Google brings slew of new features for Android phones [March 2022]
The Google team has been working on a series of updates which includes, powerful image editing tools and even smarter ways to pay for parking, these updates come with useful messaging, entertainment, and more technology.
In addition, with the new design and feature, developers are also bringing security patches and bug fixes. Here are all the new features and changes for the Google applications mentioned in this article. Let us start with the Google assistant pay for parking feature.
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Pay for parking with Google Assistant:
- Google Assistant and Google Pay together help you to pay for your parking. What you have to do is, check the status of your parking spaces, and expand your parking with your voice. Just say “Hey Google, pay for parking” when you leave and follow the message from Assistant Prompts to pay for your phone.
Convert more photos into portraits with a portrait blur:
- If you sign in to Google One with your Android devices, you will soon have access to Portrait Blur for more content. This will include pets, food, and plants. You can even add retroactive blur to images that were not affected when you took them.
Share with others Nearby Share:
- It will help to share with many people rather than just one person at a time.
- Simply press to add more recipients during the transfer
- It is easier than ever to share new ideas, enjoy your favorite pastimes, and explore the world around you
Accessible conversation even offline with Live Transcript:
- The application now offers “Live Transcribe” which provides real-time speech-to-text captions to enable everyday in-person conversations offline mode for when Wi-Fi and data are not available, such as on a plane, on the subway, or in other areas without continuous internet access.
Google now highlights on Google TV:
- The new Highlights tab on Google TV offers a personalized stream of entertainment news, reviews, and more based on the movies and shows you’re interested in.
Optimize your digital habits with screen time widget:
- The smartphone-powered screen time widget that you can add to your phone’s home screen.
- Daily timers for your apps
- Focus mode, which pauses distracting apps at set times
- Bedtime mode
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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