These Five New Features Are Coming to Android Devices

Another month, different "Drop." Google announced its latest harvest of features for Android devices this week, each coming arsenic portion of its September Android Drop. While the database is comparatively small, these 5 caller features each really look beautiful useful. In fact, pinch this update, Google is benignant of making the lawsuit to debar buying 1 of its newest products.

Keeps tabs connected your worldly without utilizing a tracker

Google is funny. The institution yet rolls retired its ain competitor to the AirTag, the Pixel Tag, past instantly undercuts it pinch a caller Find Hub feature. "Soon," Google says, you'll person the expertise to inquire Gemini to retrieve wherever you put your stuff, making it imaginable to support tabs connected those items without needing a dedicated tracker.

Google says the characteristic is for "things you don't put a locator tag on," like, perhaps, your passport aliases a spare key, but location aren't immoderate rules here. You tin simply inquire Gemini to retrieve that you put your keys successful your bedside drawer, and it'll shop that location for you. You tin moreover take to adhd a photograph if you want the other assistance. When you can't find something, you tin inquire Gemini wherever it is, aliases cheque the caller "remembered items" tab successful Find Hub. Google doesn't person a circumstantial timeline for erstwhile this characteristic will rotation out, but it does opportunity that it'll activity pinch Android 16 and newer successful countries that support some Gemini and Find Hub.

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Android is getting its ain anti-motion sickness feature

With iOS 18, Apple introduced "Vehicle Motion Cues," a characteristic that intends to trim mobility sickness by placing a bid of dots connected your screen. As the conveyance moves, truthful do the dots. That way, your encephalon doesn't get "confused" by looking astatine a stationary surface successful a moving vehicle; it thinks the surface is moving arsenic well, hopefully keeping your senses successful equilibrium.

While developers brought this conception to Android devices through third-party apps, Google now has a type of the characteristic of its own. Google's return is called "Motion Assist," and it useful conscionable astir the aforesaid measurement arsenic Apple's. Like Vehicle Motion Cues, you tin customize really these dots really look; successful this case, you tin power their shape, color, and opacity. You tin take to person the characteristic footwear connected automatically, aliases pin it arsenic a Quick Setting tile to entree it whenever you want. Google says this characteristic is coming to each phones moving Android 17.

"Guided vision" is coming to Gemini Live

Just astir each tech institution pinch an AI level offers a "Live" feature, which lets the AI "see" done your device's camera to thief reply questions astir your surroundings. For Google, that's Gemini Live.

Now, Google is adding "Guided vision" to Gemini Live, a characteristic designed for unsighted and low-vision users. Guided imagination uses Gemini Live to thief you navigate your surroundings successful a much accessible way: Rather than simply answering questions astir "what type of works is this" aliases "when was this building built," Google says Guided imagination tin thief pinch reference good people connected a nutrition label, aliases discerning the different dishes connected a paper successful a edifice pinch debased light. Furthermore, Guided imagination tin thief you statement up your camera if you aren't pointing it successful the correct spot. This characteristic is really coming to a larger number of devices than immoderate different features, arsenic Google says you'll beryllium capable to usage it pinch Android 9 and newer devices wherever Gemini is available.

Google Messages now has collaborative Google Keep integration

If you person a friend aliases a group chat that often collaborates connected lists (think market lists aliases picnic planning), Google Messages is getting a adjuvant upgrade. Following this Pixel Drop, Google Messages users will announcement a caller Google Keep icon successful the (+) menu. Once activated, you'll beryllium capable to create and edit caller notes straight successful your chats. Rather than jumping betwixt Google Keep and Google Messages, you tin chat and collaborate successful 1 app. As personification connected the iOS broadside of things, I dream Apple—ahem—takes notes here.

Google Messages gets caller chat customizations

Google Messages is besides getting immoderate caller chat customization options. Now, you tin alteration the inheritance of a chat to immoderate you want, including photos from your library. When you do, the matter bubbles automatically alteration to lucifer that image's colour scheme. That said, you tin set the colors to immoderate you like, aliases customize the bubbles without changing the background.