In recent APK Insights, we’ve spotted the Google app working on more advanced podcast functionality. This revamped built-in experience is now rolling out with features like an app icon, centralized management, and the ability to search a directory of shows.
Google announced earlier this year that Android Pay and Google Wallet were being merged with that combined service rolling out last month. The company already telegraphed that peer-to-peer money transfers were coming soon and now Google Pay is adding support for transit tickets.
YouTube for Android and iOS have long featured a floating video player so that users can minimize what they’re watching and continue browsing. The Google video site is now testing this remarkably convenient functionality on the web.
Save for some older Nexus devices, the Google Camera app is primarily for Pixel phones. Most of the changes in today’s update are to settings, while there are a handful of new features added with version 5.2.
Samsung kicked off its Android Oreo rollout for the Galaxy S8 internationally earlier this year, but it gave no word on when that update would land in the United States. Now, out of nowhere, the update is starting to roll out…
As part of this morning’s rebrand of Android Wear to Wear OS, existing smartwatches will get updated with the new name over the coming weeks. Google has published a list of devices that will receive Wear OS, with the update already rolling out for some today.
Over the weekend, signs emerged that Google was preparing to rebrand Android Wear to a simpler “Wear OS.” This change is now official with a new Google site for smartwatches and a revamped Wear OS companion app for Android.
Ahead of the Game Developers Conference next week, Google’s ad services are launching new tools to help gaming developers better advertise apps. This includes video ads in the Play Store and more types of rewarded ads.
In retrospect, Pokémon Go in 2016 popularized the trend of real-world mobile games that are now intersecting with the augmented reality push on both Android and iOS. Google is now capitalizing on this wave by opening up the real-time updates and location data already found in Maps to game developers.
With the first Routines launching yesterday, Assistant is now adding another feature that Google announced last month. Meanwhile, text selection in Google Lens for Assistant is now widely available.
In our APK Insight of the Google app beta on Friday, we spotted Assistant adding new menus for “Purchases” and “Reminders.” Those additions now appear to be a part of an upcoming redesign that removes Assistant’s “Your Stuff” tab.
Google Station is the company’s high-speed public Wi-Fi platform that first launched in India two years ago and later expanded to Indonesia. The free service is now available in Mexico City starting today.
Google announced a major change to Images last month that removed the direct link to pictures as part of a new licensing deal. Today, Google’s visual search feature is adding new captions under every result to aid context.
Announced at last year’s October 4th event and reconfirmed last month, Google Assistant Routines are finally beginning to roll out. This feature, which allows a single phrase to initiate multiple commands, is launching in the United States and replaces the existing “My Day” feature.
Back in January, we spotted YouTube preparing a dark theme for its mobile apps that would match the recently revamped desktop client. Today, the video site is making the dark theme official on iOS, with an update coming soon to Android.
Google Keep is a powerful tool, and one that I love using since I can access it basically anywhere. Whether it’s on Android, iOS, or the web, accessing notes and lists is a breeze. Android Wear, however, might be one of its most convenient locations, and now it’s getting a fresh redesign…
Google frequently touts that the “next billion users” will come from developing nations with different focuses and needs. To that end, the company has developed a number of optimized services, with one being a “simple and consistent addressing system that works across India and globally.
The latest update to Google Play Movies & TV is widely rolling out with a bottom bar redesign that has been a long time coming for the Play family of apps. Meanwhile, scores from Rotten Tomatoes are integrated into every listing with version 4.2.
Despite having multiple messaging apps, Allo is the app Google markets most for consumer chats. While it does have a web interface, it must first be signed in through the phone app and must remain in constant communication with the handset. Thankfully, Googler Justin Uberti gives us hope that this will change soon.
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Google might be rebranding Android Wear to simply “Wear OS.” The smartwatch operating system still receives new features through frequent updates that no longer require corresponding Android versions. Meanwhile, many fashion brands in recent years have adopted Android Wear while traditional tech companies are holding back on wearables.
From multilingual support and more languages to Routines, Google has been on a roll in recent weeks adding new features to Assistant. The latest comes ahead of SXSW with Custom Device Actions that allow manufacturers to add custom commands for Assistant-enabled devices.
Besides the upcoming AMP Stories, Google has a “Posts” format for verified people, places, and things to share right in Search results. Google Posts are now opening up to well known musicians.
Launched in early 2016, Accelerated Mobile Pages have made their way throughout Google’s various web-facing products and services. Resulting in faster experiences, Google now wants to apply these learned lessons and speed benefits to the rest of the web with new standards.
Chrome has long featured a convenient built-in password manager that syncs between multiple signed-in devices. Suited for most users, Google is now working on letting them export passwords for use in third-party managers.