This Week in Mobile: AT&T Goes Into Healthcare, Google Locks Down Pixel Security, and Foldables Multiply

This week the U.S. mobile industry showed carriers stretching well past the phone-and-plan business. AT&T's tie-up with LifeMD, Cricket's leap into 5G home internet, and Verizon's push into AR glasses each point to the same instinct: wireless companies are hunting for the next subscription revenue stream now that plans and phones alone don't grow the business the way they used to. SpaceX kept applying pressure from outside that model entirely, doubling down on satellite-to-phone ambitions even as its own timeline slipped and the Big Three kept it at arm's length.

On the software and hardware side, this was a genuine cornerstone week. Apple's biggest release of the year, iOS 27, arrived with a new conversational Siri and, within days, a bug that could freeze an iPhone solid. Google matched the pace with a Pixel security patch closing an already-exploited vulnerability, a broad quarterly Android update, and a security-flavored push toward video-selfie account recovery. Add in early positioning for what's next — new Galaxy tablets, a possible next Motorola phone, and reports that Apple's foldable could become a whole family — and the fall device cycle is clearly just getting started.

This week's stories

• iOS 27 Arrives With a New Conversational Siri — and a Freeze Bug Right Out of the Gate: Apple's headline release of the year introduces "Siri AI" as an opt-in beta, but a viral swipe sequence can soft-lock an iPhone within days of launch — here's the fix if it happens to you.

• Google's September Pixel Update Fixes a Zero-Click Vulnerability Already Under Attack: With a modem flaw already seeing targeted exploitation, this is the rare monthly patch Pixel owners can't afford to put off, no matter how careful they are about what they click.

• Android 17 QPR1 Rolls Out With Small Upgrades Scattered Everywhere: No single headline feature, but the sheer breadth of changes shows Google treating quarterly updates as their own release cycle rather than a footnote.

• Google Really Wants You to Set Up a Video Selfie for Account Recovery: As passwords fade further into the background, Google is normalizing biometric backup methods, worth a look for convenience and a pause for anyone wary of handing over facial data.

• Report: Google Wallet May Finally Be Coming Back to iPhone: Leftover code pairing "Google Wallet" and "iOS" hints Google could finally offer real contactless payments on iPhone again, closing a gap left since Google Pay was killed off in 2024.

• Verizon Launches SPECS AR Glasses With a 5G-Connected Charging Case: At $2,395, this is a bet that AR glasses' missing piece was always connectivity, not the glasses themselves.

• AT&T Becomes First Carrier to Offer Free Virtual Healthcare Through LifeMD: Free access for 100 million-plus customers turns a wireless bill into a healthcare on-ramp and shows how far carriers will stretch the definition of a "plan perk."

• SpaceX's Starlink Mobile Push Now Has a Launch Window, and Some Fighting Words: A slipped 2028 timeline doesn't change that AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon all still refuse to sign an MVNO deal with SpaceX, a standoff worth watching as satellite connectivity edges toward cellular parity.

• Cricket Wireless Now Offers 5G Home Internet, Bundle It for $75 a Month: Another prepaid brand leaning into fixed wireless as a low-commitment alternative to cable, part of a trend reshaping how budget-conscious households get online.

• Motorola Teases a September 22 Launch, Likely the Signature 27: A fashion-forward follow-up to January's Signature suggests Motorola is doubling down on design-led differentiation rather than specs alone.

• Galaxy Tab S12+ and Tab S12 Ultra Are Coming October 7, Leak Says: Leaks point to an October 7 unveiling with prices climbing to $2,000 for the top Ultra configuration, part of a broader pattern of premium devices getting pricier amid rising component costs.

• Report: Apple's iPhone Duo Could Spawn a Whole Family of Foldables: If Bloomberg's Mark Gurman is right that Duo Max, mini, and SE variants are coming, Apple isn't treating its first foldable as a one-off experiment.

• Two More Carriers Are Ready to Sell You the iPhone 18 Pro: Boost Mobile and Red Pocket joining the Big Three is a reminder that prepaid and MVNO options are now competing for flagship-phone buyers, not just budget shoppers.

Conclusion

Taken together, this week's stories make the same point from different angles: wireless companies are no longer content to compete on price and coverage alone. Whether it's AT&T handing out virtual doctor visits, Cricket selling home internet, or Verizon backing AR glasses, carriers are chasing loyalty and recurring revenue wherever they can find it. SpaceX's continued outsider push, and the Big Three's continued refusal to play along, is the flip side of that same coin: incumbents protecting turf against a genuinely new kind of competitor.

On the device and software side, the message was equally clear: the fall cycle is fully underway, rough edges included. iOS 27 landed with real ambition in Siri AI and a bug within days; Google matched it with security work that actually mattered and a polished Pixel feature drop. With Galaxy tablets, a new Motorola phone, and word of an expanding iPhone Duo lineup all teased for the weeks ahead, this is a season that's only getting started — for better and for buggier.