Google is rolling out updates to Googlebook's phone sync features, which it calls "Better Together." According to 9to5Google, which quotes Google's Googlebook community post, the update shortens first-time setup, addresses a QR code bug and adds Samsung phones. Android Authority separately reports on the QR issue.

The details below are attributed to those reports and to Google's post.

What changed, per 9to5Google

9to5Google quotes Google's Reddit post for these points:

  • Setup: Google says it started rolling out "smoother first-time setup," with fewer steps to turn on the cross-device features.
  • QR bug: The QR code used to pair a phone stayed on screen after pairing. Google says the update should help improve certain timing issues, and 9to5Google calls the bug apparently fixed.
  • Samsung: Samsung phones running One UI 9.0 are listed among compatible Android 17 phones.
  • Required versions: Google Play services 26.37 or higher, and Cross-device services 1.0.1346 or higher, both updated through the Play Store.

Googlebook was announced on May 12, 2026, with these phone features as its main pitch.

The QR issue has a second source

Android Authority reported on Oct. 9 that Google calls the problem a "known first-time setup timing issue," where the QR code stays on the laptop's taskbar. Google said it is not a hardware or Pixel-specific problem.

A Google representative told the site a Play services update is rolling out to resolve it, and the update may take a couple of days to reach some phones. The reporter said the pairing worked after both the phone and the laptop updated.

Samsung support: what is and is not known

  • Samsung phones need One UI 9, per 9to5Google.
  • 9to5Google says One UI 9 has reached only a small part of Samsung's catalog.
  • 9to5Google reports that some Galaxy owners have confirmed the features work. We did not verify this.
  • Samsung support was missing at launch. Our earlier story covers the gap, and our launch roundup covers the first pairing problems.

Why it matters

For Samsung owners, this is a dependency, not a switch. Support depends on One UI 9 reaching the phone. 9to5Google says that rollout is still small.

Pixel and other Android 17 owners stuck on the QR screen get the change through Play services. That may be enough on the phone side. Google's own guidance, as 9to5Google relays it, is to update both devices.

What is not confirmed

  • Whether the QR bug is fully resolved. Only the Google representative quoted by Android Authority says the update resolves it. Google's System Updates notes list Googlebook-related connectivity items under earlier Play services versions, but we did not see the QR fix or Samsung support named there.
  • Which Samsung models get support. 9to5Google gives One UI 9.0 as the requirement but no model list.
  • Whether the new setup steps work for every user. We have not tested them.