Google Account

Announced at I/O 2019 amid a slew of other privacy commitments, Google Nest is starting the Nest to Google Account migration. An update to the Nest for Android and iOS clients today let you transition, with security and seamless integrations touted as advantages.

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To take full advantage of Google services, Web & App Activity and Location History often have to be enabled on an account and device. At the same time, the company has been working to give end users more control over their privacy, and today is introducing an auto-delete feature.

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The best way to protect online accounts is with a security key that ensures you’re the one signing in. However, enterprise users still have legacy systems like Internet Explorer or remote desktops that don’t support the new log-in method. Google now has security codes created using security keys for those scenarios.

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Given how much of people’s lives are now online, security is of paramount importance. New research from Google this week shows how even adding a recovery phone number to your Account can do a great deal to prevent hijackings.

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At I/O 2019, Google announced that moving forward its smart home products would be branded under “Nest.” The Home Hub became the Nest Hub, while the first product from this initiative is the Nest Hub Max. Meanwhile, Google confirmed that Home speakers will get Nest branding in the future, while Nest Accounts will be migrated to Google Accounts to address recent security issues.

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For the past several months, Nest has been plagued with stories about its cameras getting “hacked.” The underlying issue is bad password management and reuse, with Google encouraging 2FA and actively reseting compromised passwords. A new report today reveals that Nest accounts could eventually use Google log-ins.

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Last week at Cloud Next 2019, Google announced that all Android 7.0+ devices can serve as security keys. However, the reality is that most people do not use 2FA, and other methods are susceptible to man-in-the-middle attacks. Google is now working to counter MITM attacks by blocking sign-ins from embedded browser frameworks.

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Safer Internet Day is officially today, but Google is spending the entire week discussing security and launching new features. The first is a Password Checkup Chrome extension that will advise users to reset credentials breached on third-party sites, while Cross Account Protection extends first-party tools to re-secure breached Google Sign In apps.

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One of the first places that the Google Material Theme widely rolled out to was the Google Account settings on Android. A similar revamp is now available on the web, with the new design sharing many similarities to mobile, but better optimized to take advantage of the bigger screen real estate.

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October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month and Google is announcing a slew of new features related to the sign-in process and account usage. New Google Account security protections include requiring JavaScript to be enabled when logging in and removing harmful apps during Security Checkup with Play Protect.

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Online privacy has been a big focus for many tech companies this year, and Google is no exception. We’ve been tracking a redesign of the “Google Account” page for a while now, and today, Google is officially announcing that change.

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Prior to I/O 2018, we enabled a redesigned look for Google Account settings on Android. Today, this Google Material Theme revamp for Google Account settings is widely rolling out. In addition to offering a new visual design, it is better at presenting key information.

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To allay privacy concerns about its ad-centric business model, Google since 2009 has maintained a centralized dashboard to control ads, with later tools allowing for muting and seeing why a specific ad was displayed. The latest change today redesigns Ad Settings with a focus on making it easier for users to understand and control.

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Even before I/O 2018, Google’s latest iteration of Material Design began rolling out to various apps like Gmail and Google Tasks. Following the unveiling of Material Theming, more apps adopted it with many more updates expected. Today, the latest service to feature it is the Google sign-in page.

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Google Assistant speakers — and upcoming smart displays — have wide access to your personal information from calendar appointments to shopping lists and can even make payments. Given this increased functionality, Google is now listing Home in the device section of My Account settings.

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In light of high-profile hacks of political figures, especially during the 2016 US Presidential election, Google is working on new security tools. Aimed as a service for politicians and executives, it will replace two-factor authentication (2FA) and enforce other security policies.

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