Tag: Google

The latest update to Google Calendar is one that frequent conference call users will want to update to as soon as it is available. Seriously.  Stop what you are doing and see if you have the update.  I’ll wait….. Okay, so here is the deal:  Before now, when you had a conference call scheduled in Calendar, you could have it dial the number easy enough (it would just switch over to your Phone app) but if that conference call had a passcode, you had to enter it manually.  That’s no big deal if you are sitting at your desk.  But if you are driving or otherwise using your phone one handed, that can be a bit of a pain.  No more.  The latest update will allow you to select the passcode for the call (if it is in the invite) and the Phone app will automatically dial it for you when your call is connected.

Android Pay’s continued growth and support by the banking industry marches on with an additional 55 new banks adding support for the service.  While the majority of the new banks are Credit Unions and small in size, it is good to see them added for those who do not have a major US bank in their area.  Equally, the list is no where near complete but it feels like we are close to the point where there are more banks than physical locations that have touch-to-pay terminals.

Google has pushed out an exciting new feature for Google Photos:  Commenting on shared albums.  This has been a much requested feature of the photo service and the good news is it is coming to Android, iOS and Web all at the same time.  Now when you share an album, you can allow those you share with to add comments to those photos in the album.  It is a great way for friends and family to share their thoughts about the latest photos from your holiday or the kids.

Google has made a small but important update to the Android Developer site that brings the OTA images of the latest updates to Android Marshmallow for Nexus devices which can be downloaded.  Before now, Google has had the full images of updates available for Nexus owners to update their devices but it required a full install and subsequent reset of their devices.  Now developers and users who like to flash their devices manually can do just the OTA update instead of having to do a full reset of their device.

The latest update to Google Street View brings a handful of enhancements to the VR-meets-map app, including a much improved handling of Photo Sphere images.  The update is version 2.12 for those keeping score at home and it is rolling out to the Google Play Store now.  In the update, you can now create a connection between photo spheres within the app and you can tap and hold to select multiple published photo spheres.  Photo spheres are automatically grouped together in the app as well so you can find them a bit easier when you are looking at a location in the app.

The Google Plus app for Android has yet another update rolling out today, the ninth such update this year.  Version 7.8.0 brings mostly refinements to the community centric app for Android and brings back quick access to other Google apps you may have installed on your phone.  In all, there are 22 bugs fixed in this update according to Google’s Luke Wroblewski as well as Quick access to Google Photos, Hangouts and Search within the app. If this seems like a blast from the past, it should.  Before Google decided to decouple other services and apps from G+, you had quick access to other Google apps before the whole Google Plus is Dead, Long Live Google Plus era we are in now.  This is back now and frankly is a great touch that has needed to come back to the new and improved app.