Tag: Google

One of the most common questions I receive about Google’s Project Fi is if it will work with phones other than the Google Pixel and Nexus phone lineup.  The short answer to this question is yes.  However, there are things that you have to consider in the process and you will have to have, at some point, a compatible Pixel or Nexus phone to activate your Fi SIM.  So really the answer is yes, but with a lot of hurdles to jump.

In this How To, I will go over the steps to get a non-Google phone to work with Project Fi including what you need to do to set it up, how to configure SMS/MMS and the limitations you will have with using Fi on a non-Google phone.  For this article, I’m using a Nextbit Robin but the reality is that the steps outlined here should work with any phone.

A couple of warnings before I get started.  First, there is no support provided getting your non-Google phone working with Project Fi.  They clearly advertise it as working with their devices only as the primary SIM card (you can get the data-only card working with some iPad models and other tablets).  Second, one of the big advantages of Fi is the ability to seamlessly switch between Sprint, T-Mobile and US Cellular.  In a non-Google phone, you will only get T-Mobile service.  If T-Mobile is not great in your area, keep that in mind.

With the ever increasing number of Internet of Things (IoT) devices, the need for a proper programming platform is becoming ever important.  Google today announced Android Things, a platform that should provide a solid foundation for those who are developing IoT solutions as well as improvements to Google Weave.  Android Things, as the name implies, is based on Android so those who are already developing on the platform can quickly and easily pick up the coding skills for IoT.

Now any Android developer can quickly build a smart device using Android APIs and Google services, while staying highly secure with updates direct from Google. We incorporated the feedback from Project Brillo to include familiar tools such as Android Studio, the Android Software Development Kit (SDK), Google Play Services, and Google Cloud Platform. And in the coming months, we will provide Developer Preview updates to bring you the infrastructure for securely pushing regular OS patches, security fixes, and your own updates, as well as built-in Weave connectivity and more.

This should lower the bar for many developers to get into the IoT development game as they don’t have to learn a new code structure.  If you know Android, you inherently know Android Things.

There is an update to Google Contacts that is rolling out in the Google Play Store that sports a new round icon and a new Suggestions page for easier contacts management.  The update is version 1.6 for those keeping score at home and the first thing you will likely notice with the update is the new round icon.  This follows other Google apps that have gone with the Pixelesque round icons such as Hangouts and Messenger.  This new round icon, like Messenger, shows up regardless of which launcher or icon pack you have installed on your Android phone.

After making its debut on iOS some months ago, Google Gboard is now starting to roll out to Android users.  The update is coming to Google Keyboard which, along with the name change, comes with some outstanding features and customizations to the keyboard app.  The update has just started rolling out to the Play Store so it will be a few days before everyone sees it.  Once you do, you will see why all our iPhone friends have loved this app.  It has a GIF keyboard, emoji keyboard, Google search built in and is highly customizable with themes and other things to make your typing life easier.

To be clear, the updated is version 6.0 for those keeping score at home but really, you’ll know you got it when you see Gboard as an update option in the Store app.

One of the more anticipated movies of the year, Rouge One: A Star Wars Story, is hitting theaters this Friday and to get your ready for the event, Google has added a set of Rouge One stickers to Google Allo.  Now when you use the new messaging app, you can add the Rouge One stickers to your sticker options and send them to friends in your messages.  To add them, just open up Allo and when you are in a message, tap the + in the text field.  Now tap the Sticker add-on button, the one in the far right of the bar, and you will see the option to download and add the Rouge One stickers to your account.

In all, there are 23 stickers in the pack, which is free.

Google Home owners have a nice update rolling out to the Google Assistant enabled Smart Speaker.  Google is rolling out an update behind-the-scenes that is enabling the ability to add your Netflix account to the app as well as Google Photos.  When it hits your account and it is enabled on the server side by Google, it means you will be able to give your Home commands to show Netflix content or your Google Photos content by voice command.

The Netflix integration is something that most Home users, me included, have been waiting to see.  It was demonstrated at the Google event back in October and gives you the ability to instantly start watching content beyond that of Google’s services (like YouTube and Google Play Music) on your Chromecast or your Cast enabled television.