What’s new in the world of Google Apps and Services

The long-awaited Google I/O keynote took place in an all-virtual live stream, where several new announcements and launches, ideas and innovations and lots more were announced. New and upcoming Android 12 update, Samsung+ Google’s collaborative wearables, new workspace smart canvas, and lots of other things were mentioned in the keynote.

We all know that in this day and date, the only thing we never lose sight of is our smartphone. Google’s new innovations would make our lives much easier by putting everything we need right in our hands.

Let’s talk about one of the things mentioned in the keynote - Updates to Google Maps. Almost all of us android users know and use Google Maps to reach our destination. The new updates to this application will make our lives easier, or so the ‘Google people’ say. We will be able to access a live view of the place right from the Maps; details about shops and restaurants, like how busy they are, recent reviews and of course, photos of most popular dishes will be accessible from the app itself. Charming, right? Not only that, there will be new features added to the live view like virtual street sights which would point towards key landmarks. There will also be an indoor live view for airports, hotels etc. You don’t need to ask a clerk every time you lose your way in an airport, you can navigate using your phone!

Source: Google

Some other possible additions to the Maps is a more dynamic and tailored map - you will be able to see the ‘area busyness’, that is, get to know when a place is least busy to visit. The tailored version of Google Maps will highlight places according to the time when you’re going out. You’ll see more coffee shops at 8am in the morning and dining restaurants at 6pm in the evening. Wouldn’t you love it when your phone easily directs you to a freshly brewed cup of coffee? I know I would! Another thing to look for by the end of this year is easy access to your Chromebook from your phone. With the new updates, you can easily sign in to your Chromebook with a single tap on your phone. You can share photos, use your keyboard and do several other things without touching your Chromebook. Apart from that, you can access the features of a TV remote right from your phone! Now even if you lose your remote in the corners of your sofa, you can browse movies and change shows directly from your phone.

The concept of Android Auto is not old. You can access the contents of your phone in your car’s dashboard, making it easier (and safer!) to drive. New additions to this feature will be complete wireless accessibility of this feature! Another new idea is that of a digital car key. You will be able to lock, unlock or start your car directly from your phone with the usage of NFC ultra wideband technology that will make it completely secure. You don’t need to look for your car keys now, they’re in your phone! You can also share your digital key with your friend in case they need to borrow your car. This feature is supposed to be available in select Google Pixel and Samsung Galaxy phones. Google is working with BMW and other cars as well to have this feature up and working by the end of this year. Let’s hope it’s not limited to just BMW.

Source: Google

The next amazing feature is that in Google Computational Photography. Google is now building a more accurate and inclusive camera with high accuracy of auto white balance and auto exposure. This will help the camera to give better color saturation and better photo experience to the people of color.

Moving on to Google Photos, Google is introducing new ways to look back on our moments. One of them is ‘cinematic moments’, which will take up a few similar photos and make them cinematic using its updated technology. Other one is called ‘little patterns’, This will look for the lost moments in your thousands and thousands of photos stored in your Google Photos, and will make a little pattern of them by comparing the shapes, sizes and other aspects of the objects in the photos. Another feature Google has proposed to add is that you will be able to hide certain photos and timelines from your application. You can also hide sensitive images in a fingerprint or password protected folder for some extra peace of mind.

Source: Google

Lastly, Google is looking forward to updating your shopping preferences in Google Chrome. You will be able to see the open carts of different sites in quick access tabs of Chrome for the past couple of weeks, this will help you keep track and you might get some promotions and coupons on purchasing the items in your carts.

There are many other minor updates that you can look forward to by the end of this year. All in all, it seems like Google has set its mind to make up for the cancelled event last year and provide us with a bunch of upgrades and innovations that actually seem too good to be true. Which of the above updates are you most looking forward to? Tell us in the comments!

To see the article for the entire keynote , click here.