In a departure from previous years, the Google Play Awards were unveiled on the eve of I/O 2018. With nominees first announced late last month, these are the top Android apps and games as chosen by Google employees throughout the company.
One of the biggest things I’ve been looking at with Android smartphones, especially in the past several months, is security updates. When OEMs are open about not even trying to deliver these on a monthly basis, I’ll completely write-off those devices. However, there are some shining exceptions is this sea of late updates…
Federated learning is not a new concept in the tech industry with Google exploring it for Gboard last year. However, ahead of I/O, the company has published a new video that provides a good recap of its benefits, possibly suggesting a broader push at tomorrow’s keynote.
As it continues to expand its Stories platform, Instagram is seemingly planning a new feature that would make it easier to add music to Stories. According to TechCrunch, code found within the Instagram application indicates you could soon be able to add “Music stickers” to your Stories…
One of the more impressive developer announcements at I/O 2017 was related to standalone virtual reality. With Seurat, mobile VR headsets can handle high-fidelity graphics typically associated with full desktop rigs. Ahead of this year’s I/O, Google is open sourcing the technology.
After adding transit tickets in March and rolling out to the web this week, Google Pay now appears to be gaining support for flight boarding passes. Like with public transportation, the process of saving a pass to the digital wallet begins in the airline app.
One of the most underrated mid-range devices of last year was the Moto X4. With its Android One variant, the phone is essentially a Pixel in a different case. Now, that variant is finally picking up Android 8.1.
Google Chrome is always undergoing changes, and recently, the company has been quietly integrating its latest design standards into development versions of the app. Now, we’re learning that Google is testing out a redesigned omnibox which gives a bit of extra detail for suggested results.
The podcast industry has been relatively active in recent weeks from the announcement of Pocket Casts being acquired by a consortium of public radio stations to Google’s grand plans involving machine learning. After rolling out a homepage and subscriptions, the Google app is now gaining the ability to download shows for offline listening.
Since the 2016 U.S. election, tech companies across the spectrum have faced criticism for how platforms were used by nefarious actors to possibly manipulate outcomes. Google today is announcing new advertising transparency policies after committing to them last year.
The latest beta version of Gboard is rolling out this morning with one feature that’s long been in developement finally live: “Make a GIF.” This built-in animation creator is quite fast to access and already launched on iOS, while version 7.2 also introduces some other minor visual tweaks.
Andy Rubin’s Essential Phone wasn’t the hit many hoped it would be, but it brought a lot of good things to the table. One of those good things, however, definitely wasn’t the camera. At launch, the camera was pretty bad, but Essential has made it much better through updates, and now another update is working on capture speed.
Google News may not seem like a flagship product in the company’s lineup, but a new report today suggests a redesign is coming at I/O 2018. The revamp is rumored to integrate YouTube, while coming at the expense of Play Newsstand in a sign that the Google Play family of apps is being further culled.
At CES 2018, Google announced the first cameras that use its VR180 format to capture high-resolution 3D photos and videos. With a point-and-shoot format, these devices are intended to be simple and easy to use. Today, a VR180 companion app was uploaded to the Play Store by Google.
In recent weeks, Wear OS has undergone a lot of notable developments from the rebrand to the Android P Developer Preview. Today, just ahead of I/O 2018 next week, Google is announcing a number of updates to make Google Assistant more full featured.
In recent weeks, Google announced significant podcasting plans beginning with Search and Assistant integration, while it explores AI features for the future. The space was long brewing before the Google initiatives, and today a consortium of very well-known U.S. public radio stations is acquiring Pocket Casts.
Late last year, we spotted YouTube Music working on a new “queue” feature for better song playback ordering and management. That feature now appears to be live for some users, along with a revamped player interface.
Google Doodles are remarkably emblematic of the company’s whimsical nature and serve as an important, perpetual marker of an event or person. Today’s animation does both, celebrating the 1913 release of director George Méliès’ masterpiece The Conquest of the Pole. Google appropriately marked the occasion with its first-ever VR-enabled and 360° video Doodle.
With Google Opinion Rewards, users can earn Google Play credit by answering the occasional survey. Google is now expanding the program to include its other Cross Media Panel research program that has a similar rewards model, but more extensive data collection.
Hot off the heels of supporting Assistant Actions and hardware with a new investment fund, Google today also launched a new design guide for creating apps on its latest platform. Similar to the Material Design guidelines, it provides an introduction and walkthrough for both new and experienced developers.
Google Maps has long been a developer platform where third-parties can build off Google’s location services and data. Today, Google is launching its “next generation” version, beginning with a new name for the simplified service, as well as new use cases.
Last year, Twitter for Android received a major redesign that better embraced Material and other rounded interface elements. The latest significant tweak switches to a bottom bar like many of Google’s apps today.
Google’s grand social ambitions have mostly tapered down following the failure of the original Google+. The latter social network is now focused on communities, while social features exist in apps like Google Duo and Photos. However, a new report today reveals that Google is working on social games, with a launch as soon as this summer.
Since Google Pay launched as the company’s unified payment solution in February, it has added a number of new features with more on the roadmap. Google Pay is now beginning to roll out on the web for desktops and other mobile platforms.