Schlagwort: android

  • New tools to help developers build better health appsNew tools to help developers build better health appsSenior Product Manager

    New tools to help developers build better health appsNew tools to help developers build better health appsSenior Product Manager

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    Digital mobile health apps are capable of lowering the barrier to equitable healthcare. They are quickly becoming essential tools to help healthcare workers deliver better care to patients — especially in under-resourced communities. However, it’s been costly and difficult for developers to build tools that share health information across systems and work well in areas that often lack internet connectivity.

    Today, at our annual Google Health event The Check Up, we introduced Open Health Stack, a suite of open-source building blocks built on an interoperable data standard. This suite of components makes it easier for developers to quickly build apps allowing healthcare workers to access the information and insights they need to make informed decisions. For example, healthcare workers in rural areas may be able to quickly access the information they need to care for a patient diagnosed with tuberculosis by using these apps, or they can access population health data to better monitor community health.

    The building blocks to effective digital health solutions

    Digital health solutions built to date have focused on solving for single, disease-focused conditions, leading to data silos and making it difficult for healthcare workers to access the patient information they need. However, over the past few years, Fast Healthcare Interoperability Standards (HL7 FHIR ©) has created an open standard to address these problems and the global digital health community has championed the adoption of it.

    With Open Health Stack, developers can more easily build FHIR-based apps, enhance patient privacy and analyze data. One component of Open Health Stack is the Android FHIR SDK which makes data stored on the app secure and accessible offline — so that it’s safe and usable even in places without cell coverage or internet access. Open Health Stack also comes with design guidelines, so developers can quickly adopt best practices to improve the community health worker experience. And we are sharing stories from our partners to showcase how Open Health Stack is being used for different use cases.

    How our partners are supporting community health workers

    Developers around the world — like Ona, IPRD Solutions, Argusoft, Intellisoft and more — are already using Open Health Stack to build platforms and solutions that are being deployed across Sub-Saharan Africa, India and Southeast Asia. For instance, Intellisoft Consulting, a health IT developer based in Kenya, is building a maternal health app called “Mama’s Hub” to support community health volunteers and pregnant women in rural communities.

    Earlier this year, Open Health Stack was certified as a Digital Public Good by the Digital Public Goods Alliance, recognizing that it adheres to data privacy best practices, isn’t harmful by design, and is in service of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. We also worked with the World Health Organization to develop Open Health Stack and make it easier for developers to build tools in line with WHO’s recommendations. We hope this suite of components will power the development of solutions that support healthcare workers to deliver data-driven, patient-centered care everywhere.

    Website: LINK

  • Spring into action with these 9 new features for Android and Wear OSSpring into action with these 9 new features for Android and Wear OSDirector of Product Management, Android

    Spring into action with these 9 new features for Android and Wear OSSpring into action with these 9 new features for Android and Wear OSDirector of Product Management, Android

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    Use a stylus or simply touch the screen to annotate PDFs in the Google Drive app for Android. Try different ink strokes to provide notes or feedback freehand (handy for marking up photos and visual plans), or use the highlighter tool to save important text neatly on your tablet or phone. Then hide, undo, delete or save a new copy of your annotated documents.

    Website: LINK

  • The Privacy Sandbox Beta is coming to AndroidThe Privacy Sandbox Beta is coming to AndroidVP, Privacy Sandbox at Google

    The Privacy Sandbox Beta is coming to AndroidThe Privacy Sandbox Beta is coming to AndroidVP, Privacy Sandbox at Google

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    We’re entering the next phase of the Privacy Sandbox initiative, rolling out the first Beta for Android to eligible devices.We’re entering the next phase of the Privacy Sandbox initiative, rolling out the first Beta for Android to eligible devices.Website: LINK

  • 13 tips to help you read more books this year13 tips to help you read more books this yearContributor

    13 tips to help you read more books this year13 tips to help you read more books this yearContributor

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    “How to read more books” became a breakout search term over the past five years, reaching an unforeseen spike in April 2022 and rising again with the new year. It’s also a goal that might be surprisingly more complicated to pull off than it sounds. Between finding the time, choosing titles you’ll actually want to finish and keeping track of your reads, it can be easy to get overwhelmed. But there are a bunch of Google tools that can help you hit the books now — and all year long. Here’s how to read more books in 2023 and beyond with some help from Google.

    Read and browse with Google Books

    Google Books is a vast resource that can help you in every step of your reading journey, from accessing free books, to reviewing the books you’ve already read to keeping track of the (ever-growing list of) titles you want to read. Here are some tips for how to get started:

    • Browse Google Books’ 10 million free books. The online library is home to more than 10 million free books, and plenty more than you can pay to access.
    • Preview books before buying. No buyer’s remorse, thanks. You can use the “preview” option on a book’s page in Google Books to get a sense of whether you’ll like a certain title or author before you buy the book.
  • 5 ways to bring in the Year of the Rabbit with Google5 ways to bring in the Year of the Rabbit with GoogleMultifamily Success Manager, Google Fiber

    5 ways to bring in the Year of the Rabbit with Google5 ways to bring in the Year of the Rabbit with GoogleMultifamily Success Manager, Google Fiber

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    Happy Lunar New Year! Here’s how you can use Google products to celebrate the Year of the Rabbit or Year of the Cat.Happy Lunar New Year! Here’s how you can use Google products to celebrate the Year of the Rabbit or Year of the Cat.Website: LINK

  • 7 ways Android helps your devices work better together7 ways Android helps your devices work better togetherVP of Engineering, Android

    7 ways Android helps your devices work better together7 ways Android helps your devices work better togetherVP of Engineering, Android

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    At CES 2023, we’re sharing our progress toward delivering helpful experiences across your devices, regardless of brand.At CES 2023, we’re sharing our progress toward delivering helpful experiences across your devices, regardless of brand.

    Website: LINK

  • Uninterrupted listening across devices with AndroidUninterrupted listening across devices with AndroidDirector of Product Management, Android

    Uninterrupted listening across devices with AndroidUninterrupted listening across devices with AndroidDirector of Product Management, Android

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    At CES 2023, we’ll share new experiences for bringing media with you across devices and our approach to helping devices work better together.At CES 2023, we’ll share new experiences for bringing media with you across devices and our approach to helping devices work better together.

    Website: LINK

  • Bringing the best of Android to improve your driveBringing the best of Android to improve your driveDirector of Product and User Experience

    Bringing the best of Android to improve your driveBringing the best of Android to improve your driveDirector of Product and User Experience

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    Android for Cars is rolling out new updates across Android Auto, digital car key, and cars with Google built-in.Android for Cars is rolling out new updates across Android Auto, digital car key, and cars with Google built-in.

    Website: LINK

  • Matter is now available on Google Nest and Android devicesMatter is now available on Google Nest and Android devicesDirector of Product Management, Google Home

    Matter is now available on Google Nest and Android devicesMatter is now available on Google Nest and Android devicesDirector of Product Management, Google Home

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    Matter is now available across Google Nest and Android devices.Matter is now available across Google Nest and Android devices.

    Website: LINK

  • Happy birthday and farewell, SMS! It’s time for RCSHappy birthday and farewell, SMS! It’s time for RCSGroup Product Manager

    Happy birthday and farewell, SMS! It’s time for RCSHappy birthday and farewell, SMS! It’s time for RCSGroup Product Manager

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    SMS has been around for 30 years, and Messages by Google has the perfect gift to celebrate: RCS.SMS has been around for 30 years, and Messages by Google has the perfect gift to celebrate: RCS.

    Website: LINK

  • Special delivery! New Android features this holiday seasonSpecial delivery! New Android features this holiday seasonDirector, Product Management

    Special delivery! New Android features this holiday seasonSpecial delivery! New Android features this holiday seasonDirector, Product Management

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    Roundup of new Android features.Roundup of new Android features.

    Website: LINK

  • Helping increase d/Deaf representation in the media industryHelping increase d/Deaf representation in the media industryGoogle Partnerships and DSPA Social Impact Lead

    Helping increase d/Deaf representation in the media industryHelping increase d/Deaf representation in the media industryGoogle Partnerships and DSPA Social Impact Lead

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    Janelle Brod
    Google Partnerships and DSPA Social Impact Lead

    Even though over 15% of the world’s population has some form of disability, people with disabilities continue to be underrepresented in the entertainment industry. One organization helping change that is Deaf West Theatre, which was founded in Los Angeles in 1991. This group uses the expressive power of sign language to engage artists and audiences in theater and media. They also support actors who are d/Deaf or hard of hearing actors as they kick start their career, making sure they have access to the same opportunities as hearing actors.

    David ‘DJ’ Kurs, the artistic director of Deaf West Theatre, and Daniel Durant, an actor who is Deaf and a member of Deaf West, both know firsthand how important communication and connection is in their industry. With the help of tools, like Live Caption and Live Transcribe, they’re better able to connect with others when American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters may not be available. This is why our Social Impact team is partnering with Deaf West Theatre to share Pixel phones, which have these helpful tools and others available on them, directly with d/Deaf and hard of hearing actors, producers, writers and other creators.

    Learn more about some of our most helpful tools on android.com/accessibility and join us in building more accessible and disability inclusive creative work with the help of our toolkit, google.com/all-in.

    Website: LINK

  • This skull-like android head was made to mimic human expressions

    This skull-like android head was made to mimic human expressions

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    Peter Balch visited a robot exhibit at his local museum and noticed that one of the most popular pieces was a robot head that would track and mimic visitors’ faces. That was so interesting that Balch decided to replicate the project in order to learn how it was done. To do that, he first needed a robot head to work with. This Instructables tutorial explains how he built a skull-like android head that will eventually mimic human expressions.

    Balch hasn’t yet tackled the facial detection and expression recognition portions of the project, which will require significant processing power. But he has built the android head that will receive the expression commands. It resembles a human skull with a copper tube framework that acts as both a support structure and a design accent. The head also has copper wire eyebrows (with heat-set insert ends) and plastic eyeballs from a cheap toy.

    The robot can tilt its head up and down, rotate left and right, point its eyes in any direction, open and close its jaw, and pivot its eyebrows. That doesn’t cover the full range of human facial expression, but it does provide enough actuation for the robot to emote in a recognizable way. An Arduino Nano board drives the servos that handle the actuation. At this time, the Arduino controls the servos according to explicit commands. But once Balch finishes the facial recognition software, the device it runs on will send control commands to the Arduino to replicate the functionality that Balch saw in the museum.

    The post This skull-like android head was made to mimic human expressions appeared first on Arduino Blog.

    Website: LINK

  • Unlocking the potential of technology to support healthUnlocking the potential of technology to support healthChief Health Officer, Google

    Unlocking the potential of technology to support healthUnlocking the potential of technology to support healthChief Health Officer, Google

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    This week kicked off the HLTH Conference in Las Vegas where thousands of healthcare leaders, care providers, patients and other people in the industry — like our teams at Google — are coming together to discuss how to create a healthier world.

    At Google, we believe that technology — especially AI and analytics — can unlock a better future for health globally. Our teams from Search, YouTube, Android, Google Cloud and more are using technology to provide health information and insights for consumers, caregivers and communities. Here’s a look at some of our latest updates.

    Giving people information and insights to take action on their health

    For many, the front door to healthcare is their smartphone. Millions of people turn to Google Search and YouTube for authoritative information or use apps and connected devices, like Fitbit, to help stay on top of health and wellness goals.

    To give Android users a new way to get more from their health and wellness data, we introduced Health Connect earlier this year at Google I/O. Through our Early Access Program, more than 10 health, fitness and wellness apps including MyFitnessPal, Oura and Peloton have already integrated with the platform to help people manage everything from workouts to diet to sleep and more. We are now opening up to more developers with Health Connect (Beta) to give people a single place to manage access to data across their health and fitness apps. In the coming months, we will continue to create an even richer ecosystem of apps and features.

    Image of app icons

    We’ve also made strides on our other platforms, Search and YouTube. In 2021, health videos on YouTube were viewed more than 12 billion times in the U.S. YouTube’s authoritative health content and features are now available in 7 countries, and YouTube recently opened up its features to a wider group of health experts in the U.S. to encompass authoritative services that extend beyond educational institutions and health organizations.

    On Search, there’s more ways for people to turn health information into action. After piloting a feature earlier this year that shows available healthcare appointments for primary care, we’re continuing to explore new ways to expand appointments to other specialities and verticals through new and existing partnerships.

    This work is made possible by all our partners who provide the health information, insights and experiences that empower consumers in their health.

    Equipping healthcare ecosystem with analytics and AI to improve health

    Healthcare is one of the largest and most complex industries that is turning towards technology to help organizations run more effectively — which in turn helps people live healthier lives.

    When organizations commit to digital transformation, it can be a long and overwhelming process, but that doesn’t mean it has to take years to see benefits for developers, clinicians and patients.

    Google Cloud came together with several of our customers and partners — including Hackensack Meridian Health, Lifepoint Health and Mayo Clinic — to find a way to encourage rapid reinvention. As a result, we built Google Cloud’s new Healthcare Data Engine (HDE) accelerators to help organizations reinvent quickly and enable the data interoperability that saves lives. The first three HDE accelerators, available in early 2023, will address common use cases around health equity, patient flow, and value-based care.

    The transformation of healthcare requires an open and collaborative approach to be successful. For example, Electronic Health Records (EHR) are a critical part of this ecosystem and we see many ways to work with EHR companies for the benefit of healthcare organizations. Today marks a critical development in this journey. At HLTH we announced an agreement that will allow healthcare organizations to run Epic — an EHR system — on Google Cloud. Hackensack Meridian Health plans to move its Epic workloads to Google Cloud, with the aim to drive greater innovation, efficiencies and security.

    And with our solution Care Studio, we’ve been working with MEDITECH to bring our advanced search, summarization and sense-making capabilities to their EHR, MEDITECH Expanse. We are now extending this integrated solution to our first two partners, Mile Bluff Medical Center and DCH Health System, to give their health teams a more complete view of their patients and easily find salient information to provide better care. This includes organizing patient records from different sources into a longitudinal view, bringing our advanced search functionality to clinicians directly in their EHR so they can easily and quickly access critical information all in one place.

    Video of Google Health and MEDITECH Expanse integrated solution

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    Fitbit Health Solutions is bringing our technology to healthcare partners, incorporating Fitbit devices, services and insights into programs focused on managing chronic conditions like diabetes. A study from the All of Us research program found that increasing your daily step count by 1000 steps could cut the risk of type 2 diabetes by more than 25%. This kind of insight is key to promoting lifestyle changes for people, and why we are partnering with Babylon Health to support their high-risk members managing chronic conditions.

    Underpinning all our work is a deep commitment to make sure that we do not leave anyone behind. Technology has the power to eliminate health disparities and democratize access to healthcare. But we need to be intentional in our efforts to live up to our goal of improving the health of billions of people by building for everyone, everywhere.

    Google Health shares updates at the 2022 HLTH Conference from Google Cloud, Care Studio, and Health Connect and more.

    Website: LINK

  • How Android protects you from scams and phishing attacks …

    How Android protects you from scams and phishing attacks …

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    Cybercriminals are targeting smartphones and tablets more than ever before. That’s because people are spending more time on their mobile devices, and they’re using them to send and store significant amounts of valuable data — like banking information, healthcare data and passwords. Cybercriminals are also targeting mobile devices because of their smaller screen sizes and frequent app and messaging notifications, which make it more difficult to verify if a sender is legitimate.

    These criminals are increasingly using phishing attacks, scams and malware to obtain sensitive financial information or account passwords. In fact, during the pandemic, phishing attacks grew by 600% and became the top infection method in 2021.

    Phishing attempts can come from a variety of sources like emails, text messages, voice calls and even third-party messaging apps. So it’s critical to have a layered security approach in place to defend from many angles. To help ensure we’re providing strong protection on Android, we hired a third-party security lab to evaluate our features and functionality that help protect you from scam and phishing attacks on your mobile devices. The report concluded that Android devices provide more features for scam and phishing protection than other mobile operating systems[15bb22].

    For Cybersecurity Awareness Month, let’s take a closer look at these features and ways you can further protect your devices.

    Avoid spam, scam and phishing attempts

    Attackers often use text messages since they’re an easy channel to reach people. Messages by Google uses machine learning models to help proactively detect 1.5 billion spam, phishing and scam messages every month. It looks for known patterns and either diverts bad messages into the spam folder or warns you if it notices something suspicious.

    A phone screen shows a “suspected spam” warning underneath a phone number, with the option to “report spam.”

    Messages by Google detects 1.5 billion spam, phishing and scams messages every month.

    Messages are analyzed with your privacy in mind, so they stay on your device and are never shared with anyone. You can, however, report a message to Google to help protect others. Gmail, the default email app on most Android phones, is also highly effective at flagging malicious messages, automatically blocking 99.9% of spam, phishing and malware.

    Attackers today aren’t just using text messages and emails to phish for data. We’ve seen a 5x increase in the number of attacks involving phone calls, where a criminal tries to impersonate your bank or IT department to get you to hand over your credentials. Phone by Google provides multiple security defenses to help protect against attacks like these — from built-in caller ID and spam protection to Call Screen.

    Get warned about bad links, downloads and apps

    Many phishing and scam attempts try to get you to visit a malicious page impersonating a legitimate-looking site to enter your credentials, steal your social security number or download malware. Safe Browsing on Android protects 3 billion devices globally and helps warn you about potentially risky sites, downloads and extensions. It offers broad protection throughout your Android experience — from browsing on Chrome and other browsers to connecting to the web through social media apps

    A red phone screen shows a warning for a website, which says “the site ahead contains malware.

    Safe Browsing helps defend you from dangerous websites and malicious files whether you’re on a browser or an app.

    Even if you download an app outside of Google Play, Google Play Protect checks the installation and can warn you about a harmful or malicious app. Play Protect also scans all the apps on your device every day for harmful ones, even if you’re offline.

    Get notified about your Google account

    On Android phones running version 7.0 and up, you can use the built-in security key for additional protection. When you or someone else tries to sign into your Google account, you’ll get a notification on your phone asking to confirm that it’s you.

    And it’s always good to regularly do a Security Checkup, which you can access right from your device settings. It’ll provide personalized security tips for your account, remind you to keep your passwords up to date, and share what devices you’re currently signed in on and what apps have access to your data.

    Learn more about how you and your data are safer with Google on Android devices.

    Read the latest on how Android protects people from phishing, scams and spam with multiple layers of security.

    Website: LINK

  • 10 new reasons to love Messages by Google10 new reasons to love Messages by GoogleGroup Product Manager

    10 new reasons to love Messages by Google10 new reasons to love Messages by GoogleGroup Product Manager

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    1. Ever been in a chat where the conversation with friends is flowing and you’re catching up with tons of messages? Soon you’ll be able to respond to an individual message in a conversation when RCS is enabled, making it easier to respond to a specific message without breaking the flow.

    2. Earlier this year, we started displaying emoji reactions from iPhone users on your Android phone. Now we’re taking a step further by letting you react to SMS texts from iPhone users with emoji as well. While RCS is the ultimate solution, we’re doing what we can to help Android users have a way to consistently react to messages.

    3. We’re making voice messages more accessible. Using machine learning, Voice Message Transcription auto-transcribes the message so you can access it with ease. Say you’re in a crowded space and get an audio message from a loved one: transcripts will let you “view” the audio like you would a traditional text message. In addition to Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro, this feature is also available on Pixel 6, Pixel 6A, Pixel 6 Pro, Samsung Galaxy S22 and the Galaxy Fold 4.

    Website: LINK

  • Android 13 (Go edition): Easier to update and tailored just for youAndroid 13 (Go edition): Easier to update and tailored just for youGroup Product Manager

    Android 13 (Go edition): Easier to update and tailored just for youAndroid 13 (Go edition): Easier to update and tailored just for youGroup Product Manager

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    When we introduced Android (Go edition) five years ago, we tailored our core mobile platform to power affordable phones with limited memory and storage. This need is just as pertinent today, with nearly 180 million people coming online in the last twelve months alone.

    As we announce the release of Android 13 (Go edition), we’re marking a milestone, too: there are now over 250 million monthly active devices powered by Android Go.

    To better serve this growing set of users, we focused on three critical qualities: reliability, usability and customization. Let’s walk through what’s new in this release.

    Get direct software updates

    Updating the software in a phone takes a lot of storage space, which most entry-level devices can’t afford to lose. With Android 13 (Go edition), we’re bringing Google Play System Updates to Go devices which helps ensure devices can regularly receive important software updates, outside of the major Android release. This will make the delivery of critical updates quick and simple without compromising storage availability on the device. The result is a phone that stays up to date over time — and you don’t have to wait for the next release or a software push from your phone’s manufacturer to have the latest and greatest.

    Discover content just for you

    Android (Go edition) has built-in intelligence that helps you get more from your phone. This release brings you the Discover feature, letting you swipe right from your home screen to see a curated list of articles and other content.

    Tailor your phone’s look

    Website: LINK

  • A new look and feel for Chrome on Android tabletsA new look and feel for Chrome on Android tabletsProduct Manager, Chrome

    A new look and feel for Chrome on Android tabletsA new look and feel for Chrome on Android tabletsProduct Manager, Chrome

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    Use tab groups on your tablet

    If you use Chrome on your computer, you probably already know how convenient tab groups are. Keep an eye out — tab groups are coming soon to Chrome on Android tablets. You’ll be able to stay organized by grouping related tabs together so you can better focus on one task without seeing the clutter from other open tabs.

    No matter if you prefer using a mouse, a stylus or your finger, the Chrome on Android experience should be as intuitive and familiar on tablets as on your computer or phone. We’re constantly exploring new ways to make it easier and more enjoyable to use Chrome on your Android tablet — whether it’s easier navigation with the visual tab grid, switching to desktop mode or finding the tab quickly.

    Website: LINK

  • New features to help keep kids and families safer and entertained with techNew features to help keep kids and families safer and entertained with techGM, Kids and Family

    New features to help keep kids and families safer and entertained with techNew features to help keep kids and families safer and entertained with techGM, Kids and Family

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    Over the last five years, the Family Link app on Android and iOS have been helping families stay safer online. Whether it’s with your child’s first Android phone or exploring content on YouTube and Google TV, we’ve provided parents with the tools to set screen time limits and guide children to age-appropriate content.

    Based on parents’ feedback, we redesigned Family Link to bring our tools to the forefront and make them easier to use. Across the Controls, Location and Highlights tabs, you’ll find new experiences like “Today Only” screen time limits, alerts for when your children arrive and leave a location and recommended content from trusted partners around online safety.

    For easier access, parents and their children can also access Family Link online in a new web experience. Stay tuned for these changes to start rolling out today and complete over the next few weeks.

    More ways to explore content with Google TV

    Website: LINK

  • A new look for Family Link, plus new features to stay saferA new look for Family Link, plus new features to stay saferProduct Manager

    A new look for Family Link, plus new features to stay saferA new look for Family Link, plus new features to stay saferProduct Manager

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    We have redesigned Family Link to bring our most-used tools to the forefront. Parents will find their favorite features (like screen time limits and blocking and approving apps) in an all-new experience, and a central place for viewing requests and notifications. We’re also bringing new features that parents are asking for.

    Parents have told us that some of Family Link’s most helpful features are tools to manage screen time and guide kids to age-appropriate content. Now, we’ve made them easier to use. The Controls tab enables parents to supervise with the ability to set screen time limits for each device or for specific apps, set content restrictions and manage app data permissions.

    We understand there are times when you just want to temporarily change screen time settings in case your child needs a bit more time, like if you’re on a vacation or they simply must finish the last two minutes of their favorite show. Parents can now set “Today Only” screen time limits that override general screen time settings, and adjust them for one day without changing the rest of the settings and limits.

    Website: LINK

  • How we’re making it easier to share files with nearby devicesHow we’re making it easier to share files with nearby devicesKeyword Contributor

    How we’re making it easier to share files with nearby devicesHow we’re making it easier to share files with nearby devicesKeyword Contributor

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    We built Nearby Share to make it easier to send your content across your devices that are nearby, whether it’s a photo, link, document or even a Wi-Fi password. There are so many ways Nearby Share can help you throughout your day — and some you might not even know about.

    To learn more about the technology and how it works, I sat down with Alice Zheng, the product lead for Nearby Share, to have her walk me through some of my most common scenarios.

    Phone on left showing contacts to send a photo to with Nearby Share next to a tablet on the right with the image being received

    Can I share files between my own devices?

    Yes! In fact, this is one of the most common ways people use Nearby Share. Not only can you share files between your own devices, the process is getting even easier.

    In the coming weeks, we’re introducing a new update that makes it faster to share files on your own Android devices with Nearby Share. This means that devices logged into your Google account will automatically accept your transfers. This feature will be rolling out over the next few weeks and will be available on devices running Android 6 and above.

    A phone animation showing option to send an image to contacts, cursor selects sharing with your own tablet. Screen changes to the tablet automatically accepting the image.

    Does Nearby Share only work on my phone?

    Nope! You can use Nearby Share across Android phones and tablets, as well as Chrome OS devices. We are also hard at work bringing Nearby Share to the devices that you most frequently use and would want to share files with, and that includes support for more platforms, like Windows PCs, over time.

    If my phone doesn’t have Internet service, can I still get the funny photo my friend took of me on our hike?

    Absolutely! Nearby Share works even when you don’t have Internet service. We use a variety of connection technologies, including Bluetooth, WiFi, NFC, UWB and WebRTC, to automatically find an efficient way for your friend to send you the photo, even if you’re not online.

    Can anyone send me files?

    There are various ways to share and receive files and it is all up to what you want. With Nearby Share, we offer a set of device visibility settings so you have control over your privacy and how you appear to others. Your device can be visible to Everyone, a subset of your Contacts or just your own devices.

    For Everyone, you can choose to have this mode on temporarily or all the time. This means if you just met someone and they aren’t saved to your contacts, but you want to get a photo from them, you can turn this on to have them send you a file. Then, your setting will automatically switch back to your last used setting. If you have your setting set to Everyone all the time, we will also send you a reminder in case you want to change it.

    Under Contacts, you have the option to have your device visible to all your saved contacts, or you can select only a subset of contacts to be visible to. And the last option, Your devices, allows you to only be visible to other devices that are logged into your Google account.

    Can I send files to anyone?

    Just like how we protect your privacy by giving you control on who can discover you, you will also be able to share files with devices that are made visible to you.

    To protect your privacy, your Google account profile image will only be visible to people in your contact list. Others will see a generic device icon next to the device name you choose for yourself. This way, you won’t need to worry about disclosing your account information like when sharing directions with a stranger.

    But wait – I’m afraid strangers are going to send me inappropriate stuff if I leave my device visible to everyone. How can I stay protected?

    As I mentioned, you can control your visibility settings with the options available in Nearby Share; we also offer other features to protect your privacy. With Nearby Share, we will first show you who is trying to send you a file and what the file name is, and only after you accept the transfer will we show you the actual photo or video. This way if you’re somewhere public and you receive a share request, you’ll never have to see a preview of something you don’t want to unless you first accept. And if you’ve made yourself visible to Everyone, with one quick tap you can turn this off and stop receiving sharing requests from people you don’t trust.

    There are so many ways Nearby Share can help you throughout your day – and some you might not even know about.

    Website: LINK

  • Get more done and have fun with new Android featuresGet more done and have fun with new Android featuresSenior Director, Product Management, Android

    Get more done and have fun with new Android featuresGet more done and have fun with new Android featuresSenior Director, Product Management, Android

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    The team behind Android is always working on new features to help you stay productive, communicate with loved ones and enjoy entertainment across devices. From easier sharing, redesigned experiences for apps and watches to new ways to host game nights, here’s what’s new.

    Get more done across your devices

    Nearby Share lets you easily and securely share files between nearby Android phones, tablets and Chromebooks, whether they’re photos or videos or even entire folders. In the next few weeks, you’ll be able to use Nearby Share to effortlessly transfer files across your own devices. Just select Android devices logged into your Google account from the sharing menu to quickly share files between them. And once you’ve opted in, transfers between devices you own are automatically accepted — even if your screen is off.

    Animated demonstration of using Nearby Share to quickly share a photo from a user's smartphone to their tablet device nearby.

    Transfer files easier across your own devices with Nearby Share.

    We recently introduced a new look and updated Google Workspace apps for bigger screens. We’re continuing to optimize your favorite Google apps on tablets to make multi-tasking a breeze, starting with redesigned widgets for Google Drive and Keep.

    With an updated Google Drive widget, three home screen buttons now offer one-touch access to your Google Docs, Google Slides and Google Sheets files. And in Google Keep, a bigger widget and font size makes note-taking, to-do lists, and reminders easy to access.

    Animated demonstration of mobile phone user sending emoji-filled messages and using live sharing and multi-pinning on Google Meet

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    Connect 🤝and express 🤭 yourself 🥹 fully

    Animated demonstration of mobile phone user sending emoji-filled messages and using live sharing and multi-pinning on Google Meet

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    It’s sometimes easier to express yourself with emoji than with text, so we’re adding features to help you say exactly what you mean.

    Say you want to add the right emphasis to what you’re saying without the added effort of selecting emoji one at a time. Gboard now lets you “emojify” your messages. Just type your sentence, hit the ✨Emojify✨ button to select your preferred layout and press send to add the right 🔥 emoji 🎩 magic 🌈 to share with your friends. This feature is now available in the Gboard Beta app in English, and is coming to all Gboard English typers over the next weeks.

    Animation of how Gboard's Emojify feature instantly adds emoji to your text messages in a variety of styles.

    Use Gboard to instantly express yourself with emoji in one tap.

    By popular demand, we’ve added tons of new Emoji Kitchen mashups, available as stickers via Gboard. This seasonal update combines your favorite emoji with the best parts of fall to share with your Northern Hemisphere friends. Pumpkin spiced emoji, anyone? 🎃☕️

    Animation of an Emoji Kitchen mashup in action, combining the 100 emoji and maple leaf emoji into one, panning out to a collage of new mashups.

    New Emoji Kitchen mashups add new stickers to Gboard.

    Along with text messaging, video calling is my go-to way to keep in touch with friends and family. To bring people closer together, we’re adding new shared experiences in Google Meet. With live sharing features, you can instantly co-watch YouTube videos and play classic games (like UNO!™ Mobile, Kahoot! or Heads Up!) with up to 100 friends and family members at a time. So even if you’re far apart, you can maintain traditions like movie and game nights. This feature is rolling out to Android phones and tablets.

    Phone device video demonstration of several Google Meet callers watching the same YouTube video together.

    Watch and play together, instantly on Google Meet.

    Sometimes you want to keep your attention on certain people in a large group call — like your boss, a sign language interpreter or your best friend. Now in Google Meet, you can use multi-pinning to adjust your screen and stay focused on the folks you choose.

    Phone device video demonstration of a user pinning two members to the top of their Google Meet call.

    Stay focused on select people with multi-pinning in Google Meet.

    Accessibility tools for sound alerts and audio descriptions

    Video demonstration of a user with a cochlear implant training their device to identify household sounds with custom sound notifications on Android.

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    Designed in partnership with the Deaf and hard of hearing community, Sound Notifications within Live Transcribe & Notifications can detect critical household sounds like fire alarms, running water and door knocks and alert you on your phone or watch when they occur. This feature gives you a heads up on these sounds through notifications on your phone and watch, vibrations on your devices or flashing a light on your phone, which can be useful for you when you have hearing loss or are using headphones. Now, with custom sounds, you can add your own sounds, like appliances, to your alert library. Just record it and your phone or watch will alert you the next time it sounds.

    Animated demonstration of how Sound Notifications records beeping sounds to help keep you detect critical sounds.

    Receive alerts for custom household sounds on your phone and watch.

    To make TV shows and movies more accessible to people who are blind or low-vision, Audio Descriptions on Google TV narrate live visual information as it happens so you never miss that crucial cliffhanger. Now you can find a curated library of movies with audio descriptions on Google TV — just press the Google Assistant button and say, “Search audio description movies” to start exploring.

    Video demonstration of using Google Assistant to quickly browse Audio Described movies available on Google TV.

    Discover and find audio described movies on Google TV.

    Make your Wear OS watch more personal for you

    Tiles on Wear OS let you pick and choose what essential information you need throughout your day, in just a swipe. With the new Keep tile, quickly dictate a note or checklist right from your wrist, and manage the ones made across devices, without ever having to pull out your phone or tablet.

    Demonstration of a user dictating a new Note into their watch with their voice, before tapping to set it as a reminder for later.

    Create new notes and check off lists with the new Keep tile for Wear OS.

    Bitmoji is coming soon to your Wear OS watch face to give your mood a boost throughout the day. After you’ve designed your own personal avatar on Snapchat, Bitmoji.com or the Bitmoji mobile app and installed the Bitmoji watch face, you can send your personal Bitmoji to your watch, where it will change expressions depending on the time of day, the weather and your physical activity.

    Animated demonstration of how Bitmoji on your watch face changes throughout the day, including when you're waking up, listening to music and going to bed.

    See your Bitmoji sidekick on your Wear OS watch face.

    We hope these features help you better connect, share and support the people in your life. Visit android.com/updates to learn about these features and many more.

    Android introduces new features that help you stay productive, communicate with loved ones and enjoy entertainment across devices.

    Website: LINK