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Google Voice is bringing some new shortcuts to your Android home screen
Now if only it could get a little Material You action
Google apps and services often feel like they fall into one of two camps. In one we've got things like Gmail, which get frequently updated with both new functionality and modern tweaks to the interface. And in the other we've got plenty of beloved services that seem to get basically no attention at all — pretty much the case with Google Voice. We're still waiting for a proper Material You refresh, but in the meantime Voice is picking up a few new shortcuts you can access right from your phone's home screen.
Instagram is rolling out app shortcuts, only a full year after we first spotted them
There are also improvements to the archive
Android has supported app shortcuts since 2016, but some popular apps still haven't implemented the feature yet. We found evidence that Instagram was about to change that in October 2019, though it took the company until now to finally roll out shortcuts widely. Most people should now be able to tap and hold the Instagram icon on their home screen to quickly access the camera, create a new post, view their activity, and open direct messages. Additionally, Instagram has quietly reworked the Stories archive, which is now organized in three sections.
Chrome 84 removes Duet interface, tests bottom tab switcher, blocks some intrusive notifications, and more (APK Download)
Rest in peace, Chrome Duet
Chrome 84 entered beta just a few weeks ago, but it's already rolling out on the stable channel across all platforms. This is one of the most significant Chrome updates we've seen in a while, with a few removed features and new functionality for both regular people and developers. Let's dive right in!
The best Android power user features you may have forgotten about
These settings may have slipped your mind, but they're still worth checking out
With over a decade under its belt, Android has built a long history as Google's mobile operating system. And in that history are dozens of little features, changes, and updates that have added, removed, or modified aspects of that OS in subtle and not-so-subtle ways. But for every new option Google brings to Android, we're probably forgetting one that been in there for years that we've simply not bothered to use in a while. And in some cases, these are pretty genuinely useful things!Remember you can use two fingers to swipe down for quick settings? Screen pinning? Lock screen messages? Well, we've got those and a pretty good handful of others that may have fallen by the wayside on your phone.
Android added support for app shortcuts back in late 2016 with Android 7.1 Nougat, and depending on your habits, they're either some of the most important things on your home screen or they've gone completely unused. For the former, they offer faster and more precise use of your apps, saving you from wading through pesky navigation drawers or getting caught up in a news feed. Instagram may be a little late to the party, but app shortcuts are starting to show up on the Android app for a few lucky users.
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- While the previous version didn't support gestures, the latest alpha build (v4.10.6.1038-06251834) lets users swipe up anywhere on the home screen to bring up the app drawer, as shown in the video below. Even though this confirms the company's commitment to offering an app drawer, it's still an early version, as the menu options to activate the feature aren't translated yet.
One of the many reasons I don't like iOS is its lack of an app drawer. Indeed, I want things to be very organized, and dumping all icons on my homescreen just doesn't work for me. Xiaomi, however, preferred to mimic Apple and decided to go against Android standards by removing the app drawer in its MIUI launcher, which essentially meant all icons had to be on the home screen. However, the company appears to be opening up by letting users enable the drawer in MIUI.
Xiaomi has introduced a system-wide dark mode in version 10 of its MIUI software, but the company is still in the process of darkening all its apps, including non-system ones. The latest app to receive that treatment is the Mi File Manager, but that's not the only change in its most recent update.
Google Play Games is officially going dark. Well, the latest update is making its dark theme accessible to everyone. But that's not the only thing this update brings, there are now app shortcuts and a new sorting feature for achievements coming soon. A teardown also shows the team is preparing to add Minesweeper to the built-in games repertoire. Oh, and we're heard from the dev team, and we've got a hunch they're having a good time.
Chrome 70 was released on desktop platforms and Android earlier this month. Now it's time for Chromebooks to get the update, with a few added enhancements — like a new UI geared at tablet use and support for Android app shortcuts.
If you've got a Chase account, you may have noticed quite a few changes to the Android app within the past few days. Those include an adaptive icon, app shortcuts, and an updated interface with a lot more functionality.
Google has worked to make Android apps feel at home on Chrome OS, and we've certainly come a long way. Your apps will be even more integrated soon with support for app shortcuts on the Chrome OS desktop. This feature is only in the dev channel right now, but it should eventually filter down to beta and stable.
Chrome OS has been rapidly evolving over the past few months, mostly in regards to Linux application support. There are even more improvements in the works, from minor UI changes to a major reworking of Chrome OS' Bluetooth functionality.
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- Thanks to digitalcircuit in the comments, it looks like we've got an answer to this one. Port opening is mentioned in a Google support article. The context describes it as being similar in nature to Port forwarding, at least in that it allows users to open a connection to the outside world. However, since IPv6 doesn't use NAT, there are some differences between port forwarding and port opening, thus explaining the different name. – Thanks, digitalcircuit.
If your home or business is keeping wireless devices connected through a Google Wifi, you'll be getting an update to the companion app today. The new version brings a pair of app shortcuts for those of us using it on Android 7.1 or above, but that's about it for visible changes. A teardown adds to the subject with hints of a new batch testing feature and settings for something called "port opening."
Google Translate is getting an update today, but it looks pretty light on features. The main changes appear to center around properly labeling languages. Nine dialects are getting proper names, and it seems the term 'dialect' is going out of style, so Translate is now saying 'region' everywhere. A look through the APK also shows that we can look forward to app shortcuts in the future.
Ever since Android Nougat 7.1 (and the second N Developer Preview), developers have been able to add a second set of actions to app shortcuts in supported launchers. By long-pressing a supported app on the homescreen or app list, you can quickly access specific functions in it. Although we've had the feature for over a year, not all developers have updated their apps to take advantage of it, and plenty of us forget that the option is even there. What about you, do you use app shortcuts?
The Google Home app has seen some big enhancements lately, and with the rollout of v1.26, it's gearing up for some more. The latest update brings the notable addition of EQ settings for speakers and introduces a new screen for backdrop history. Users of Android 8.0 Oreo might also notice their app shortcuts are now sporting fresh adaptive icons. However, the main topic comes to us via a teardown that shows a new feature called Speaker Pairs which will enable us to take two speakers and set them up to work in stereo.
A new version of Play Music is available this afternoon and it's making a big leap in versions from 8.0 to 8.5. This update doesn't come with the redesign that had seemed likely after last month's visual refresh to Play Music on Android TV. But cosmetic touchups were in the cards as the adaptive icons for app shortcuts were fixed in this release. Additionally, Play Music lost some megabytes after unbundling its Wear app.
Most updates to the Google+ app tend to fit the "bug fixes and performance improvements" theme, but last month's release of v9.20 did bring custom notification channels for Android 8.0 Oreo – but maybe not the ones we needed. Today's bump to v9.23 makes a similarly subtle addition with support for a slightly older OS feature: App Shortcuts. If you're running on 7.1 Nougat or above, or using a custom launcher with support for static app shortcuts, you'll now have the option to quickly start a few different types of Google+ posts directly from your launcher.
Apple Music had a lot of promise when it launched, but the app didn't stick well with the times, especially on Android. It seemed as if the developers behind it just didn't want to bother with anything specific to the Android platform, preferring to stick with the basic features and not making use of all the APIs that were available to them. But with the last release of v2.2, it looks like Apple Music is finally realizing some of its potential on our beloved platform.
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- Like we speculated, after a couple of updates to the beta app, the launcher shortcuts on WhatsApp have improved compared to their first iteration a few days ago. The New Chat shortcut is gone, the Camera one remains, and now the 3 shortcuts to chats are actually relevant (we think they're your most recent chats, but there might be a more complicated algorithm at play) and show the display images of the person or group. If you break one of these into its own homescreen shortcut icon, it won't change when your most recent chats change. You can grab the latest beta on APK Mirror if you want to check it out. (For some reason, Artem can see all these shortcuts on his Pixel but I only see the Camera shortcut on my S7 Edge with Nova Launcher, so your mileage may vary.)
It took nearly a year, but WhatsApp has just added launcher app shortcuts on Android Nougat (or Marshmallow if you use a compatible launcher like Nova and Action). Thing is, the functions that WhatsApp decided to elevate to shortcut status are... kind of useless.