Google Keep Receives Fresh, Colorful Update with Material 3 Expressive Design.

Key Takeaway.

• Google Keep now features a thicker search bar, animated logo text, and visual layout toggles for improved navigation.
• Action buttons within notes are repositioned into distinct rounded containers for a cleaner, more accessible editing experience.

Google Keep on Android has begun getting a visual refresh thanks to Google’s Material 3 Expressive design update. Users on version 5.25.282.00.90 have spotted colorful, user-friendly changes activated via a server-side update rather than a full app download.

On the home screen, Google Keep now has a thicker search bar that includes a hamburger menu button on the left and a profile switcher on the right. These updates offer clearer separation between elements. When the app launches for the first time, an animated “Google Keep” text appears, then it transitions to “Search Keep” with a layout selector for list or grid view.

Inside notes, action buttons have moved into rounded containers. The pin, reminder, and archive icons appear in square-shaped bubbles, while formatting options like color, text, and attachments are grouped into circles. The app’s overflow menu now appears as a pill-shaped button, where the “Edited” timestamp has been relocated.

This refreshed look matches what Google has done in other Material 3 Expressive updates. Earlier this year, the design was introduced in apps like Gmail, Messages, Wallet, Phone, Meet, and even parts of Wear OS. Google Keep’s update seems to be rolling out slowly—some users have it now, while others will get it soon.

Alphabet Smashes Q2 Revenue Expectations Which Is $96.4 Billion.

Key Takeaway.

• Alphabet posted a strong Q2 with $96.4 billion in revenue, driven by double‑digit growth in search, YouTube, and a 32 percent increase in Google Cloud.
• A significant jump in AI-driven capital spending to $85 billion reflects Alphabet’s commitment to AI infrastructure, though it weighed on investor sentiment.

Alphabet, Google’s parent company, reported impressive second‑quarter 2025 results this week, riding a wave of strength across search, cloud, YouTube, and AI-powered products. Revenue climbed 14 percent to $96.4 billion, comfortably beating the $94 billion analysts had expected and marking another robust quarter in the tech giant’s history.

Google Revenue Across Core Segments.

Google’s search business generated $54.1 billion in revenue, a 12 percent increase year-over-year. YouTube advertising also saw growth with $9.8 billion in sales, while Google Cloud surged 32 percent to $13.6 billion. CEO Sundar Pichai emphasized the rising impact of AI, highlighting that tools like AI Mode and AI Overviews now serve a vast user base, with AI Mode already reaching 100 million monthly users in the U.S. and India, and AI Overviews engaging more than 2 billion people globally.

Net income jumped 19 percent to $28.2 billion, equating to earnings of $2.31 per share. The operating margin remained solid at 32.4 percent despite continuing to maintain a disciplined cost structure. Google Cloud posted significant gains in efficiency, too, with operating income more than doubling year‑over‑year to $2.8 billion, reflecting both scale and rising demand.

During the earnings call, CFO Anat Ashkenazi announced plans to raise capital expenditures to $85 billion for 2025—up sharply from the $75 billion planned earlier. The increase reflects investments in AI‑optimized data centers and cloud infrastructure. While shares dipped 1–2 percent in after‑hours trading due to investor concerns over higher spending, Pichai reiterated that Alphabet is leading “at the frontier of AI and shipping at an incredible pace”.

What's Coming Next?

With a regulatory antitrust ruling pending and AI investment still accelerating, Alphabet faces a critical balancing act. The company must sustain innovation while protecting margins and navigating policy uncertainty. Its expanding cloud business, already nearing a $50 billion annual run rate, positions Alphabet to compete more directly with AWS and Microsoft Azure.

Google Drops Canadian Ad Fee Following Digital Services Tax Repeal.

Key Takeaway

• Google has removed its 2.5% Canadian ad fee after Canada repealed its proposed digital services tax.
• Advertisers will receive refunds as Google aligns with Canada’s decision to avoid retroactive tech levies.

Google has announced that it is removing a 2.5% surcharge on ads shown in Canada, reversing a policy initially introduced in response to Canada’s now-scrapped digital services tax. The fee, which took effect in October 2024, will be fully refunded to advertisers once the federal tax legislation is officially repealed.

Last year, Google reportedly added the surcharge to offset the business impact of Canada’s planned levy, which targeted revenue from online advertising and user data monetization. The tax, set at 3%, threatened to impose additional costs totaling about US$2 billion on major tech firms, including Google, Amazon, and Uber, if applied retroactively.

Canada repealed the tax in late June 2025, ahead of a key deadline for retroactive payments scheduled for June 30. This move was seen as a diplomatic gesture aimed at smoothing Canada–U.S. trade negotiations. Google’s removal of the ad fee aligns closely with this development, suggesting a coordinated response to maintain advertising rates and support cross-border business stability.