February 2024 Android Feature Drop Announced: 9 new features for all Android devices
Google has announced the February 2024 Android Feature Drop, which brings a range of new features and improvements to help you get more done on your Android devices. Whether you use your phone, tablet, smartwatch, or car, the new Android features are developed to make your life easier.
February 2024 Android Feature Drop comes with 9 new Android features to help you stay productive. You can check them below.
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9 New Android and Wear OS Features
1.) Stay in touch while focusing on the road
Android Auto now uses AI to summarize long texts and group chats while you drive and suggests smart replies and actions. You can easily send a message, share your ETA, or start a call with a single tap.
2.) Hear AI-generated captions for images
Lookout on Android now offers image captions, which let you listen to AI-generated descriptions of photos, online images, and pictures in messages. This feature is especially useful for blind and low-vision users and is available globally in English.
3.) Explore around you with more accessible
Lens in Maps now has enhanced screen reader support, which helps you explore nearby places and identify them with your phone’s camera. TalkBack will read out the place’s information, such as business hours, rating or directions.
4.) Give Feedback with handwritten markups in Docs
Google Docs now supports handwritten markups, which allow you to add annotations to documents using your finger or stylus. You can choose from different markup tools, such as pen colors and highlighters, to review documents and provide feedback quickly and easily.
5.) Listen uninterrupted on Spotify with new casting controls
Spotify now integrates with the output switcher on Android’s home screen, which lets you switch between your devices when playing music. You can now use Spotify Connect to change the audio output from your phone to your smart speaker, TV or other devices.
6.) View your health, wellness and fitness date in one place
Fitbit app has been redesigned to show you a complete picture of your health, wellness and fitness data. You can now see data from your connected wearables and apps, such as AllTrails, Oura Ring and MyFitnessPal, in the You tab of the Fitbit app.
7.) Access tickets, membership passes, and more
Google Wallet passes are now available on Wear OS watches, which enable you to access your tickets, passes, memberships and cards from your wrist. You can choose which passes to display or hide, and use them when you need them.
8.) Get transit directions with a quick game at your wrist
Google Maps for Wear OS now offers public transit directions, which help you catch your bus, train or ferry with a glance at your wrist. You can look up departure times, get compass-guided navigation and mirror directions to your phone if you prefer.
9.) Chat with Gemini right in Messages
Gemini is a new chatbot that you can access right in Google Messages on your Android phone. You can chat with Gemini to draft messages, brainstorm ideas, plan events or simply have a fun conversation.
Google Maps is rolling out a fresh redesign for its location pins with a new update. The pins are now getting a new shape and updated colors to enhance user experience.
Recently, Google simplified the Maps app’s bottom bar to provide a more cohesive and modern look. Now, the company is making the Maps more appealing with redesigned pins. The revamped pins update is currently being rolled out server-side across Google Maps for Android, iOS, and the web.
The old pointed bottom pin shape has been replaced with a shorter, rounded, and modern design. This new pin features a white background and includes an inner circle that displays the category icon, such as stars, flags, or hearts. This new design provides a cleaner and more unified look.
While most pins retain their original functionality, some have undergone color adjustments. For example, the pin for museums has shifted from teal to purple. Other subtle color changes include a lighter shade for zoo pins and corresponding text. These changes show Google’s effort to enhance the visual clarity and overall appearance of the map.
The new pin design is slightly less prominent than the previous version, which may allow more points of interest to be displayed on the map simultaneously. This design choice also follows last year’s rollout of new colors for the main map. Users can expect to see these changes reflected in their map views, enhancing the overall navigation experience.
Google Maps for Android brings simplified bottom bar interface
Google has revamped the user interface for Google Assistant on Android Auto, which brings noticeable changes in its design during voice interaction. After this update, the new look of Google Assistant is quite similar to Apple’s Siri interface on CarPlay.
This new UI appears different from the existing bottom bar for initial commands and is specifically used when Google Assistant is waiting for user input or processing a response.
If you ask Google Assistant to find a nearby post office, the new UI pops up when it asks which location you want to go to. This interface responds in real-time as the Assistant speaks and while you’re replying, disappearing once the request is completed. The new UI changes resemble how Siri is displayed on CarPlay.
The revamped UI offers a fresh and more engaging look for voice interactions on Android Auto. It is currently available on Galaxy Z Fold 6 smartphone with Android Auto version 12.5. The update is rolling out gradually so it will appear on your device in the coming days.
Aside from this, Google is also offering offline maps feature to Wear OS. The feature is currently spotted on the Pixel series but will expand to more Wear OS devices soon. It allows you to use Google Maps even when you don’t have internet access.
Google has rolled out a new update for its Google Drive app, which brings a JPEG file format for scanned documents. Previously, users could only save their scans as PDFs but they can now enjoy JPEG format too.
With the updated version 2.24.x, Google Drive allows users to save scanned documents as JPEG files for Android devices. Users can select JPEG from the “Save to Drive” screen after taking and editing a photo.
The new option provides more flexibility in how users manage their scanned documents. Notably, The JPEG file format is highly convenient because it is universally supported and can be easily opened with standard applications on any device. This widespread compatibility makes JPEG a popular choice for images and photos.
The feature is being rolled out to all Google Workspace customers, Workspace Individual Subscribers, and personal Google account holders. However, it is not yet available for Google Drive on iOS devices.
Aside from this, Google Sheets has also added a new “Convert to table” suggestion feature, which is powered by Gemini AI. This feature helps users convert their data into well-formatted tables with enhanced data types. Users can preview the table format before making the conversion.
These new features make it easier for users to manage and organize their documents and data. You can check and install the update through the Google Play Store.
Wear OS 5.1 could be based on Android 15, testing already in progress