For a few months now, Google has been talking about Android 12L, an upcoming version of Android that's focused on making the OS work better on larger-screen devices like tablets and foldable phones. Thus far, most of those changes have focused on interface tweaks, but today at Google I/O the company had some news about making apps perform better on larger screens, too. 

Google says more than 20 of its apps will be redesigned and optimized for tablets, something that should automatically make Android taps a lot more useful. Among those are YouTube Music, Google Maps and Messages. YouTube Music has a redesigned now playing screen that takes advantage of the extra screen space, while Messages has a multi-column view to quickly jump between different conversations. Google also says that third-party apps like Facebook, TikTok and Zoom will soon be updated to be better optimized for large screens, too. If Google can get more big developers like these on board, the Android tablet ecosystem should benefit greatly. 

Google also says that there are 270 million active users already using large-screen devices, so there's a decent number of people who'll be able to take advantage of these updates immediately. To find them, Google Play is getting a large-screen redesign as well that'll highlight apps built for tablets. 

Follow all of the news from Google I/O 2022 right here!

After launching a new version of Wear OS in collaboration with Samsung last I/O, Google is back with more updates. At this year's developer conference, the company unveiled features coming to Android 13 and a new Google Wallet, as well as emergency SOS coming to Wear OS. Google also shared that there are now three times more Wear OS devices this year as there were last year and that new devices from Samsung, Montblanc and Fossil are coming. 

No word yet on the highly leaked Pixel Watch, though given Google is in the middle of its keynote right now, this might not be the case for much longer. 

This story is developing, please refresh for updates.

Follow all of the news from Google I/O 2022 right here!

Google Wallet is coming back as a standalone feature. Wallet will be the place to store digital versions of cards and other personal documents, while Google Pay will remain the place for contactless payments. Wallet will store payment cards, transit passes, memberships, tickets, airline travel information and vaccine passports. Google will start rolling out the new Wallet to Android and WearOS devices in the coming weeks.

Google has plans to add digital IDs and driver's licenses to Wallet later this year.

Since going live in 2011, Google Wallet acted as a storage space for digital cards and as a hub for sending and requesting money. Google essentially killed Wallet in 2018 when it consolidated its digital payment services under one app, Google Pay. The company revamped Google Pay in late 2020 as it attempted to compete more directly with services like Venmo, but there was no word about a separate Wallet at the time.

Rumors about a revamped Wallet dropped in April, so today's news isn't a complete surprise.

Follow all of the news from Google I/O 2022 right here!

Google has been working with researchers to make its products and services more inclusive for people with darker skin tones. Now, the company is open sourcing a major part of that work. The company is making its skin tone research widely available as part of its effort at creating more ”responsible AI.” The research has so far resulted in the Monk Skin Tone Scale (MST), a scale “designed to be easy-to-use for development and evaluation of technology while representing a broader range of skin tones.”

The scale is meant to more accurately reflect the diversity of different skin tones, Google says, and was developed with Harvard professor Dr. Ellis Monk. The work will help AI more accurately “see,” a wider range of skin tones, especially darker ones.

This research will be most apparent to users in search results and in its Photos app to start. For search, Google is using the MST scale to surface results that are more inclusive of darker skin tones. For example, makeup-related searches will come with a filter for adjusting for different skin tones so users can find results that are most relevant for them.

In Photos, Google is also using the MST scale to power a new set of “Real Tone filters.” According to Google, these filters are “designed to work well across skin tones” and “a wider assortment of looks.”

Eventually, Google says it will incorporate the MST scale into more of its products and services. It’s also working to make it easier for brands, creators and publishers to label content to adapt to the scale so Search will be better able to surface results for different hair textures and colors too.

Developing...

Google is announcing news at breakneck pace at its I/O developer conference today, and as usual it's flexing its machine-learning smarts. In addition to unveiling its new LaMDA 2 conversational AI model, the company also showed off a new app called AI Test Kitchen. 

The app offers three demos that showcase what LaMDA 2 can do. The first is a simple brainstorm tool that asks the app to help you imagine if you were in various scenarios. During the keynote demo, Google entered "I'm at the deepest part of the ocean" as a response to the app's prompt of "Imagine if." The app then spit out a short paragraph describing the user in a submarine the Marianas Trench, with descriptive language.

Secondly, as a demonstration of the model being able to stay on topic, the app can have a conversation with you about something and understand context. During the demo, the app started by asking "Have you ever wondered why dogs like to play fetch so much?" In its responses to simple follow-ups like "Why is that," the system replied with more information about dogs and their senses of smell. 

Finally, AI Test Kitchen shows how LaMDA 2 can "break down a complex goal or topic." This section is called List It, and users can ask things like "I want to learn ukulele" or "I want to grow a garden." LaMDA will generate lists of subtasks to help you get started, and according to Google, may even offer ideas you might not have thought of. In addition to giving you the names of vegetables you can grow, for example, AI Test Kitchen might also give you a set of steps to take or weather conditions to consider. During the demo, the app offered a tip for users with limited space, sharing the types of plants that might thrive in smaller gardens. 

According to CEO Sundar Pichai, Google is using this app in part to gather feedback on its new AI model. It will open up access "over the coming months, carefully assessing feedback from the broad range of stakeholders — from AI researchers and social scientists to human rights experts." Pichai said these findings will be incorporated into future versions of LaMDA. He added that, over time, the company intends to "continue adding other emerging areas of AI into our AI Test Kitchen."

Follow all of the news from Google I/O 2022 right here!

Google is using I/O 2022 to unveil (and flaunt) a host of privacy and security upgrades, including some significant features for online shopping. The company is introducing virtual payment cards on Android and Chrome that promise extra security by replacing the real card number with a digital counterpart. It should be faster, too, as you won't have to enter the CVV or other details that frequently slow you down.

Virtual cards will be available in the US this summer for American Express, Visa and Capital One holders. Mastercard is due later in the year. This isn't as ambitious a financial project as Google's defunct Plex banking service, but it may be useful if you're worried a hacker might scrape your payment details while you're checking out.

Other additions are subtler, but potentially useful. Google now protects Workspace users against phishing and malware in Docs, Sheets and Slides, not just Gmail. You should also see the safety status in apps to let you know when your Google account is at risk.

Google is also making it easier to control data. On top of plans to let you remove contact details from search results (still in a months-long rollout), you'll also have the option to see more or less of certain brands and categories in ads through My Ad Center. You won't just be limited to blocking or reporting content.

The expansions come alongside ongoing efforts. Google is automatically enrolling users in two-factor authentication to reduce account hijacking. It's also scaling back the volume of sensitive personal info, anonymizing that content and curbing access through technologies like end-to-end encryption and the secure enclaves on modern phones. Yes, Google is partly touting these features to counter long-running accusations of less-than-stellar privacy, but they might be welcome if you're jittery about trusting the company with your data.

Follow all of the news from Google I/O 2022 right here!

Google Assistant is already pretty handy, filling in your payment info on take out orders, helping get the kids to school on time, controlling your stereo systems' volume and your home's smart light schedules. At the I/O 2022 developers conference on Wednesday, company executives showed off some of the new features arriving soon for the AI.

The first of which is "Look and Talk." Instead of having to repeatedly start your requests to Assistant with "Hey Google," this new feature relies on computer vision and voice matching to constantly pay attention to the user. As Google's VP of Assistant, Sissie Hsiao, explained on stage, all the user has to do is look at their Nest Hub and state their request. Google is also developing a series of quick commands that users will be able to shout out without having to gaze longingly at their tablet screen or say "hey Google" first— things like "turn on the lights" and "set a ten-minute alarm."

All of the data captured in that interaction — specifically the user's face and voice prints, used to verify the user — are processed locally on the Hub itself, Hsiao continued, and not shared with Google "or anyone else." What's more, you'll have to specifically opt-in to the service before you can use it.

According to Hsiao, the backend of this process relies on a half dozen machine learning models and 100 camera and mic inputs — ie proximity, head orientation and gaze direction — to ensure that the machine knows when you're talking to it versus talking in front of it. The company also reports that it has worked stridently to make sure that this system works for people across the full spectrum of human skin tones. 

developing 

Google is rolling out auto-translated video captions for YouTube on mobile devices, with support for 16 languages. The feature is live now. Additionally, YouTube video transcripts are now available to all Android and iOS users.

This is all part of Google's work to make YouTube videos easier to navigate and search, building on existing features like auto-generated chapters. Google has a plan to increase the number of YouTube videos with auto-generated chapters from 8 million to 80 million by the end of the year. 

Next month, Google plans to add auto-translated captions to Ukrainian YouTube content.

Follow all of the news from Google I/O 2022 right here!

At I/O 2022, Google provided a number of updates regarding search including a powerful new feature called scene exploration. 

One new addition is support for Google Lens inside the default Google Search bar, which makes it easier to point your camera at an object and look it up on the web. However, to support more natural search across a range of inputs, Google is looking to enhance multisearch by making it easier to find info about local businesses with the new Near Me feature. 

However, in the future, Google wants to supercharge its search abilities with Scene Exploration, which looks to condense info from places like cluttered store shelves in order to serve it in a more digestible way. On stage, Google demoed this by showing a picture of chocolate bars in a store, before using scene exploration to call out additional info like the presence of nuts, user ratings and more. 

This story is still developing, so check back soon for more information...

Follow all of the news from Google I/O 2022 right here!

Google Maps is getting an "Immersive View" that will offer users digitally rendered looks at major US cityscapes, Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai told the audience at Google I/O developer conference on Wednesday.  

The new feature uses computer vision and AI to blend Maps' existing Street View function with aerial photography to create high-resolution models of the various buildings and urban features of a given location. "With our new immersive view, you’ll be able to experience what a neighborhood, landmark, restaurant or popular venue is like — and even feel like you’re right there before you ever set foot inside," wrote Miriam Daniel, VP of Google Maps, on Wednesday. What's more, Maps' other tools and features can be applied to the view as well, enabling users to see what the area looks like at different times of the day and varying weather conditions.

Immersive View will first be available for Los Angeles, London, New York, San Francisco and Tokyo later this year, with more cities to follow. The company also notes that its recently released eco-routing feature, which lets drivers in the US and Canada to pick the most fuel efficient route for their trip, has already been used to travel 86 billion miles, and prevented the release of roughly half a million metric tons of carbon emissions.

developing