Android today shared information about six features that will be released this summer. Some are simply quality of life improvements, e.g. B. SMS with a star for easy discovery later, or contextual suggestions for Emoji Kitchen, depending on what you wrote. But another aspect of this update emphasizes security, protection, and accessibility.
According to TechCrunch, Last summer Google added an Android feature that essentially uses your phone as a seismometer to create “the world’s largest earthquake detection network”. The system is free and released in New Zealand and Greece after testing in California. Google will now roll out this feature in Turkey, the Philippines, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The company will continue to expand its functions this year and prioritize countries with the highest earthquake risk.
Google is expanding on another feature released last year that makes the Google Assistant compatible with Android apps. The first update supports apps like Spotify, Snapchat, Twitter, Walmart, Discord, Etsy, MyFitnessPal, Mint, Nike Adapt, Nike Run Club, eBay, Kroger, Postmates, and Wayfair. Today’s update mentions apps like eBay, Yahoo! Finance, Strava, and Capital One. These features are similar to Apple’s support for Siri with iOS apps, which includes the ability to open apps, perform tasks, and save custom commands.
In terms of accessibility, Google is improving its sight recognition feature, which is already in beta. Eye recognition allows people to request voice access to respond only when they look at their screen, allowing people to switch naturally between talking to friends and using their phones. Voice access will now also improve password entry – if a password field is found, you can enter letters, numbers, and symbols, e.g. B. “Capital P” or “Dollar Sign” to make it easier for users to enter this sensitive information faster. In October, the Google Assistant became available on accessible and empowered devices, and that same month, Google researchers released a demonstration that made sign language users identifiable as “active speakers” in video calls. Apple doesn’t have a comparable visual recognition feature yet, but it’s widely used, despite the fact that they acquired SensoMotoric Instruments (SMI), an eye-tracking company, in 2017. Hopefully, similar accessibility features will work at Apple, especially since Google continues to develop its own.
Today’s Android update also lets Android Auto users do more than just customize their experience. Now you can customize the home screen from your phone, set dark mode manually, and view content in multimedia apps more easily with the scroll bar from A-Z and the up arrow key. Messaging apps like WhatsApp and Messages are now compatible on the home screen – be careful not to get distracted – and EV charging, parking, and navigation apps are now available.