The Gemini launch continues this week with availability for more countries (in English) and iOS.

Google is officially rolling out support for Google Photos and other cloud backup apps in the Android photo picker.

Google Safe Browsing throws up a bright red warning before letting you visit a nefarious page. Google is updating how Safe Browsing works in Chrome so that it’s less disruptive and more efficient “without a degradation in security posture.” 

The “Send feedback” tool found in every Google mobile app recently received a redesign to provide a more step-by-step experience that’s somewhat conversational. 

Originally introduced for the web and Nest Hub Max, Google is now bringing its second screen “Companion Mode” to the Meet app on Android and iOS.

Gemini is not yet ready to replace Google Assistant on Android. That’s the user sentiment that has emerged in recent days and Google is fortunately aware of that, as well as other Gemini “things to fix.”

One of the most annoying aspects of using the Gemini Android app as a Google Assistant replacement on day one was having to manually send/submit voice commands. Google has fortunately fixed that behavior.

After introducing emoji reactions and tweaking the search bar, a bigger Gmail update introduces a chat-style reply UI on Android.

In addition to a revamped overflow menu, YouTube Music is testing a redesign of the Cast UI on Android that makes use of a bottom sheet.

After teasing the milestone last week, Google One now has 100 million subscribers, with Sundar Pichai saying how the AI Premium Plan will drive future growth. 

Announced back in June, Google News on Android is rolling out a redesigned Following feed that provides the “latest updates from the topics, sources and locations you select to follow.”

Sundar Pichai announced last week that Google One is about to cross 100 million subscribers. Google One is now getting a new AI Premium plan that costs $19.99.

Teased in December as its most capable AI model, Google is rolling out Gemini Ultra 1.0 today. To mark this occasion, Google Bard is being renamed to Gemini on the web, while it’s now available on Android and iOS.

Announced as Assistant with Bard alongside the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro last October, Google today is rolling out Gemini to provide an optimized mobile experience that integrates with Android, while it’s now part of the Google app on iOS.

The Google Maps UI has largely been unchanged for the past several years, but that’s now changing with pretty significant redesigns across key surfaces, including when searching for directions.

In removing the bottom bar (again), Files by Google is making a pretty notable design change that simplifies the app. 

Like the iOS app, Google Maps for Android now overlays the weather and AQI when you’re browsing the map layer.

After introducing on desktop last year, Google Chat for Android now lets you star messages. However, this required the addition of an overflow button to the floating bar that now looks a bit crowded.

Reading mode is Google’s best text-to-speech offering and has just gained the ability to work in Gmail, as well as social media apps.

Circle to Search is great – and very much a continuation of Now on Tap that Google should have prominently maintained as a core Android experience instead of relegating to Assistant for a few years – but how you launch it with gesture navigation is driving me mad.

The Phone by Google (as it’s officially named) app is losing a “Nearby Places” feature that “allowed business name search queries entered into the Phone app to provide local business phone number results beyond just your personal contacts.” 

Since the start of this year, there have been more YouTube Music notifications on Android and iOS alerting users about new releases and playlists.

Google Translate has rolled out a redesign of the Conversation experience that can “automatically detect and translate languages as you converse.” 

Earlier this month, Google announced it was deprecating a slew of Assistant features. One of those removals was the “App Launcher” in Assistant Driving Mode, which most people assumed was the entire experience. Google tells us that is not the case, and here’s what will be left of Assistant Driving Mode after February 7.