Maps is one of Google’s many services that seems to get new little updates all the time. Users have been able to add photos of locations on Maps for a while now, but Google is now taking things to the next level by allowing for videos to be uploaded as well.
Late last month, YouTube TV launched in 12 more markets around the United States. That brought the $35 per month cord cutting service to 41 cites, a fast ramp up since its late February launch. Today, the cable competitor is launching in eight more cities.
India, and the surrounding Southeast Asia region, is a special area of focus for Google given the potential for the “next billion users” originating there. As such, Google has created a number of country-specific apps and services, with the latest being a mobile payment service for India.
Back in June, Google for the first time opened its Material Design Awards to self-nomination. In its third year, Google’s goal is to award apps on Android, iOS, and web that best follow its design principles. Google has announced 2017’s four winners, along with a new trophy design.
I absolutely love gaming on my Nintendo Switch, but I’ll be the first to admit Nintendo’s solutions for anything that involve online connectivity is absolutely terrible. That’s especially true with voice chat, but the company is making that a little better with its most recent app update.
Back in June, the Wall Street Journal shared that Google traffic to its sites fell after ending the “first click free” practice of offering full access to articles behind a paywall. The program has always been a source of consternation for publishers and Google is finally ending the practice.
Nearly a month after Allo for web finally launched, the client is getting a sizable update that adds a number of expressive features found on the mobile apps. Users can now search for GIFs, stickers, and emoji, while Whisper/Shout also makes its way online.
Last month it was discovered that with the release of Android 8.0 Oreo, users would be able to theme the operating system’s UI without the need to root their handsets. With the use of the Substratum theming engine, users can use Android’s Overlay Manager Service (OMS) to change up the look of almost every aspect of the OS. Here’s a quick look at how to do this…
A few days ago a thread popped up on Reddit regarding app icons, specifically Android Oreo’s ability to put a custom mask on all icons which, in some cases, can result in an adaptive icon that fits the shape it’s given. It’s a cool idea, but it relies on developer support, and Google isn’t doing a great job of setting an example. Now, the lead of Allo and Duo has said they’re taking steps to improve that.
For whatever reason, it seems like Google is having some trouble getting things right with the Oreo OTAs. Some models are delayed, others saw issues installing right off the bat, and now an OTA is popping up on some devices that says it will “update” to 7.1.2…
If you’ve ever sent a WhatsApp reply to the wrong thread, sharing your pet-name for your partner with a business colleague, or you’ve engaged in a spot of drunk-messaging, it looks like you’ll soon have the opportunity to recall the message either before or after it is read …
Over the past year, Google has expanded the number of devices that its Safe Browsing protections can work on. As a result, the company today announced that its service for presenting warnings before nefarious links now works on more than three billion devices worldwide.
Over the years, Chrome has removed digital certificates from Authorities that it does not trust to guarantee security. Google today announced finalized plans to remove trust from certifications signed by Symantec due to security lapses that jeopardize the web’s system for identifying websites.
Google’s Allo and Duo services aren’t exactly the most popular communication apps out there today, but they certainly can come in handy. Google has slowly been taking steps to improve the integration of these two services into its various apps and Android itself, and now an update to Google’s dialer app reveals that the company has further plans for bringing Duo into the fold.
Twitter’s character limit of 140 characters still gives the social network a unique advantage over its competitors, but sometimes, you need to send out multiple tweets in rapid succession to truly get your point across. Thankfully, it looks like Twitter is testing a feature in its Android app that makes doing this a whole lot easier.
One of the lesser-known features in Android Oreo is the ability to customize the shape of icons on your launcher. This feature is something we’ve seen in some launchers and icon packs, but Oreo’s implementation uses officially supported APIs to do this a bit more reliably. Now, fan-favorite Nova Launcher is adding support.
Whether you like BlackBerry’s Android devices or not, you have to give the company credit where it is due and that’s certainly in the software. BlackBerry’s near-stock take on Android Nougat is solid, and the company has a good track record of keeping the phone up to date on monthly patches.
Now, we’ve gotten confirmation that Oreo is coming to the Keyone, which is great, even if that comes along with the news another BlackBerry device won’t get the same treatment…
Although everyone likes to think they’re a pro at responding to emails promptly, it’s far too easy to let messages slide through the cracks during the day. This can be particularly annoying if you’ve sent an important message to someone and need to hear back in a timely manner, and a new feature in Inbox by Gmail aims to help you get the fast responses that you’re after.
The Google Search Knowledge Graph is remarkably handy for getting a quick summary on media, a business, or a person, as well as other pertinent details. Cards for movies and books are now being revamped with a tab-heavy design that highlights more information.
With the Google Dashboard, users can see data and information about the various Google services they use. Featuring useful stats, it also provides quick shortcuts to individual product settings. The interface is being redesigned today with a more mobile and touch-friendly design.
In late July, WhatsApp started testing picture-in-picture support for video calls in its beta program for the application. We didn’t have any idea at that time as to when WhatsApp would be rolling out PiP for all users, but it looks like that day has officially come.
Update (2:18 PM PT) — Since originally publishing this article, Google has also started to push out HDR YouTube support for the Google Pixel, LG V30, and Sony Xperia XZ Premium. I’m personally not seeing the new addition on my Pixel, but if you have any of the above devices, be sure to head to the YouTube app try watching an HDR-compatible clip!
Last November, Google announced that it was officially supporting HDR video content on YouTube. HDR videos on YouTube have previously only been available to watch on Google’s Chromecast Ultra and select Android TV devices, but it appears that HDR YouTube videos are now available on the Samsung Galaxy S8, S8+, and Note 8
Despite the criticism that Allo seems to face on a regular basis, credit has to be given to Google for updating the app regularly with new features, settings, and more. Google just pushed out version 18 of the app on the Google Play Store, and although it isn’t the biggest Allo update we’ve ever seen, there are a couple features here that are worth talking about.
It can sometimes be hard to keep track of all the services/apps that Google has to offer, but among them, three that can be the most helpful for planning and organizing a trip or vacation include Trips, Flights, and Destinations. Today, Google is releasing these three services in a host of new countries and languages.