At Made by Google 2018, the Google Home companion app for Android and iOS was revamped with the Google Material Theme and a focus on controlling all your Assistant smart home devices. Google Home 2.8 continues work on that with a new Routines shortcut to manually invoke macros, and more options for devices.
Many of Google’s communications apps were updated over the past week amid news about the company’s future offerings. Google Voice 2018.50 is now rolling out and reveals work on the Google Material Theme, as well as other tweaks to the bottom bar notification indicator and other changes to account for the recent Google Fi rebrand.
Following an update to Messages yesterday amid the past week’s discussion about the company’s communications future, Google Phone 27 is rolling out. The latest beta of the dialer coincides with the “Favorites” tab redesign rolling out, along with Call Screen for the original Pixel.
The latest Google app beta is rolling out with more details about Assistant’s personalized audio news feed that was announced this week. Google app 8.70 also includes a new Pixel Stand option to disable personalized results on the Ambient Display, as well as other design tweaks.
This week, Google reiterated that Messages with RCS is its primary communication service for consumers. Messages 3.9 is rolling out today with work on spam protection and more types of file sharing, including calendar and documents.
Google this week clarified its future messaging plans following our twin reports about classic Hangouts and Allo. After development on the latter was paused in April, the company on Wednesday announced that it would be sunset next year. Ahead of that, Google today released what is likely one of the last updates for the smart messaging app to help users export chats.
The latest version of the Google app is rolling out this evening with a number of small tweaks and features. Google app 8.65 details more about Podcasts episode search, Google Image Search filters, and more.
YouTube Music 2.61 is beginning to roll out on Android with follow-up about the upcoming features revealed during the last update. This version better details the autoplay functionality, listening to on-device songs, and more.
The latest version of Google Photos is rolling out today with a focus on making the backup feature more attractive for users in data-constrained environments. Google Photos 4.6 details work on an “Express” upload quality, as well as daily limits on data usage. Other features include more Suggested Actions, like those from Google Lens.
One of the biggest touted use cases for augmented reality is shopping and commerce. With a sense of depth and scale, buyers can virtually place objects in their living space before purchasing. Google is now working on a feature called “AR Shopping,” according to Google Lens 1.3.
The latest beta version of the Google app rolled out over the weekend with a number of small features in the works. Google app 8.59 notes wider availability for Continued Conversation and is testing an interesting new feature for the homescreen Search widget.
With the previous Google Duo release now widely available with features like expanded Chromebook support, the latest version is rolling out today. Google Duo 44 better details the “New Data Saving mode” and clip messaging feature we previously uncovered, as well as a new “Low Light mode.”
With the launch of YouTube Music earlier this year, Google detailed how the company’s latest streaming service would get Play Music’s major features before a tentative 2019 migration. Work on that appears to be underway with YouTube Music 2.59 released today.
The latest version of the Google app beta is rolling out this evening and we have managed to enable a handful of notable features. Google app 8.55 reveals work on letting users leave comments on certain results from Google Search, as well as details about sharing Collections.
As promised in August, the Google Phone dark theme is now rolling out with the latest beta update. Google Phone 26 follows Google Contacts earlier this week and the company’s advice to developers that dark themes help conserve battery life.
In recent months, Google’s default Messages app has received a number of major updates including the Google Material Theme with dark mode, and advanced search filters. Now, Messages 3.8 is rolling out today with a revamped camera and gallery interface.
One of the biggest rounds of applause at Made by Google 2018 was for Night Sight on the Pixel 3. The feature is rolling out starting today with a handful of options in Google Camera 6.1.021, which also reveals continued work on a Time Lapse mode.
Announced at I/O 2018 for Android, Digital Wellbeing is an important pillar for Google moving forward. Now an industry-wide trend, it was discussed at the 10/9 Made by Google event and is now also available on Google Home and YouTube. These features for monitoring and limiting app usage exist in beta with Digital Wellbeing 1.0, though Google has not yet announced or opened up public availability.
Smart Displays allow Assistant to provide visual feedback, but the clear benefit of the screen is as a digital picture frame for Google Photos. An update to the Google Home companion app today preps a “Minimum brightness” setting for the Home Hub, while there are a handful of minor Material Theme tweaks.
In another version jump, the latest Google app beta is rolling out this afternoon. Google app 8.49 details work on linking compatible cars with Google Assistant and the ability to share Collections. Other features in-development include auto-downloading in Google Podcasts and a Google Lens history.
Alongside the Pixel 3 and Home Hub, Google Photos added support for “Live Albums” that automatically update with new images. Google Photos 4.5 is now rolling out with a focus on backing up pictures to the cloud, including the possible return of a long requested feature.
While today’s Google app beta is not as jam-packed with major discoveries as last week’s, there are a number of tweaks and other changes in-progress. Google app 8.44 details some refinements for upcoming functionality like setting a default notes/lists provider, Assistant recommendations, and more.
The latest beta version of the Google app is rolling out this evening with a number of new features. Google app 8.39 reveals a possible upcoming deprecation of “Unlock with Voice Match,” a Material Theme for the “More” tab, and “kitt” — Assistant for cars.
