Google Duo is becoming more and more of a social app after adding messaging capabilities last year. The Android app is now testing face effects and filters to customize video messages.
Last September, Google Search marked its 20th anniversary and the company laid out plans for the engine’s future. Besides bringing Discover to the web and making Lens available in Images, Google discussed “dynamic organization” for Search results. This feature is now making its way to the desktop web via a subtopics sidebar.
One aspect of Android 10 is increased Privacy protections like restricting location access to when apps are in use and centralized settings. An update to Device Personalization Services today introduces a new control for the system responsible for Android’s smart predictions.
Google Play had a big week that included the Play Pass unveil and a wider dark theme launch. One small, but useful feature that just rolled out are unified “Google Play preferences” that allow you to take bulk actions.
After rolling out to Android, Mac, Windows, and Linux, version 77 of Chrome OS is now available. Notable Chrome OS 77 features include the wide launch of Virtual Desks and Google Assistant.
Behind-the-scenes, Google requires hardware manufacturers to preinstall certain apps to get access to other first-party services. YouTube Music is now on that list for newly launched Android 10 devices, while the soon-to-be-replaced Play Music is being dropped.
This week saw both the launch of Play Pass and the dark theme actually beginning to roll out. Some users this evening are now encountering a Google Play bug that prevents them from updating Android apps.
In early 2018, Google launched a “hyperlocal” news service called Bulletin. Nextdoor-esque in nature, it remained a “pilot” throughout its entire life and is now being shut down later this year.
With the classic Hangouts transition for G Suite customers delayed until 2020, Google has more time to add functionality to Hangouts Chat and reach feature parity. The Android and iOS apps today are getting a bottom bar redesign that splits “People” and Rooms.”
Google Assistant first debuted on the Pixelbook in 2017 and later came to the Pixel Slate last year. The smart assistant is now coming to non-Made by Google Chromebooks starting today.
Google this morning announced Play Pass, a subscription service that “unlocks” Android app and games. You can use and play without having to pay anything beyond the $4.99 per month fee. We spoke with Google ahead of the announcement and they shared their thinking behind Play Pass. It’s been in development for a “couple of years,” and Google hopes that it helps great content “reach more users at scale.”
Last week, we spotted the Google app adding an Android homescreen shortcut to the built-in dictionary tool. The search engine is now tweaking the layout of definition cards by making synonyms more prominent.
Google is launching its own games — and apps — subscription service for Android. Play Pass provides access to more than 350 “completely unlocked” titles that are free of advertising and in-app purchases.
Website owners can track and optimize performance via the Google Search Console. Following an extensive redesign last year, Google is now adding “users’ #1 feature request” for the Search Performance report with more up-to-date data.
Back in July, Google was criticized for not more clearly disclosing that it hires people to transcribe Assistant queries from Home and other devices. The company today announced changes that will be implemented, including a Google Assistant hotword sensitivity preference.
From the beginning, YouTube Music has relied on playlists from the service’s curators to automated creations based on your listening history. The latest that’s beginning to roll out is called the “Discover Mix.”
Following version 77’s release on Android, Mac, Windows, and Linux, the next beta release of Google’s browser is rolling out. The Chrome 78 beta will feature a “click-to-call” feature from desktop to Android, theming, and dedicated Chrome OS settings.
Google Search has a number of built-in tools, especially on Android. Defining words is a common task for the engine, and the Android client now has a direct Google Dictionary shortcut.
There are a number of ways to Cast content from your phone to smart devices. The most convenient is when developers integrate the Cast SDK so that controls are built right into the audio or video app. Mirroring your device is another solution, and Google Home 2.14.1 adds shortcuts to make that more apparent.
In addition to a slew of Android updates, Google today is also introducing some new features for desktop Chrome. Along with usability improvements, the biggest new feature is the ability to customize the browser’s look through theming.
Since Chrome for Android launched in 2012, the core experience of using the browser has fundamentally stayed the same. Google this fall is rolling out the biggest set of usability changes to date that make Chrome more powerful on mobile.
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At Google for India 2019 today, the company announced an Assistant phone line for the country and the Google Pay Spot platform. Meanwhile, more Indian languages are coming to Google products, while an Assistant interpreter mode for Android was detailed.
Over the weekend, we spotted and enabled a new “Smart Screenshot” tool in the Google app beta. It’s now live for some users and delivers a more useful experience that adds powerful Google Lens integration.
In June, Google updated Docs on the web with a Material Theme URL editor. The tool is now testing a very convenient link preview to get a sense of what pages are about without needing to visit.