Tag: App Update

Microsoft has rolled out an update to the Microsoft Teams app that has a lot of new features and improvements for organizations who use it for collaboration.  The update’s biggest improvement is Single Sign-On (SSO) so that users of Office 365 will be able to sign in easier to Teams if they are already signed into other apps on their phone.

OneNote files can now also be shared in Teams.  If a OneNote file is being shared, it can be viewed in conversations.  Previously OneNote files couldn’t be viewed in Teams.

Android Wear 2.0 is expected to be released today but it appears to Google is already paving the way for it with other apps.  Android Pay was updated late yesterday and with it comes support for Wear 2.0.  The support for it is not explicitly called out in the release notes for the update, something that Google is notoriously bad about updating on their apps.  Rather, it is in the screenshots that are associated with the update in the Play Store.

In those screenshots, you will see round Android Wear captures of a transaction with a Bank of America card along with another screenshot of a history of transactions.

A new update to Google Maps for Android is rolling out and with it comes a much improved places near you tab and real time commute information.  All of this information can be found by swiping up in Google Maps which will now display a three-tab page.  The first tab is Places which has been in Maps for a while now.  This gives you local places such as places to eat, have a drink, ATMs and fuel stations that are near you.  The Places tab not only serves as a great place to discover something new but also gives you places that you have been before so you can revisit them.  Functionally, you won’t find much difference in this release over what is there now.  It has just been cleaned up a bit and put into this more contemporary navigation tab model.

The new driving tab is designed to give you real time ETAs to home and work.  It also gives you nearby traffic conditions and expected delays.  Equally, if you want real time traffic information but don’t need turn-by-turn navigation, you can tap the Start Driving button and go directly into Driving Mode in Google Maps.  For this feature to work, you need to have stored your home and work address with your Google account.  You can actually set those up within Maps under Settings>Your Places.

Google has announced the release of a new build of Chrome for Android.  Chrome 56 brings a lot of improvements and new features to the browser, most notably is a new download tab.  The new build is version 56.0.2924.87 for those keeping score at home and should be coming to your devices over the course of the next week.

The big new feature is a new downloads tab.  Now you can more easily find things that you have download within the browser with this new tab.  The aim is to allow you to find them and access them without having to exit the browser itself.  Along with this, you can now easily use email addresses, physical addresses and phone numbers within a web page by tapping them.  If, for example, you tap a phone number, it will open up your phone app so you can place that call.  Again, the idea is to make the user experience easier and faster.

The Starbucks app for Android has an update rolling out that brings a long desired feature:  The ability to create and save your favorite drinks.  The feature is aimed at those who use the ordering feature in the app as it allows you to, with one tap, order your favorite drink then go to your local Starbucks and pick it up.  The ability to order within the Starbucks app has been there a while but every time you used it, you had to create your drink, even if you are a creature of habit and order the same thing every time.

To use the new feature, go to the Order section of the app.  It will find the Starbucks location closest to you and present you a menu of the food and drinks that are available at that location.  Build your favorite drink using the drink menu and once you have created your masterpiece, tap the heart icon to save it.  The next time you order, you can go to the Favorites tab and your drink will be there and ready to order with a tap of the Floating Action Button.

The Google Opinion Rewards app for Android has had a small but nice update to it this weekend.  The update expands the free Play Store cash app to Austria and Switzerland firstly, allowing Android users in those countries to fill out surveys and get Play Store credit in return to spend on whatever they want in the Store.  This brings the app to 17 different countries globally.

If you aren’t familiar with the app, it is pretty simple.  You are sent survey’s periodically to fill out and get anywhere from a few cents (or your local currency) up to $1.00 for completing them.  They are sent to you at random and as you fill them out, you get these credits to spend in the Play Store.  You can always check out which countries are eligible and added at this link.