Tag: Google I/O 2022

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Android 13 public beta is live now with lots of new features

After months of betas, Google finally dropped the full version of Android 13 for Pixel devices.

The update is rolling out today and includes tons of subtle new features like a new Now Playing notification, better-theming options, Google Wallet and more.

This year’s update is less focused on reimagining Android and instead seems like it’s full of refinements that will ideally make Android 13 a little more user-friendly than Android 12, at least visually. Behind the scenes, some changes hopefully set the stage for significant Android updates to come.

Beta rolling out today!

Google mentioned that the beta is rolling out today. Usually, at past I/O events, it rolls out the beta for Pixel phones and then supported devices from other manufacturers will also start rolling out a little more sporadically.

On stage, Google showed off that OnePlus, Nokia, Oppo, Lenovo, Asus, ZTE and more will all be getting the beta updates.

Pushing RCS Chat

Onstage at Google I/O, the company made a big show about going that all manufacturers would switch over to RCS chat to help provide users with encrypted private chats, unlike traditional SMS messages.

Google has been pushing RCS for years as the Android alternative to Android, but I’m not sure if this latest bit of showmanship will make a difference. Hopefully, it can, though, as Android and RCS chats get even closer to Chromebooks. We’ve been waiting for Android and Chrome OS to get closer for years, and this year, that is finally happening.

New Now playing notification

One of the more visual flairs to be stuck in Android 13 is a new Now Playing interface on your lock screen and in the notification shade. It looks really nice and uses the album art in the card which seems pretty unique.

Google has also added a more squiggly line to this system which looks incredible. It was a bit weird that Google showed off this squiggle so much around the release of Android 12 and then never really used it in the OS; therefore, I’m excited that it’s finally here.

Better Smart home control

An update is coming to the smart home control toggles, so now users no longer need to unlock their phone to use the shortcuts that appear on your lock screen when you hold down the power button.

This is pretty sweet, but it’s not on by default, so you need to enable it within your phone’s settings.

Google Wallet

The new Google Wallet is vastly improved over the old version and at a baseline, it functions more like the Apple Wallet. This means you can store boarding passes, car keys, vaccine cards and more.

Google is even loading up Google wallet with the ability to take driver’s licenses, but that likely will need government approval where ever you are.

According to Google, the new Google Wallet app is rolling out to Android and Wear OS devices in the coming weeks.

Better foldable device and tablet integrations

Now on foldable devices, the notification shade is more significant to take advantage of the larger interior screen on foldable.

There’s also a new consistent menu bar that stays along the bottom of the screen like the Chrome OS taskbar. It’s pretty cool and seems very handy.

To continue down this path google has updated 20 of its apps to be optimized for larger screens. This includes Maps, YouTube Music and Messages. Even some third-party apps like Tiktok and FaceBook are revamping their apps for tablet-sized Android devices.

Better theme controls

One of the most exciting updates in Android 12 (at least on Pixels) was the new device theme options. However, some users found that the colour palette that Google offered them was a little lacklustre.

That all changes in Android 13 now that Google presents users with 16 colour combos instead of just four.

Another pain point in Google’s heavy-handed customization efforts last year was that third-party apps don’t play nice with the new universal colour icons. This might change with the new update since Google has now published the code so other developers can take advantage of the colour theming.

This likely won’t spur all Android developers to adopt this new icon style, but, it will get most of them.

Google Cast controls are spreading

Google glazed over this announcement at I/O 2022, but Casting technology is coming to cars running Android Automotive like the Polestar 2 and from Chromebooks.

Improved QR scanner

Better late than never, Google has added a quick access QR scanner to Android. Now you can place a quick toggle above your notifications that opens up a new scanning interface.

This new interface is a simple camera, but instead of the QR code’s link popping up in the middle of the screen, it appears along the bottom to make it easy to open with one hand. Hopefully, other manufacturers will notice this and bring it to more QR code interfaces.

Silent night

Google has tweaked how the silent mode works on Pixel phones in Android 13 by removing a lot of the vibrations from the phone as well as the sounds.

This is likely to be more controversial, so we’ll need to go test it more in the full release to see how it really feels.

A new clipboard

Now in Android 13 copy/paste looks a bit different. Whenever you copy/cut something, it will appear in the bottom left corner of the screen as a bubble, similar to the screenshot interface.

Also like when you take a screenshot, you can tap on the copied text and edit it easily if you want to change it slightly before you paste it.

To take this to the next level, you can even cloud copy/paste between Android and Chrome OS just like you can with an iPhone and a MacBook.

More to come…

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Mobile Syrup

Google Pay will update to Google Wallet in Canada in coming weeks

At the I/O developer conference, Google launched Google Wallet, a new Android and Wear OS app that will let you store credit cards, loyalty cards, digital IDs and more.

However, according to TechCrunch, Google Pay is pretty much already a wallet, so users in 39 markets, including Canada, will just see Google Pay update to Google Wallet. However, in the U.S. and Singapore, Wallet will be a companion app to Google Pay, where you’ll pay using Google Pay, and the Wallet app will just be somewhere to store your digital cards.

“The Google Pay app will be a companion app to the Wallet,” Arnold Goldberg, the VP and GM of Payments at Google, said to TechCrunch. “Think of [the Google Pay app] as this higher value app that will be a place for you to make payments and manage money, whereas the wallet will really be this container for you to store your payment assets and your non-payment assets.”

For all of our content from I/O 2022, follow this link.

Via: TechCrunch

Image Credit: TechCrunch

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Mobile Syrup

Google introduces the Monk Skin Tone Scale at Google I/O

Google has released a new scale that captures the wide spectrum of skin tones.

The Monk Skin Tone (MST) includes 10 shades and is developed by Dr. Ellis Monk, a sociologist and Harvard professor.

Google will incorporate the scale into its products in the coming months. Google says the scale help addresses the ongoing challenges associated with image-based technologies and representation online.

The scale is open source, and anyone can use it for research or product development.

The feature will be incorporated on ‘Search.’ For example, if looking for makeup looks on Google Images, users will have the option to refine search results by skin tone, showing people images that represent them.

Google Photos will also be using the scale through the launch of ‘Real Tone filters.’ These filters will be evaluated by the MST Scale and allow users to choose a filter that works with skin tones presented in a photo. Google will roll out Real Tone filters across Android, iOS and the Web in the next couple of weeks.

The MST Scale is Google’s most recent action when it comes to dealing with representative skin tones. The tech giant introduced ‘Real Tone’ on Pixel 6 devices last year. The feature recognizes darker skin tones and complements them when taking images. Real Tone filters seem to be an expansion of the feature that was exclusively available to Pixel.

Image credit: Google

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Mobile Syrup

Google announces several new security features at IO 2022

At I/O 2022, Google announced several new security updates such as a new Account Safety Status, Automatic 2-Step Verification, Virtual Cards and more.

Google’s Virtual Cards is a new feature on Android and Chrome. When you autofill to enter your payment details at checkout, virtual cards will add an additional layer of security by replacing your actual card number with a virtual number.

Further, it eliminates the need to enter card details like CVV at checkout, and you can manage it at pay.google.com.

Unfortunately, Virtual cards will roll out this summer only in the U.S., for Visa, American Express and all Capital One cards. Google is unable to offer a timeline regarding when Virtual cards will come to Canada.

Google is also giving users more ways to minimize their data footprint.

With a new tool, you can now remove personal information from Search. Google Search results containing contact details like phone numbers, home addresses and email addresses can now be removed. Google says this is partially done with AI, but that there will be humans checking these removal requests as well. The company says that this means it will take a couple of days before the personal information is removed.

This feature will be available in the coming months through the Google App, and you can access it by clicking three dots next to the individual Google Search results.

Lastly, you can control what ads you see a lot better. In the ads privacy settings, you can now select which brands you want to see more or less of. This feature applies to YouTube, Search and Discover feed, and you’ll still be able to block and report ads.

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Mobile Syrup

Nest Hub Max’s new ‘Look and Talk’ feature lets you skip out on “Hey Google”

At Google I/O 2022, the company is bringing some pretty cool features to the Nest Hub Max.

The first functionality is called ‘Look and Talk,’ which will allow users the ability to invoke the Google Assistant without saying “Hey Google.” Instead, all you have to do is look at the Nest Hub Max and start talking.

With machine learning models Google was able to learn 100 signals to process user intent, by analyzing things like gaze detection, head orientation, proximity, semantics, and even using the Pixel 6’s ‘Real Tone’ for those with darker skins. With all of this, Google will be able to determine if a user is speaking to the Nest Hub Max or someone else nearby.

This feature is coming to the Nest Hub Max devices connected with Android handsets later this week. It’s coming to iOS users in the next few weeks. It’s worth noting that you can opt-in and out of this feature if you find it too invasive.

Another feature with Assistant and the Nest Hub Max is ‘Quick Phrases.’ Quick Phrases is already available on the Pixel 6, but with the Nest Hub Max, Quick Phrases, you’ll be able to turn off lights, and kitchen timers, or even ask about the weather without even looking at the Nest Hub Max.

Assistant also now better understands when people stumble and mess up when they speak. The speaker, Sissie Hsiao, gave us an example of how she incorrectly got the name of an artist wrong and stumbled while speaking. Google Assistant understood that she stumbled, encouraged her to keep speaking and understood the incorrect name of the artist.

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Mobile Syrup

Google’s ‘Multisearch’ feature can help you find things nearby

1At Google I/O 2022, the Mountain View, California-based company revealed several new features coming to Google Search, Google Maps and Google Assistant.

Google Search is offering a new feature in the Google app called ‘multisearch.’ With the functionality, you’ll be able to take a picture of things like apparel, home goods and food, or screenshot the Google Search bar and then add the words “near me.’ Then Search will show options for a local restaurant or retailers that have it available.

Google will scan millions of images, reviews, web pages and more from the community of Maps contributors to find more about these nearby spots.

This feature will be available later this year in English and will expand to more languages in the future.

Google is also working on a new scene exploration feature. When you’re in a book store, for example, and you’re looking at a wall of books, you’ll be able to snap pictures and search for the exact book you’re looking for.

Google says it’s using computer vision, natural language understanding and the knowledge of the web as well as local on-device technology.

This technology won’t be available for a while, according to the tech giant.

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Mobile Syrup

Google using AI to bring more features to YouTube

On stage at Google I/O, Sundar Pachi announced that Google will use AI to make Youtube more searchable.

This includes 10x-ing the number of videos with auto chapters to make it easier to find exactly what you want inside a video.

Alongside this, the company will add automated transcriptions to YouTube videos on mobile so viewers can simply read ahead to find what they want in a video.

Overall, this seems like a simple update to YouTube for viewers, but it could be interesting to see how this shifts the video platform’s algorithms if this makes videos easier to search.

more to come…

 

 

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Mobile Syrup

Google introduces Google Doc summarization feature

Google is making it easy for people to quickly read long documents before a deadline.

The tech giant introduced ‘Automatic Summarization’ for Google Docs at Google I/O.

The feature will summarize the main points of a document and present it to the reader to gain a quick understanding of what the text features.

More to come…

Image credit: Google

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Google Maps’ newest feature offers an ‘Immersive View’ of major cities

At I/O 2022, Google is bringing several new Maps features that fuse ‘Street View’ and ‘Live View.’ According to the tech giant, thanks to advances in computer vision AI, the company is able to fuse billions of images to create a new ‘Immersive View.’

Google says this is a new way to explore places you want to visit. With the feature, you’re able to soar over major cities and explore where you want to catch the sights, grab food and more. There’s also a ‘Time Slider’ feature that lets you look at the area around and check weather and traffic conditions throughout the day.

You can go down to street level and then check a nearby restaurant and even peek inside of the restaurant to look at the vibe. This feature will work on any device.

These features will launch in major cities like Los Angeles, London, New York, San Francisco and Tokyo by the end of the year.

Alongside this, Google Maps is launching a new AR Core Geospatial API to build new capabilities. The API brings Live View to developers for free. The Geospatial API will bring new features to games, parking apps, and more.

Image credit: Google

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Google Translate gets 24 new languages

Google Translate will receive 24 new languages, bringing up its total to 133.

Google says that an estimated 300 million people worldwide speak these languages.

Additionally, this is the first time Google Translate has added the Indigenous Languages of the Americas, such as Quechua, Rani and Imatra. These languages are spoken from Holloway to Bolivia.

Further, Google is adding its first-ever English dialect, Krio. Krio is an English-based Creole language spoken in Sierra Leone.

Google says it is adding the 24 languages today with an over-the-air (OTA) update.

It’s worth noting that these languages are so far only available via typing and are not audio-based like some of the other languages available on Translate. Google told MobilesSyrup there may be some errors when translating these languages to another non-English language, such as Krio to Spanish.

Finally, Google says that its Translate app now has more than 1 billion installs.