One of the awkward things about Google Stadia since launch is that the web, Chromecast, and Android versions don’t all support the same features. Among other work found in Stadia version 2.26, Google is working on one feature missing from Stadia for Android — voice chat support.
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For those on the Android 11 Beta, the latest Gboard 9.6 beta on Tuesday started surfacing the new Emoji 13.0 characters. This release also reveals a new dark theme that can be automatically set, as well as Google Lens integration.
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While there was no I/O this year, Google still launched a number of new features for its visual search tool in May. Google is now working on a Lens redesign for Android that adds several new capabilities.
Earthquake early warning systems (EEW) can quickly detect tremors and provide a warning before shaking arrives. ShakeAlert is the system funded by the United States Geological Survey and other partners for the West Coast. Google now looks to be building earthquake alerts from that system into Android as part of Play Services.
One of the strictest limitations of Google Stadia is that you can currently only play while on a Wi-Fi connection. According to the latest version of Stadia for Android, Google is preparing to allow players to experiment with playing on a 4G mobile data connection.
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While Drive for Android gained a dark theme last April, Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides have been notable holdouts. Night-friendly modes for these apps are coming and will likely also apply to the document view.
One of the better things about the old Android Auto, before it got redesigned, was its Google Feed-like home screen that offered useful things like your upcoming Google Calendar events. The latest version of Android Auto points to your car regaining its Google Calendar smarts, including navigation shortcuts.
For a few years now, the Google Assistant has been integrated into Android TV, with most newer remotes offering a dedicated Assistant button and some devices offering “Hey Google” support. Now it looks like Android TV is picking up Voice Match integration with the Google Assistant, according to the latest update to the Google Search app for Android TV.
In 2018, Google Duo for Android briefly had a screen sharing feature that was quietly removed after three months. The mobile app is today working on that functionality again.
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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.
Our APK Insight team has discovered that the latest update to the Bose Connect app includes references to a currently unannounced headset, the “QC35 II Gaming Headset,” including a video.
Last week, Google started migrating G Suite users away from classic Hangouts to Google Chat with the legacy service shutting down in “late 2020” for enterprise. The latest version of Google Voice for Android today provides some insight into the transition for regular users.
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.
While some areas are beginning to re-open, COVID-19 continues to be a major concern around the world today. One of the best ways to fight the spread of diseases of all kinds is to wash your hands frequently and thoroughly. With the latest update to Wear OS, it appears Google is preparing a new tile with a timer to help you wash your hands thoroughly.
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.
Today, the folks at APKMirror got ahold of an internal “dogfood” build of Google Messages version 6.2. Here, “dogfood” is used in the sense of the phrase “eat your own dog food,” meaning actually use the product you’re building. Of course, our APK Insight team immediately dug in to see what all is coming with the next version of Google Messages. While we’re still actively looking through the many changes found within, one in particular stood out — end-to-end encryption for RCS messages.
Update 5/26: We now have a screenshot of one of the end-to-end encryption settings pages in action.
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.
Those of us with Android phones can connect the Google Messages app to “Messages for web” as a way to manage SMS and RCS from a browser. Google is getting ready to take things a step further for Google Fi customers by bringing calls and voicemails to the same Messages web app.
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.
