Tag: Google

Google Drive’s new update brings an end to its hidden file limit

Post author By Mobile Syrup
Post date 4 April 2023

Google is walking back a secret cap on Drive files following user complaints.

Some Drive users discovered a hidden file creation limit in Google’s cloud storage software earlier this year. Complaints and media attention turned up the pressure on the company to address concerns about the 5 million file cap that saw users unable to get the most out of the popular cloud storage system.

Google initially told Ars Technica that it would keep the limit intact but tweeted on April 3rd that it would roll back the change “to ensure a great experience for all.” The update to Drive item limits was an attempt to “preserve stability and optimize performance.”

If we need to make changes, we will communicate them to users in advance.

— Google Drive (@googledrive) April 4, 2023

Although not directly mentioned, the announcement comes following a rise in user complaints after Google failed to notify users of the creation file limit.

Reddit user u/ra13 reported this month that Google Drive had implemented the file limit with no prior warning after several Drive users were met with an error message reading “Upload Failed” when attempting to create inside of the drive.

The tweet goes on to explain that changes will be communicated to users in advance if necessary.

Header image credit: Shutterstock

Source: Google Drive Via: Engadget

Tags Google, Google Drive

Mobile Syrup

Google’s monthly Pixel patch is missing again

Post author By Mobile Syrup
Post date 4 April 2023

Google’s regular Pixel update schedule is slipping once again. The search giant usually rolls out a security update for its Pixel line on the first Monday of every month, but it’s missed that date twice in a row now.

As noted by Android Police, the March 2023 security patch arrived a week late (and even later for Pixel 6 users). Similarly, the April update has missed the typical Monday release and it’s not clear when the update will arrive. Moreover, Google has only published some of the related documentation for the update.

These updates usually come with a post from Google on the Pixel Community forums, new factory images and OTA, an Android Security Bulletin outlining the bug fixes for the month, and a Pixle-specific security bulletin. So far, only the April Security Bulletin has emerged, though it’s worth noting it applies to all of Android and not just Pixel phones.

As has become the norm for Google, the Security Bulletin has fixes divided into two security patch levels, part of an effort to make updates easier for manufacturers to implement. The first patch level outlines fixes for 28 Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVEs) that were recently discovered and that the patch addresses. The second level contains another 41 fixes for vendor-specific CVEs.

Of the 69 (heh, nice) total CVEs, Google deemed six of them as ‘critical,’ the worst of which is an Android System CVE that could allow a nearby attacker to execute code on a device without physical access to it and without the users’ interaction.

It remains to be seen when Google rolls out the Pixel update. Hopefully, the delay isn’t too significant this time around.

Source: April 2023 Android Security Bulletin Via: Android Police

Tags April 2023, Google, Pixel, security patch

Mobile Syrup

Google will show extreme heat alerts in Search soon

Post author By Mobile Syrup
Post date 30 March 2023

Over the coming months, Google will roll out extreme heat alerts in Search that aim to help people stay safe during heat waves, alongside AI-powered tools to help communities handle hotter temperatures.

According to Google, to stay safe during extreme weather, people often turn to the internet to ask questions. In order to display authoritative and helpful information for scenarios where people search for information on extreme heat, Google will now show alerts that detail when a heat wave is predicted to start and end, tips on staying cool and other health related concerns to be aware of.

“To make sure the information is relevant and accurate, we’re working with the Global Heat Health Information Network (GHHIN),” wrote Google.

Further, according to Google, cities around the world are looking for ways to prevent “heat islands,” which are urban areas with higher temperatures due to structures like roads and buildings that absorb heat and re-emit it.

Tree Canopy is part of Google’s Environmental Insights Explorer, and it combines AI and aerial imagery to help cities understand their current tree coverage and better plan future urban forestry initiatives. “The City of Austin has already used the tool to prioritize planting trees in vulnerable areas of the city and even used it to help place bus shelters to increase shade,” wrote Google.

Now Google has announced that it is expanding Tree Canopy from 14 cities to nearly 350 cities globally, including Toronto, with plans to expand to more cities this year.

Other than that, it is also leveraging its AI algorithms and aerial imagery to help urban planners and governments to identify areas that would benefit the most from ‘cool roofs.’ For reference, cool roofs are designed to reflect sunlight and absorb less heat.

Check out Google’s full blog post to learn more about its initiative to help people stay safe during heat waves.

Image credit: Google

Source: Google

Tags Google, google search

Mobile Syrup

Google details new search features to help users verify information

Post author By Mobile Syrup
Post date 29 March 2023

Google has detailed new ways for users to find out where information is coming from in search.

A new blog post from the company unveils several features that will help users fact-check results or verify the authenticity of the information.

The first new addition is called ‘About this result’ and aims to help acquaint users with information sources. The feature was first introduced in 2021 and is moving from beta to stable release in search across all platforms.

Users can access About this result by clicking/tapping the three-dot icon next to a search result. About this result offers a short description of the website along with quick links to additional information about things like privacy settings and explainers for how Google search works.

Another change Google is making the ‘About this page’ section easier to access by placing it higher in search results. The section includes a website’s description of itself alongside reviews and other mentions of the website.

Google is also launching a feature called ‘Perspectives’ that aims to highlight multiple perspectives on a topic from various reputable sources, though it’s going to be U.S.-only when it debuts.

Finally, Google plans to add content advisories for results the company has low confidence in. This can apply to emerging topics, such as searchers for news about a recent natural disaster, as well as for topics that are obscure.

You can learn more about these new search changes here.

Tags Google, search

Mobile Syrup

Google says it stopped 5.2 billion bad ads in 2022

Post author By Mobile Syrup
Post date 29 March 2023

Google released its annual report on advertising safety, revealing the company stopped 5.2 billion “bad ads” in 2022. That’s a 1.8 billion increase over 2021.

At the top of the bad ads list are ads Google says abuse its ad network — that includes ads that contain malware as well as manipulative or spam ads. In 2021, Google said it stopped some 652.1 million such ads. In 2022, that number leapt to 1.36 billion.

Google attributed the increase to improvements in its machine learning algorithms that spot these ads, reporting mechanisms, and changes to its ad policies. Moreover, Google suspended 6.7 million advertiser accounts after it identified networks of bad actors that deployed malicious ads.

For all the company’s efforts, it hasn’t stopped malicious ads from appearing to users, including through Google’s own products like Google search. Bleeping Computer highlighted how bad actors use Google software to spread ads in December.

Gizmodo reports that Google’s director of ad privacy and safety, Alejandro Borgia, said during an online press conference that Google saw a spike in ads containing malware in 2022. The company took “swift measures” to deal with the so-called ‘malvertising.’

Unfortunately, there isn’t much data about how many bad ads Google might have missed. Gizmodo notes that U.S. federal law enforcement also noticed the increase in malvertising and even suggested people use ad blockers to filter out malicious ads.

Next to malicious ads, the next highest number of takedowns was for ads that infringed trademarks. There were 425.1 million more takedowns in 2022 than in 2021.

You can view the full report from Google here.

Source: Google Via: Gizmodo

Tags annual report, bad ads, Google

Mobile Syrup

Google app on Android gets massive Search bar

Post author By Mobile Syrup
Post date 28 March 2023

Bangkok. Thailand. January 24, 2016:A woman is typing on Google search engine from a laptop. Google is the biggest Internet search engine in the world.

Google has added a comically big Search bar to its Android app.

Now, the pill is practically twice the size, while the ‘Search’ text is displayed in a larger font.

That said, Search functions exactly the same otherwise, so this is purely a visual update. iOS users have had this for some time, but it’s finally come to Android.

Alongside the chonky Search bar, Google has introduced a carousel that offers suggestions for actions like searching for products in screenshots, translating text with your camera, identifying songs by listening and more.

For now, the changes are available in the latest version of the Google app beta (12.14). It hasn’t yet rolled out widely to all users.

Image credit: Shutterstock

Via: Android Police

Tags Google, Google App, search

Mobile Syrup

Pixel 5 user reportedly gets April security patch a week early

Post author By Mobile Syrup
Post date 28 March 2023

A Canadian Pixel 5 user has managed to get Google’s April security update a bit early. Reddit user ‘-BEA5T- ‘ posted that they received the update early and even proved it with a screenshot.

The screenshot shows that their ‘system is up to date’ and includes the date of April 5th. The update will hit these devices next week, so seeing it roll out early is interesting, especially since some users are only receiving the March 2023 update.

-BEA5T- shared that their Pixel 5 is running on build number ‘TQ2A.230405.003.’

Comment
by u/-BEA5T- from discussion Pixel 5 received April 5 2023 security patch this morning
in GooglePixel

It’s not unheard of for a smartphone company to release a patch early. Samsung does it occasionally; however, it’s also possible that this is just a glitch.

Google hasn’t released anything official about anything about April’s security update.

Source: Reddit ‘-BEA5T- ‘ Via: Android Authority

Tags Android, Google, security update

Mobile Syrup

Google drops alarm requirement for Pixel Adaptive Charging

Post author By Mobile Syrup
Post date 27 March 2023

Google recently rolled out some improvements to Pixel phones’ Adaptive Charging feature, and now it seems it no longer requires an alarm.

Adaptive Charging, for those unfamiliar with the feature, helps preserve the health of your phone’s battery by delaying when it hits 100 percent charge when you leave it charging overnight. In its initial implementation, Adaptive Charging held phones at about 80 percent and would finish charging to 100 percent based on users’ morning alarm.

This is a pretty significant difference between Adaptive Charging and iPhone’s ‘Optimized Battery Charging,’ which also delays when an iPhone hits 100 percent charge but bases it on learning the owner’s routine.

As detailed by 9to5Google, Adaptive Charging gained a new status notification to indicate when the feature is active. Moreover, the notification includes a button to turn it off once.

New Adaptive Charging notification | Image credit: 9to5Google

However, it seems that update also removed the alarm requirement. 9to5 notes that the Adaptive Charging description changes from “Uses alarm to completely charge by wake-up” to “Activated based on your cycle.” I was able to confirm the description is different on my Pixel 7 as well (see the header image). You can find the setting by heading into Settings > Battery > Adaptive preferences.

Despite the change on devices, at the time of writing, Google’s support documentation still listed alarms as a requirement for Adaptive Charging. In other words, it seems someone might have jumped the gun and pushed the change out before Google got its documentation in order.

Anyway, the updated Adaptive Charging should work better for people now. Some found the old alarm requirement restrictive, especially at launch when Google arbitrarily restricted the feature to alarms set between 5am and 10am.

Source: 9to5Google

Tags adaptive charging, Google, Pixel

Mobile Syrup

Google Camera update bring new zoom UI to Pixel 7/7 Pro

Post author By Mobile Syrup
Post date 24 March 2023

Google’s Camera app has received a new update that brings exciting features to the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro as part of the March Feature Drop.

The update includes the required code needed to enable faster Night Sight on the Pixel 6 and the Pixel 6 Pro, as shared by 9to5Google. Additionally, the latest version of the Camera app doesn’t only offer updates for the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro. The Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro are also receiving a revamped zoom UI with the update.

The update is now rolling out on the Play Store, and the new zoom controls are only available on the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro. The new UI features light blue line segments, replacing the white dots used in the previous version, to indicate the different zoom levels. Additionally, the font for the zoom level indicator is now larger and easier to read, and it uses the same light blue colour as other areas of the Camera app.

We’re uncertain why the new zoom interface is limited to the latest Pixel flagship. It’s also unclear if the UI will roll to older Pixel devices as well.

You can find the latest version of Google Camera on the Play Store. The update is rolling out now, so you might not see it immediately.

Via: 9to5Google

Tags Android, Google, Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Pro