For last week’s Gemini launch, Google focused on the smartphone form factor. It left Assistant in place on Smart Displays, speakers, TVs, cars, and Wear OS, though the “Gemini mobile app is coming to headphones.” 

Following the wide rollout of Photomoji a few weeks ago, Google Messages is readying a small change wherein you double tap to react. 

We spotted two weeks ago that Google might rebrand “Assistant with Bard” to just “Bard.” The company might not have decided on a new Assistant with Bard name yet as the latest version of the Google app introduces “Gemini” as a candidate.

Instead of having to manually initiate voice typing every time, Gboard is working on a more “seamless” option on Android.

Bard is coming to Google Messages to “help you write messages, translate languages, identify images, and explore interests.”

During the Pixel 8 event, “Assistant with Bard” was announced for 2024. Before it launches on Android, Google might be dropping the “Assistant” moniker and rebrand to just “Bard.”

In 2022, Google announced it was killing the Assistant Driving Mode that provided a “Dashboard” homescreen. This left another optimized UI in Google Maps for Android, which was also called “Driving Mode,” but that’s now also facing deprecation in February 2024. 

Google is working on having “Assistant summarize your busy conversations” and messages when you’re using Android Auto. 

The thermometer on the Pixel 8 Pro only works to “measure the surface temperature of everyday objects,” but Google did submit an FDA application to take body readings. As we wait for that, the Fitbit app is working on Pixel 8 Pro thermometer integration.

After introducing a Finance Watchlist for your homescreen earlier this year, the Google app on Android is getting ready to add a Sports widget. 

In addition to getting seven new features yesterday, “Messages by Google” was quietly renamed to “Google Messages.”

One of the big new features Google is preparing for the Pixel 8 Pro is “Video Boost,” which promises to greatly improve video quality through post-processing on Google’s servers. While there’s no firm release date for that just yet, the Google Photos app is setting the foundation.

After initially testing in 2021, the Google app is again exploring a bottom Search bar on Android. Meanwhile, the in-app settings page has been reorganized.

With the addition of Magic Compose, we noted how the Google Messages text field was getting too cluttered, but a redesign is now on the way, while each contact’s profile page is also getting overhauled.  

For the past several months, Google Messages has been working on a Profiles feature, and we now have a better idea of what it’s for.

A new feature coming soon to the Google Pixel Watch app will save you some time and effort when charging the watch by notifying you when the battery is full.

Google is adding a new built-in tool to Gboard for Android that lets you “Scan Text” using optical character recognition (OCR).

The latest example of generative AI inside Google apps is a “Magic Lists” feature for Keep that’s meant to be a “creative note-taking aid.”

Google is currently rolling out a new update to Android Auto with version 10.7, but it only hints at a future where you’ll be able to have your car match your phone’s wallpaper.

Gmail for Android and iOS is changing how you initiate Duet AI’s “Help me write” capability, while Google might be expanding it with “voice compose” in the future.

With the Pixel Tablet now a few months old, Google might soon add two features that debuted on the Nest Hub Max: Look and Talk and Quick Gestures.

Following the announcement of Assistant with Bard last week, development in the Google app is ramping up. In addition to Pixel 8 users, Google is getting ready to bring Assistant with Bard to Tensor-powered Pixel devices, as well as Samsung’s Galaxy S23 and S24.

Google announced at the start of this month that Nest Aware is getting a price increase. The Google Home app now reveals that an “All-in-one subscription from Google” could be in the works.

Google Messages on the Pixel Tablet is unacceptable for relying on QR code sign-in and a web app, but the company might be working on a Google Account-based pairing alternative.