Tag: Google

Google’s SMS & MMS app, Google Messenger, has had a nice update this week that brings a lot of visual tweaks as well as some new features.  The new build is version 2.0 and it is rolling out now in the Google Play Store.  The most immediate thing you will notice is the new round icon for the app, fitting in nicely with the look of the Google Pixel launcher on the Pixel devices.  That new icon also can now show unread message counts, ala iOS, which is something that Android frankly has needed for a long time.  But get this:  It doesn’t work on the new Pixel Launcher or the Google Now Launcher.

Insert head scratching here.

The Project Fi app for subscribers has received a nice behind the scenes update that most users will find quite helpful.  Now you can see which apps have consumed the most data in your current billing cycle.  The good news is that no new app download is required.  So long as you are running the most current version you will see this new information within the app.

The parent company of Google, Alphabet, has released their 3rd Quarter earnings report and it is all about Google.  The company made some $5.1 billion in profits for the quarter that ended in September with the vast majority of those dollars coming from the flagship brand of the company.  Google itself brought in $22.2 billion and made an operating profit of $6.7 billion.  That was countered with the other divisions of the company losing $865 million.

While it shouldn’t come as a shock to most, it is official.  Starting January 1, 2017, Google Drive for desktop will no longer support Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows Server 2003.  Given that Microsoft themselves no longer support these older versions of Windows themselves, it only makes sense that Google and other stop supporting it too.  The announcement came via the Google G Suite blog and was very clear that while the app is no longer supported, it should still work.  There won’t be any support or any further updates to the builds of Google Drive for these platforms.

An update is currently rolling out to the Google Play Store for Google Docs and Google Sheets that further both apps features around collaboration.  Both apps now allow you to create and assign action items to collaborators on a document or file.  For example, if you want to have a team member work on a specific paragraph or the financial figures in a particular part of the document or sheet, you can assign it to them and get notified when that task is completed.  It is a great way for teams to work together on a file and to make sure specific edits are completed.

With the shipment of the Google Home device just days away for many of us, Google has started laying the groundwork for their arrival.  At the October event the company held, we learned that one of these steps would be rebranding the Google Cast app.  That has happened and is rolling out now.  The Google Home app is, essentially, the same app as Google Cast but will be able to add additional cast devices and of course the Home device once it is released.  Google, wisely in my opinion, has lumped the Cast and Home device management into one app, much like they have done with Google OnHub and Google Wi-Fi into the On app.  This will help cut down on the number of apps you have to install to manage the growing number of devices.