Google is testing an iOS-style Family hub on the Pixel

Android family sharing is still a hassle, but Pixel phones may finally change that. Google is testing an iOS-style Family hub on the Pixel. This makes it easier for the family administrator to manage subscriptions or keep a tab on family members’ shared live locations.

The feature is only available for a handful of users, and we’re unsure of wider availability. Both Android and iOS let you create a group of different users in your family and share perks, including owned media, paid apps, and subcriptions to services such as Google One, YouTube Premium, iCloud, etc., with them. These controls also allow parents to control the content their kids consume or the apps they use.

While iOS makes it easy to access settings related to family members by placing them way up in iOS Settings, Android requires users to download the Family Link app for the same utility, or manage permissions through the Play Store, thus adding more steps. It now seems like Google may be simplifying steps for Android users too, starting with Pixel 11 devices.

Twitter Circle, anyone. Meta is testing ‘Threads Friends’ for sharing posts with smaller groups.

The app said it’s testing "Threads Friends" in Ireland, Italy and Japan.The feature is basically like a "close friends" list for Threads. It allows people to opt to share posts with up to 50 friends (or "Thriends" as the app also calls it) without making it visible to anyone else on the platform.

If that sounds familiar, it’s also remarkably similar to a feature Twitter introduced back in 2022 called "Circles." Twitter’s version of the feature allowed users to limit posts to groups of up to 150. The company killed Circles about a year later.

It seems that Meta is helping users create their initial friends list. The app will automatically suggest followers that you frequently engage with, a Meta spokesperson shared, though the list is customizable.

Once a friend list is set up, users are then able to tap a green bubble at the top of their feed to see "Friends’ posts that have been shared in the last 24 hours.