In recent years, we’ve all wisely become more privacy-conscious, with more folks learning of and caring more about features like end-to-end encryption in messaging, but what about the sensitive files we keep on our phones? The Files by Google app is preparing the ability to create a pin-protected “Safe folder” on your phone.
Last month, Google Photos celebrated its fifth anniversary. Nothing marked the occasion, but a bottom bar redesign of the mobile app is underway, and the Android app today reveals work on a way to browse images on a map.
In November, Google framed its acquisition of Fitbit as a way to “help more people with wearables.” However, since the deal is still pending regulatory approval, the two companies have yet to integrate or announce any joint plans. That now appears to be changing as Fitbit works on bringing Google Assistant support to its devices.
Back in 2018, Google’s keyboard app for Android and iOS added “customized stickers based on you.” The Gboard 9.5 beta today suggests that “Minis” will soon be removed, while there’s more work on emoji suggestions.
The Play Music library transition began last month as Google’s latest streaming service picked up a number of player updates. YouTube Music is now readying an external Bluetooth device setting and a label for audiobooks and shows.
Since launch, Google Stadia has been slowly gaining support for more and more Android phones outside of the Google Pixel series. With the release of Stadia for Android version 2.19, it looks like the service is preparing to allow you to play on phones that haven’t yet been “certified,” alongside other new features.
Google’s Digital Wellbeing is both an app for Pixels & other Android phones and a wider initiative to help folks find healthy ways to disconnect from their phones. The next step for the Digital Wellbeing app appears to be to use a variety of data from your phone to give insights into why you might not be sleeping at night.
As of the end of last month, Google Meet (née Hangouts Meet) is officially free for everyone, not just those with a paid G Suite account, to help the millions of people now working from home every day. To help those of us with messier homes than others, it looks like the Google Meet app for Android is preparing to launch background blur.
Routines in Assistant let you invoke multiple actions using a single command. These macros can already be automatically scheduled, while Google at CES 2020 previewed an upcoming “Scheduled Actions” capability. Google Assistant now looks to be readying a “Bell Schedule” feature.
Google Stadia has had quite the busy week, between Tuesday’s Stadia Connect event and the launch of new Stadia Pro games for May. Stadia for Android also saw an update to version 2.16 this week, which continues to prep for Android TV, as well as start work on sharing captures and much more.
The second-generation Pixel Buds were announced last October as an “idea of what ambient computing feels like.” From Google Assistant to Adaptive Sound, software is a key driver of the experience. Pixel Buds are now shipping with the original functionality in tow, but one “helpful experience” that could be coming are “attention alerts.
The last major redesign of Google Lens introduced Dining and Translate filters, while Text (OCR), Shopping, and Auto became explicit modes. The visual search tool could soon pick up the ability to solve math problems.
Gmail on the desktop web today is home to more than just email. It’s long had text chat and video calling, while the last major redesign added Tasks integration. Google now looks to be bringing Chat, Meet, and Tasks functionality directly to Gmail for Android.
Last month, we exclusively revealed Google’s plans for a new Chromecast Ultra based on Android TV. The latest Google Home app is now showing signs of picking up a set-up process for televisions.
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Coinciding with the launch of Stadia’s free tier yesterday, version 2.13 of the Google Stadia app arrived on Android. Digging through the update, we’ve found that Google has begun working on the ability to play Stadia games with touch controls on your phone, as well as initial Android TV support.
The new Google Assistant launched with the Pixel 4 last October and has expanded to more users since then. A look into Google app 11.3 reveals work on “Assistant Shortcuts” to let you create voice macros for supported apps.
Google app 11.3 is rolling out to the beta channel this afternoon and reveals work on two upcoming capabilities. Google Lens looks to be getting offline visual translations, while Assistant is getting some sort of photo suggestions feature.
Google’s streaming service in recent weeks has seen big additions from the long-awaited cloud library to a redesigned Now Playing screen. YouTube Music 3.57 today reveals work on collaborative playlists, as well as “Tap to play.”
Over the past several betas, the Google app has been working on a revamp of Assistant settings. This much-needed redesign comes amid a growing list of features and third-party integrations. Our latest look at the preferences reveals something quite similar to Android’s system settings.
Google has recently begun making progress toward bringing reactions to RCS, or at least their version of RCS in the Google Messages app. In the latest salvo in the petty war of blue bubble vs green bubble, Google Messages is getting ready to send some very iMessage-like reaction text messages, such as “Liked a photo.”
Late last year, Google decided to take a new approach with updates to their Google Pixel phones. In addition to the monthly security updates, every three months Pixel phones will get a larger “feature drop,” with the first drop bringing helpful features like automatic call screening. Pixel Tips got an update today, which lays outs the new features coming in the March 2020 feature drop, including dark mode scheduling and the long-anticipated “Cards & Passes.”
Google Stadia received an update today, bringing it to version 2.7, and introducing a few minor tweaks to the UI. Below the surface though, we find that Google is preparing to launch Stadia Base with a Stadia Pro free trial, as well as YouTube live streaming and more.
Google’s flagship Pixel 3 and Pixel 4 phones both have extra features exclusively used when docked on the official Google Pixel Stand wireless charger. Google is preparing to launch another such feature for the Pixel Stand in version 1.4.0 of the companion app, bringing convenient smart home controls via the Google Home app.
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