In addition to new auto-delete defaults, Google is making it easier to control key privacy settings. Google Account controls will be directly available in Search, while Incognito Mode is becoming more ubiquitous.
A bug with the latest Google app beta today sees the Discover feed available to the left of Android homescreens consistently crash. This issue affects both Google and non-Pixel devices.
After several years of evolution, Google Discover has firmly settled into a feed of news and articles that are tailored to your interests. Cards for sports and weather still exists, with the latter on Android seeing a redesign today in the form of a bubble.
Since February, we’ve been tracking a redesign of Google Assistant settings on Android that greatly simplifies how to manage the sprawling, cross-device service. It’s now in testing for some users on the latest Google app beta.
Google has been rolling out dark mode to its various apps for over a year at this point, but the Google app’s dark mode never fully stuck on Android or iOS. Today, Google has confirmed that rollout is finally happening for all users.
Discover provides a feed of personalized articles that are usually relevant to your interests. A sign-in error where no stories load is plaguing Google Discover on Android today.
On Android, Google’s visual search tool can primarily be accessed from the homescreen or through Assistant. Google Lens is now testing a shortcut in Image Search.
The latest Google app beta (version 11.9) rolled out yesterday evening and includes work on a new “Bell Schedule” feature. Due to a bug, some users have lost the Google Search and Assistant dark themes with this update.
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.
The last major redesign of Google Lens introduced Dining and Translate filters, while Text (OCR), Shopping, and Auto became explicit modes. The visual search tool could soon pick up the ability to solve math problems.
When some Android apps need to open a web page, sometimes they will use a what’s called a Chrome Custom Tab to display the page in a themed tab provided by your phone’s default browser. As of the latest beta update, the Google app is moving away from this style of browser to include an in-app browser of its own.
From a homescreen widget to Assistant integration, the Google app is how the company wants you to access Search on Android. Yet, it’s always lacked one key feature compared to the mobile experience. The Google app beta yesterday finally added “Search Tools” and filters on Android.
Google Assistant’s predecessor was generically known as “voice search” and activated with the “Ok Google” hotword. Despite being several years old, the capability still exists today in the Google app on Android. However, the most recent beta removes that old voice search UI.
The new Google Assistant launched with the Pixel 4 last October and has expanded to more users since then. A look into Google app 11.3 reveals work on “Assistant Shortcuts” to let you create voice macros for supported apps.
Back in February, the Google app beta started testing a Lab that brings Doodles to the homescreen of non-Pixel devices. In a sign that this delightful customization is exiting preview soon for all Android phones, there is now a “Show Doodles on search widget” setting.
Google app 11.3 is rolling out to the beta channel this afternoon and reveals work on two upcoming capabilities. Google Lens looks to be getting offline visual translations, while Assistant is getting some sort of photo suggestions feature.
At this point, the Google app’s dark mode is pretty widely available on Android. A specific — albeit wide-ranging — bug today in Google’s beta version sees image results get color inverted.
Google today lets you control Discover by hiding stories and publications, as well as specifying interests. Users can now “Report content” that appears in Google Discover with a number of available reasons.
Over the past several betas, the Google app has been working on a revamp of Assistant settings. This much-needed redesign comes amid a growing list of features and third-party integrations. Our latest look at the preferences reveals something quite similar to Android’s system settings.
Holi is the ancient Hindu “festival of color” that marks the end of winter and start of spring. This year, Google is marking the occasion with a delightful easter egg that lets you throw color at Search results.
Even without direct interaction, Assistant does a lot in the background through alerts. Google is now looking to give users a better way to manage Assistant through unified notification settings for phones.
The latest beta version of the Google app rolled out this evening with continued development on a handful of features that we’ve been tracking. Google app 10.95 provides our first look at Hey Google sensitivity and a unified Assistant settings list. There are also tweaks to the dark theme.
The Google app for Android does a lot more than search the web. It can also deliver useful notifications at a glance and, recently, Google has started rolling out an upgrade for stock notifications through its Android app.
Late last year, we enabled the early stages of a Google Podcasts revamp that includes a bottom bar and built-in queue. A month later with Google app 10.94, it’s been iterated on further with more functionality revealing just what is different.
