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Securing your account logins with two-factor authentication (2FA) is a very healthy online habit to get into, but it can be annoying when services decide to only send the codes via SMS. An authentication app isn't only more convenient, it's also safer because regular messages could still be intercepted or forwarded. For a while now, Instagram was one of very few accounts I use that only supported 2FA via SMS, but proper authentication app support was promised recently, and now it appears to be rolling out.
Whether your already bought the Lenovo Smart Display or JBL Link View, or you're thinking about getting Google's rumored Home Hub, you may be wondering whether that gadget — like many others in your life — offers any accessibility settings for people with disabilities. The answer is yes.
The march of the dark themed apps continues. After YouTube, Android Messages, the new Google Discover feed, Gboard, and teasers for several other apps, Google News is the lucky recipient of a dark theme update in version 5.5.
It's been a few months since Cody found signs of Gboard's support for a battery saver dark theme toggle, but now the feature is finally rearing its head in the latest update to the app, v7.6.13.
A few days ago, the Google Maps team announced a host of changes to its app, starting with a new Commute tab that groups driving and transit directions together, as well as a new media player integration while navigating. The changes have begun showing up now via a server-side update. We've spotted both features on Google Maps 9.88 beta, though it's possible you might see them on older versions of the app too.
Last week, Google announced a rebranding of its Feed into Discover, tying together multiple server-side changes we had been spotting in the last year. From dividing cards with topic bubbles to having dedicated topic pages, more/less content controls, a new dark theme, and an asterisk-shaped icon, everything is there in the new update. And that new look is rolling out to more users now.
Smart speakers are slowly infiltrating every house and room, and kids are using them more and more. When your toddlers or children want to play their favorite songs, turn on the lights in their bedroom, or ask a hundred questions about dinosaurs, having something like an Amazon Echo or a Google Home makes things a lot easier. It also gives them some independence. But Amazon went a step beyond with its special Echo Dot Kids Edition, and now you can pick one up for your child for $20 less.The Kids Edition wraps up the second generation Echo Dot in a colored protective case (blue, green, or red) for a fun look. But its most important addition is that it comes with one year of FreeTime Unlimited Family, a service that includes a host of parental controls, access to 300 Audible kids books, character alarms, and more, for up to four children. It normally costs $83 for Prime subscribers, and you can get it for free with the speaker.Usually, the Echo Dot Kids Edition goes for $79.99. It has dropped to .99 previously, but this is the first time we see it go as low as $59.99. If you decide to get two of them, you can benefit from a slightly larger discount: $110 instead of $120. All three colors have their prices dropped, and shipping is free, but we don't know how long the discount will be available for so you better act quickly.Source: Amazon
WhatsApp Beta 2.18.301 brings picture-in-picture video playback for YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram
WhatsApp is on one of its new-feature update rolls. In the past couple of weeks, the app has added Android Pie's native notification inline photo support, brought the swipe to reply gesture from iOS to Android, and today it's adding one more feature on our platform that our iOS friends have enjoyed for months: picture-in-picture video playback.
On days like this, I start wondering whether Instagram is actively trying to sabotage itself. Or, more accurately, if Facebook is actively trying to sabotage Instagram. The photo and video sharing service has been "experimenting" with varied feed content for a long time, sprinkling in sponsored posts and stories and IGTV videos, but the latest server-side test takes the proverbial cake (and smashes it on the face of a puppy — yes, that's how infuriating this is).
iOS users have enjoyed a neat gesture in WhatsApp for a long time that us Android fans have been denied: a simple swipe to reply on any message. For the past few weeks, this feature has been rumored to be coming to Android and now it's finally live in the latest beta.
During its F8 2018 conference in May, Facebook previewed a major redesign to Messenger that it had teased earlier in the year, saying it would simplify the experience, remove some of the unnecessary interface elements, and put emphasis on the features most users want to get to quickly. Oh, and it should have a dark mode too. While the company said the new look would come soon, it took a bit over four months for us to see the first sign of it.
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- Google has now announced that Shortlists are officially rolling out starting this week. The corresponding support page has also gone up. We'll keep an eye out and let you know if an app update is necessary of if it's a server-side rollout.
Summer is over and most Googlers are back at their desk working on releasing features we were promised at I/O 2018 (and making our lives, especially Cody's, a lot more busy). Just in the past couple of days, we've seen Photos' Color Pop effect and Assistant's new visual responses, and now, there's something new in Google Maps too: Shortlists.
YouTube Premium and Music Premium are continuing their slow global expansion — though to be honest, they seem to be doing it at a rate faster than Google Play Music ever did. The latest addition is one of the world's largest countries in both surface and population, Brazil.
Yesterday, Google announced an update to Android Messages that would bring a new richer search interface with people and categories front and center. Today, the new version of Messages is starting to roll out with that change and a few more things in tow.
Google Lens, the app that makes you search the visual world around you as easily as if you were typing a couple of words on a computer, has received an update recently to v1.1 that adds a new sharing intent. This makes it even easier and more practical to find things with Lens.
Password managers are becoming more and more of a hot topic nowadays. We live a lot of our lives online and that requires a growing number of accounts and identities; yet with multiplying security risks and hacks popping up left and right, it's crucial to use a password manager to stay on top of your login details. Most managers fall in one of two categories: the cloud solutions like LastPass, 1Password, and Dashlane, or the local solutions with a cloud backup option like Enpass (my personal favorite) or SafeInCloud or Keepass. Myki straddles the line between the two, being neither this nor that, but having resemblances to both, plus some very unique attributes that make it intriguing... very intriguing.
In today's episode of "Google can't leave well enough alone," we have a small peek at what might be the next rebrand of the Google Feed. First, it was Google Now, then it started slowly changing to a news feed with a newspaper-like icon, which was redesigned to a home button when the Feed we all know now launched last year. There might be another change in tow though, as some users are starting to see a new asterisk-shaped icon instead, with the name "Discover" linked to it.
Back at I/O 2018, Google announced two changes to the design and experience of Assistant on your phone. The first one, the visual snapshot that brings Google Now-like cards of your day, rolled out a couple of months ago (even though most of us still don't have the fancy swipe-up gesture to activate it); but the second one, which involves bigger cards and more visual responses, has just started showing up for some users.
Like many other messaging services, WhatsApp has shown inline photos in notifications for a long time. But with the arrival of Android 9 Pie, Google changed how things are done and introduced a proper MessagingStyle notification style with support for inline pics and stickers. In the past couple of days, WhatsApp has implemented it in the beta channel.
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Google often adds support for more financial institutions on its mobile payments platform. In the US, the additions are very frequent and don't show any sign of slowing down. 111 banks joined last time, and now, a mere eight days later, we have 30 more. We shall reach 100% USA penetration one day, but until then, you'll have to check the list.