Category: Android Phone

Starbucks has dropped an update to their official app in the Google Play Store that rolls out nationally the Order & Pay functionality.  The update is build 3.2 for those keeping score at home and you can now order your favorite Starbucks drink or food item, order and pay for it on your Android phone, then simply go to the store and pick up your order.  No more waiting in queues!

The update is available now in the Google Play Store and expands the Order & Pay function as part of the rollout the company announced today.  While it is only available in the United States currently, it is expected that support for the feature will roll to the United Kingdom and Canada in October.  It should also be noted that the feature only works with Starbucks company stores, not those run by franchises.

Starbucks for Android – Free – Download Now

Google has released an update to the Gmail app for Android and with the update comes some nice inbox management tools.  The update is in the process of being released into the Google Play Store and should be arriving on your Android phone or tablet over the course of the next few days.  With the update will come the ability to block senders (something you can already do but it is improved) and unsubscribe to a newsletter from the message menu.  It gives you a bit more control over your inbox and should help declutter it a bit.

Gmail for Android – Free – Download Now

Over the course of the past two weeks, there have been a significant number of updates to a wide range of Google apps in the Google Play Store.  These update primarily have been laying the foundation for Android Marshmallow which is expected to be released next week.  While those on Android KitKat or Android Lollipop will not see the full benefits of many of these update until Marshmallow, there are a few apps that have hints as to what is coming.  One of these is the Google Search app.

The Google Search app has been updated to build 5.3.19.19 for those keeping score at home and one of the big changes that comes with the update is an all new App Drawer and the ability to quickly and easily search for apps that you have installed on your Android phone or tablet.  The update has been published to the Play Store but it is slowly trickling out so you may not see the update for a few days via OTA updates.

Google Search for Android – Free – Download Now

While speculation has been rampant the last few weeks, it is now confirmed that Google is hosting an event in San Francisco on September 29th.  The event has all the makings of a huge showing from the company with a wide range of products expected to be announced and of course the launch of Android Marshmallow.

Invites to the events tagline  “Join us for some tasty treats and much s’more.”  is a great play on the whole Marshmallow theme and pretty much guarantees that the next version of Android will be officially launched at the event.  With the huge number of app updates from the Google stables happening these past few days, that’s hardly a surprise as all of them are prepping for Android Marshmallow.

If you have been waiting for the least week or so since its launch for your Google Wallet app to update to Android Pay, you can now take matters into your own hands.  Google has released the Android Pay app into the Google Play Store for you to download to your NFC compatible devices.  The app is free and if you haven’t had a chance to check it out, you can read my first look at the app from last week when I got it on my Nexus 6.  Essentially this is the replacement for the old Google Wallet app (there is a new one for sending and receiving funds) rebranded with some security improvements and other performance updates.  There are a long list of retailers that are already accepting Android Pay because they were accepting Google Wallet prior to the launch.  Additional retailers and financial institutions are there now too and many more are in the roadmap to be added in the coming weeks.

Android Pay for Android – Free – Download Now

Google has released an update to Google Play Music for Android that should be a welcome sight… erm, I mean sound, to users.  The update, version 6.0.1995S for those keeping score at home, has completely overhauled support for Chromecast with all of the new updates and features of this release focusing on your ability to stream music through your Chromecast.  The update is rolling out now to the Google Play Store so if you haven’t received it yet, you should over the course of the next 2-3 days.  For those who haven’t tried Google Play Music, it is a free app (ad supported) that allows you to stream music and store your own music in the service.  For $9.99 per month you can get ad-free listening and the ability to download content to listen offline.

Google Play Music – Free (in-app purchases) – Download Now