Unveiled at I/O 2018, Google Duplex was a highlight of the keynote, but also a controversy in the ensuing days. From accusations of “tricking” humans with the use of “uh” and “umm” to the lack of a live demo, Google finally revealed more about the Assistant integrated feature today that is still on track for a limited launch this summer.
Google this evening announced a big revamp to its suite of key profit-making advertising products. Launched 18 years ago, AdWords is being rebranded to Google Ads, while the new Google Marketing Platform and Google Ad Manager are the result of several key product mergers.
After entering beta earlier this month, Gboard 7.3 is now rolling out to all users today. The updates makes sticker search available in more languages, while the Google Keyboard now supports 28 new languages. Meanwhile, the “Make a GIF” feature gains the ability to overlay custom text.
Since launching over two years ago, Google’s Tilt Brush has received numerous updates to make the tool more feature-rich and easier to use. With version 16, Tilt brush is getting seven new features that will make the VR art app more useful for both new and experienced users.
At I/O 2018, Google announced a revamped Google Maps focused on being more personal and assistive thanks to a revamped Explore tab and new “For you” section featuring a “Your match” score. This new experience is now widely rolling out, alongside the Material Theme redesign.
In addition to real-time Lens lookup and a redesign, Google announced at I/O 2018 that the visual search feature is coming directly to third-party camera apps. The Google Camera app for the Pixel and Pixel 2 is now the latest client to be updated with quick access to Google Lens.
The Assistant feature in Google Photos has long created movies and photo compilations for special occasions like Father’s Day or year-in-review recaps. Earlier this year, users gained the ability to manually create themed movies, and now Photos is adding a new “Love Story” film.
Following the initial launch of a redesigned Search Console earlier this year, Google’s tool for monitoring and optimizing site performance is gaining a new capability. Frequently requested, web administrators will now be able to see the Google Search status of specific links.
To coincide with the annual ISTE education conference this week, Google has announced a number of new features coming to Classroom. The class management service for teachers and students alike is adding several new features and redesigns later this year.
Samsung’s Galaxy S9 and S9+ are some of the best phones we’ve seen hit the market in 2018, but the company hasn’t been doing a great job when it comes to updates, unfortunately. Since launch, Samsung has only pushed one update to these devices, but this week, that’s changing.
Google Earth is a neat tool for getting a satellite’s view of our beautiful planet and then being able to explore different regions. Now, the Chrome client and Android app are getting updated with a new tool that’ll let users measure distances between two locations and pinpointed areas.
Google Podcasts officially launched last week with an Android app, while the company detailed a creator program and AI-powered features coming soon. In the meantime, our latest APK Insight of the Google app on Friday revealed that Casting is also in the works, and now a new “Trim silence” feature.
Featuring summaries and key facts, Knowledge Graph panels in Google Search are an important way for users to quickly find information at a glance. Google is now making it easier for featured people, events, and organizations to suggest edits to keep their cards up-to-date.
Before ARCore, Google’s augmented reality efforts were based around Project Tango and devices that required specialized cameras and sensors. That platform had several dozens apps and Google is now making its first-party Measure app compatible with ARCore.
Following a launch last month in China via local app stores, the latest update to Files Go brings a number of notable new features. Google’s smart storage manager is better at emphasizing its P2P transfer features, while also adding the ability to extract ZIPs and clean up video files.
Google often develops products and adds new features designed for developing countries that have different factors and environments. The latest is aimed at making sure users always have fresh content to read. Chrome for Android can now automatically download content for offline viewing when connected to free and unmetered Wi-Fi networks.
At I/O 2018, Google announced and immediately launched a slew of new Assistant features like six new voices, Multiple Actions, and Custom Routines. Today, the Google Home will no longer require that you repeat a hotword for every command thanks to Continued Conversation.
While Google has just launched its own podcast application, the favorite of many users is still that of Pocket Casts. Today, the popular application has announced that it is opening up a beta program to the public on Android.
One of Android’s primary accessibility features is a tool called “TalkBack” that provides spoken feedback for anything on a screen so that visual impaired users can navigate devices. Google today renamed the assistive service to the Android Accessibility Suite.
Announced at I/O 2018, Google Play’s new Subscription Center is now widely rolled out to provide users with an easier way to manage recurring payments from Android apps and services. The redesign features simplified options, while developers are gaining more tools to monetize applications.
Last month, a peculiar glitch in the Google Android app was discovered that resulted in a specific query displaying your text messages. The bug has since been fixed, however, another similar bug has emerged that brings up the system volume slider when searching “9a songs.”
After several weeks of rumors and speculation, Instagram has just announced that it will be bringing long-form vertical videos to the social network in the form of a standalone app called IGTV. To help get the ball rolling, Instagram has partnered with several well-known creators who will soon start publishing original content to the platform.
Oreo’s rollout to the Android ecosystem has been abysmally slow, and when you look at the numbers for 8.1, things are even more bleak. This week, though, Motorola is delivering an update for Moto X4 users that delivers 8.1 to the handset.
There are a lot of great third-party launchers on Android and many play with new ideas from time to time. A while back, we featured Evie Launcher as one of those options. Over the past couple of months, Evie has been getting more popular and today, the launcher is picking up its biggest update since 2016.