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Nova Launcher beta adds Android 11's quirky flower, pebble, and vessel icon shapes (APK Download)
Also, pentagons, hexagons, just a lot of 'gons
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Nova Launcher continues to be one of the fastest third-party app launchers to get inspiration from the latest Pixel changes. That trend continues with a fresh batch of new icon shapes, some of them lifted from the Android 11 developer previews and subsequent beta.
Google Assistant is rolling out a bare-bones clone of Siri Shortcuts
We're also getting more extensive food preferences
Haven't you always wished Google Assistant could do more with the apps on your phone? Not just launch them, but open specific sections or perform certain actions inside them? Even though Google has been talking about this kind of functionality for years, the reality is that these features have been limited and if they exist, they're nearly impossible to discover. We had to dig deep to find how the new Assistant on the Pixel 4 and 4a can do more in apps and in Chrome, but still, that's nowhere near what Apple and Samsung have been able to achieve with Siri Shortcuts or Bixby Routines — two features I've been eyeing with jealousy for a while. Now, Google is finally starting to roll out its own take on in-app shortcuts, though this is a very timid start. Additionally, Assistant is getting more extensive food preference selections.
Nest x Yale and August locks can now be controlled from the Google Home app
The app also includes improvements to smart lights and switches
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Last week, an update to the Google Home app started rolling out with a bunch of new features in tow. Chief among them is the new dark theme, a new security camera feed, and improved controls for Android 11's power menu integration. More changes have popped up now, though these are governed by a server-side switch and are thus slowly appearing for users.
Google Home app v2.27 finally gets a dark mode, camera feed, expanded Android 11 power menu controls (APK download)
The "finally" is more than warranted in this title
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It's been more than a year since Google's various apps started getting a dark theme to fit with Android 10's system-wide mode picker. Some were prompt to adopt it (Contacts, Messages, Phone, Photos), others took a bit more time (Gmail, Search), and a few were very slow to jump on the bandwagon (Drive, Translate, Chat). Slower than all of these combined are Maps and Home, and today, the latter finally made the leap to the dark side.
Google Camera 7.5 no longer saves portrait photo pairs in standalone folders
No more organization mess and useless folders!
If you ever owned a Pixel capable of taking portrait photos and you ventured into its storage to back up or move your images, you must have noticed the silly mess of portrait folders. For some reason, each pair got its own separate folder, complicating the use of third-party gallery apps or back up solutions. Thankfully, with Camera 7.5, this issue is no more.
Google Autofill on Android can require biometric authentication now
Just like most other autofill providers
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It's been a couple of years since the Autofill API was added to Android and you've been able to use Google or other password managers to fill in your credentials and log in to apps. However, while most third-party password apps require you to verify your identity before releasing your details to another app, Google's autofill just surrendered those details willy-nilly as long as your phone was unlocked. That's not so secure. A recent change to Play Services fixes that by letting you require an on-the-spot authentication before Google autofills the data fields.
Plex 8.5 on Android TV lets you quickly sign in with Google
No need for another device or 4-digit pin code
Plex just received an update that makes logging into the app from Android TV a lot faster and smoother. Instead of requiring a separate device and a 4-digit pincode, you can simply log in with Google if you've previously associated your Plex account with your Google one.
It's now faster to send pics from Google Photos albums in other apps (APK download)
Android's file picker can see Photos albums
Sending images from Google Photos through other apps on your phone can be a straightforward process, just like it can be a convoluted one. If the pics are recent and still locally stored on your device, it's the former, but if they're old and you've backed them up and deleted the local version, it's the latter. A new update to Photos fixes that second scenario.
Google promo shows you could soon open Nest smart locks straight from the Home app
Hold to unlock, it's as quick as that
The Google Store has been running daily promos for more than a month, and while most of the deals have been rather disappointing compared to previous discounts, the videos featuring Fred Armisen have been fun to watch. Yesterday's video also contained a little Easter egg: Fred unlocks his Nest x Yale lock straight from the Home app.
Google Assistant's redundant standalone app reaches 100 million installs on Android
The Assistant is baked into the Google app, this is just a shortcut
Some of us are old enough to remember that Google Assistant first showed up in Allo before launching exclusively on the first-gen Pixels in October 2016. You may also recall that after spreading to more devices, Assistant got its very own "app" on the Play Store in October 2017. Similarly to the Google Podcasts app, it's just a shortcut to the Assistant, the functionality of which remains part of the main Google app. Given the non-essential nature of the app, you'll forgive us for being surprised to see it reach 100 million installs on the Play Store.
Happy 4th Birthday, Google Duo! May you live to see the 5th one 😒
Knock Knock. Who's there? Google Me. Google Me who? Google Meet, and I'm gunning for your job.
Google Duo is celebrating its fourth birthday today; well, technically it was yesterday, but weekends don't count in the summer. While it couldn't throw a big party with an inflatable bounce house, a trampoline, a water slide, or a creepy clown — quarantine obliges — that didn't stop us from baking a special cake for the occasion and inviting all its friends over for a socially-distanced video chat. Allo couldn't make it, Hangouts is still recovering from the continuous blows it has received, and only Meet showed up, parading like the latest miracle child.
Telegram users can finally make video calls starting with v7.0
It's still an alpha, so expect bugs and slowness
It's been more than four years since Telegram added support for voice calls, and in the time since, everyone has been asking, "What about videos?" The feature's absence has been even more annoying in recent months, given quarantine measures and people's need to stay in touch with friends and family. The wait is finally over, as Telegram just rolled out an experimental alpha release of video calls with Android app version 7.
OnePlus Gallery adds 4K 60fps video editing, fixes missing slow-motion editing (APK download)
Casting to OnePlus TV is also supported
About a week ago, OnePlus broke the ability to edit slow-motion videos in its Gallery. The latest app update, which is now rolling out on the Play Store, fixes that. It also adds 4K 60fps video editing, which was so far impossible to do in the native app. There's also casting support, supposedly.
Spotify optimizes its interface for Android tablets and Chromebooks
It's not perfect, but it's better
There's a lot that Spotify can improve in its app's experience, but the most glaring issue for anyone using a larger-screened Android device was the lack of any interface optimization. The phone UI simply stretched to fill the screen, with tiny touch targets and no special consideration given to the larger screen estate. That's changed now as Spotify began rolling out a new tablet-optimized design on Android.
Hold on to your seats, as this story is about to blow up your mind — and possibly the seat too. Motorola, yes the same Motorola we know, the one who was bought by Lenovo and gets mentioned here because of its phones, is getting pumped up because of its latest announcement: an inflatable chair with a name that rolls off the tongue, the MINNIDIP x RAZR CH(AIR).
Looking sharp for your next video call just got a whole new meaning with Google Duo's latest addition. To celebrate the dry summer, the app is rolling out a fun new AR effect that lets you transform yourself into a cactus.
Gboard rolls out real-time transcription and translation (APK download)
Speak in French, send in English
In mid-July, Gboard's Play Store listing added a cryptic changelog that mentioned voice dictation translations. We started looking for signs of that feature and couldn't find any until now, when it finally showed up on the latest Gboard beta v9.7. Google has also confirmed to us that it's rolling it out to everyone.
Digital Wellbeing lets you override Focus mode for 5 minutes (APK Download)
When you need a quick break
Bit by bit, Google is building Digital Wellbeing into a powerful smartphone management tool that can help you curb your usage and channel it into more or less productivity, following your needs. With Focus mode, introduced last year, the app gained a quick way to temporarily pause several apps in one fell swoop. Now you can bypass that for five minutes if you really need to open an app while the mode is active.
Broadcasting messages to a single Google or Nest Home is now official
Instead of startling the entire house
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It's been more than a couple of years since Google added a broadcast functionality to its Home speakers, but the feature was an all-or-nothing approach. You could either send the message to all speakers in a home or none at all. After two limited test rollouts, Google has now finally formally announced the option to broadcast to a single speaker or room, an improvement we've wanted for more than two years. The feature is rolling out on Assistant-enabled speakers and displays around the world, though they must be set to English for now.
Google Assistant's Family Bell virtual nanny is now official
Reminders to eat, sleep, and take a break
Google has officially introduced a neat nagging new feature for its Assistant speakers and smart displays called Family Bell, starting to roll out today. If you're the kind of person who often forgets to eat or sleep on time, who procrastinates a lot, works for hours and forgets to stretch their legs, or otherwise misses the regular time cues of a normal day, you'll be able to rely on Assistant to remind you of all of them. Consider it a virtual parent or nanny living inside your speakers and always looking out for your best interest.