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Google Messages is bringing its AI magic to more people
The company is rolling out Magic Compose outside the US
Google is on a quest to add AI capabilities to all of its services, and Messages is no exception. Announced at Google I/O 2023, the company rolled out Magic Compose to the chat app, which allows you to use AI to answer messages or get reformulated versions of your own texts before sending them. The feature has been exclusive to the US for a long time, but now, it’s finally starting to roll out to other regions.
Google and Apple's joint unwanted tracker detection might be just around the corner
The specification for the industry’s ‘Detecting Unwanted Location Trackers’ has been published, which is what Apple was waiting for
When Apple launched its AirTags, a big problem quickly became apparent with the underlying Bluetooth tracker technology all great smart tags out there use. While AirTags and products like it are meant to secure your own belongings, they can be misused as stalking devices, snuck into some unwitting person’s bag or vehicle. Apple quickly reacted with a way to detect unknown AirTags moving without their owners alongside you, but there wasn’t a simple way to replicate this on Android or for third-party trackers.
Beeper is getting more desperate in quest to fix iMessage on Android
You will need a Mac or a friend with a Mac to get iMessage working on Android
In retrospect, Beeper Mini’s promise was too good to be true. For a few blissful days, the service brought iMessage to Android, all without relying on any shady Mac server farms or an Apple ID (like the ill-fated technology Nothing Chats relied on). Apple quickly managed to find a way to lock out Beeper Mini users, and the company has been struggling to come up with a solution ever since. After multiple attempts, Beeper now thinks it has found a solution — albeit one with a big caveat.
Google Pixel 7a vs. Pixel 6a: A-series upgrade comes at a cost
The Pixel 7a offers so much more than the Pixel 6a, but you'll have to pay for it
The Google Pixel 6a was an instant hit at launch due to its excellent value and cutting-edge features. A year later, the Google Pixel 7a entered the conversation, and filled the 6a's big shoes surprisingly well. The 7a makes significant upgrades over its predecessor in many ways, finally offering some long-omitted features missing in Google's budget-friendly class.
Following Epic verdict, Google releases settlement in another antitrust case
The company has to pay $700 million and make its ecosystem a tad more open in the US
Google was just handed a loss in court, with the company being found guilty by a jury on all charges brought forward by Epic. The case was concerned with Google’s monopolistic tendencies around the Play Store and how it makes it difficult for other players to establish competing app stores. In a similar case, the company has now published a settlement agreement, which could shine some light on what we could expect in the Epic case early next year.
The biggest flaw with Android’s new photo picker could finally get fixed
You might soon be able to finally access your Google Photos content
Google introduced a new and more privacy-focused media picker last year with Android 13, which it backported to older phones all the way to Android 4.4. In contrast to older methods, the new picker doesn’t give apps as much access to your private media files, but it has one big disadvantage: It currently can’t access media from your cloud storage. It looks like that’s finally about to change for Google Photos at least.
Sometimes, you need to install an earlier version of an app on your phone. Maybe the new one crashes, it may have introduced a new feature or a broken option, or you don't like the latest changes. On your favorite Android phone, rolling an app back is a straightforward process, and we guide you through it.
Google Chrome will start turning off third-party cookies early next year
The company is calling this ‘Tracking Protection,’ but it’s the bare minimum
Google announced that it would phase out third-party cookies in Chrome a long time ago. Plagued by multiple delays, it looks like the company has finally nailed down its schedule, previously noting that it would complete the process mid 2024. As a first step, Google shared that it’s going to begin testing “Tracking Protection,” which means that the company will turn off third-party cookies by default for a subset of global Chrome users starting January 4, 2024.
Android needs to copy these 2 iOS notification features
Apple’s notification system is a lot less in your face than Android’s, and that’s sometimes nice
Before I even dive into this editorial, let me make one thing clear: I like Android’s notification system a lot better than Apple’s. By default, notifications are easier to access and much more granularly tweakable on Google’s platform than they ever were on iOS. After more than a year and a half of using an iPhone on and off, I’ve started to appreciate certain aspects of the way it handles notifications, though.
One of our favorite authenticator apps just got a huge UI update
The Authy Android beta adds an improved list view and finally looks like it's an app from this decade
There are many two-factor authentication apps out there (2FA for short), but one of the best among them is Authy. The app is available on all major platforms, including desktops, and seamlessly syncs 2FA codes on its cloud to keep them safe even when you break or lose your phone. One downside of the app on Android is its outdated design that hasn’t been updated for years, but a new beta version is finally changing that.
The Play Store is an illegal monopoly, says Epic v. Google verdict
The jury found Google guilty of turning its app distribution method into an illegal monopoly
After months of quarrels in court and years after Epic first sued Google for its alleged Play Store monopoly, the jury has reached a verdict. Google was found to have an illegal monopoly, using the Play Store and its Play Billing service as a vehicle. The jury fully sided with Epic in the case, confirming the allegations put forward by the Fortnite developer. The ruling could completely upend Google’s business model around Android.
Google is rolling out a dedicated Weather shortcut to Pixels
A new ‘Weather’ shortcut is showing up in many Pixels’ app drawers
Google recently published a brand-new weather app to the Play Store for Pixel phones, but you can’t directly access it. Instead, it’s meant as a hook for the Clock app to get weather data about your current location and any other time zones you have saved. Google is working on a separate solution for its user-facing weather service, though, which is part of the Google app. Some Pixel users report seeing a new shortcut for this Weather “app” on their Pixel Launcher.
Google’s new Weather app is now on the Play Store
It’s powering the weather forecast in the Clock app, coming with the December Feature Drop
Google released the December Feature Drop for its Pixel phones this week alongside its new GPT-4 AI competitor Gemini. Along with new system features, the company also dropped a few new capabilities that are rolling out as separate updates. Among them is a new Weather app on the Play Store, which is needed to show weather conditions and forecasts within the preinstalled Clock app.
Google just released its GPT-4 rival Gemini AI, and you can use it starting today
Powering Google Bard starting today, and a ‘Nano’ version of it running locally on the Pixel 8 Pro
Just this week, reports claimed that Google postponed the launch of its big new AI model called Gemini, which is supposed to take on OpenAI’s advanced GPT-4 model. It looks like that was vastly incorrect, as Google has just launched Gemini out of the blue today, right alongside the December Feature Drop for its Pixel phones. The AI is available in multiple sizes, with one of them even capable of running locally on the Google Pixel 8 Pro.
Here’s what Google Chrome’s AI-powered ‘Help me write’ will look like
Google is working hard on adding AI features to its browser
Google seems set to bringing AI to all of its products, and new Chrome releases aren't an exception. The company has been spotted working on a few AI-powered features over the past few months, including automatic tab organization and a ‘Compose’ option to write text for you. In the latest Chrome Canary release, a lot more details were uncovered about the latter feature.
Nothing Phone 3: News, leaks, rumored price, and release window
We know nothing much about the Nothing Phone 3 right now, but we have some educated guesses
Nothing has quickly made a name for itself as one of the most promising newcomer smartphone brands. That's thanks to its aggressive marketing strategy and unique industrial design, embracing a transparent look on its smartphones and accessories. The Nothing Phone 2, released in the middle of 2023, was the first to launch in the US. With that in mind, our hopes are high for the Nothing Phone 3, which we will likely see around a similar time in 2024. Here is everything we know about what could become one of the best phones in the future.
Google Files’ Smart Search can find text and objects in images and documents
The Files app may be all you need to dig through your download folder
Google’s Files app recently added a new Smart Search option. It's supposed to make it easier to find information in documents and images that would otherwise be complicated to search for using just the file name. While the option to turn on Smart Search has been rolling out for a while now, we're only now getting the full picture of how it works.
Android’s December security bulletin is here
Here are all the security fixes coming to Android this month
Google rolls out Android security patches at the beginning of every month, and this is no different in December 2023. The company has published the latest security bulletin, going over all the fixes that are part of the December 2023 security patch. It will likely still take just a little while until it rolls out to Pixel phones, since these devices are scheduled to get the December Feature Drop (currently in testing as Android 14 QPR1) along with the security improvements.
Redesigned Gmail app for tablets makes better use of horizontal space
Google’s latest update finally adds a navigation rail to Gmail for tablets
With Google back in the tablet game again with the Pixel Tablet, the company has been updating its first-party services to make better use of the additional space on bigger screens. While Gmail quickly made use of a dual-pane interface with a list of emails on the left and a detailed view on the right, it never received a left-aligned navigation rail to replace the bottom bar. That’s finally changing, as a server-side update is rolling out to further improve the email client’s tablet interface.
Tip: Google's Reading Mode app is a great alternative to Assistant's nerfed ‘Read aloud’
Google’s accessibility-focused Reading Mode offers all the features we miss from the redesigned 'Read aloud'
Google Assistant isn't Google’s favorite project anymore. At least it seems like it, with the company removing features left and right from it this past year. In the case of the handy ‘Read aloud’ functionality that allows you to hear an article on the web rather than read it, a recent update made it severely less useful. It no longer works in the background, and skipping to specific parts of the text is a lot more cumbersome. While the feature doesn’t look to be fixed anytime soon, there might be an alternative from Google itself for those annoyed by the tweaks to Read aloud.