WhatsApp has a huge and very loyal user base, and when those users swap phones they often use the backup feature to keep their messages safe. Now, Google Drive is opening up its arms to WhatsApp backups without counting them against your storage, but there’s a slight catch…
The latest version of Google Duo is rolling out following the previous update introducing several Material Design tweaks. Duo 39 for iOS added iPad tablet support, while introducing a more Material icon on both platforms. Meanwhile, contact homescreen shortcuts are in-development, as are more rewards.
Google’s default RCS and SMS client has seen a number of big developments in recent months, like becoming the company’s primary consumer messaging solution. Android Messages for web is now picking up some design tweaks to match the Google Material Theme redesign on mobile.
Given the rise of smart speakers and other devices that talk back to you, text-to-speech (TTS) is an important technology. Google’s solution for third-party developers is now generally available with new languages and features. Meanwhile, Cloud Speech-to-Text is also gaining new beta features.
Back in March, Nest finally launched its smart door lock developed in partnership with Yale. Already integrating with the rest of the Nest Secure ecosystem, it is now adding support for Google Assistant voice commands and Routines.
Google’s design language for the past several months has largely focused on white elements, and lots of users aren’t all that happy about it. Now, Google seems to be bringing an official dark mode to its dialer app.
After gaining a Google Material Theme last month, Hangouts Chat is getting social with emoji reactions. The new feature is rolling out now on both the web and mobile version of Google’s enterprise-focused communication tool.
Google Search has a number of built-in travel features with machine learning often applied to find the cheapest tickets and hotel rates. To encourage people to book plans for the holiday season ahead of time, Google is rolling out a number of features to Hotel Search and Google Flights.
Announced at I/O 2018, YouTube was one of the first products that launched Digital Wellbeing features like break reminders and notification management. Today, the Google video service is rolling out “Time watched” stats along with centralized controls for all the other options.
Unceremoniously pulled a day after being introduced, the Google Material Theme for Android Messages is now returning. A new version of the app is beginning to roll out today with features like dark mode available once more.
Epic’s decision to bypass the Play Store and have users download an APK on the web was widely criticized from a security standpoint. That backlash was quickly proven to be warranted after Google discovered a flaw in the Fortnite install process. Fortunately, Epic Games was able to very quickly address the issue.
App Store curation is a trend on both Android and iOS with Google last year introducing an Editors’ Choice section featuring editorial lists and recommendations. Google is now providing developers with more insight into how users are discovering apps on the Play Store.
The camera on Google’s Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL is amazing. Part of what makes it so good is Google’s HDR+ mode. Thanks to the Pixel Visual Core, that handy trick can be extended to other apps, and now one of our favorite camera apps is picking up public support…
Datally is an app from Google’s Next Billion Users initiative for managing data usage in constrained cellular markets around the world. The app’s latest capabilities are aimed at ensuring you always have a reserve of data for emergency usage, and to make sure apps don’t drain data overnight.
The hit game Fortnite made its debut on Android just a couple of weeks ago, and today the game is getting one of its first big updates since release with some new improvements in tow.
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Earlier this year, Google announced a refined messaging strategy that centered around “Chat,” the company’s RCS initiative. At the core of that was the Android Messages app, and with a coming update, it seems Google Assistant will be integrating with that app…
Besides the Google Material Theme, Gmail added a number of productivity features with its revamped web version in April. Today, the “quick-access side panel” that provides convenient access to Keep, Tasks, and more is making its way to other G Suite web apps like Docs and Calendar.
The rise of wearables and smartwatches in recent years has entrenched the perception that step count is the metric of fitness. It’s no surprise that many of the accompanying services have leaderboards that try to gamify exercise. Now, Google is out with a different approach that focuses on new metrics. Featuring the Google Material Theme, the revamped Google Fit is without a doubt more than a step counter.
Google Assistant was announced two years ago at I/O and quickly made its way to Home smart speakers and Android devices. Just last month, the first Smart Displays were released with Google today detailing what it has learned about Assistant usage since the launch.
Google Podcasts officially launched in June with the company already previewing AI-powered features that are coming in the future. This includes audio one-day being surfaced alongside text and video as Search results. Given the importance, Google’s in-house incubator is developing another experimental podcast player called “Shortwave.”
One of the useful features that Gmail gained over the years is “Undo Send.” Like the name suggests, Gmail will allow you to take back an email after tapping the send button through an artificial delay. Long available on the web, this functionality is now making its way to Gmail for Android.
In addition to customizable backgrounds in Chrome’s New Tab page, Google is testing a row of related search queries. Topic-based and populated from your search history, the bar began appearing for some users over the weekend.
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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