As teased with the launch of Android 12 last month, Gmail is rolling out a new Material You widget that’s quite powerful.
Expand Expanding CloseGmail 2021.10.31 adds revamped Material You widget [Update: Widely rolling out]
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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.
Now Playing on Pixel readying redesign that adds ability to favorite songs
With the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro, Now Playing gained a manual lookup capability that appears as a search button on the homescreen. The next Pixel update to Now Playing will introduce the ability to favorite songs and a bottom bar redesign.
Expand Expanding CloseAndroid 11 on nearly a quarter of all devices, but it’s not the most used version of Google’s OS
In late 2018, Google stopped monthly reporting on the adoption of various Android releases, but the company sparingly provides updated figures in Android Studio. Distribution numbers for 2021 today have Android 11 – instead of 12 – as the latest version.
Expand Expanding CloseQualcomm updating chip naming with standalone ‘Snapdragon’ brand & single-digit + generation
Qualcomm is set to announce its next chip that will power the flagship devices of 2022 in two weeks. Ahead of that, Qualcomm announced a rebrand of “Snapdragon” that includes a new naming scheme and visual system.
Expand Expanding ClosePixel 5a down to $349 as part of Google Fi Black Friday sale
The Google Store kicked off its Black Friday sales uncharacteristically early this year, and Fi is now following with a $349 Pixel 5a deal.
Expand Expanding ClosePixel 6 preps big ‘At a Glance’ upgrade that shows BT device battery, doorbell & ‘flashlight is on’ alerts, more
With the Pixel 6, Google announced a big upgrade for At a Glance that it’s been teasing since the Material You reel shared at I/O in May. At a Glance is now set to get even more features that justify the new design that spans the entire width of the Pixel Launcher.
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[Update: Back] Google app bug causes At a Glance to open old Weather UI
While the latest Google app beta introduced some nice updates to the Weather widgets, it also hampered At a Glance in the Pixel Launcher. Namely, it launches the original Google Weather experience instead of the redesign.
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Chromium repository used by browser developers accidentally contained test malware, Chrome users not impacted
Google this afternoon alerted Chromium developers about the possibility that they were exposed to malware used for testing due to an internal “oversight.”
Expand Expanding CloseFitbit tests ‘Sleep Animals’ to encourage better slumber with fun, useful comparisons
The “Sleep Score” is one of Fitbit’s most alluring metrics that people like to compare and improve on. Fitbit is now testing “Sleep Animals” as a friendly but surprisingly smart way to encourage “better sleep health.”
Expand Expanding CloseAlphabet’s X has ‘Everyday Robots’ test fleet that autonomously performs office maintenance tasks
Alphabet’s Moonshot Factory detailed a project to build “Everyday Robots” two years ago. Today it gave an update on how it has progressed towards building autonomous machines and real-world office testing.
Expand Expanding CloseStreamlined Chrome settings prioritize deleting all data from a site over individual cookies
Google is making a change to Chrome settings that lets users more easily delete the data stored by sites. At the same time, the Google browser is moving the ability to delete individual cookies into DevTools.
Expand Expanding CloseTwitter no longer opens the AMP version of articles on Android, iOS
Last year, Google announced that Search’s Top Stories carousel will no longer require a website to adopt Accelerated Mobile Pages in order to appear. The move away from AMP continues as Twitter for Android and iOS now just open the regular version of mobile webpages.
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Google working to make sure food banks that aren’t online appear in Maps, Search
With a new initiative, Google is working to “expand the information about food banks and pantries in Google Search and Maps” heading into the holidays and as challenges are “compounded by the COVID-19 crisis.”
Expand Expanding CloseYou can now pre-order the 2nd-gen Pixel Stand from Google, ships next month
With the launch of the Pixel 6, Google only had phone cases and the 30W charger available as day one accessories. You can now pre-order the Pixel Stand (2nd gen) with delivery scheduled for mid-December.
Expand Expanding CloseGoogle explains how Pixel 6 charging works, reveals peak wired power draw & variable charge rates
At the start of this month, testing revealed that the Pixel 6 Pro’s peak power draw was not that of the 30W charger that Google sold. The company has now gone ahead and detailed “how charging works on Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro.”
Expand Expanding CloseGoogle Meet adds new ‘immersive backgrounds’ that mimic a real-life cafe or condo
One way of making the endless torrent of personal and work video calls more palatable is by setting unique backgrounds. Google Meet on the web is introducing new “immersive backgrounds” that attempt to give your surroundings some life.
Expand Expanding CloseSundar Pichai thinks of the metaverse as more immersive computing with AR
Compared to Meta, Microsoft, Niantic, and a slew of other metaverse announcements, Google has been very quiet about its augmented reality plans in general. In a recent interview, Sundar Pichai gave his thoughts on the metaverse, but positioned Google’s future as a continuation of the core Search mission.
Expand Expanding ClosePixel 6 and 6 Pro get out-of-cycle November update to improve the fingerprint sensor [U]
An update with the November security patch arrived for the majority of Pixel 6 and 6 Pro owners at the end of October. Google is now releasing updated builds for both phones, with global and Verizon variants.
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Google nets Giannis Antetokounmpo as ‘new face’ of the Pixel 6
The Pixel 6 has seen more advertising than any past Google device, and the marketing campaign is continuing with Giannis Antetokounmpo becoming the “new face” of the NBA’s “Official Fan Phone.”
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Google Meet calls hosted by premium Workspace tiers now support up to 500 participants
Remote work is here to stay, and Google Meet is accommodating that by adding support for video meetings with up to 500 participants on select Workspace tiers.
Expand Expanding Close[Update: Fixed] Google Cloud outage partially takes down Snapchat, Discord, Spotify, & more
A Google Cloud outage this morning is responsible for taking down parts of Snapchat, Discord, Spotify, and a host of other services that rely on GCP for hosting.
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Google Classroom for Android gets offline mode, multi-page scanner, more
Announced at the start of 2021, Google Classroom now supports offline assignment editing and an improved camera scanning tool for students using the Android app.
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‘moto watch 100’ goes official for $99 with no Wear OS
Last month, we spotted the name and final look of the next Motorola-branded wearable. The moto watch 100 is now official without Wear OS and comes in at $99.99.
Expand Expanding CloseGoogle details Chrome OS long-term support (LTS) enterprise channel that updates every six months
Ahead of Chrome OS getting major updates every four weeks at the end of this month, Google today detailed the new six-month “long-term support” (LTS) channel for education and enterprise customers.
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