For years, Google’s “Weather” applet on Android has used a fairly straightforward design with elements from the original 2014 Material Design. Now, Google Weather is in the process of being updated to be more in line with the Google Material Theme.
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With Android 12, the Google Assistant gained the ability to be invoked by long-pressing the power button, which normally opens Android’s power menu. In turn, the Google Assistant is gaining the ability to power your phone off with your voice.
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After the Now Playing screen got updated earlier this year, the rest of the Google Podcasts is getting a revamp. The changes aren’t major, but there are a number of great usability upgrades for longtime users.
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Earlier this month, our colleagues at 9to5Mac reported that Apple Music would be gaining “HiFi” streaming options, possibly with iOS 14.6. Today, we find that the Apple Music app for Android is also working toward lossless audio streaming.
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Stadia for Android is preparing a new “bridge mode” to use your phone and connected accessories as a controller to play games on your TV.
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Google’s Android Auto just picked up another update, and this time around, it seems to be addressing a longstanding issue. Android Auto is about to added support for Android’s Work Profiles feature.
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Google next month will stop providing unlimited free backup in Photos. Although existing Pixel phones are exempted, future devices — as of today — will miss out on a great perk that helps emphasize the camera. An update to Google Photos today reveals apparent work on a new “Storage saver” tier that will be “free and unlimited” for Pixel.
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At the end of last year, Google One added a VPN on higher-tier plans to help build out the subscription offering. Still only available on Android, the Google One app is working on the ability to “block internet if VPN disconnects.”
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The latest update to the Stadia app for Android, version 3.12, includes references to new referral bonuses, an exclusive avatar, and continued work on Google TV support.
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The latest update to the Google Pixel Buds app hints that the upcoming Pixel Buds A may ditch the series signature swiping gesture for adjusting volume.
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Google’s Android Auto has become an important tool for many users and, soon, it may introduce a new “Connectivity Troubleshooter” which could make it easier to figure out problems with your connection.
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Google is set to kill “decommission” their Material Gallery app on Android, pushing designers to the web app.
Version 2.35 of the Google Home app is rolling out on Android and iOS with some user-facing tweaks. The Home companion client today also reveals the backside of a new Google Nest device, which could be a next-generation Hello doorbell.
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The latest update to the Stadia app for Android readies a brand new way to play games from your touchscreen, the ability to makes notes about friends, and the long-awaited Android TV app.
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The very first iteration of Assistant for phones was focused on voice commands until Google in 2018 added Smart Display-inspired visual elements like on-screen controls. Last year, a Snapshot feed to show personalized recommendations and upcoming events was added. Overall, Google wants Assistant to be better suited for and take advantage of the phone form factor, and an upcoming “Memory” feature — which we enabled — is the most significant example of that goal to date.
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Since the start of this year, Google has been working on a revamped Now Playing screen for its Podcasts app on Android. Based on what we enabled, that modernization is to make way for more advanced recommendations.
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Over the weekend, Google rolled out an update to their Pixel series’ Camera app, and in it our team has discovered some interesting tidbits about the likely Pixel 6 and Pixel 5a, particularly about the front-facing cameras used on the two phones.
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One of the strangest features to be missing from Stadia for Android is the ability to join voice chat. Stadia app version 3.5 moves another big step closer to party chat on Android, while Project Hailstorm dissipates.
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The Google TV app for Android has received an update that includes the beginnings of a universal remote to connect to Android TV devices, which could replace the long-outdated Android TV Remote Control app.
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Since the launch of the Pixel 3, the Pixel Stand has been Google’s signature wireless charger with exclusive features not offered for other wireless chargers. Now it seems the Pixel Stand app has added a new bedtime reminder with a shortcut to sleep sounds.
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Following a small tweak to the notification experience last week, Google’s next feature for Wear OS looks to be a Screen Recording tool. Similar in implementation to screenshots, evidence of this functionality appears in an update to the Wear OS Android companion app today.
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Paying for YouTube across the main service and Music lets you download content for offline access. YouTube TV will soon let you download media for offline access.
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Last week, Google confirmed that Android TV’s home screen would be getting a redesign to bring it in line with the recently launched Google TV experience. This week, the Android TV Home app is receiving an update from version 2.3 to version 3.0, and while simply installing the update doesn’t bring the redesign, it’s clear that the preparations have been made.
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For over two years now, we’ve known that Google was planning to kill off their classic Hangouts app in favor of opening Google Chat to those without Google Workspace. With the migration set to take place in the first half of 2021, Google Chat is preparing a beta test to open the app for Hangouts users to preview.
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