calendar app is reportedly skipping Android and building for Googlebooks instead.
- New setup screens show how a Googlebook Phone Unlock option could work with Android.
- A later report says Samsung Galaxy phones now support Googlebook app streaming and notification sync.
The story began on launch week, when coverage focused on limits to the phone features. Googlebooks tie their best features to Android 17. Samsung’s Android 17 phones were left out at first, and Google said support was still weeks away. Reports at the time described this as a flaw for anyone who bought a Googlebook with a Samsung phone.
That gap appears to have closed within about a week. Android Central reported on October 12 that Samsung Galaxy phones now support cross-device app streaming and notification sync. That claim comes from a single outlet in this set, and the other reports predate it.
Two items are less firm. The Phone Unlock option comes from setup screens that have been found, so it is not a confirmed feature. One headline also suggests the Samsung Googlebook may not be a Googlebook after all, but the coverage provided gives no detail to back that up.
Sources
9 articles from 6 publications
