Google’s backtrack on its promise to kill tracking cookies last year created a huge furor. But all seems to have gone rather quiet since then. In the background, there are all kinds of standoffs as no one can agree on what should happen next. Meanwhile, Google has suddenly brought back digital fingerprinting for some added spice.

Google has announced a new policy for the Chrome browser, under which the synchronization feature will be disabled if the browser has not been updated for several years, the news website about Google and Android,

Google is trying out a new tool that lets AI call businesses to ask questions for you. The feature, called Ask for Me, collects information about the pricing and availability of a service, but it’s only available for nail salons and auto shops for now.

Google is testing a new “Ask for Me” feature that uses AI to call local businesses on your behalf, for information about availability and pricing. The feature is available on desktop and mobile for users who have opted into the company’s Search Labs experiments.

Google announced Thursday that the Gemini app is getting its Gemini 2.0 Flash AI model. The upgraded model “delivers fast responses and stronger performance across a number of key benchmarks, providing everyday help with tasks like brainstorming,

It replaces Gemini 2.0 Flash experimental, which was once exclusively for subscribers, and will eventually replace Gemini 1.5 Flash and Gemini 1.5 Pro. Google One AI Premium subscribers still get a larger context window and exclusive features.