Chrome 56 for Android adds new download features, performance improvements, more
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Latest Instagram beta brings photo gallery support to some, but it’s not fully functional
A common advertisement type on Instagram is a post that features more than one image, something that regular users are not able to do. While regular users can, of course, stick images together, this feature is one that allows you to swipe side-to-side to see separate photographs within a single post.
It appears, however, that this feature will soon rollout to the public…
Snapseed for Android and iOS gets its first 2017 update w/ new curves tool and more
Snapseed is one of our favorite photo editing tools for mobile, and it just keeps getting better with every update. Today, Google has announced the app’s first update of 2017, version 2.15 for both Android and iOS, bringing with it a new feature and several improvements.
PSA: They won’t get Android 7.1.2, but the Nexus 6 and Nexus 9 will still be getting security patches
Yesterday’s announcement of Android 7.1.2 revealed a small update, with bigger implications. In Google’s blog post, you may have noticed that the Nexus 6 and Nexus 9 are both not listed, and for good reason ─ Google is no longer pushing system updates to these devices.
Android 7.1.2 available via Android Beta Program today for Pixel, Nexus devices [Update]
Google has today announced that, as it has with the past few Android releases, Android 7.1.2 will be rolling out to members of the Android Beta Program starting today…
Optimizations to Chrome’s rendering pipeline improves speed, smoothness, and power draw
A browser’s rendering pipeline is responsible for ensuring the 60 frame per second smoothness that users associate with speed and efficiency. Now, Google has detailed several performance improvements to this component that makes Chrome work smarter.
Google Contacts on the web gains Material Design, feature parity with Android app
Last year, Google Contacts on Android received a major redesign that introduced a new interface and added several features. In contrast, the web version has been languishing for years with Google’s pre-Material Design style. Today, a significant revamp brings it to visual and feature parity.
Hangouts 16.0 for Android cleans up contacts, removes redundant dedicated list
Fully rolled out, version 16.0 of Hangouts for Android makes some minor changes to how your contacts are displayed. In addition to the generic “bug fixes and performance improvements,” this update removes some redundancies in the interface.
Google Voice app to get VoIP calling on Android, possibly signaling move away from Hangouts
While notable, Monday’s update of Google Voice was basically just a Material redesign that lacked any new major functionality. The promise of “regular updates” is more significant, and Google has confirmed to us that one of those upcoming features is VoIP integration.
Google Translate Android app can now do live Word Lens translations from Japanese
Google Translates’s augmented reality feature, Word Lens, now works with Japanese. As with other supported languages, you simply point your smartphone camera at a Japanese sign, notice, menu or similar and it will instantly overlay the English text – even without a data connection.
Chrome 56 rolling out to Mac, Windows, and Linux, full HTML5 by Default & ‘Not Secure’ label rollout
Chrome 56 is rolling out now to Mac, Windows, and Linux with a number of features and security fixes. Beginning as a staged rollout in the previous version, HTML5 by Default is now enabled for all users. Additionally, all sensitive HTTP sites will be marked as unsecure in the address bar.
Hands-on with 5 Android apps you should download in January 2017 [Video]
There are nearly 1.5 million applications currently on Google Play and with so many choices, finding new worthwhile apps can be a hassle. As we have the last several months now, today we’ll be showing you another 5 Android apps that you should definitely give a shot…
Latest Google Calculator update introduces calculation history
When it comes to calculator applications, they’re almost all more or less the same. They can add, subtract, and possibly even get fancy and work out some logarithmic equations. The latest version of Google’s Calculator app is adding a long-awaited feature, though, and that’s calculation history…
Google Calendar adds smart suggestions on the web, legacy Drive apps deprecated in April
Google Calendar on the web is getting a number of updates that bring it to feature parity with mobile, while legacy versions of Drive apps for Android and iOS will be shut down in April.
Nintendo says Super Mario Run will come to Android in March, Fire Emblem Heroes on Feb. 2
Following the release of Super Mario Run earlier this year on iOS, Nintendo today announced that the game will come to Android this March. The company also announced its next mobile game, Fire Emblem Heroes. After previously teasing it, the company today made Fire Emblem Heroes official and revealed the game will come to Android on February 2nd.
Google Maps on the web adds notifications for Local Guides users
With YouTube now providing alerts through the browser for new videos from subscriptions, Google Maps is the latest service to gain notifications on the web. The option is seemingly only appearing for members of the Local Guides program for now, but hopefully will expand to other users in the future…
Google acquires Twitter’s Fabric mobile app dev tools, will be integrated into Firebase
Launched in 2014 from an acquisition the year before, Twitter’s set of Fabric mobile developer tools is being sold off to Google. The acquisition will see the team join Google’s Developer Products Group, specifically the Firebase team.
Google app now saves searches made offline & performs them when a connection is regained
One area of focus that Google has been particularly working on for its apps and services has been better offline functionality. The latest feature of the Google app on Android queues searches made offline and automatically runs them when a connection is regained.
‘Classic’ Google+ interface will be deprecated on Jan 24th, while Events feature returns
In late 2015, Google+ received a significant redesign and a new focus on Communities and Collections. While Google iterated on this new version, the old version remained accessible. With a slew of new features coming, including Events, the classic interface will no longer be available as of later this month.
Google Maps will soon show parking availability at public locations [Update: Official]
Google Maps is one of the most useful services on our smartphones and as it matures, it only seems to get better. Google adds and tests various features on Maps on a pretty regular basis and while some are desired more than others, they are all appreciated. Right now, Google is testing out a new feature within Maps which can show users what kind of parking they should expect at their destination.
Google Assistant’s ‘My Day’ includes special reminder to commemorate MLK Jr. Day [Video]
Besides a Doodle to commemorate Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Google is also giving a nod to the birthday of the revered Civil Rights leader in Assistant. Activating the ‘My Day’ feature on a Pixel or Home will provide some more information about the day, as well as a related quote.
Latest Google app beta adds option to manually set country-specific Search region
The Google app has been updated with a number of small features as of late, including Notifications for Doodles and the ability to take screenshots using Assistant. As part of the latest beta build, the Android app now allows users to manually set Search region.
ZTE is testing out Android Nougat for its $99 ZMax Pro [Update]
As the company prepares to release Android Nougat for its popular Axon 7 smartphone, ZTE is opening up access to an Android Nougat beta program for one of its less expensive devices, the $99 ZTE ZMax Pro.
Security backdoor discovered in WhatsApp’s end-to-end encryption system [Updated]
Update: Updated with a response from WhatsApp, below.
A security researcher has found a backdoor in the end-to-end encryption system used by the WhatsApp messaging service. The vulnerability would allow Facebook to read messages sent through the supposedly secure system, as well as making it possible for the company to comply with court orders to make messages available to governments and law enforcement.
While end-to-end encryption would normally mean that not even the company operating the service can decrypt messages, only the intended recipient, the specific implementation used in WhatsApp includes a major security hole …