Telecom
Get Ready: Google Unveils 8 Game-Changing Android Updates
Google’s annual I/O developer conference is a hub for exciting product updates. This year, “The Android Show: I/O edition” offered an early preview of Android’s future. Packed with groundbreaking news, these updates will transform our Android interactions.
Android, the world’s most popular OS with over 3 billion active devices, continues to innovate, bringing practical benefits and new possibilities.
For people in Africa, these advancements promise easier, safer, and more personal digital lives. Let’s dive into how Android’s latest offerings empower users across the continent:
1. Your Device, Your Canvas: The Expressive Evolution of Android and Wear OS
Tired of a generic phone look? Android 16 and Wear OS 6 introduce Material 3 Expressive, a significant design makeover. It’s about making your devices truly personal and easier to use. Imagine animations reacting to your touch, like icons subtly shifting when you dismiss a message, making interactions feel alive. Born from research with over 18,000 users, the result is beautiful, enjoyable interfaces.
Customize phone colours and quick settings – place your flashlight for easy access. On smartwatches, the design wraps smoothly around round screens, and your watch face theme will colour the entire system. For users in Kenya, South Africa, and Nigeria, where personal expression is key, this means technology that truly reflects you.
Availability: Coming to Android 16 and Wear OS 6. Pixel devices first later this year, then other manufacturers.
2. Driving Just Got Smarter: Gemini Becomes Your Ultimate Co-Pilot
Remember when your car was just for driving? Now, with Gemini, Google’s smart AI assistant, coming to your car, every journey becomes more productive and enjoyable. Whether you use Android Auto with your phone or have a car with Google built-in, Gemini is designed to be your ultimate co-pilot.
Imagine talking naturally to your car, without needing to remember specific commands. You can ask Gemini to find the best local food along your route and even get summaries of reviews. If you’re messaging a friend who prefers a different language, Gemini can remember to always translate your messages for them. It can even help you find the location of your child’s soccer game that got buried in your email!
But Gemini isn’t just for navigation. On longer drives, you can ask it to summarise the news, or give you a quick rundown of a book for your book club. It’s like having a knowledgeable friend riding shotgun, ready to help with anything from finding a charging station near a park to helping you prepare for a big meeting.
This smart integration means less distraction and more convenience, making your time on the road in Nairobi, Johannesburg, or Lagos more efficient and fun.
Availability: Android Auto in coming months; Google Built-in later this year (new Lincoln Nautilus, Renault R5, Honda Passport).
3. Beyond the Phone: Gemini Smarts Extend to Your Watch, TV, and More
Gemini’s intelligence is expanding beyond your phone to your Wear OS smartwatch, TV, and future Android XR smart glasses. On your Wear OS watch, get help hands-free: set gym locker reminders while baking or find restaurant details from an email. Google TV will get Gemini later this year for movie recommendations or educational content for kids.
Future Android XR headsets (starting with Samsung) will use Gemini for immersive experiences like vacation planning. Expect personalized, proactive help for a seamless, intelligent experience across your Android devices. Gemini Live’s camera and screen sharing capabilities are available now for Android users (no Advanced subscription required).
Availability: Wear OS in coming months. Google TV later this year. Android XR with Samsung’s first headset later this year.
4. Never Lose Anything Again: Find Hub for All Your Belongings
Android’s “Find My Device” is evolving into Find Hub, a central spot to locate tagged items and track friends and family (with permission). Easily track luggage, keys, or confirm a loved one’s safe arrival from one app. Find Hub supports more devices and Bluetooth tags (July, Mokobara, Pixbee). Ultra-wideband (UWB) tech (first on moto tag) offers precise tracking down to a few feet.
Later this year, satellite connectivity arrives for supported devices, enabling tracking without mobile coverage – ideal for adventures. Airline partnerships (e.g., British Airways, Singapore Airlines) will help locate luggage by sharing tag locations. For those in Africa facing varied network coverage or frequent travel, Find Hub is a powerful tool.
Availability: Rolling out with new compatible devices/tags later this month (UWB on moto tag). Satellite connectivity later this year. Airline partnerships early next year.
5. Crystal Clear Communication: RCS Messaging Soars
Android has championed RCS (Rich Communication Services) for simple, reliable, feature-rich messaging, regardless of phone type. Success is clear: over a billion daily RCS messages in the U.S. alone enable high-quality photo/video sharing and improved group chats. RCS offers features like read receipts, typing indicators, and large file sharing directly in your standard messaging app for seamless communication.
Availability: Globally available within Google Messages.
6. Smarter App Management: Google Play Protect Gets More Intelligent
Malicious apps are a constant threat, and Android is making it even harder for them to hide and cause trouble. Google Play Protect, Android’s built-in security scanner, is getting smarter to keep you even safer.
One tricky tactic used by bad apps is to hide or change their icon, making them hard to find and remove from your device. Now, Google Play Protect’s live threat detection will spot this sneaky behaviour and alert you, so you can easily remove the unsafe app.
Google Play Protect also checks every app before it’s installed on your device, no matter where you download it from. It uses advanced on-device machine learning to quickly identify new and emerging threats. This means if an app shows suspicious patterns – like trying to steal information or control your device – Play Protect can warn you before you even install it! These rules are updated frequently to ensure you’re protected from the latest malware.
These updates mean better, faster protection against unwanted and harmful apps, keeping your phone and data safe without you having to do anything extra.
Availability: Google Play Protect updates for faster malware detection (using new on-device rules) are now available globally for all Android users with Google Play services. Live threat detection for hidden app icons will be available for Google Pixel 6+ and a selection of new devices from other manufacturers in the coming months.
7. Comprehensive Mobile Theft Protection: Stronger Than Ever
The loss or theft of a phone can be devastating, not just for the device itself, but for the sensitive information it contains. Android has been a leader in theft protection, and these new updates make it even harder for thieves to access your data or reset your device.
Building on last year’s comprehensive suite of features, Android is further hardening its Factory Reset protections. This means that if a thief tries to wipe your phone without your authorization, key functionalities will be restricted. You’ll also get more control over the Remote Lock feature, with the addition of a security question to prevent unauthorized actions.
A key new protection in Android 16 targets a common scam tactic: thieves trying to access one-time passwords (OTPs) on your locked screen. In high-risk scenarios – when your phone isn’t connected to Wi-Fi and hasn’t been recently unlocked – Android will hide OTPs on your lock screen. This ensures that only you can see them after unlocking your device, protecting your online accounts.
These continuous improvements demonstrate Android’s commitment to keeping your personal and financial information safe, even if your phone falls into the wrong hands.
Availability: Hardened Factory Reset protections and enhanced Remote Lock (with security question) are coming later this year. OTP lock screen protection (hiding OTPs in high-risk scenarios) will be available in Android 16. Identity Check for Pixel and Samsung One UI 7 devices is expanding to more manufacturers on supported Android 16 devices.
Internet Exchange Point of Nigeria is positioning as a regional Internet Exchange hub for West Africa in terms of infrastructure and traffic. Muhammed Rudman, chief executive officer, IXPN, stated this at its 2026 members engagement forum held in Lagos. He noted some of the major milestone IXPN achieved last year to include one terabit of traffic recorded in March 2025.
“At that time, we became the 63rd internet exchange point in the world. Among all the exchanges in Europe and America and in the entire world, we become the number 63 in the world. To achieve that one terabit of traffic. Again, we were able to achieve two terabits of traffic within seven, eight months of the year.
“We achieve this by ensuring that we push for members to upgrade, those that were on 1 Gig to 10 Gig, those on 10 Gig to 100 Gig. We had a strategic infrastructure upgrade across our networks, put 400 Gig enable switches, increase our fiber links to all the data centers and we onboarded 17 new members last year. All the trainings and the operational excellence ensured that our network is up and running 24/7,” he said.
Industry Impact
The impact of that one terabit traffic is data sovereignty. “We were able to domesticate. Based on the survey we conducted, 54% of our members said that they are exchanging 50% of their traffic and above locally, which is really, significant one.
“We are also setting up a benchmark for other African IXPs. I can assure you that in all the community driven internet exchange points in Africa, we are the number one. There’s a community driven internet exchange point in South Africa that was established 10 years before IXPN. There is one in Kenya that was established 6 years before IXPN, but we are way ahead of them when it comes to internet traffic.
“We are also promoting intra African connectivity. As at today, we have customers from Niger, from, Burkina Faso, trying to reach to Nigeria. Recently, we onboarded a very large company in Ivory Coast, to connect to Nigeria.
“Gradually, Nigeria is tilting towards becoming the regional hub for West Africa, where you see Internet Service Providers coming to achieve that. And in terms of the traffic, in 2015 we were at four Gigabits per second. It moves to 21 in 2017 and 52 gigabits per second.
“But by the year 2023 it has reached 540 gigabits. By 2024 we have reached 900 gigabits. But by the end of 2025 we have achieved the two terabits of traffic”.
Network Infrastructure Development
Some of the technical feet IXPN achieved includes, deployment of sFlow; which is a peer to peer traffic analysis. “We’re able to see what members are exchanging between themselves and between the data centers, not the actual content or information, but rather the volume of traffic, and also between our data centers. And based on this, we’re able to do the upgrades.
“We did a multiple link upgrades from 300 Gigabits last year from Digital Realty to Equinix. It was 300 Gig as at the end of 2024, and by 2025, we’ve increased that to 500 gigabits per second. Digital Realty to Rack Center, it was 200 Gigabits per second. We also upgraded that to 500 Gigabits per second.
Open Access Data Centre to Equinix. We’ve upgraded from 20 Gigabits per second to 200 Gigabits per second. We always monitor the ports, and based on that, we increase immediately we reach the threshold of 80%.
“We did an upgrade on the IXP manager. This allows each member to have a login portal to see the traffic they are exchanging and other details, the port as well as to do their own configuration,” he added.
Technical Project Milestones
Microsoft connected cache. “We deployed Microsoft content cache and that has been deployed in Lagos. It was 25 Gigabits per second as of 2024 by 2025 we had to upgrade the infrastructure to 75 Gigabits per second servers, that will be able to accommodate all the Microsoft updates they are doing, exports, download and among others.
“This is part of the content that Microsoft is not providing locally, but we got those servers deployed, and our intention is by next year to see how we can replicate this across the country. Last year, we also deployed the same server in Abuja so that the Abuja people and the Kano people can reach that content without coming back to Lagos.
The Google Global Cache (GGC); “We are hosting all these at IXPN. We also upgraded from 53 Gigabits per second servers in 2024 to 153 Gigabits per second. And this is a huge traffic of YouTube. And as we speak, we are also working towards upgrading those servers,” he explained.
Strategic Partnerships
“We signed an MoU last year between us and an IXP in Senegal, when we went for West African peering forum. A lot of African ISPs are looking to us to see how we can guide them and support them.
“For example, internet exchange point from Gabon, internet exchange point from Rwanda and ISPs in Africa are looking at us as a model to copy, and we tend to support them. We also had a strategic partnership with CIRA, the Canada Internet Registry Association, which is similar to Nira, the Nigerian Internet Registration Association, to have their secondary authoritative servers into Nigeria as an anycast instance. And when they are hosting that, they are hosting other top-level domains as well, like alibaba.info.org.ca, are also hosted with us.
“Since they launched last year, we have seen a traffic of over 1000 DNS responses per second. Presently, there are 13 global root servers in the world, and those 13 servers are the ones that translate your IP address into a domain name. Any website you browse, you put a domain name, it translates into an IP address and its chain of referrals, Nigeria has.ng as a country, called Top Level Domain”.
Earlier in his welcome address, Charles Nmeregini, Business Development Manager, IXPN, said that the members engagement forum is more than an annual country. “Today, we pause to celebrate the milestone, the milestone that we have reached together, the milestone that have bolstered our local traffic exchange, reduce latency and significantly lower the cost of Internet access across the nations and beyond.
“However, today is equally about the horizon. It is a strategic moment as we unveil our 2026 service road map, a forward-looking rubbing designed to deepen interconnection, enhance service delivery and unlock new value across the ecosystem. In an era defined by rapid technological shift, standing still is not an option.
“This forum will spotlight exclusive, strategic business opportunities, new avenues for growth, enhanced pairing capabilities and innovative service model tailored to give your organization a competitive edge. We are not just exchanging data, we are exchanging ideas that will drive the next wave of Nigeria digital economy,” he added.
In today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape, having a trusted and reputable IT partner is no longer optional—it’s essential. Consumers and businesses alike face numerous challenges: buying smartphones, tablets, and laptops that are substandard or incompatible, worrying about device security, and struggling with costly repairs when gadgets break down.
Menxtt NG
This is where Menxtt NG stands out as a true industry leader, providing EU-specification devices, nationwide service, and unmatched support across Nigeria.
As an official BitDefender reseller, Menxtt NG ensures that every device comes fortified with premium cybersecurity solutions. This addresses one of the biggest issues consumers face today: digital threats. With Menxtt NG, customers don’t just get a gadget—they get peace of mind knowing their data and devices are protected.
Beyond security, the company solves a critical problem in tech ownership: the lack of reliable warranties and repair services. Many users find themselves forced to buy new devices due to broken phones, laptops, or tablets.
Menxtt NG addresses this by offering repair services for all major gadgets, saving customers significant money while extending the life of their devices. And for new devices, they provide fully tested EU-spec phones, laptops, and tablets with a 6-month warranty, ensuring both performance and durability.
Accessibility is another barrier Menxtt NG tackles head-on. With free nationwide delivery and a free charging cord included with purchases, they make premium technology available across Nigeria.
Their presence in Ola Ayeni Street, Computer Village, Ikeja, combined with easy contact via 08115919964, 08140902614, 0802 061 1299, 0802 893 1940, +234 916 642 2759, as well as online support at www.menxtt.com.ng and [email protected], ensures convenience for every customer.
Anthony Nwosu, CEO of Menxtt NG, highlights the company’s mission: to deliver top-quality, secure, and durable devices while providing accessible repair and support services.
This comprehensive approach addresses all the pain points consumers face—device quality, security, warranty, and after-sales care—making Menxtt NG more than just a retailer; it’s a reliable IT partner.
In a market flooded with subpar devices and unreliable service, Menxtt NG proves that choosing a reputable IT plug is crucial. With EU-spec devices, nationwide delivery, genuine warranties, and expert repair services, Menxtt NG doesn’t just sell technology—they empower customers to enjoy, protect, and maximize the life of their devices.
Paradigm Initiative (PIN) has strongly condemned Gabon’s ongoing suspension of major social media platforms—Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube—ordered by the Haute Autorité de la Communication (HAAC) on February 17, 2026.
Social Media
NetBlocks and independent monitors confirm widespread disruptions persisting as of February 20, driving users to VPNs amid unstable nationwide connectivity.
PIN described the blanket shutdown as a grave breach of digital rights, including freedom of expression and access to information, silencing discourse during anti-government protests and a labour strike.
The digital rights group highlighted the absence of specific violation evidence, legal basis clarity, or restoration timeline from HAAC, rendering the measure disproportionate.
Gabon’s actions contravene Article 9 of its Constitution, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (Article 19), and African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Article 9), failing international legality, necessity, and proportionality tests.
NetBlocks estimates a $2.96 million (FCFA 1.78 billion) Total Cost Impact over two days from WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube outages, crippling entrepreneurs, small businesses, freelancers, journalists, and civil society reliant on these platforms.
The shutdown disrupts commerce, digital payments, customer engagement, and livelihoods—especially youth and informal sectors—in a nation with prior digital curbs during unrest.
PIN urged immediate full platform restoration, HAAC transparency on legal grounds and order details, and ISP notices detailing government directives.
ISPs and tech firms must uphold UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, ensuring transparency on connectivity orders and avoiding complicity in violations.
This pattern undermines Gabon’s transparency, civic participation, and democratic governance commitments.
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