As part of its 20th anniversary, Google in September laid out the future of Search. Alongside Google Discover and dynamically organized results, the company is making information lookup more visual with Stories and featured videos. Google Lens is also coming to Google Images, with that integration now rolling out.
Google is thoroughly determined to update all of their apps, both for Android and web, to their new Google Material Theme. The latest refresh comes to Google Keep Notes for web, following in the footsteps of its Android counterpart.
Following our report yesterday about Voice Action Services, Google confirmed to us that the app was created to comply with the European Commission’s decision against Android app bundling. The company also detailed the general functionality, but emphasized how it’s distinct from Google Assistant in a key way.
At I/O 2018, Google announced that Assistant would allow users to set a default lists and notes service. With the latest Google app beta, it’s finally beginning to roll out, and it includes a built-in Assistant provider for users that don’t want to use a third-party solution.
Earlier this month, Play Movies & TV for Android hinted that Google was preparing to upgrade purchased films to 4K resolution. Starting today, Google Play will automatically upgrade both SD and HD movies to 4K for free. Google is also making Ultra HD content more affordable, while also updating its smart TV applications.
Over the past year, YouTube Kids introduced human-curated channels and allowed parents to whitelist videos after some failings with the algorithm. The service is now coming to Smart Displays, Google Home, and Cast-connected televisions.
Our upcoming APK Insight of Google app 8.33 uncovered a URL for a new “Lists and Notes” web app that ties into the Google Assistant. It comes as Google is working on allowing users to set their own default list and note taking provider in Assistant.
Last month, YouTube Music finally rolled out streaming and download quality controls. Google’s latest attempt at streaming music is now tweaking the albums and playlists UI to make it easier to quickly start playback and shuffle.
Peer-to-peer sharing of apps is common in developing nations where data is limited due to connectivity or price. Over the past few months, Google has been working to make the practice more secure for users. Today, it is beginning a beta of offline P2P installs by partnering with third-party applications.
Chrome OS has been shaping up to be the all-in-one system, combining the best of Google’s ecosystem, including Android apps, with the power of Linux apps. The latter is still in beta phase with improvements and new features in every update. Today we take a look at some of the features coming soon to Chrome OS Linux apps.
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With a dedicated app and an abundance of lyric and music videos, YouTube is where many head to for their songs and tunes. The music experience on Google’s video site is about to improve with upcoming Ticketmaster integration that shows concert listings and tickets for your favorite artist.
YouTube is constantly changing up various aspects of its design, and today we’re noticing that the platform has quietly made a big change. YouTube video embeds have a clean new look that offers up some handy new shortcuts as well.
Google hosts an annual Playtime event to announce the latest Play Store features for Android developers. This year, Google Play Instant is adding support for premium and upcoming applications, while In-App Updates and a slew of other analytic features are coming.
In recent months, Google Maps on mobile has been completely redesigned with a Google Material Theme, Explore, Commute, and most recently EV charging stations. The Android app is now getting improved live trip sharing that is also coming to iOS.
If you belong to a number of WhatsApp groups, it can be irritating to get alerts from them during times when you only want personal messages. That’s a problem WhatsApp appears to be looking to solve …
The latest version of Chrome for Android is rolling out this evening following last month’s 10th anniversary update. Chrome 70 features privacy changes, more Google Material Theme tweaks, and a Downloads menu, in addition to other security fixes and bug patches.
Last month, Google Keep was quietly renamed to “Keep Notes” on Android. That change is still not reflected on the Play Store or the web app, but the service is now rolling out the Google Material Theme.
Google seems to always be testing out new changes to the YouTube platform, but recently not all users have been happy with being a part of that. Now, a new YouTube beta program has been opened up for the Android app to test out changes before they hit the public.
Last month, our APK Insight of the Google app revealed that Google Lens was gaining the ability to import and visually search any image on your device. This evening, Google is beginning to roll out and test this feature.
Alongside the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL, the Pixel Stand is also launching later this week. Like the Made by Google phones, the wireless charging accessory was leaked ahead of time thanks to teardowns of the Google app. Codenamed “dreamliner,” Google has now uploaded a companion service to the Play Store.
Following last month’s Google Material Theme, smarter Omnibox, and various other tweaks, Google today is rolling out the next version of the browser to Mac, Windows, and Linux. While not as major a release, Chrome 70 includes more HTTP warnings, PWAs on Windows, and better Google Account sign-in status.
Google takes security on Android pretty seriously, and Google Play Protect is one of the most effective tools the company has to do that with. Now, Files Go is adding Play Protect enhancements for all apps shared through the handy file explorer.
Back in August, Google began testing a redesigned settings page for Assistant that is in line with the Google Material Theme. This week, the simplified Google Assistant settings page with tabs is rolling out.
Chrome 66 in April introduced restrictions that prevent annoying videos with sound from autoplaying. However, these new policies came to the detriment of web games and other experiences, with Google in May partly delaying them. Once set to return with Chrome 70 this month, Google is again pushing back these policies.