Google

In a blog post today, Google is announcing several new online tools and changes to its various products that are designed to protect kids under the age of 18. These changes encompass Search, YouTube Kids, and much more.

Google is currently in the midst of defending itself against a US lawsuit that takes issue with the Play Store requirement to use Google’s in-app billing, which takes a cut of revenue. Recently unsealed court documents have surfaced interesting details regarding Google and Epic Games, including that Google once called sideloading on Android an “awful experience.”

Sundar Pichai kicked off yesterday’s Alphabet Q2 2021 earnings call by encouraging “everyone to get the vaccine when it’s available to you.” In an internal memo today, the Google CEO announced that vaccinations will be required for employees working at offices.

Alphabet today announced Q2 2021 earnings with $61.88 billion in revenue. These numbers range from April to June, and reflect an increasing return to normal in some industries.

Sundar Pichai has historically maintained a low public profile, especially as of late, compared to other tech CEOs. A fascinating interview with the Alphabet/Google CEO by the BBC aired in the UK last week and reveals more than recent talks. 

In the US, Google is already subject to advertising and Search complaints. Several US states are now targeting the Google Play Store in a new antitrust lawsuit.

There are countless Easter eggs hidden throughout Google products, whether they’re online or in various apps. Recently, a new one was discovered within the Google app on iOS that lets you play a pinball/brick breaker game.

As part of an ongoing partnership, Google and Indian carrier Jio have announced the JioPhone Next. The device may be one of the most affordable Android smartphones ever produced.

Yesterday, Apple showed off an extensive suite of new software features for iOS, macOS, watchOS, iPadOS, and more. Here’s a rundown of everything Apple showed at WWDC 2021 that was already possible with Google’s apps on Android and Chrome OS.

It’s fairly well known that Google captures your location data almost constantly and, often, can directly pinpoint your location on both Android and iOS smartphones. According to some uncovered documents, Google once purposefully made it more difficult for Android users to stop this data gathering.

At the end of 2019, Google Duo and WebRTC creator Justin Uberti became a high-ranking engineer for Stadia. The Google Distinguished Engineer announced today that he was joining Clubhouse, the audio social media app.

Google and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) in the UK have launched a new Career Certificates initiative to help citizens grow their digital skills.

At I/O 2021 on Tuesday, Google spent part of the keynote talking about privacy and security. It’s following that up with a prominent “We protect your privacy” message in Gmail and Google Photos.

Last year, Google pledged to use carbon-free energy 24/7 by 2030 as its “biggest sustainability moonshot yet.” To meet that goal, Google said it would leverage new technologies and at I/O 2021 announced a “next-generation geothermal project.”

Google Assistant is pretty much the name of the game when it comes to understanding natural language, and if Google’s latest breakthrough is any indication, the future is even brighter, thanks to “LaMDA.”

Well, we missed out on Google I/O 2020, but now it’s finally time for Google I/O 2021. While not in person, the annual developer festival in Mountain View, California has returned. The Google I/O 2021 Keynote kicks off at 10am PT/1pm ET, so read on for quick links to our roundup coverage over the last few weeks, some hot takes, and all the latest news about Assistant, Android 12, and ‘Material NEXT’, among many other things.