Samsung always bakes new software features for its latest flagships, and this year's Galaxy S21 series is treated no differently. The smartphones were launched with One UI 3.1 that brought a bunch of new functionality, such as Google Discover on the homescreen and Director's View. There's another addition that's especially useful in a time where video calls have become the primary form of communication for a lot of us: custom video call effects.
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Google's Pixel Drops have introduced a bunch of interesting features for Pixel smartphones, including car crash detection and automatic call screening. Another such feature is auto-framing on Google Duo, which had been (at least according to Google) exclusive to the Pixel 4. Now that's getting a little company, as Google confirms the recently-unveiled Samsung Galaxy S21 series can also pull off the same trick.
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This story was originally published and last updated .
Duo and Google Messages are among the best communication apps Google has ever released, so it's no surprise that they're incredibly popular even among people whose phones ship without Google apps. Unfortunately, it looks like those uncertified phones might soon not be able to run Duo and Messages anymore. XDA Developers and 9to5Google have uncovered strings that reveal that the apps will soon stop working on unsupported devices.
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The new minimal Google Assistant that launched with the Pixel 4 (and is now available on the 4a, 4a 5G, and 5 too) has several tricks up its sleeve. It can answer contextual commands inside Chrome and reply to messages in apps like WhatsApp and Messages, among other features, but what we didn't know is that its call placing abilities are also dependent on the app you're using.
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Those video chats with your kids and their friends or relatives — via your phone or tablet, of course — are about to get plenty more festive with new AR face filters and some new color-in drawings to doodle on. The new doodle-able drawings are courtesy of Google Duo's relatively new family mode where the drawer can create works of art and the recipient can watch as they see it come to fruition, live on the line.
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Following its English to turkey translations in Search, Google has introduced some more fun Thanksgiving Easter eggs. On smart speakers and displays, the company has added a small audible and visual surprise when you tell the Assistant to set a turkey timer, and there is a new turkey filter in Duo that you can use for some laughs with your family while socially distancing.
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Google Duo has added more than a few fun face effects over the past few months, including a scarecrow for Halloween, a cat, and even a cactus (we're still not sure about that last one). Now another face filter has arrived, this time featuring a splash of capitalism.
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This story was originally published and last updated .
We aren't at the point yet where every Android phone is able to transcribe voice calls in real time, but what Google is doing with its video chat service Duo is a good first step: the app is now enabling captions for recorded voice and video messages.
Read MoreLast December, Google released its first feature drop for Pixel devices, kicking off a routine of bringing new capabilities to the phones each quarter. Included in the first drop was something called auto-framing for Google Duo. With auto-framing enabled, you can walk further away from your device, and Duo will zoom in to keep you focused and even follow you around the room so long as you stay within the shot. This feature had always been exclusive to Pixel 4, but it's now available on Samsung's Galaxy S20 range.
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Back in November 2019, Google reworked Duo's in-call interface and moved the controls to the bottom, making them more easily accessible on larger screens. Surprisingly, when the change rolled out to all users, the video off toggle vanished from the bottom bar and was nowhere to be found. After being gone for months, Google appears to be gradually bringing it back, letting you turn your camera off during a call.
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