With the discharge of Android 14 creeping closer, Google simply introduced a makeover for the Android model, which was final up to date in 2019. The emblem has been modernized, and the Android mascot, referred to as Bugdroid, has a recent 3D look. The firm additionally unveiled a handful of recent options for Google apps and Android units, together with a Google Assistant-powered widget and the choice to retailer digital variations of library and gymnasium playing cards in your Google Wallet.
The new look is designed to “reflect Android’s core ethos of being open, iterative, and inclusive.” From now on, it’s Android with a capital “A,” and the Android emblem has grown curvier, bringing it nearer to the type of the Google emblem. The tiny inexperienced robotic that has lengthy served as Android’s mascot has been rendered in 3D and has a brand new visible id, with recent colours (together with a natty rainbow end), equipment (like a headscarf and hat), and some playful animations.
Hot on the heels of the Android rebrand comes Google’s quarterly Android function drop. First up is the Assistant At a Glance widget on your residence display, a revamp of the prevailing At a Glance widget. It employs machine studying algorithms to supply snippets of related data, reminiscent of native climate, journey updates on your flights, and helpful occasion reminders.
A brand new function referred to as Image Q&A on Google’s Lookout app makes use of synthetic intelligence to generate detailed descriptions of photos, so as a substitute of counting on rudimentary alt tags, people who find themselves blind or have low imaginative and prescient can get correct descriptions of a picture and even ask follow-up inquiries to study extra about it. Google has additionally added one other 11 languages to the Lookout app, together with Chinese, Korean, and Japanese.
Google Wallet is getting the much-needed means to import and digitize passes with barcodes or QR codes. That means you possibly can add a photograph of your gymnasium move or library card and retailer a safe, digital model of it in Google Wallet, which is able to turn out to be useful whenever you overlook your precise pockets once more.
Android Auto is getting assist for Webex and Zoom audio convention calls. Yes, meaning you possibly can be a part of conferences on both platform and browse your schedules in your automotive show. You can mute your mic and finish the decision by means of Android Auto. Handy for whenever you’re working late however actually need to hitch a name. Implementing it into your automotive’s system hopefully means you will not use your telephone whereas driving.
The last new function is tied to Google Assistant—you possibly can add sleep-tracking information from Fitbit or Google Fit right into a Google Assistant Routine. Say, “Hey Google, good morning” after you set it as much as get a recap of your sleep stats alongside your morning information, together with whenever you fell asleep and what number of hours of shuteye you managed to get.
These options are rolling out beginning as we speak and don’t require an over-the-air system replace. Instead, preserve an eye fixed out for app updates within the Google Play Store.
