Google Earth officially adds desktop Firefox, Edge, and Opera support
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YouTube Music cloud upload and library rolling out more widely
Google last week very quietly detailed and began rolling out the ability to upload songs to its Play Music successor. This afternoon, YouTube Music’s cloud library looks to be more widely available.
Google Images removing dimensions when you hover over main results
Google Images saw a web revamp last August that added a side panel for results and bigger focus on shopping. After quietly getting rid of the ability to filter results by size, Google is now removing the ability to hover over images on the main results page to see dimensions.
Google Contacts on the web regains ability to quickly ‘create multiple contacts’
Last February, the old Google Contacts was permanently disabled in favor of the current Material iteration. That was done as feature parity neared, with Google a year later restoring the ability to create multiple contacts.
Google Translate to only save translation history when you’re signed in
With its Material Theme revamp, Google Translate on the web saw the built-in “History” feature get more prominent placement. An upcoming change will see translation history only appear and be saved when you’re signed in with your Google Account.
MyGlass removed from Play Store ahead of Google Glass apps shutting down
Last December, Google announced that its first-party Mirror apps for Google Glass will stop working in February 2020. Ahead of that deadline, the MyGlass for Android companion app has been removed from the Play Store.
Google Maps testing ‘Go’ tab with public transit, subsumes ‘Commute’
Following a new icon and app redesign to coincide with its 15th anniversary, Google Maps is rolling out a new “Go” tab. It groups together the old “Commute” section and other transit-related shortcuts.
Google sunsetting Material Theme Editor, hints at more design tools in 2020
In 2018, Google announced Material Theming with the goal of letting developers better customize Material Design for their applications. One tool released to help designers was the Material Theme Editor, but Google is now shutting it down next month in lieu of upcoming products.
YouTube Music testing Now Playing redesign that places controls on same screen
Hot off the news that user uploads to a cloud library are rolling out, YouTube Music is testing a redesigned Now Playing screen. Compared to the current version, it’s cleaner and has easier to reach key controls.
Gmail on the web adding ‘search chips’ to help filter results
Search in Gmail can be quite powerful, but that functionality is hidden behind operators and awareness of more advanced techniques. Google today announced “search chips” for Gmail on the web to simplify filtering results.
YouTube Music details how to upload songs, suggesting upcoming cloud library launch
Earlier this month, we reported how Google is already testing YouTube Music’s cloud library internally with employees. An official support document today details how the functionality will work, suggesting that a launch is coming soon.
Google Docs autocorrect widely rolling out as Smart Compose exits G Suite beta
[Update: Now on Android] Socratic is Google’s AI studying tool for HS, college students
Facebook Lite for Android picks up dark mode before the main app does
Dark mode has been rolling out to a lot of apps on Android since the system-wide toggle arrived last year, but there have been a few holdouts. One app that’s not picked up dark mode yet is Facebook, but its Lite counterpart has just added the functionality.
Google’s Area 120 optimizing games for low-power devices, slow connections with GameSnacks
The Next Billion Users are coming online with low to mid-range devices and slow connections. Google is now working to bring gaming experiences that suit those conditions with Area 120 project GameSnacks.
New Google Maps widely available on Android and iOS
Google last week celebrated the 15th birthday of Maps with an icon redesign and by previewing several new features. The first of those to become widely available is an Android and iOS redesign.
Instagram for Android prepares adding to Stories from native file picker
Instagram’s Android app often ends up lagging behind its iOS counterpart, but slowly features are catching up. Now, Jane Wong has found that Instagram for Android is preparing to enable adding content to Stories using the native file picker.
Gmail for iOS can now add attachments from native Files app
Some iPhone and iPad users unhappy with changes to the Mail app in iOS 13 have turned to third-party clients. Google announced today that Gmail for iOS will soon support the native Files app for browsing and uploading attachments.
Gboard for Android now offers custom emoji-to-sticker suggestions
Android later this year will introduce 62 new emoji, including a polar bear, bubble tea, and piñata. In the meantime, Gboard is offering customized sticker suggestions as part of its “Emoji Kitchen.”
Google Assistant regains searching with ‘What’s on my screen’
Screen search is one underrated Assistant feature that’s gone by the wayside due to the rise of Google Lens. “What’s on my screen” now looks to be returning on Android after disappearing last May.
Google recaps Play Store and Android app security in 2019
Google today recapped the last year in Play Store and Android app security. In addition to highlighting major 2019 initiatives like the App Defense Alliance, there are several statistics on countering malicious applications and developers.
[Update: Canceled] Microsoft using Office 365 to force Bing in Chrome for enterprise
One big Microsoft foothold in enterprise productivity remains the Office suite of applications. The company announced yesterday that — by default — users of its premium Office 365 subscription will be forced to install an extension that makes Bing the default search engine in Chrome.
Google adds 1,000 high-res ‘Earth View’ wallpapers to Chromecast, Android, more
Earth View is a “collection of the most striking landscapes found in Google Earth” that came about from people taking screenshots of the virtual globe for desktop backdrops. Google today added over 1,000 new high-resolution Earth View wallpapers.
[Update: Back] Dashlane password manager extension has been removed from the Chrome Web Store
As account security has become more important, having a good cross-platform password manager has become almost essential. Unfortunately, one of the more popular password managers, Dashlane, has had its extension removed from the Chrome Web Store due to privacy and permissions issues.