google – Digitex Solutions

Google Security Feature Now Lets You Phone a Friend to Recover Your Account

digitex — Thu, 16 Oct 2025 05:55:20 +0000

Anyone who’s ever had their Google account hacked can tell you what a pain it is to recover. You’ll spend hours or even days on it, and recovery isn’t guaranteed, no matter what you do. On Wednesday, Google announced the addition of several new security features to help prevent you from getting hacked and to make account recovery easier. One method may remind you of the game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? Just like in that game, it involves phoning a friend.Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source.Recover your Google account with a trusted contactGoogle is already rolling out the new features, dubbed Recovery Contacts, but not everyone has them yet. If they are available, you’ll find them in the Security section of your Google Account settings.First, you add a trusted contact to your Google account by following this link. Obviously, you want to use only your most reliable contacts, like a spouse or close friend. Your contact will receive an email asking them to accept your invite, and it’s done. Then, if your account becomes compromised, you’ll see the option to ask your friend to help you sign in. They’ll see a prompt on their device, and once they verify your identity, you’ll be allowed back into your account, where you can change your password and other credentials. Remember that this addition gives Google additional information about your connection with your chosen contact. “On one hand, Recovery Contacts is a really good idea,” CNET senior editor Lori Grunin said. “On the other hand, it helps Google build a web of associations among people that it might otherwise not have and that can potentially be misused.”Even if you do enable these new features, it’s important to enable others as well, such as a recovery email, a recovery phone number, and two-factor authentication, since attacks are still possible with these new features. Google’s new recovery features are well-intentioned, said Aaron Rose, security architect manager at Check Point Software. But if not carefully managed, they introduce a fresh attack surface. “Any system that relies on human trust (like designating recovery contacts) can be socially engineered,” said Rose. “We’ve seen similar tactics used in business email compromise schemes, where emotional manipulation, not technology, is the point of entry.”Recover your Google account with your phone numberRecovery Contacts is one of several new features from Google that focus on account security. In addition to the new “phone a friend” option, Google will also let you recover an account with your phone number. If one is enabled, Google will ask for your previous device’s PIN or pattern code. Google Messages is also saferSince scammers often use text messages to attract victims, Google has added some new protections in Google Messages as part of its latest security features. The first is a link-vetting feature that will warn you if Google Messages suspects a link you received is spam. An alert will pop up letting you know the link was blocked, and you can circumvent this by marking the message “not spam.””Google’s new safety features are a strong move in the right direction,” said Lance Spitzner, director of SANS Workforce Cybersecurity Training. According to Spitzner, the link-vetting feature is helpful because it “can block access to known phishing websites before people get tricked.” While these protections improve safety, Sptizner said that “they work best when combined with ongoing awareness and a healthy dose of skepticism toward unexpected messages or links.” The other new feature is called Key Verifier. This little tool presents as a QR code that your trusted contacts can scan, thereby verifying them with Google Messages.Also, Google launched Be Scam Ready, a game that helps teach players how to identify potential scams.

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Google Veo 3.1 launches: See the upgrades

digitex — Wed, 15 Oct 2025 20:35:56 +0000

While OpenAI’s Sora 2 has been getting all the attention recently, we found in our comparison that Google Veo 3 is a more capable video generation model altogether. Now, however, it looks like Google might be widening the gap with the Wednesday launch of Google Veo 3.1.On top of the basic Veo 3.1 model, there’s also a new Veo 3.1 Fast model, which is basically a lighter weight version of Veo 3.1. They’re both now available in Gemini, the Vertex AI platform, and Google Flow, the AI video editing tool that’s designed around AI-generated videos and editing them together.So what’s actually new with Google Veo 3.1? As you might expect, given the name, it’s not necessarily a massive upgrade over Veo 3, which has only been out for a few months now. According to Google, Veo 3.1 offers richer audio as well as better narrative comprehension, which should help ensure that videos make more sense when put in the wider scope of the video. Last but not least, Google says Veo 3.1 offers enhanced realism when it comes to true-to-life textures.

How to Add Your Passport to Google Wallet – Step-by-Step Guide

digitex — Wed, 15 Oct 2025 16:05:13 +0000

You use your phone for practically everything these days, including shopping, browsing the internet, and connecting with others through calls, texts, emails and countless mobile apps.But did you know you can also use your Android device to store and share a digital copy of your passport?We’ll explain how and where to leverage this emerging technology. That way, you can decide if doing so is right for you.

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Where you can use your digital passport

(Image credit: San Francisco Chronicle/Hearst Newspapers / Contributor)Just like your physical passport, you’ll primarily use your digital passport at the airport while going through TSA checkpoints. You can present your electronic document to prove your identity and board domestic flights.Unfortunately, while adoption of the technology is expanding rapidly, the full rollout to all major U.S. airports won’t happen until December 2025. Plus, you can’t use a digital version of your document for international trips, and the system could experience glitches. Therefore, it’s critical to keep your physical passport on you at all times to avoid potential travel issues.So where else can you use a digital passport? Select businesses and applications may accept the electronic document to verify your age, but don’t assume a given location or app will do so. It’s wise to confirm in advance.Technical requirements to add your digital passport to your Google WalletIf you want to add your passport to your Google Wallet, you must:Have a device running Android 9 or newerTurn on Bluetooth and nearby devicesSet a screen lock with a pin, pattern, password or fingerprintPossess a valid U.S. passportImportant note: You can only link your passport to one device at a time, so be sure it’s removed from your old phone, if applicable.How to add your digital passport to your Google WalletAdding your digital passport to your Google Wallet is a fairly straightforward process. Here’s what to do:Open the Google Wallet app.Tap the “+” button.Tap the “ID” option.Select “ID pass.”Choose the United States. (The United Kingdom is an option, but a digital passport from the UK can’t be used at a TSA checkpoint.)Read the information and tap “Get started.”Read the agreement and tap “I agree.”Scan your passport’s information page (which contains your photo). You can also enter the document’s code manually.Scan the security chip inside the back cover of your passport.Record a video of your face to confirm your identity.Tap “Continue,” and then tap “Done.”If everything processes correctly, you’ll receive a notification indicating that you’ve successfully added your passport to your Google Wallet.Are you an Apple user? You’ll be able to add your passport to your Apple Wallet soon.How to use your digital passportParticipating apps and businesses may have different procedures and systems for accepting electronic IDs. However, here’s what you’ll have to do to securely present your digital passport at a TSA checkpoint:Turn on Bluetooth (if you haven’t already).Open the Google Wallet app.Find a TSA kiosk.Hold your device over the reader. The system will pull up your passport automatically.Wait for the kiosk to take your photo.Tap “Continue” to permit the app to share your information with the TSA.Verify your identity with your pin, password, pattern or fingerprint.Wait for the process to finish. You’ll see a blue checkmark once you’re all set.You may also be able to scan a QR code to share your passport information.Ready to remove your passport from your Google Wallet? You can do so through the app or your online Google account with a few taps or clicks. Once you find and select your passport, the process is intuitive, but Google offers a step-by-step walkthrough if you have any issues.Important reminder: Your digital passport, while convenient, isn’t a substitute for the hard copy of the document. Be sure to keep your physical wallet and identification on you at all times, just in case.Related Content

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I use Google Maps daily, and these 5 features make my commute so much easier

digitex — Wed, 15 Oct 2025 11:34:38 +0000

When your one way commute to work is over 40 miles, you need reliable directions that get you to/from with as little hassle as possible. That’s why I often go crawling back to Google Maps, even after I’ve put it to the test against Wave — or exploring what advantages Apple Maps might offer over it.I do a lot of driving every week testing many of the best electric cars around, frequently relying on Google Maps for all driving navigation. But I also remember how it’s evolved since the early days when it upended the industry in 2009 by offering free turn-by-turn driving directions.However, Google is constantly coming out with new features, which is tough for the average driver to remember. That’s why I want to share my favorite Google Maps features that make my driving experience better. Not only is my commute to work easier, but these five features inadvertently make me a better driver.

Google’s Pixel 10 Pro Fold is the first to ‘go up in smoke during a bend test,’ JerryRigEverything says

digitex — Wed, 15 Oct 2025 02:03:44 +0000

Google might have yet another Pixel with a battery problem, and this time, affecting the brand new Pixel 10 Pro Fold. In a video published today, YouTuber JerryRigEverything, aka Zack Nelson, subjected the foldable to his usual durability tests, but as he’s filming his bend test — after having already broken the phone open — the battery expands, appears to overheat, emits enough smoke to set off a nearby fire alarm, and ultimately ends up as a charred wreckage on his testing table.To be fair, Nelson puts an extraordinary amount of stress on the phone. He originally breaks open the phone by bending it backwards while the phone is fully unfolded, and the battery doesn’t swell up until he exerts a lot of force on the broken part of the phone in such a way that he’s essentially folding the screen behind itself.That’s not a scenario any normal person is going to encounter day to day. But it’s still unusual even given the extreme circumstances, according to Nelson. He says he hasn’t seen anything like it during prior tests.“Surprisingly, in the decade that I’ve been durability-testing phones, I have never had a smartphone explode before,” Nelson says. “The Pixel 10 Pro Fold is the first phone to go up in smoke.” And while he notes that this is an “extreme test,” he adds that “I’ve also subjected every mainstream smartphone made in the past 10 years to these exact same tests. And this is the first time I’ve ever had one fail so spectacularly to the point where my fire alarm is going off.”“As dramatic as a battery fire is, we don’t think this is necessarily a sign that something is wrong with the Pixel 10 Pro Fold design,” iFixit’s Elizabeth Chamberlain tells The Verge. “The possibility of thermal runaway is just a reality of Li-ion batteries. Looks like Zack probably didn’t discharge the battery before opening up the phone (most new phones have 60%+ charge out of the box). We usually recommend discharging a battery below 25%, but with the extreme stresses Zack places on devices, that may even be too high.Chamberlain adds that “thermal runaway is basically a local short circuit, and it is most likely to happen when you break through the insulating layers of a jelly roll-style battery.” She also pointed to a post and a video from iFixit about batteries catching fire.Nelson put the Pixel 10 Pro Fold’s IP68 dust resistance to the test, too. While Google has called the phone its “most durable foldable yet” and highlighted the benefits of the phone’s gearless hinge, Nelson pours some dust right onto the hinge and opens and closes the phone, resulting in some sickening crunches as dust gets stuck inside. “This is kind of embarrassing,” Nelson says.

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Google and World Bank Partner on AI-Powered Services

digitex — Tue, 14 Oct 2025 21:23:33 +0000

Google and the World Bank partnered to work with governments to build artificial intelligence-powered public digital infrastructure in emerging markets.

The collaboration will deploy Open Network Stacks that help citizens access services, and it will bring together Google Cloud’s AI technology and the World Bank’s development expertise, Google said in a Tuesday (Oct. 14) press release.
The initiative will focus on creating interoperable networks for agriculture, healthcare, skilling and other critical sectors, according to the release. It will enable citizens to use simple devices to interact with AI-powered services in more than 40 languages.
“The collaboration builds on a successful pro bono pilot in Uttar Pradesh in India that helped thousands of smallholder farmers increase profitability,” Google said in the release.
In another, separate deployment of AI, Google reported in a Thursday (Oct. 9) blog post that the World Bank was developing AI agents to extract information from research literature on the impact of development interventions, “with the ultimate goal to empower decision-makers to allocate $220 billion in annual aid and trillions in annual impact investing more effectively.”
In a March blog post, Google’s philanthropic initiative, Google.org, said it had contributed more than $200 million to “AI for social good initiatives” over the previous five years.Advertisement: Scroll to Continue

Google.org added that in September 2024, it introduced a new funding approach called AI Collaboratives that brings together public, private and nonprofit organizations, as well as researchers, to create AI-powered solutions around the world.
In March, it launched AI Collaboratives for Wildfires and Food Security, saying it had found that these are areas in which AI can be especially helpful.
The AI Collaborative: Wildfires aims to help people and communities use AI to better manage fires by identifying and tracking wildfires in near real time, quantifying wildfire risk, and shifting more acreage to beneficial fire, according to the post.
The AI Collaborative: Food Security plans to use AI technology, collaborative research, data-sharing and coordinated action to strengthen the resilience of global food systems and improve food security for vulnerable populations, per the post.
“By addressing urgent challenges like wildfires and food insecurity, our hope is that these Collaboratives create a foundation for AI to make meaningful societal contributions for years to come,” Google.ai said in the post.
For all PYMNTS AI coverage, subscribe to the daily AI Newsletter.

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Google updates Search and Discover with collapsible ads, AI features, and more

digitex — Tue, 14 Oct 2025 16:51:23 +0000

Google is rolling out a series of changes to its Search and Discover pages, the company shared across multiple announcements. The updates will bring new AI-powered features to these key destinations, while also improving navigation and allowing users to collapse ads on Google Search.

Given that ads are Google’s primary cash cow, the latter initially seems like a more surprising change. The feature will now allow users browsing Google’s Search results to tap a new button, “Hide sponsored results,” to collapse the ads at the top of the search results page.

Image Credits:Google

However, while this action will remove the ads from displaying on the screen, sponsored results are not going away entirely. Instead, Google notes that the “Sponsored Results” label will remain at the top of the screen as you scroll down. In a way, this makes the ads more prominent as they can follow you down the page, even though they’re collapsed.

Plus, Google says that the “Sponsored results” header can appear both above and below AI Overviews — the short AI-written summaries that appear at the top of search results to provide quick answers. The “Sponsored results” header for text ads will also appear at the bottom of the page, with all text ads grouped under the label. These can be collapsed with the same “Hide sponsored results” button if you want to focus on organic content.

Google says the new design makes it easier for people to navigate to the top of the page, and it keeps the size of ads the same, with users never seeing more than four text ads in a group.

The new “Sponsored” label will show up in other places across Google, too, including Shopping ads, where it will be branded as “Sponsored Products.”

The updates will roll out across desktop and mobile.

The company is also making other changes across Search and Discover. When searching for sports information, like looking up players or teams, you’ll now see a new “What’s New” button that displays a feed of trending updates and news articles that could help you catch up with the latest. This will roll out to Google Search in the U.S. in the weeks ahead.

Meanwhile, the Google app’s Discover feed on mobile will introduce an AI-powered feature that also helps you keep up with trending topics you’re interested in. Here, the app will display short previews that you can expand to see more information, plus other links to explore. The company says this feature is designed to help users stay up to date on stories from a variety of publishers, but it also comes at a time when publishers are seeing their search traffic decline due to the shift to AI-provided answers and consumers’ changing media habits.

This latter feature is rolling out now to the U.S., South Korea, and India.

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Google to invest $15B in Indian AI infrastructure hub

digitex — Tue, 14 Oct 2025 12:14:46 +0000

Image Credits:Jagmeet Singh / TechCrunch Google is making a $15 billion investment to set up a 1-gigawatt data center and AI hub in India, even as the Indian government pushes for reduced reliance on U.S. tech giants. On Tuesday, Google said it would build the data center in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh, in the port city of Visakhapatnam. The investment will take place over the next five years through 2030, the company added. Notably, this marks Google’s largest investment in India and comes five years after it first announced a $10 billion commitment to the South Asian nation in 2020. Weeks after President Donald Trump imposed a 50% tariff on Indian imports in August, Prime Minister Narendra Modi began urging the use of “swadeshi” (Hindi for “made in India”) products. In response, Indian lawmakers and ministries started promoting local alternatives to Google — including those from Chennai-based enterprise tech firm Zoho Corporation, which offers competitors to Google Cloud and Gmail, and most recently, WhatsApp-rival Arattai, as well as MapMyIndia, a Google Maps-rival. While the initial impact has been limited, these moves could pose a real political threat to the future of companies Google and Microsoft in India. Google has 14,000 employees in India, and has operated in the country for 21 years. The company also counts Delhi and Mumbai as official cloud regions. The new Google AI hub will be the company’s largest investment outside of the U.S., said Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian, adding that it would be scaled to “multiple gigawatts” over time. “It is part of a global network of AI centers in 12 different countries,” Kurian said at the launch of the AI hub in New Delhi. “In addition to that, we’re also pleased to announce that we will be making Vishakhapatnam a global connectivity hub.” Google also announced plans to bring its subsea cable infrastructure to Visakhapatnam. The U.S. tech giant has partnered with Indian telecom provider Bharti Airtel to build both the data center and the cable landing station in the city. Further, Google has teamed up with Adani Group-backed AdaniConneX to set up the infrastructure for the data center. Google’s AI hub launch in India with Indian lawmakersImage Credits:Jagmeet Singh / TechCrunch “We see it not just becoming a landing station for a large number of cables, but also providing a digital backbone connecting different parts of India together,” Kurian said. Google said the AI hub will offer a “full stack of solutions,” including its custom Tensor Processing Units (TPUs) to enable local AI processing. The Mountain View–based company will also provide access to its AI models — including Gemini — and its platform for building agents and applications. The hub will additionally support consumer services such as Google Search, YouTube, Gmail, and Google Ads. “We see this hub not just serving India but from India serving Asia and other parts of the world,” Kurian said. Google’s choice of Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh is not surprising. The southern state, under Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, has previously attracted global tech firms like Oracle and Microsoft to set up hubs in Hyderabad, which was Andhra Pradesh’s capital before the creation of Telangana. Naidu, a key political ally who supported Prime Minister Modi’s return to power in the last general election, has since played a prominent role in shaping national policy discussions. “This AI hub will be a very important contribution to the [India] AI mission goals in different ways,” said Indian IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. The minister urged Google to consider India’s Andaman Islands as the next major hub for global internet data transfer, noting that Singapore “is all choked,” and assured the company of full government support. He also proposed linking Visakhapatnam with Sittwe, a city in Myanmar, to improve connectivity in India’s northeastern states.

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5 Google Gemini AI photo prompts to try

digitex — Tue, 14 Oct 2025 02:55:10 +0000

Google’s AI tool, Gemini, has drastically improved its ability to create and edit photos. And people are looking for, and posting about, the best ways to use the tool. That’s because Google recently integrated Nano Banana — the company’s AI-powered image generation and editing tool — into Gemini’s new Gemini 2.5 Flash Image. Simply put, if you go to Google AI Studio or to the Gemini App, you should be able to make better photo creations. In Mashable’s tests, Nano Banana works particularly well as an image editor.Now, I’d probably argue that instead of playing around with AI, you might simply go out into the world and take pictures. Enjoy some sunshine, if you’re so lucky. But hey, whatever floats your boat or drains your water supply. So, if you’re serious about using an AI image generator to get interesting results, we’ve got some good prompt ideas to get you started.
Google Gemini AI photo prompts to try Ask it to make trading cards: If you’re really into sports cards, fantasy card games, Pokémon, or similar hobbies, you can feed Gemini photos, then ask it to create trading cards. As usual, specificity is key: You can ask Gemini to include stats, change outfits, or make tweaks just how you like them. Make all your childhood dreams come true. The idea is to be as specific as possible.

AI-GENERATED IMAGES
Credit: Google

This Thread, for instance, suggests telling an AI tool all the different categories, attacks, and other necessary info to get a good Pokémon-style card. If you wanted a football playing card, you might tell Gemini to include stats — specifying categories like rushing yards, attempts, receptions, or touchdowns — and give other details to include, such as a fun nickname.

Mashable Light Speed

Add things to the background: As Mashable Tech Editor Timothy Beck Werth showed, Gemini does a solid job of adding new details to images. In his example, he added dolphins in the water alongside a boat. But you can add just about anything to an image. In general, try to include details about how you want it to look. Typically speaking, I’ve gotten the best results specifying if I want it to look photorealistic. For instance, I added realistic-looking rain by asking for “easily visible rain that appears photorealistic.” Remix photos of your pets: Here’s an example straight from Google itself. In a blog post about fun Google Gemini AI photo prompts, Google provided this prompt idea along with the before and after results: “Prompt: Recreate this cat as a 16-bit video game character, and place the character in a level of a 2D 16-bit platform video game.”

AI-GENERATED IMAGE
Credit: Google

Create or edit a headshot: Lots of folks need headshots for professional reasons. I’d suggest using a photographer for best results, but in a pinch, you can use Gemini’s model to create or edit an image. I tried giving Gemini a random picture of myself and asked for a “professional-looking headshot” based off that. The results were quite uncanny valley. It looked enough like me to kind of work, but it was also clearly not me. I’d suggest using AI to edit a headshot rather than invent one out of whole cloth. If you’re looking for help in crafting prompts, Reddit has lots of ideas about how to get a specific output. Combine two photos: As we’ve shown before, Gemini does a solid job of transposing one photo onto another. So, as we detailed, you could add a spice bottle to an image of a fire — or whatever else you could dream up. So you might ask Gemini, “Combine these two photos. Take the hand holding a coffee and transpose it into the foreground of the picture of the Grand Canyon. Match the lighting and shadows so it appears the two images were taken as one.” Enter your favorite fantasy world: Say you love Game of Thrones. Well, you or anyone else can now enter that world via Gemini. It’d be a fun bit to send to fellow fans. The prompt is pretty simple: Upload a photo and ask Gemini to make the person or thing appear to be a part of your favorite franchise. There’s plenty to try out with Gemini — after all, it can make almost anything. In my experience, it might take a little bit of playing around, but you can get useful results by fine-tuning your prompts. For more ideas on how to use Nano Banana and make and edit AI images in Gemini, the Google blog has more examples.

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Why You Should Only Use Google’s NotebookLM in a Browser

digitex — Mon, 13 Oct 2025 22:14:22 +0000

Did you know you can customize Google to filter out garbage? Take these steps for better search results, including adding Lifehacker as a preferred source for tech news.I am the biggest booster of Google’s NotebookLM, an AI tool that functions like a personal ChatGPT. I have recommended it for studying, used it for my own work loads of times, and generally found it to be one of the best bits of software available right now. But recently, I tried using it on my phone, not just on my computer browser—and it fell surprisingly flat. Here’s how I’ve been managing to use it via mobile, anyway, and why you should stick to the computer version for now. What is NotebookLM?NotebookLM is a language model that only uses resources you provide. Like ChatGPT, it can offer summaries, outlines, and studying or organizational help, but unlike ChatGPT, it’s not pulling from the World Wide Web to do that. Instead, you upload PDFs, links, plain text, and documents and, when you ask it a question, it relies only on those to give you an answer.
Here’s a practical example.: I use it a lot when I’m writing an article that features a load of interviews. I copy and paste my interview transcripts into NotebookLM, then prompt it, to, say, “Find me three quotes about the value of good sleep.” If three of my sources mentioned how important it is to get a good night’s rest, I’ll get three quotes right away, plus a hyperlink to where they each appear in their respective interview, so I can go back and read the context around them. It makes being organized so much easier and I don’t waste time searching, word by word, through every transcript for what I need. For studying, it’s even better. You can upload all the slide decks, e-texts, and notes you have from a class, then ask it to generate practice quizzes, flashcards, summaries, or essay outlines. One of its coolest features is that it will even create a fake podcast, complete with two hosts who have vocal ticks and even vocal fry. The two AI hosts discuss the material from your sources in an informational, conversational way, like a real podcaster might, and you can listen to it and learn wherever you are. It’s been incredibly helpful for me, and it doesn’t feel unethical to use, like other AI chatbots, because it’s synthesizing information I already found, compiled, and put the work in on. It doesn’t feel like I’m cheating when I use it; instead, it feels like I’m getting a little boost in my organization, but still doing most of the work. Plus, there’s never a risk that it will make up a fake fact or pull in information that is irrelevant or faulty, like there is with ChatGPT. It relies only on what you give it. The mobile app problemAll of that said, I became and stayed obsessed with this after only using it on my desktop browser for the last six months or so. Last weekend, though, I was studying for an upcoming certification exam and was, as usual, using NotebookLM to generate flashcards, quizzes, and fake podcasts. But I was also cleaning my apartment and doing the laundry, which involved a lot of running to and from the laundromat. I decided to use the NotebookLM iPhone app so I could study on the go; I assumed that since the product is so stellar on the computer, it would be great on the app, too. It was not.On the app, all you can do is review your sources, talk to the chatbot, and listen to your generated podcasts. Here’s what you can’t do:

What do you think so far?

Generate flashcardsReview existing flashcardsGenerate a quizTake existing quizzesSelect the sources from which you make a podcast, quiz, flashcards, or chat topicOne of the best things about the browser version is you can toggle sources on and off. So, if you upload a separate PDF for five different book chapters, you can select only Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 before generating a quiz or flashcards, for instance. If you keep them all selected, your quizzes, flashcards, podcasts, or chats will pull from all of them. By narrowing the scope, you can study more specifically. You can’t do that on the app, but it doesn’t actually matter because you can’t generate (or use) anything on the app, anyway. You can generate a podcast, but only one that pulls from all your sources. The other features—quizzes and flashcards—aren’t available at all. Workarounds for NotebookLMThe first workaround I found was a little annoying: I generated a podcast for every chapter using my computer, then listened to them through the mobile app on my phone while I ran my errands. I had to stay on top of my schedule, bouncing from cleaning to laundromat to computer and back again, so I wouldn’t find myself without a study podcast to review, but all in all, I got the hang of it. You can’t do this for flashcards, quizzes, or mind maps, but if you’re after the podcasts, this works with some pre-planning.The second workaround is not to use the app at all. Most websites and companies want to push you toward app use, presumably for data-collection purposes, but never forget there is a browser on your phone, too. I navigated to the NotebookLM website on my mobile browser and, though it’s smaller and harder to navigate than the computer, have been able to use it to generate flashcards, quizzes, mind maps, and more. You can check and uncheck sources on the mobile browser version, which is ideal. I’m hopeful the app will improve. NotebookLM is such a great resource that has helped me a ton, but it would be much better if it were more usable in its app format. I can’t always be attached to my laptop; the real value of studying with flashcards, especially, is that they should be accessible and reviewable anywhere via my phone.

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