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Good things are happening with Google Voice. While the app normally stays fairly quiet, the last few months have shown a lot of positive attention is going into the service. The surface-level changes in this update aren't too major, but a teardown shows that users will soon get a vastly improved voicemail system that features on-device recording and support for multiple messages.
The Gboard team has a reputation for rolling out updates right around the witching hour, likely aiming to rob sleep from a diligent teardown guy. Last night brought a new beta version of the app, and this one sports a new feature that's bound to save a few keystrokes: Auto-spacing. As usual, there are also some new languages, and a teardown shows a few new changes on the horizon, albeit most of them are still seated firmly in the mystery column. Grab the latest APK from the download link below to try out the new Auto-spacing feature.
Welcome to a brand new update to Google Contacts. It's actually not all that different, but there are a couple of tweaks to contact pages, particularly to labels. They look a bit better and take less space. A teardown also turns up more progress for an upcoming Cleanup wizard feature. We're still looking for more changes, and as always, you can join in by grabbing the latest update from the download link at the bottom.
Google's ARCore technology is building steam since its initial test launch on Pixel and Galaxy S8 phones. This came with a promise to support more phones, which was followed a few weeks later with a half-dozen more phones added during MWC. To keep the momentum going, Google also featured nearly 90 new apps and games that made use of ARCore in some way. Now with the latest update, we can likely guess at the next phones on the list.
It's time for another update to the Gmail app. Like so many apps lately, there's nothing in the way of visible changes upon updating, possibly because we're starting in on that lead-up to I/O. However, a teardown does show that users may soon get to turn Conversation View on or off for each of their Gmail accounts. There's also more progress on Snooze, which may hint at a launch coming very soon.
A beta update to the Google app has been making the rounds. As usual, there's not much new to see after installing this release, but many changes are awaiting Google to flip a switch before going live. Also following the usual pattern, there's a teardown of the APK that provides plenty of hints about what's to come. Version 7.24 reveals plans for a floating bubble with current sports scores that remains visible on top of other apps, an effect for the Google search box, a mysterious new project called Valyrian, assorted follow-ups for the Pixel Buds, home automation, and more.
Every week, I examine somewhere in the neighborhood of a hundred app updates while looking for changes. The most interesting things turn into APK Teardowns or Download posts. Many of the remaining updates are unremarkable, amounting to a few bug fixes, routine updates to libraries, or even just pixel-level adjustments to layouts and images. However, there are usually a few updates that land somewhere in between. I don't want to spam readers with dozens of short posts, but I hate to ignore things that people might want to know about, so I'm going to wrap up the leftovers for a little weekend reading and call it Update Notes.
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Android Auto has been making a lot of news lately with preparations for wireless projection support and recently enabling users to unlock a phone while it's connected to the car. The latest version began rolling out earlier today, and it's coming with a few smaller changes already live, plus a few clues about settings that may become available to us in the future.
An interesting new version of the Project Fi app began rolling out yesterday. There's a big change to the version number, but otherwise, nothing special to see in the app. However, a teardown of the resources reveals some important changes are scheduled to arrive. The biggest addition will be spam filtering, which should remove all of the disturbances caused by annoying telemarketers and scammers. Also in line are notifications when your data usage suddenly skyrockets, and an in-app feature to turn off Bill Protection once your data is throttled.
A new version of Google Maps came rolling out super-late last night. While there are a few changes to note, this one looks like it may be one of the quietest of updates for the Maps app in a long time. There are a couple of basic cosmetic adjustments to discuss, plus a short teardown. As always, we're still looking for more changes, so let us know if there are any other interesting features that deserve attention.
Android Messages set an example last year by doing away with its own built-in notification settings and instead redirecting users to the new Notification Channels feature in Android 8.0 Oreo. This single change gave users more options to fine-tune notifications than the app previously offered, and it was all in a fairly standard system interface. The Google Phone app is now making a similar change, but this time it's relinquishing its old settings screen for sound and vibrations and replacing it with the Sound settings offered by the system.
A new version of Google Maps began rolling out late last night. The immediately visible changes are semi-cosmetic, including some slightly more informative details, but there aren't any obviously huge additions to see here. As we turn to a teardown, there are signs that reviewers will soon be able to start writing, then save their work as a draft. Also, if you're going to be driving in Jakarta, Indonesia, Google Maps is going to make it easier to deal with odd-even driving restrictions.
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The Android Auto team has been known to put safety above all else. Most people agree that's the best strategy, but there have been some scenarios where users have pointed out that certain decisions may be over-reaching, or they might not account for common scenarios. One of the biggest points of contention since the launch of Android Auto has been a feature that effectively locks users out of their phones while connected to Android Auto. In the last couple of days, users are now being presented with the ability to swipe up and unlock their phones to use them normally.
Just one day after the Duo team completed the rollout of video messages to all users, a new version of the app is hitting the scene. In a side-by-side comparison, it looks like the interface of the app hasn't gone through any changes with this new release, but we're still looking for additional changes. However, a teardown of the APK has turned up some topics to discuss, including an upcoming feature that will allow users to create contact groups. There are also minor follow-ups for adding Google accounts and screen sharing.
A new version of the Google Camera app is beginning to roll out, and there are quite a few interesting adjustments in this update. The Settings screen looks much better with a full set of icons, and there are several new additions to be found within it. Grid overlays have been moved into the Settings screen, and double-taps can now be configured with a different action. A long-awaited feature, Dirty lens warnings, can now be enabled. A teardown also suggests there will be a new app shortcut to launch Portrait mode, and hints at something called Circus mode.
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An update to Google Photos landed earlier today. So far, we haven't come across any visible changes, but there are a few topics for a teardown. Hints can be found suggesting Google may be building a new movie editor. Improvements to the search interface could be forthcoming, as are helpful suggestions about features that may not be obvious to all users. As always, a link to the latest updates is available at the bottom.
Android Messages just hit version 3.0. While hitting a new major version number might be an occasion for big things in some apps, this one appears to be a simple incremental step up from version 2.9. While there aren't any immediately obvious changes on the surface of this update, there are some things happening under the hood. It looks like support for KitKat has been dropped with this update, leaving behind about 12% of previously supported Android devices. There are also clues about changes to notifications about pictures and videos, enhanced chat features, and making purchases.
The latest version of Google Play Movies & TV is making the rounds, and this one has quite a bit to discuss. There are several surface-level changes, including a new bottom nav bar, improved support for Rotten Tomatoes, and even some rearrangements to the screens in the app. Digging a bit deeper, we can also see there's a new Guide screen in development, some degree of support for external content providers, and even a rating system for content.
The first update to the Google Pay app since the rebranding has been making its way out into the world. The new version doesn't appear to bring any visible changes beyond a few pixel-level adjustments, but it includes a couple of neat topics for a teardown. We'll briefly discuss the imminent merger of Google Pay Send, then dive into the subject of supporting transit tickets, where they might be supported first, and some of the other quirky details to look forward to.
Google just announced some major enhancements to Assistant, which predictably meant there would also be an update to the Google app coming shortly. While there aren't any outward signs of changes after updating, there are a few interesting additions to be seen in a teardown of this update. There are several improvements coming to the Pixel Buds, users may soon get to sign up to be beta testers for new features, and there are even a few new notification channels planned.