Following last week’s announcement, Magic Eraser is now available on all Pixel phones and for any Google One subscriber, including those on iOS.
Expand Expanding CloseMagic Eraser rolls out to all Pixel phones, Google One subscribers, & iPhone
Author
Send tips/talk to abner@9to5mac.com or @technacity (open DMs).
Abner Li has worked at 9to5Google since 2015 and in late 2020 took on the role of editor-in-chief. He is keenly focused on tracking what happens at Google, and is often the first to spot new features in Google’s ever-growing family of applications that are updated on a daily basis, including Search, Assistant, Maps, Workspace, Android, Chrome/OS, Wear OS, and YouTube Music.
To him, what Google does greatly impacts the technology space and modern life. Inside the company, he is particularly interested in the key products mentioned above, as well as services like Google Podcasts and Google Lens. Each are massive platforms that can be unwieldy to grasp, with Abner keenly bent on understanding their philosophy and future direction. He is most excited about Google’s plans for augmented reality glasses.
Abner spearheads the APK Insight program at 9to5Google to chronicle all changes in the company’s Android apps, often finding new features before they are officially announced. This includes redesigns and revamps, launches, and new products.
A big area of interest is Google’s hardware division, including Pixel, Fitbit, and Nest. He detailed all of the Pixel 3’s camera features before launch and scooped the 2nd-generation Nest Hub’s Soli-powered Sleep Sensing capability, including how it would integrate with Google Fit.
Recently, Abner detailed the Pixel Watch’s specs in full before launch, including bands and pricing. He also got wind of the Pixel Tablet’s ultimate form factor.
YouTube Music provides update on Listening Room beta
The YouTube Music team opened and then quickly closed applications for a “Listening Room” beta program in January and provided a brief update today.
Expand Expanding CloseGoogle Pixel Watch Faces update tweaks Assistant complication
Google is rolling out an update to the app responsible for Pixel Watch Faces. So far, there aren’t any major changes, with the count remaining at 19, but the Google Assistant complication does get a color tweak.
Expand Expanding Close9to5Google Log Out: The Google Pixel team needs to make a Weather app
9to5Google has a rebooted newsletter that highlights the biggest Google stories with added commentary and other tidbits. Sign up to get it early in your inbox, or continue reading 9to5Google Log Out below:
Expand Expanding ClosePixel Watch alarms are going off late for some
Wearables make for great alarms that you’ll instantly feel vibrating on your wrist. Some Pixel Watch owners have noticed that alarms are late to invoke by a few minutes.
Expand Expanding CloseHow to set up Google Pixel Watch Fall Detection
Following the Tuesday announcement, Google is rolling out Fall Detection to the Pixel Watch.
Expand Expanding CloseGoogle Drive for Android rolling out PDF drawing and highlighting
Announced last month as a quick way to draw on and highlight PDFs, Google Drive’s new annotation tools on Android are now rolling out.
Expand Expanding CloseHere’s another screenshot from the Pixel Tablet
As we wait for the Pixel Tablet, Google continues to optimize its first-party apps for large screens. A byproduct of that work is a new Google Keep screenshot from the Pixel Tablet today.
Expand Expanding ClosePlay Store letting you rate and review apps by form factor on the web
Last year, Google made it so that Play app ratings are generated based on form factor. You can now rate and review apps for all form factors from the online Play Store.
Expand Expanding CloseGoogle Messages rolling out vertical photo picker gallery
Back in November, Google started testing a vertical photo gallery in Messages for Android, and the scrolling picker is now seeing wider availability.
Expand Expanding CloseGoogle Phone app rolling out new calling screen with bottom sheet redesign
Back in September, the Google Phone app started testing a new calling screen, and the bottom sheet redesign is now seeing wider availability.
Expand Expanding CloseGoogle Contacts feed highlighting upcoming birthdays with ‘For you’
Google added “Highlights” to Contacts in December that made the Android app decidedly more than just a list of people. That Google Contacts feed now has a “For you” section that shows upcoming birthdays.
Expand Expanding CloseYouTube Help forum disables posting and new comments, changes planned
YouTube announced today that its English Help forum has disabled new posts and comments as it switches to read-only ahead of “improvements” in the “next several months.”
Expand Expanding CloseNew YouTube head shares 2023 Priorities: TV, Podcasts, and generative AI
YouTube has a new leader following Susan Wojcicki stepping down, and Neal Mohan today discussed the video service’s 2023 Priorities.
Expand Expanding CloseGoogle running survey on Pixel Watch satisfaction
Google is using the Pixel Watch companion app to run a simple survey that’s seeing a pretty wide rollout.
Expand Expanding CloseMeta targeting 2025 for glasses with ‘viewfinder’ display and neural interface smartwatch
A new leak this evening has revealed Meta’s upcoming roadmap for VR/MR headsets and AR glasses, with 2025 being a big year.
Expand Expanding CloseAndroid 13 QPR2 Beta gets final feedback survey before launch
Google released Android 13 QPR2 Beta 3.2 last week to close out the preview cycle and is now asking for final feedback ahead of launch.
Expand Expanding CloseGoogle Play requiring watch apps to be updated for Wear OS 3 by August
To improve the experience of using a Wear OS 3 device, Google is introducing a number of watch app quality requirements that will come into effect this August.
Expand Expanding Close9to5Google Log Out: Google needs a better way to announce new features
9to5Google has a rebooted newsletter that highlights the biggest Google stories with added commentary and other tidbits. Sign up to get it early in your inbox, or continue reading 9to5Google Log Out below:
Google Fi drops US Cellular as an official network, but service still accessible
Project Fi’s original technical innovation was the ability to switch between Sprint and T-Mobile for the best possible service. US Cellular was added later, but Google Fi has now dropped the carrier as an official network.
Expand Expanding CloseGoogle updates Chrome to match Safari battery life on M2 MacBook Pro
After widely rolling out an Energy Saver mode, Google has made four optimizations to Chrome for Mac that allows the browser to match the battery life you get when using Safari.
Expand Expanding ClosePixel Watch Fall Detection can distinguish between hard falls and exercise, rolling out now
As promised at launch and after a false start, Google today is rolling out Fall Detection for the Pixel Watch.
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Gmail and Google Calendar client-side encryption now generally available
Following Drive, Docs, Slides, Sheets, and Meet, client-side encryption (CSE) for Workspace customers is now generally available (GA) in Gmail and Google Calendar.
Expand Expanding CloseWhat apps support the new Android 13 media player [Updated]
Android 13’s most obvious UI change is a redesign of the lockscreen and notification shade media player. However, not all music, podcasts, and audio apps have been updated to support them yet, and here’s our running list of what controls have been modernized.
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