Amid the ongoing pandemic, one concern for first responders is that their line of work will inadvertently infect their families with the virus. Some hotels have begun offering free or discounted COVID-19 rooms for these essential workers, and Google Maps is now highlighting these places.
Back in March, Google Podcasts launched on iOS alongside an Android revamp and tweaks to the web experience. The first update to Google Podcasts for iOS today adds CarPlay support.
There was talk last week of a possible redesign of Play Movies for Android TV. Until then, Google has rolled out a slight redesign of the search bar in Play Movies & TV on Android.
As part of Meet becoming available to the public, Google closely aligned the video calling service with Gmail. However, some have not liked how the integration appears on the web, with users now able to hide Google Meet in Gmail.
Ahead of Play Music shutting down later this year, Google last week started letting users transition their libraries to YouTube Music. The full rollout of the YouTube Music transfer tool will take several weeks, but you can now sign-up for early access.
Last month, Google started letting new MVNO subscribers with iPhones set-up cellular service over eSIM. Google Fi is now starting to roll out eSIM support to existing members using iOS devices.
Safe Browsing is a widely used list of dangerous URLs maintained by Google that helps keep users away from malicious sites. Protecting four billion devices every day, Google is now building on the blocklist API with Enhanced Safe Browsing in Chrome to “substantially increase protection from dangerous websites and downloads.”
In light of COVID-19, Google delayed the release of Chrome 81 to ensure browser stability, while skipping version 82 and moving up the next update. Chrome 83 is now rolling out with features from the passed-over release and a big focus on security/privacy.
In December, Google Photos added direct sharing for one-off pictures and videos through in-app chat messaging. Photos is now directly sharing albums with people and their Google Accounts.
On Android, Google’s visual search tool can primarily be accessed from the homescreen or through Assistant. Google Lens is now testing a shortcut in Image Search.
At last year’s Cloud Next, Google started testing the ability for Hangouts Chat users to contact people outside of their domain. Google Chat next week will gain the ability to invite any Gmail and Google Account as a guest.
Later this year, Google’s standards-based ad blocker will expand to counter annoying video experiences. Chrome is now working to limit and remove ads that consume too much of your device’s battery and data connection.
The latest Google app beta (version 11.9) rolled out yesterday evening and includes work on a new “Bell Schedule” feature. Due to a bug, some users have lost the Google Search and Assistant dark themes with this update.
Slack is one of the best tools for allowing teams to collaborate on work online, and now it’s getting an updated experience on Android. A complete redesign for the Slack app is now rolling out and it’s a huge departure from what we had before.
For the past several Chrome releases, Google has been testing tab groups that let you better organize your browsing experience. The feature is now officially live in the beta channel and will start widely rolling out with Chrome 83 next week.
A big Google Podcasts revamp in March redesigned the Android experience, introduced an iOS app, and brought subscriptions to the web. To further drive adoption, Google is letting old Play Music users transfer over podcasts.
The Google Home app is, well, home to a sprawling number of settings and menus for controlling Smart Displays, speakers, Wi-Fi routers, and much more. Google is now redesigning the “Home settings” menu with better organization and the Material Theme.
Google last month followed up its rebrand of Hangouts Meet by making it “free for everyone.” As much of the world is video conferencing due to COVID-19, Google Meet is being positioned as a new app for communicating, with an ad emphasizing that free and consumer nature today.
At the moment, the Play Store’s lookup capabilities are quite basic. Google Play is now testing filters in search that can refine results by only surfacing the top apps.
Google Authenticator is a very straightforward app that provides 2-step verification codes when signing-in to third-party sites. The Android app saw its last update in 2017, but Google Authenticator 5.10 today introduces a Material Theme redesign and account transfer feature.
Work and personal video calling are surging in light of COVID-19, with Google announcing a handful of new Duo features last month to support that demand. Google Duo is soon adding group calling on the web and link sharing, as well as a family mode.
In recent weeks, people have turned to virtual animals in Google Search to experience the outside world indoors. Google today is adding a 3D skeleton and other models, while revamping the AR viewer on Android.
Many changes to YouTube are focused on getting you to watch and engage with more content. YouTube for Android and iOS now has a new video page that elevates, but shrinks comments and introduces large video thumbnails.
The COVID-19 pandemic is changing the nature of home entertainment, with Google seeing “major shifts in streaming viewership.” Brands are adjusting their advertising strategies in response, with YouTube now “accelerating the launch of a number of tools.”