Even before the Google Material Theme was showcased at I/O 2018, the Chrome team has been working on a big redesign for the browser that shares many similarities like rounded corners and stark white backgrounds. Available on both desktop and mobile, this “Material Design refresh” is now scheduled to begin rolling out in September with Chrome 69.
Following an update to its iOS counterpart earlier this week, Google has been rolling out some server-side changes to Google Voice for Android. Now, the app is getting a new icon and some design tweaks.
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Knowledge Panels are a useful way to get quick facts and other answers without having to dive into a full page. Google Search is now introducing new result types that answer queries about comparisons, while also adding relevant subtopics to panels.
Today’s hearing aids increasingly overlap and share the same functionality as Bluetooth headphones. Google is now working to improve the experience on Android with native support through a new direct audio streaming specification coming in a future OS update.
Earlier this week, a revamped Google Voice featuring a new icon, G Suite integration, and Contacts tab rolled out to iOS. The majority of these changes are now coming to Android with a server-side update.
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Hot off Pixel 2 XL and LG flagship deals earlier this week, Project Fi today announced that it’s killing the ability to automatically forward text messages on September 12th. Fortunately, there is an easy alternative and call forwarding remains unchanged.
Last year, Google and other companies detailed how Russia used tech platforms to interfere in the 2016 U.S. election. Ahead of the 2018 midterms, Google is releasing a new category on its Transparency Report that details political advertising and a searchable political Ad Library.
Chrome OS 68 arrived on the stable channel earlier this month with Display Size settings, new accessibility features, and more “Material 2.0” design tweaks. However, an issue with Wi-Fi on some Chromebooks has caused Google to temporarily pull the update.
Next-generation 5G wireless technology will be notable for providing both mobile connectivity and residential broadband. Verizon is slated to deploy the latter service in 2018 and is partnering with YouTube TV to provide the first subscribers with content.
Launched in early 2017, YouTube TV in the past year has added more channels and premium add-ons, while dealing with notable outages. Google today announced that its cord-cutting solution is now available in 100 cities across the country.
The latest version of Google Duo is rolling out this morning with a Material Theme that features a handful of tweaks to the video calling app’s design. Meanwhile, a teardown reveals that screen sharing has been removed, while there are more rewards for Indian users.
At Cloud Next 2018, Google announced that Google Voice was now a part of G Suite and showed off a redesigned app. That mobile revamp is now beginning to roll out on iOS with new features for enterprise users, and it’s likely coming soon to Android.
The Domain Name System (DNS) protocol is responsible for turning user-friendly domain names like google.com into the numerical 216.58.216.46 IP address understood by computers. Back in December 2009, Google Public DNS launched and the service just celebrated its 8.8.8.8 anniversary, while teasing upcoming announcements in light of increased competition.
Following Google Contacts gaining a Material Theme earlier this week, Google Phone is now the latest Android app to get a redesign. The new look adopts a stark white background throughout and the Google Sans font, but organization and placement remains totally unchanged.
Earlier this month, Epic Games detailed that Fortnite would require a direct APK download and install. With the game officially launching yesterday on Samsung devices and a general Android beta opening this weekend, Google is acknowledging that the hit gaming sensation is not available through the Play Store.
Since launch, Google Assistant has answered “What’s the news” by playing what are essentially short podcasts from publications like CNN or surfacing a carousel of articles on phones. Moving forward, Assistant will now leverage the recently revamped Google News to keep you up-to-date.
The latest update for Google Contacts is rolling out today with a Material Theme for the Android client. The app’s underlying organization is unchanged with the redesign, but various new elements like Google Sans and white backgrounds are now in use.
For the most part, the redesigned Gmail that launched in April maintained feature parity with the previous iteration. However, one minor grievance did emerge over the lack of a Google Contacts shortcut. This was an intentional change with Google now removing the Contacts shortcut and experience from legacy Gmail.
After rolling out to Android, Mac, Windows, and Linux, version 68 of Chrome OS is now available. Notable features include more “Material 2.0” elements across the UI, a range of accessibility improvements, and a Display Size setting. Security changes in this update mark HTTP sites as “Not secure” and enforce the Certificate Transparency policy.
Sad day for those of us who use and love CloudMagic’s Newton mail client. The client, which is currently available on Android, Windows, iOS, and macOS, announced today that it will be killing the app soon.
With the new school year almost underway, Google is launching a number of education features across its products. Many were announced earlier this year and are coming out of beta, including a big revamp to Google Classroom, formating updates for Google Docs, and a suite of new AR/VR features.
Launching exclusively on the Pixel last year, AR Stickers take advantage of ARCore to overlay interactive animations in photos and videos. Version 1.3 is rolling out today and unbundles the default Star Wars: The Last Jedi and Stranger Things sticker packs to make the app significantly smaller.
Android 9 Pie just went official and Google started to rollout the update to its Pixel devices. Right behind Google, though, is Andy Rubin’s Essential, which is already pushing out a final version of Pie for the PH-1.
After five developer previews over an equal number of months, Google announced today that Android 9 is officially out of beta. Named “Pie,” third-party manufacturers can begin preparing device updates following the final release to AOSP. In the meantime, Android Pie is rolling out now to the Google Pixel and Pixel 2.