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Google Photos Locked Folder might not be as useful as we thought it would be
Images are only saved locally for the sake of security
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Google Photos might cost you money going forward, but Google is working hard on making it an enticing service nonetheless, with Google One editing perks and automatic creations that you can't find on other platforms. Now the company has introduced another stand-out feature: a Locked Folder. As more details about it are emerging, we've also learned about a potential dealbreaker for some — the Locked Folder is purely local on your phone, with no cloud backups available.
Spotify might soon play your locally stored music on Android
No need for the unreliable desktop client sync anymore?
For ages, Spotify has allowed you to sync your own local audio files to your phone via its desktop client, though that never reliably worked for many people. It looks like the janky solution might be in for an overhaul, as app sleuth Jane Manchun Wong shared on Twitter. The streaming service appears to be working on an option to show local files.
YouTube Music has been groomed as a replacement for Play Music ever since Google rebranded its YouTube services last year, though we haven't seen much movement in that regard. About a month ago, YouTube Music gained the ability to act as a media player for local files, though only through other apps like file managers. Now, in-app local playback is being rolled out, paving the way for Play Music's deprecation.
Google has just unveiled a brand-new app designed for sharing inspiring stories between users who make up local communities. By giving every user the same platform, Bulletin hopes to unearth and highlight interesting news that would otherwise go unheard.
Google Maps is one of those apps that will always have an enormous number of potential new features, so it's interesting to see the things Google is focusing on with each new release. We just saw an update to v9.2 with new navigation settings and auto-correct for searches, but there are plenty of other really interesting additions in the works. Let's take a look at some of the features we might have to look forward to. It's time for a teardown.
What do you do when you arrive in a new city and want to know what to do? I'm sure there are plenty of possible answers, but the correct one is to fire up Yelp. In the US, it's just hard to find a competing platform that offers the sheer depth and functionality that the service offers. Yelp displays discounts, allows user to make reservations, has Open Table integration, and - my personal favorite - gives quick access to addresses. The latest update to Yelp makes it even easier to discover what's going on locally with a redesigned Nearby page. Here's the before and after.
We've featured more than a few ways to save money on this site that have been found via Slickdeals. Today it gets even easier to spot those gems with a shiny new Slickdeals app. It includes both the highlights on the front page as well as access to the forums where eagle-eyed shoppers can share their finds.
Believe it or don't, Fourquare has grown beyond hipster urbanites who desperately want to be the Mayor of the 6th Street Starbucks. More than a few businesses - independent or otherwise - are seeing the value in the location-based service. To that end, Foursquare has released its free business app on the Play Store, allowing local managers to update their business status for single or multiple locations.
As Google continues the work of expanding its Play Store services across the globe, it only makes sense that the giant is also working to provide a cohesive, pleasant experience for users in the 130+ countries that now support paid apps. To that end, Google has announced in a post to the Android Developers blog that developers can now include localized promotional graphics and video in their Play Store listings.
In ancient Greece, Apollo was—among other things—the god of music. In ancient 2012, Apollo became the official music app for CyanogenMod. It was gorgeous, functional, and completely customizable, as you might expect from the world's most popular ROM. At the time, we were told that this lovely bit of software would be coming to the Market "in the coming weeks." That was back when we still called it the Market. Today, though, Apollo is available on the Play Store.
Sure, Google may have acquired Zagat and used the company's renowned ratings engine to start powering its data on everything from electronics stores to car washes. However, the review site got its start in restaurants way back in the day, and even after the purchase, continues to provide helpful information on every aspect of your food consumption outings. So, why not give the service its own app? Well, that's just what everyone's favorite search giant did!
While services like Spotify and Rdio may steal the spotlight most of the time, there are other streaming subscription services out there. Related: we need a better name than "streaming subscription services." Rhapsody, originally founded by Real Networks and since become an independent entity, has a pretty impressive library that users can now download for offline playback. An essential feature for a modern cloud music player. Update: To clarify, it's the ability to download songs on an individual or per-album basis that is new. Users were always able songs by adding them to a playlist first. This simply makes the process simpler.
Google held a press conference today where several new search features were unveiled, including some pretty nice improvements to the Google Mobile site. Among these features is the addition of Google Places on the main Google page, with quick links to areas of common interest at the bottom. Tapping any of the icons uses geolocation to provide results specific to the area that you're in.
Sonos is a company well-known in the tech industry for their line of wireless speaker systems, designed to let you sling music around your house without the hassle of complex setup processes or routing wires through ceilings and walls. To mark the launch of their Sonos Controller for Android application, Sonos generously loaned me a full multi-room system consisting of two Sonos S5 speaker units and a wireless ZoneBridge router. Given the buzz surrounding Sonos's products, it seemed best to review the system as a whole, viewing the application and hardware as a complete set. Read on to see how it all stacked up.