New for all smartphones soon

robot. Google will gradually introduce new innovative and practical functions in Android. It will not be reserved for the latest version of the system but will be available to a large number of phones, even older ones.

It’s a fact, Pixel devices in general are the best equipped when it comes to integrating the functions they invented google browser. If the American company so far voluntarily prefers its own devices, things may be about to change. Mountain View is changing its habits a bit and has just indicated in statment Imminent access to all Android phones for functions that until now were only shown on their pixels. On top of that, not only will these new features be rolled out in Android 12, but it will also be available on previous versions of Google’s mobile operating system. Great news for hundreds of millions of users.

Practically speaking, these new features won’t come all at once, but gradually, via functional updates to modules and apps like Photos or Gboard. Not all of them will be useful for everyone, but some of them provide some great improvements and are worth a try. So keep an eye on the updates that Google will be offering through the Play Store throughout the fall. Here is a small preview of what to expect.

Google Photos : Drprivate files

A few months ago, Google launched the Locked Folder in its Photos app. This function allows you to create a secure folder in Google Photos with an icon to store private or sensitive photos and videos. All the content there becomes invisible in the classic photo library and is not accessible from other applications installed on the device. So far only available on Pixel smartphones, the locked Google Photos folder will be rolling out in the coming weeks to all users regardless of their device.

Google Assistant : automatic reminder

Remembering everything that needs to be done one day is never easy. Google thus offers to delegate this tedious task to its smart voice assistant. You can now manage all your reminders in one place by directly asking your Google Assistant: “Ok Google, show all my reminders.” Google’s voice assistant doesn’t stop there, it even allows itself to suggest recurring reminders so you can activate them with just one tap. To help save you even more time, Google Assistant displays suggested reminders that may suit your habits and you can activate them with a single tap on the screen.

Camera switches, project activation and monitoring: DHandling aid

To ensure that all Android smartphone owners have equal use of their devices, Google took inspiration from people with mobility or speech impairments to create camera switches and Activate the project. With Camera Switches, Google offers a solution to turn the front camera of a smartphone into a way to control the device. How do ? With facial recognition, the camera switches are able to assign facial expressions and gestures to navigate the phone. This functionality, which has been tested so far in beta versions of Android 12, will finally be introduced to all users in Android Accessibility Options from September 30th.

The Californian company complements its tool with Project Activate, an app designed to help you communicate and express yourself. Also relying on facial recognition, it allows you to trigger predefined actions (speak a sentence, start a sound to express a mood, send a specific message via SMS, etc.) using simple facial gestures such as a raised eyebrow or movement of the eyes. Convenient, not just for people with disabilities.

Finally, to improve the daily lives of people suffering from blindness, Google is incorporating new functions into it Beware, beware, take care, an application that operates a smartphone’s camera to recognize objects and text in the real world and announce them out loud. Lookout is used in document mode, it can now recognize handwriting and therefore can read it. The tool that is also able to identify banknotes can now identify Euro money.

Google TV and Android TV: One TV remote control

If you are using a Google TV or Android TV and have a bad habit of losing your remote control, you can now replace it with your mobile phone. Google plans to integrate a virtual remote control on Android to control your TV from your phone: turn the TV on or off, browse programs, and even use your smartphone’s virtual keyboard to search or enter a little password. Complexity will be possible on all Android devices in the coming weeks. The functionality can be accessed in two ways: by adding it directly to the Android quick configuration panel, or from the Google TV app.

Close post: lClose sharing is under control

Nearby Sharing, Google’s Proximity Sharing System, will become more secure. Google has decided to improve the configuration of its sharing functionality by offering more options for managing your device’s visibility. You can now choose to be visible to everyone, to your contacts only, or to be hidden. The device visibility option can be accessed directly in the Android settings, but also from the quick configuration panel after long-pressing the nearby share button.

Gboard : Simplified versions and suggested answers

Gboard, Google’s default keyboard, will be enriched. In addition to the Emoji Kitchen function thanks to which several emojis can be combined to create one, this fall Gboard will welcome no less than 1,500 new stickers that can be used to create new and more personalized emojis. Also, to simplify the keyboard and help you communicate more effectively, Google plans to integrate several new functions into Gboard. If you’re copying text with several different types of information (such as URLs, email addresses, or even phone numbers), Gboard will extract and isolate it in the form of several suggestions when you paste the clipboard contents. Also new, if you just took a screenshot of your device, the default Google keyboard will automatically suggest sharing the capture if you’re using a messaging app. Finally, if you have a device running Android 11 (or later), Gboard will take advantage of the AI-powered Smart Compose function, which will allow you to automatically complete your answers with suggested phrases (as in Gmail) by simply sliding your finger to the right.

Warning: dA reminder to look around

Watching your mobile phone while walking down the street is not without risk. Google got it right and launched a Heads Up feature on Pixels earlier this year that displays on-screen reminders to encourage you to look forward while walking while using your phone. This handy feature is no longer just for pixels. Google has decided to integrate it into its Digital Wellbeing settings on all devices running Android 9 and above.

Source : google browser