On desktops, emails are a big way people interact with Google Calendar invites and they are now getting a layout redesign focused on making them “more accessible and useful.”

All of Google’s major consumer platforms, like Android and ChromeOS, allow for third-party developers. In the case of Assistant, Google is making a change to focus on Android and will essentially no longer allow third-party voice experiences – including apps and games with visual interactions – on Smart Displays or speakers.

Google’s list of YouTube Music features launched in April and May is now available. We’ve already covered the major changes, but there are several smaller YouTube Music tweaks to the radio and shuffle.  

Google Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides, etc. is rolling out a new share prompt UI on the web that the company touts as being “simpler.”

We spotted in Android 13 Beta 3 how the Pixel Battery widget can be resized into smaller sizes, but you don’t have to wait for a new operating system to benefit. A Settings Services update is rolling out on Android 12 along with a partial Wear OS appearance.

Google is highlighting additional machine-learning-backed Chrome features that work on device and are meant to create a “more helpful browser,” especially on the security front.

Like on Nest Hubs and soon the Pixel’s At a Glance widget, Google Maps now surfaces air quality index (AQI) data on Android and iOS.

The latest first-party app to get an Android tablet-optimized redesign is Google Clock with version 7.2 today. This follows Google Lens and Calculator, which widely rolled out earlier this week.

As planned, YouTube TV is now expanding availability of 5.1 surround sound to Android and Google TV, as well as Roku devices.

YouTube Music was one of the Android apps that Google said would get tablet optimizations at I/O 2022, and the redesigned playlist interface is now live. 

Google is continuing its work to speed up Chrome with version 99 released last week. The company touts a handful of speed improvements, including with the Speedometer benchmark, on both Chrome for Mac and Android.

Given the very large user base, Google is often hesitant to make major changes to Chrome. The Android browser has been experimenting with different New Tab Page designs, and the latest sees Chrome adopt a carousel to show your recently visited sites.

Continuing the trend of new and redesigned apps for Wear OS 3 in the past year, Google has released Contacts to the Play Store with a revamped look.

Back in September of 2020, Google’s internal Area 120 incubator introduced Orion Wifi to let public venues sell Wi-Fi capacity to cellular carriers. Google Fi is now using this approach to expand coverage and calling it the “W+ network.”

In addition to Gboard updates today, Google is updating two of its accessibility apps. Android’s Sound Amplifier gets a redesign and accuracy improvements, while Lookout now offers a new mode for analyzing images.

Beyond a dark theme in September, Assistant reminders are rarely updated and Google is now getting rid of the ability to “set reminders at locations.”

As teased by Sundar Pichai in April, the YouTube app on your phone will soon serve as a connected, second-screen experience for videos playing on your TV.

In August of 2020, 9to5Google reported that Google was planning to replace Duo with Meet. This development was finally made official today – and will see the app that the vast majority of Android users have installed on their devices get renamed to Google Meet later this year.

Following Lens last week, Google Calculator is the next first-party application to be updated for tablets and other large screen Android devices.

More than other streaming services, YouTube Music is defined by its algorithmic suggestions on what to listen to next. This feature is great in the Up Next queue but downright annoying in the Home feed. YouTube Music constantly juggles the order, if not the outright appearance, of carousels from one refresh to the next.