Google Just Announced All the New Android Features
It’s time to ditch Android features: Google just announced a slew of new features in a press release , as well as an accompanying blog post . New options span phones, tablets and even Android wearables, from Nearby Share for Windows to Spotify on your wrist and new emoji kitchen options. It’s Android Christmas in June. Let’s dive into this.
Environment sharing comes to Windows
Nearby Share is a great way to quickly share content between Android devices, so it makes sense to add Windows-only functionality. After all, those of us in the Apple ecosystem have no problem sending media from iPhone to Mac using AirDrop, so the Share Nearby feature for Android and Windows is great. This feature is still in beta, but you can try it out right now . Nearby Share is available on 64-bit versions of Windows 10 and later between devices in close proximity.
Reading Practice
Reading Practice is Google’s attempt to help readers learn new and unfamiliar words, especially in children’s books. When reading a compatible e-book, you can now see a Practice button that reads each word in a sentence aloud to you, lets you try reading the words yourself, and offers feedback based on your pronunciation. The new feature is available in Google Play Books version 8.1.
New Emoji Kitchen Options
Emoji Kitchen is a fantastic Android feature that allows you to combine different emojis to create a brand new icon. Google is adding more water options to the kitchen, highlighting shark, dolphin, and whale emoji especially.
Three new home screen widgets
This latest feature includes three new widgets: Google TV now has a widget with personalized movie and TV show suggestions, Google Finance lets you track stocks of your choice, and Google News shows you the latest headlines.
Matter-enabled smart devices are even easier to set up
Matter, the new cross-platform standard for smart devices, is easier than ever to set up on Android. You can scan the QR code on these new devices using the Google Home app and quickly connect them to your smart home system. This feature requires your device to be running Android 8.1 or later, Matter enabled Google Hub device, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Low Energy (4.2) or higher.
Spotify on your wrist
If you have a smartwatch running Wear OS 2 or later, you have Spotify on your wrist. Sure, you can listen to music and podcasts without picking up your phone, but you can also browse new tiles and watch face shortcuts. Google highlights the ability to stream clocks from Spotify DJ, but it requires a Spotify Premium subscription and is only available in the US, Canada, UK, and Ireland.
Check your Google Keep notes without your phone
Another good addition to Wear OS is Google Keep: this new option lets you check a pinned note or to-do list without having to pick up your phone first. This feature works on Watch OS 3 and later.
Travel with your watch
If you use public transportation in Washington DC or the San Francisco Bay Area, you can connect to the subway using SmarTrip and Clipper cards on your smartwatch. It requires Wear OS 2 or later and Android 7.1 or later.
Save shorts to your YouTube playlists
Although at first they simply copied TikTok, Shorts have become a popular platform on YouTube. If you stumble upon one of these quick vertical videos that you love, you can now add it to your playlist, showing that YouTube is treating this new content just like its traditional video.
Scan your Gmail address for possible dark web leaks
Google is now offering these scans to anyone with a US Google account. Just follow this link , click “Run Scan” and see what comes up. You may be surprised at how many of your accounts have had data breaches in the past, and how much of your data has been lost by each. If you subscribe to Google One, the scan will look for additional information, such as your social security number.
[ Tom’s Guide ]