Assumably knowing that a common way people use Google Drive is by downloading a file, editing it locally, and then re-uploading, Google has today announced a subtle but useful change to how duplicate files are handled. Files with the same name will now automatically be merged, with the older copy still viewable in revision history…
Following a slight redesign of the Google Drive website last week, the Android client is getting a number of small updates like homescreen shortcuts and the ability to upgrade your storage plan through the app. Additionally, version 2.4.311 will be the last update for devices running Ice Cream Sandwich.
Using a login party like Google, Twitter, or Facebook is much more convenient than remembering a username and password for individual services. To improve security for this type of sign-in, Google is deprecating third-party app logins from web-views in favor of the native browser.
The Drive web app has received a slight revamp this morning that brings it in line with the Material Design of current Google sites. Additionally, Drive on the web is getting better downloads support, especially for large files and Google Forms.
Google has made huge inroads into the education market thanks to Chromebooks and Apps with features specifically aimed at schools. In time for the new year, Google Classroom is getting a bunch of new features, like annotations and email summaries for parents. Additionally, Expeditions has more virtual field trips and Forms finally supports adding images.
Launched in 2014 and frequently updated with new features, Inbox by Gmail is Google’s smarter take on email. As of last year, all personal Google Accounts gained access to the app. Starting today, Inbox is now available by default for Education and Non-profit domains.
Back in 2014, Google introduced add-ons to Docs and Sheets that allowed third-party apps to build extra functionality into Drive. Add-ons are now coming to Google Drive on Android with several apps, like DocuSign and Scanbot, already updated with the new seamless integration. All third-party developers will likely be able to build their own integrations in the future.
While Google Maps has had several UI changes on the web and mobile over the past few years, the actual map layer has remained the same. Starting today, however, Google is making a few visual changes and additions to Maps on desktop, Android, and iOS that will help with navigation.
Last year, Google introduced an Arts & Culture app to showcase its collection of digitized art and other projects. The Google Cultural Institute is releasing an updated version of the app that is more feature-rich with a Google Cardboard VR component and a new Art Recognizer tool in select museums.
Update: GV has reached out to inform us that Miner is starting a new project — not company — inside Google.
After founding Android with Andy Rubin, Rich Miner joined and has been at Google’s venture capital arm as a general partner. Now, he is reportedly planning to return to Google proper and launch (via Fortune) an education-focused company. Clearly, the project reflects Google’s increased interest in making products for the education market…
Building on a new text selection and search feature introduced last month, an update to Now on Tap adds the ability to translate foreign languages found in any app. On Tap can now also read QR and bar codes, as well as suggest interesting articles and videos as part of a new Discover feature.
Update: It looks like service is being restored for some.
We’ve received a slew of reports this morning that Google Calendar — an app that is completely invaluable to the daily lives of many — is currently experiencing some extended (but, thankfully rare) downtime. Google has confirmed on its Google Apps status dashboard that many users of Google Calendar are seeing a “Server Error” page.
Problems were initially recognized at around 8:47 AM CT, and seem to be continuing almost as hour later with Google “continuing to investigate this issue” as of 9:35 AM. Additionally, we’ve spotted scattered reports of Hangouts being down for some, although the Google Apps dashboard is not showing any issues as of the time of this writing.
We’ll update this article when the service is back up.
One of the key features that Google Maps on Android lacks is the ability to add multiple destinations when plotting directions. Many users (via Android Police) are reporting that the feature is now rolling out server-side as part of version 9.31 of Maps.
In this week’s top stories: Specs for the rumored HTC ‘Sailfish’ Nexus device leak, more on the OnePlus 3, Google’s new Prompt two-factor feature, we review Sony’s Xperia X, and much more.
In case you didn’t hear, Google is planning to launch a couple of new messaging apps in the “summer”: Allo and Duo. The former is a familiar messaging app that builds in support for some of Google’s machine learning and AI technologies (and some more quirky new features), and the latter is a super-simple one-to-one video calling app that boasts speed and encryption.
Now, with the apps’ launches coming just around the corner (“this summer”, Google says), Google has given both a new updated icon…
Google Photos is arguably one of the best photo services available today, however one feature it’s been missing since launch is the ability to play a slideshow. Whether you missed it or not, the feature is now finally here.
In April, Google Calendar for Work and Education received the ability to “find a time” when your coworkers are free for a meeting. Now an update to the Android app adds a similar “when you’re free” feature to all personal Google accounts when scheduling an event.
Over the past few months, Google has rolled out several new features powered by machine learning. Announced at an enterprise event today, Google Springboard allows users to search through Google Apps and acts as a day-to-day work assistant, providing “useful and actionable information and recommendations.” The company also announced a major revamp to Google Sites.
If you — like me — have enabled auto-upload to Google Photos on pretty much all of your devices, you’ve surely noticed that some photos just don’t arrive on the site with the correct orientation sometimes. The Google Photos editor — which also has filters, brightness control, etc. — is an easy fix for this (it only take a few clicks), but now Google has made rotating photos in the app even easier with a quick keyboard shortcut that you can use when viewing any photo…
Despite being announced over a year ago, the revamped Google Contacts web app remains in preview and is still lacking some legacy features. A new feature rolling out today, however, will list verified business information from Google Maps directly in a contact.
Starting today, the Google bar found on the company’s various web apps will no longer display a user’s first name. This minor visual tweak makes the sites look cleaner and will rollout to both regular and enterprise accounts.
Some people heavily rely on Evernote to take notes and keep track of tasks. With a new Google Drive integration, Evernote users will be able to add Docs, Slides, and Sheets into notes and quickly search for files stored in their Drive.
Launched at the end of last year, Shared Albums in Google Photos will now let people comment on pictures. As part of the Android and iOS update, a new smart suggestions feature will also recommend the right photos to add to a Shared Album.
Google Translate is getting a bevy of new features today that will make translating on mobile easier. Android gets a new feature that will get rid of the need to manually copy and paste into the Translate app, while iOS finally gets an offline mode. Additionally, the Word Lens instant visual translation feature now works on both Simplified and Traditional Chinese.
