APK Insight

Google is working to upgrade Watch Unlock to use ultra-wideband (UWB) connectivity, potentially hinting at Pixel Watch 3 functionality.

According to a recent Google Home app update, another new Chromecast with Google TV device appears to be in the works.

Last year, Google Contacts introduced new Material You widgets and is now planning to let you “See messages on your widget.” 

Back in October, we saw the Home app tease an “All-in-one subscription from Google” that included Nest Aware and Google One. New strings today provide more details about this upcoming addition.

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. 

Ahead of this year’s expected arrival of Wear OS 5, Google is finally preparing to launch Material You color theming alongside a hint at a redesign for the app launcher.

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.

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.”

Physical SIM cards from cell carriers are on their way out, being replaced by digital eSIMs, as led by the iPhone 15 series altogether removing the SIM card slot for US models. To help encourage the move to eSIM, Google is preparing a built-in eSIM conversion tool for Pixel phones.

It’s barely 2024, and Google is already planning to wind down another feature this year. The latest Files by Google update includes evidence of the “Important” tab shutting down in the near future.

While Google has yet to announce a firm launch date for its AI-enhanced Assistant with Bard, the Google app has been updated with some new designs, including our best look yet at its popup window and an interesting tab switcher. The company is also tweaking its recently launched stocks and finance widget.

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. 

Following similar moves by Google Chrome and Calendar, Android Auto is set to stop functioning on older devices in the near future.

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. 

Google’s Keep Notes app for Android is preparing to launch a new AI feature that makes it easy to generate a list, whether you’re deciding what to pack for a trip, preparing to go grocery shopping, or planning the steps to complete a task.

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.