Last year, Google announced a new method for 2-Step Verification that is built into Android and available on iOS. The Google Prompt replaces the hackable SMS method and was recently updated to include more detailed information. Today, Google announced that the Prompt will become the default method for new sign-ups.
Android Auto’s list of compatible services continues to increase and in its most recent update, Plex finally joined the list.
Chrome 62 is now rolling out to desktops in the stable channel with a number of new features for developers, as well as some changed security behaviors as Google continues to encourage HTTPS adoption.
WhatsApp today has released a new location sharing feature for its popular app. This latest feature allows users to share their location with other contacts using end-to-end encryption.
Earlier this year, a product roadmap revealed that a web redesign of Google Calendar was in the works. Today, that Material refresh of the web app is launching with a number of enterprise-grade features.
As rumored late last month, Google today announced its “Advanced Protection Program” to protect personal Google Accounts of “those most at risk of targeted attacks—like journalists, business leaders, and political campaign teams.” The central defense is a physical Security Key that replaces other forms of two-factor authentication (2FA).
Back in September, Google revamped its data and privacy Dashboard with a simpler, mobile-friendly design. Google is continuing that work today with a more personal Security Checkup feature. Additionally, there are new phishing protections in Chrome.
One of Google Photos’ best features is face recognition for easier grouping, search, and sharing with friends and family. Google is now extending that detection and adding naming support for your cats and dogs.
For quite a while now, Google has had a Chrome Cleanup Tool on Windows that scans and removes software that might affect or hijack the browsing experience. Today, the feature is being upgraded with a simpler UI and more powerful detection, while Chrome has improved handling with nefarious extensions.
One of the more under the radar features of the Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL is the support for Embedded SIM cards, or an eSIM. Since Project Fi is one of the first carriers to add support on Android, Google has uploaded an eSIM Manger app to the Play Store ahead of the Pixel’s launch later this week.
Over the past several months, Google Wifi has been launching in more and more countries around the world, as well as getting updated with new features. The latest is another family-focused feature called Site Blocking.
With a Motion photo, a short video that can be used to make clips and other animations is captured before and after every shot. Originally believed to be exclusive to Google Clips and the Pixel 2, a new version of the Google Camera app adds Motion to the original Pixel and Pixel XL.
One of the more unique features about the Pixel Launcher on the Pixel 2 is its bottom Google bar. While odd, it is quite clever given how on large phones — like the XL — it is harder to reach the top of the screen to perform a Search. While the new Made by Google phones won’t be available until next week, you can install the launcher right now.
If you can not only capture Pokémon but also artistic photographs of them, Niantic is inviting you to submit your photos in a competition held on Instagram …
When last year’s Pixel launched, Google uploaded the phone’s Wallpapers app to the Play Store for any Android device to download. In the past year, the app has been steadily updated with new wallpapers and today is adding many more. Notably, some of the new categories are exclusive to Pixel devices.
At last week’s Made by Google event, we saw two new Pixels, both sporting a new calendar widget. What’s nice about this widget is its sheer simplicity, prominently showing the user’s next calendar event, its scheduled duration, and the current weather.
Since we don’t know if this will make its way to other phones, an app developer has recreated the widget for all to use on any Android smartphone…
Ahead of last week’s October 4th hardware event, Google uploaded the “Pixel Ambient Services” app responsible for the Pixel 2’s music recognition feature. Today, the battery app found on Pixel and Nexus devices has been similarly added to the Play Store for easier updates.
YouTube already has an “Autoplay” feature that will automatically start suggested videos after the current one finishes. However, Google is now testing auto-playing in the main feed of the Android app.
Snapchat is partnering with several services including OpenTable and Lyft to launch something new called Context Cards. These location-based cards bring relevant information like business hours, reviews, contact information, and travel options to Snapchat.
Following the announcement of longer 280 character tweets, Twitter has revealed that it is developing a bookmarking feature to save tweets. A highly requested and obvious feature, one product manager at the company today shared an early prototype.
Last month, Google began testing a “Save” feature in the Google app that allows users to add and organize URLs to a new “Saved” section of the Android app. This evening, that feature is now widely rolling out.
For the past several months, Google Search has been A/B testing several new designs. An update to Image Search is now rolling out on the mobile web (via Android Police) and features a brighter interface and rounded buttons.
Google’s Duo app has been improving a lot in the past several months, and that includes how it integrates with the rest of the Android ecosystem. Now, we’re finding out that Google has even deeper integration coming, and it’s looking pretty awesome…
Custom launchers are one of the best and easiest ways to customize your Android device, and one of the most popular has been Nova Launcher. TeslaCoil’s app has been a favorite in the Android community for a long time, and now it’s racked up over 50 million downloads on Google Play.