Tag: Android

Google Calendar for Android has an update rolling out that brings mostly one new but desired feature by users:  A monthly calendar view widget.  The updated version of the app, version 5.6.2 for those keeping score at home, allows you to add a widget that can be resized to show an entire month of your calendar without having to open the app itself.  This is a feature that many other calendar apps have already so it is very much a catch up feature.  Previously you only had one widget which provided you the schedule view.  It too was resizable but it would just stretch out the items on your schedule.  Not super useful if you need to see what you have going on a few weeks from now.

Google Allo has not had the best reception since its release last month but it is clear that Google intends on driving it and their new video app, Google Duo, as their primary messaging apps.  Allo, for its part, is getting a healthy update today that brings a couple of feature many users requested on the initial release.  First is Direct Reply.  This feature allows you to reply to a message right from the notification shade – like you can with, oh, just about every other messaging app from Google and others.  While you have had quick responses available in the Notification Shade, being able to reply with your own text, to now, hasn’t been an option.  This is certainly a must have feature for a messaging app these days and it is good that Allo has it on board.

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.

Google has announced that Android Pay will be integrating with two popular payment systems, MasterCard’s Masterpass and Visa’s Visa Checkout, in early 2017.  The integration will bring more opportunities for consumers to use the Pay app and selecting which backend payment option that want the funds to be drawn from for the transaction while shopping online.

Android Pay users will soon be able to pay on hundreds of thousands of new sites where Visa Checkout or Masterpass are accepted using their preferred device authentication method – like fingerprint recognition. No longer will users have to remember multiple usernames and passwords in order to checkout, saving them time and hassle.

When the app is updated in early 2017, you will be able to configure it to be your single app for payments online.

With orders now starting to arrive to those who ordered the new Google Pixel or Pixel XL, Google has posted both the factory images and the OTA updates for both phones on the Android Developer website.  This follows the trend that the company has had the last two device rounds (Nexus 5X/6P and Marshmallow & Nexus 6/Lollipop).  This means that, like the Nexus lineup before it, the Pixel lineup will have images that those who want to manually update their devices can use as soon as the images are released instead of waiting for the standard over-the-air updates.

There is a new update to Chrome for Android rolling out that has some nice new features for the browser.  The update is version 54.0.2840.68 for those keeping score at home and is now in the Google Play Store.  The OTA update should roll out to your devices over the course of the next few days.  Once you have it, there are three new features that will be available that improve the overall experience of the app.  First, there are new article suggestions when you open up a new tab.  This will be based on your browsing history as well as topics you’ve identified in other Google services (like Google News) that are of interest to you.