Google Drive on the web was one of the very first services to get the Material Theme treatment in 2018, with the Android and iOS clients following this April. The homepages for Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides were updated in February, with a similar Google Material Theme revamp now available for the Android apps.
Voice reminders on Android have long been part of the Google app. With the advent of Assistant, Google is integrating more and more features directly. As part of this, Google has also given reminders a slight Material Theme revamp.
Google in 2017 released a whiteboard-esque 4K touchscreen aimed at workplace and meeting collaboration. The Jamboard has received a number of updates since then, and the latest today tweaks the editing experience.
At I/O 2019, Google confirmed that it’s indexing podcasts to surface audio alongside text and video Search results. Podcast search is now available on Google.com and coming soon to Google Assistant.
One of the most exciting and useful features to come to Google Maps in recent memory has been AR directions, but it’s only been available on Pixel devices. Today, Google is announcing that AR directions are rolling out to more Maps users on Android and iOS.
Despite the corpus of websites and information that Google Search indexes, “unanswered questions” remain online. Google wants to collect those standing queries and give them to content creators through a new Question Hub tool that’s launching in beta today.
Google wants to boost productivity in G Suite apps with machine learning-powered features. In Google Drive, this is through a new “Priority” homepage that surfaces your most relevant documents, and customizable “Workspaces.” After beta and enterprise launches this past year, it will be available for all G Suite editions in the coming days.
One recent trend in interface design has been to replace icons with text buttons. Aimed at reducing confusion by being explicit about the nature of an action, Google.com is now using such a “Search” button.
Google last week announced that the Advanced Protection Program was coming to enterprise G Suite and Cloud accounts. With three key features, the company today announced a fourth that will block risky downloads in Chrome.
Google Images in recent months has seen a number of updates as visual search becomes more and more important. The latest features announced today include a new side panel UI where pictures open and shopping-related product details for results.
Autoplaying videos are a major driver of YouTube views and helps keep you on the site. Google is now testing a revamped “Up next” UI on Android that’s larger and easier to interact with.
The best feature of Google Assistant headphones is interacting with incoming messages and notifications. On Android phones, you’ve long been able to get those voice features with the default SMS client. Google is now expanding Assistant’s ability to read messages to all third-party messaging apps.
With the revamped Fit last year, Google focused on physical activity through Heart Points and Move Minutes. The service is adding detailed sleep logging to capture your entire day, while the dark theme is now official.
Google last year updated the previously Tango-only Measure app to work with ARCore, the company’s platform for mobile augmented reality. The tool leverages AR to record distances, with version 2.2 rolling out a Material Theme revamp of the UI and smarter tools.
Google is adding a new emergency calling feature to the first-party Phone app that lets you contact 911 without having to actually speak. This is highly useful when you’re unable to verbally communicate, and coming first to Pixel devices.
With Featured Snippets, Google Search immediately highlights the information you’re looking for. The company today detailed a new algorithm update that will make these answers more useful by keeping them fresh and up-to-date.
Beyond data entry and formulas, Google Sheets has long featured graphing capabilities. Earlier this year, the G Suite app added more tools for “enhanced reporting,” and today Google announced Themes, Slicers, and Scorecard charts to make Sheets more interactive.
Google’s work on a “Play Pass” subscription first came to light last June. The company has now confirmed that it’s in active testing, with the first screenshots detailing a monthly service that provides “access to hundreds of premium apps.”
Earlier this month, we spotted a “Resume your podcast” card in the Google Assistant Updates feed. This visual snapshot of your day is testing a full weather card, while there’s now a suggestions carousel dedicated to Spotify or YouTube Music.
Following the Mac, Windows, and Linux update this afternoon, Chrome 76 is now rolling out to Android. One of the biggest user-facing changes is a harder to detect Incognito Mode, while there are a number of features that web developers can take advantage of.
Google today is rolling out the latest version of Chrome for Mac, Windows, and Linux. Chrome 76 gets ready for the deprecation of Flash next year by blocking the plug-in by default, while Incognito Mode will be harder to detect.
Now in its fifth edition, Google is taking nominations for the 2019 Material Design Awards. There are four categories with self-nominations again accepted, with the company looking for “best-in-class designs from our community.”
YouTube TV is now available in every US television market at $49.99 per month. Google announced today that PBS and PBS Kids are coming to the cord-cutting service later this year.