Actions on Google and keyboard support in Google Assistant beginning to rollout [Gallery]
Latest
Google Home adding hands-free calling, proactive assistance, Bluetooth streaming
At I/O 2017, Google has announced a slew of new features for their Home connected speaker. Major new features include hands-free calling, Bluetooth support, and visual responses.
Expand
Expanding
Close
Gmail mobile apps get Inbox/Allo-style ‘Smart Reply’ feature with quick reply suggestions
Google is today releasing an update for its Gmail mobile apps that introduces a new Smart Reply feature with suggested quick reply buttons within emails.
The feature is something Google is bringing over from its Inbox by Gmail and Allo apps where similar functionality was already available. Google says that the feature accounts for around 12% of replies sent in Inbox, for instance.
Google’s Nick Fox says that Allo’s web client is still ‘a month or two’ from release
We’ve known for a while that a web view for Google’s Allo is coming, but the company hasn’t given us too many details about when it would actually debut. Recently, Google’s VP of product management, Nick Fox, has given us a more concrete timeframe for when it will make its debut.
Google is testing 2 new ‘New chat’ buttons in Allo 11
Last week, our APK Teardown of Allo 11 revealed lots of interesting things about forthcoming versions of Allo, including the integration of Duo and more. Now we’ve discovered (with a little more tinkering) that Google is also testing a couple different ‘New chat’ buttons in this new version of Allo.
Since Google uses Material Design on their text messaging apps, they’ve always been using a Floating Action Button as the “New chat” button. Here are some examples of this in other apps:
-
- Android Messages
-
- Hangouts
But in Allo 11, Google is testing 2 new ‘New Chat’ buttons. They do the same action (basically allowing you start a chat with the contacts of your choosing), but they just look different.
This is definitely minor, but an interesting change nonetheless. Google has used FABs for this functionality in its apps since the inception of Material Design — the FAB is a pretty notable part of the language. So it’s interesting to see Google play with straying from that design.
‘Daydream Elements’ goes live on the Play Store in lead up to I/O keynote
Ahead of the I/O 2017 keynote, Google has released a new VR app for developers to “learn about principles and best practices” for Daydream.
Trailer shows upcoming Futurama mobile game ‘containing new episodes’ [Video]
When Futurama creator Matt Groening talked about the upcoming iOS and Android game back in February, he teased that it will effectively contain some entirely new episodes.
We’re gonna sneak some more Futurama episodes in there on whatever device people are gonna be using.
The company has now released a trailer showing that the game will indeed live up to this promise …
Instagram now has Snapchat-style AR face filters too
Instagram is rolling out a new Snapchat-like AR feature today called face filters. These work with both the photo and video camera to apply real-time face-tracking filters over subjects.
YouTube TV adds AMC, BBC America, and 5 new channels to its basic $35 package
YouTube TV launched earlier last month in five major markets around the U.S. Today, the cord-cutting solution from Google is adding seven new cable networks to its basic $35 package.
Some rooted Android users can no longer download Netflix from Google Play
Netflix is one of the biggest streaming services on the planet and thus, a lot of people use its app on mobile platforms. On Android, the app hasn’t come with too many restrictions, but it seems that the company is starting to block some users from accessing the service.
Google Allo 11 prepares for Google Duo integration, adds group QR codes, more [APK Teardown]
For several months, Google has been preparing selfie-generated stickers in Allo. We gave you an exclusive preview of that feature about a week ago. Now, Allo 11 is officially introducing those selfie-generated stickers for everyone, but this update also packs evidence of several other features coming in future updates.
Latest Google Maps update shows you exactly where to turn using Street View images
Navigating an unfamiliar city can be difficult, and it can be easy miss a turn even when using apps like Google Maps. An update rolling out today to Google Maps is making it even easier to arrive smoothly at your destination by allowing users to see exactly where to turn and what lane to be in using Street View images…
Google implementing 3rd-party developer changes to prevent future phishing attacks
According to Google, last week’s phishing scam that imitated a Docs invite was quickly countered by existing security measures. The company is now announcing changes aimed at developers to prevent future attacks.
The latest Google Phone update lets a cat or dog show you how to answer phone calls
Google loves putting easter eggs in its various apps and services and through the years, we’ve seen some pretty spectacular ones. Today, a new easter egg has been discovered in the latest version of Google’s Phone application for Android.
Google Contacts 2.0 for Android redesigns the people view, account switcher, more
Google Contacts for Android received its last major update in August, with the web app only reaching visual parity earlier this year. Version 2.0 of the mobile app is now rolling out with a number of changes, including a better account switcher and a redesigned people view.
Uber now allows you to save custom locations other than home and work
Rolling out today, Uber is making it easier for you to remember destinations other than your home and work addresses with Saved Places. Whether you visit a particular friend or relative’s house, restaurant, or even a park fairly often, it can get annoying trying to remember the exact address when hailing an Uber. Now, these saved locations can be saved as a shortcut…
An incredibly fast search widget is coming to Chrome for Android, here’s how to try it now
Search is at the core of Google’s business, so it’s constantly making it easier for users to access it in one way or another. Most Android devices have a Google Search widget on the homescreen, but it’s not all that fast compared to directly searching in Chrome. Now, Google is speeding things up with a new search widget in the dev version of Chrome.
Google Search adds ‘Events’ view to find and filter nearby activities on Android, iOS
Google Search on mobile is adding a new view that better surfaces and summarizes events from sites like Eventbrite and Ticketmaster. Available on mobile, users will now be able to filter based on location and other factors.
Netflix for Android now supports HDR on the LG G6
HDR has been growing in popularity on the big screen, but with new phones on the market such as the Galaxy S8, Sony’s Xperia XZ Premium, and the LG G6, it’s going mobile too. Arguably the biggest collection of easily-accessible HDR content is on Netflix, and now, the streaming giant is opening support for HDR in its Android app.
Google, VMware announce ‘extended partnership’ to boost Chrome OS in enterprise
Google and VMware have announced an “extended partnership” to accelerate the adoption of Chrome OS devices in the enterprise market. New software will extend security to virtualized apps, while deeper integration is in the works.
Google Allo’s Assistant and Smart Reply now work in more languages
Google Assistant first launched as a preview inside Allo in September of last year. Support was initially limited to English, but it has since been updated with more languages. Starting today, a number of Allo’s smart features will work in two new languages.
Google Home now features a built-in collection of relaxing ambient sounds
Since its launch last year, Google Home has received a steady stream of third-party smart home integrations and other new features. The latest is the ability to play ambient sounds that can help users relax.
Google updates I/O 2017 app with animated bottom bar, seat reservations, and more
With I/O 2017 starting next week, Google has finally updated the official conference app on Android. Convenient for watching livestreams, it is most useful for conference attendees with the ability to reserve seats at sessions.
Google Wallpapers adds new ‘Art’ and ‘Solid Colors’ categories
Several days ago, the Google Wallpapers application received an update which brought with it a bunch of new wallpapers. With no official word from Google about these changes, we just figured that Google was refreshing and adding to the images made available to users. Shortly after, Google has pushed out another server-side update that has added two new wallpaper categories: Art and Solid Colors.