Google Play System July update starts rolling out: Play Store, Wear OS and security improvements

Google’s July 2026 system release notes show that the July 2026 System Update is now rolling out through Google Play services v26.26 and Google Play Store v52.3. It adds a handful of visible changes, including Play Store tweaks, a smoother Google One checkout flow, Wear OS work profile support, plus the usual security and stability fixes for Android phones, tablets, smartwatches, and other Google-powered devices.

Google Play Download

Like earlier Google Play System releases, this one follows Google’s modular setup. That means smaller feature upgrades, patches, and performance improvements can arrive through core Google components, without forcing you to wait for a full Android update from your phone maker.

Google says the biggest changes people will actually notice are a denser Play Store layout on tablets and foldables, synthetic image labels in the EU, and a native in-app flow for Google One subscriptions. There’s a catch with the image labels, though: Google says not every file format, or every older upload, will be covered. The update also adds support for moving a work profile account from an Android phone to a Wear OS watch, which should make enterprise device management easier.

If you’re using a Samsung phone, or any Android device that gets slower updates from carriers or manufacturers, this is one to install. It improves large-screen usability, subscriptions, managed-device support, and security, and it does all of that without requiring a major OS upgrade.

Google says the July 2026 System Update will reach devices gradually over the next few weeks through Google Play services and the Google Play Store.

Split tunneling is now the most useful VPN feature: more control, fewer slowdowns

By 2026, split tunneling has turned into one of the handiest features in modern VPN apps. It lets you decide which apps, sites, or types of traffic go through the encrypted tunnel and which stay on your normal internet connection. That extra control can ease the drag on streaming, gaming, and big downloads, and it can keep things like banking apps, Wi-Fi printers, smart home gear, and network storage working without forcing you to switch the VPN off. The tradeoff is simple: anything you leave outside the tunnel no longer has VPN protection.

NordVPN Download

Most providers handle split tunneling in one of two ways, exclude mode or include mode. NordVPN and CyberGhost offer both, and some router setups can push that control further, covering devices across your whole home network.

Support still varies a lot depending on the provider and the platform. Proton VPN covers more ground, while Apple’s macOS and iPhone have long made split tunneling tougher to build and maintain, even if that situation is starting to loosen up.

If you use a VPN all the time, split tunneling can be genuinely useful, but you need to be careful with it. Anything left outside the tunnel loses that layer of VPN protection. For that reason, it’s smart to avoid using split tunneling on public Wi-Fi or for financial activity, private conversations, confidential files, and corporate networks, where one compromised device can turn into a bridge for attackers. Best practice is to leave out only low-risk traffic.

You can now find split tunneling in a VPN market used by about 30% of internet users worldwide in 2026, roughly 1.6 billion people. In the U.S., the figure is 32% of adults. Enterprise use is concentrated around Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Teams, though the feature has faced more scrutiny since the DNS leak reports that surfaced in early 2024.