Originally part of the Android Accessibility Suite, Google last week made Switch Access a standalone app on the Play Store.
Expand Expanding CloseGoogle releases standalone ‘Switch Access’ app in Play Store
Latest
Google Messages rolls out group chat end-to-end encryption (E2EE) in beta
Starting today, Google is rolling out end-to-end encryption (E2EE) in group chats for Messages users enrolled in the beta program.
Expand Expanding CloseGoogle Account switcher getting more Material You and Dynamic Color tweaks
Back in September, Google started updating the account switcher found in the top-right corner of all its Android apps, and it’s now getting more Material You and Dynamic Color.
Expand Expanding CloseYouTube Music poll lets you vote on what free feature you most want [U]
Team YouTube on Twitter is running a poll this afternoon on “what feature do you want the most on ad-supported” YouTube Music.
Expand Expanding CloseYouTube for Android rolling out a video progress bar that isn’t always red
Back in October, YouTube rolled out a big redesign across its mobile apps and the web. YouTube for Android is now testing a more subtle video progress bar that isn’t red all the time.
Expand Expanding CloseYou can test Android 13’s predictive back gesture on Pixel with these Google apps
With Android 13, Google began work on a predictive back gesture to “let users preview the destination or other result of a back gesture before fully completing it,” and you can now preview it with the Phone app on Pixel.
Expand Expanding CloseGoogle Voice call screen getting ‘Suspected spam caller’ warning
After adding Wi-Fi and cellular network switching, Google Voice is introducing a “Suspected spam caller” label on the incoming call screen.
Expand Expanding CloseYouTube TV referral program returns with big boost, bill credit now up to $450
Following its big NFL Sunday Ticket deal, YouTube TV’s referral program is back and even more aggressive than the original January push.
Expand Expanding CloseFitbit removing Google sign-in support ahead of account transition
Starting in 2023, Fitbit will require a Google Account to use new devices and features. As part of transitioning to a single account system, Fitbit.com is losing support for Google sign-in.
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You can now set Google Illustrations in Contacts for Android
Back in September of 2021, Gmail gained a new “Google Illustrations” tool that lets you create a custom profile pic, and it’s now available in Google Contacts.
Expand Expanding CloseGoogle Contacts for Android adds another tab with ‘Highlights’
Besides the new icon, Google Contacts has seen quite a few changes in the past year, and the latest is a new “Highlights” tab.
Expand Expanding CloseYouTube comments on auto-generated music videos officially reopen [U]
The YouTube mobile apps and website have reopened comments on the auto-generated videos that are created for music.
Expand Expanding CloseYouTube Music tests live lyrics with newer Casting UI
As previously hinted, YouTube Music is getting live lyrics as part of a tweaked Casting UI that some users have already received.
Expand Expanding CloseGoogle Search weather card redesigned on mobile web
Following the new app and Sun tile for Wear OS 3, Google has rolled out a redesign of the weather card available in Search on the mobile web.
Expand Expanding CloseGoogle Play adding another family payment option with new Purchase Requests
The Play Store already lets parents approve or decline purchases made by kids in their family, and Google is now adding “Purchase Requests” for accounts without a family payment method.
Expand Expanding CloseGoogle Meet and Docs now use the new Material You toggle [U]
Google’s biggest apps already feature the main elements of Material You but additional aspects are now making their way through, with Docs, Sheets, and Slides using the new toggle design.
Expand Expanding CloseGoogle Wallet adds whimsical Pay animations for the holidays
If you recently used Google Wallet on Android, you might have noticed a touch of holiday whimsy on the Pay screen.
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Google Duplex powering ‘where to watch the World Cup near me’ searches
While Duplex on the Web is going away, Google is still committed to the voice version of the conversational technology that can make human-sounding calls and maintain real conversations. Google’s latest use of Duplex is behind “where to watch the World Cup near me” searches.
Expand Expanding CloseGoogle Voice now automatically switches between Wi-Fi and cellular
Google Voice rarely sees big updates that aren’t primarily enterprise-facing these days, but it is now getting “intelligent network switching” to improve call quality.
Expand Expanding CloseGoogle Home app for Wear OS 3 update simplifies navigation, more
Citing user feedback since the Public Preview launched in October, Google is rolling out an update to the Home for Wear OS app.
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Google Lens shortcut comes to google․com on Android
Following desktop back in November, a Google Lens shortcut has now been added to google.com on Android for another way to launch the visual search tool.
Expand Expanding CloseYouTube Music gets hashtag pages, less repetition in radios, playlist cards, and more
The YouTube Music recap of what launched in the past two months is here with a handful of new additions that haven’t been widely noticed yet, like hashtag pages.
Expand Expanding CloseSpotify rolls out support for the Android 13 media player [U]
Third-party apps have been rather slow to support the Android 13 media player, with Spotify just starting to do so.
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Google Photos for iOS can now share Memories as more collage styles added
Google Photos introduced the ability to share its story-based Memories on Android in September, and the feature is now available for iOS, along with new collage styles for the New Year.
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