Everything announced at Made by Google '26: Pixel 11, Pixel Watch 5, Pixel Tag, and tons of Gemini features

Plus more of TechCrunch's top stories this afternoon

View this email online in your browser  August 12, 2026 TechCrunch Top 3 Everything announced at Made by Google '26: Pixel 11, Pixel Watch 5, Pixel Tag, and tons of Gemini features: From the Pixel 11 series and a brand new competitor to Apple’s AirTag, here are all the announcements from the Made by Google 2026 event. Read More Reservoir raises $8M to make water heaters that people — and the grid — will actually want: Reservoir has built an ultra-efficient water heater that can predict hot water demand, store energy, and detect plumbing leaks throughout a home. Read More Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni reportedly knew Phia was 'cookie stuffing' for months: Phia, the shopping startup co-founded by Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni, is once again under fire for its alleged business practices. Read More Afternoon Must-Reads Google's new Pixel 11 Pro Fold offers a stronger build and brighter screens: The Pixel 11 Pro Fold will cost $1,899 Read More AI code-testing startup Blacksmith's valuation jumps almost 10x in less than a year: Blacksmith says revenue has grown more than tenfold over the past year. Read More Google's Pixel 11 lineup offer fewer hardware changes, but much more Gemini: Google Pixel 11 Series starts $100 costlier than the last year, but offers 256GB base storage Read More FBI says cybercriminals are hacking into victims' online accounts to steal their intimate pictures: In a new alert, the FBI said cybercriminals are targeting adults and minors in an attempt to steal their personal and intimate pictures in extortion campaigns. Read More Google takes on AirTag with the new $29 Pixel Tag: Google’s new Pixel Tag taps into its Find Hub network to help users track lost keys, bags, and other items. Read More Last but Not Least Uber surprised robotics company Serve by selling its entire stake: The divestiture comes as the two once-tight companies have started to diverge on the business side. Read More Check out some of our other newsletters: StrictlyVC TechCrunch Events TechCrunch Mobility Want to adjust your daily newsletter schedule? You can do it right here Got a tip? Get in touch securely. Want to advertise on TechCrunch? advertise@techcrunch.com Has this been forwarded to you? Click here to subscribe to this newsletter. Unsubscribe Member Center Privacy Policy Copyright © 2026 TechCrunch Media LLC 501 2nd Street, Suite 650, San Francisco, CA 94107

Bluesky’s active user base is shrinking as its focus expands beyond the app

Plus more of TechCrunch's top stories this afternoon

View this email online in your browser  August 11, 2026 TechCrunch Top 3 Bluesky’s active user base is shrinking as its focus expands beyond the app: Over a year following its post-election surge, Bluesky’s mobile app is seeing a continued decline in active users, though its remaining community is still relatively engaged. Read More Brad Lightcap, OpenAI's longtime COO, is leaving to 'start something new': One of OpenAI's longest-serving executives is headed out the door, although the longtime COO told staff that he was "excited to help you all advance the mission from a different vantage point." Read More General Catalyst leads $1.1B round into 2-month-old River AI: River AI, a startup founded by xAI co-founder Igor Babuschkin, has a fascinating vision for personal agents and secured $1.1 billion out of the gate. Read More A message from Alumni Ventures Invest in High-Potential Startups Like These Alumni Ventures is giving readers early access to high-potential startup opportunities across today’s most active sectors, co-invested alongside name-brand VC firms like Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), Bessemer, & Y Combinator. You Get: Curated deal flow of high-potential startups, Investing alongside name-brand vc firms, No cost to see deals, No obligation to invest. See Current Deals Afternoon Must-Reads Delta investigating after someone set up fake Wi-Fi network mid-flight: The Delta flight crew switched off the aircraft's legitimate Wi-Fi network for around 30 minutes due to the incident, according to a spokesperson. Read More Anthropic says it will watermark text generated by its AI models: Anthropic will extend support for watermarking AI generations for older models as well. Read More North Korean remote IT staffer worked for US government agency, says FBI: The investigation shows that North Koreans are able to infiltrate government agencies, as well as private organizations and crypto exchanges. Read More FBI says cybercriminals are hacking into victims' online accounts to steal their intimate pictures: In a new alert, the FBI said cybercriminals are targeting adults and minors in an attempt to steal their personal and intimate pictures in extortion campaigns. Read More Google’s Gemini app surges to one billion users: Gemini is keeping pace with OpenAI’s ChatGPT, which hit 1 billion monthly active users back in June.  Read More Last but Not Least OpenAI launches ChatGPT desktop app for Linux: OpenAI is finally bringing a dedicated ChatGPT desktop app to Linux operating systems. Read More Check out some of our other newsletters: StrictlyVC TechCrunch Events TechCrunch Mobility Want to adjust your daily newsletter schedule? You can do it right here Got a tip? Get in touch securely. Want to advertise on TechCrunch? advertise@techcrunch.com Has this been forwarded to you? Click here to subscribe to this newsletter. Unsubscribe Member Center Privacy Policy Copyright © 2026 TechCrunch Media LLC 501 2nd Street, Suite 650, San Francisco, CA 94107