Google Products & Services: Discussions

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Google Duo increases group calling limit to 12 participants

Google has updated its popular Duo chat app by increasing the group video user limit from 8 to 12 people into a single group call to help more people stay connected and practice social distancing. The new 12-person limit compares to eight for house party, 32 for Apple’s FaceTime, 50 for Skype and Messenger, and 100 for Zoom’s free tier.

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Google launches braille keyboard for Android devices and it doesn't require additional hardware

Google has launched a braille keyboard for Android devices that’s designed especially for visually challenged users. In a blog post on Friday, the company said it has collaborated with braille developers and differently-able (blind and low vision) people for this keyboard. It can assure that the keyboard will be familiar to anyone who has typed using braille before. It uses a standard 6-key layout and each key represents one of 6 braille dots which, when tapped, make any letter or symbol.

The Android braille keyboard is been rolling out to Android devices running Android 5.0 Lollipop or later version. It doesn’t require any additional app or hardware. To use the braille keyboard, Google notes that one can turn on the ‘TalkBack’ in the Accessibility section within Settings, and follow instructions to set it up.

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[Nairrk]

Google Duo adds capture mode and improved calling over low-bandwidth connection

The first feature and also the only one rolling out today is called capture mode. Google is adding a capture button to the app where users can take a photo of the current Duo call. This is interesting because it will allow you users to take photos and share them as memories on Instagram or Snapchat. The feature is a much needed improvement over the current method where people simply take screenshots. In order to take a photo of your current Duo call, you need to enable “Duo moments” in the settings.

Google Duo is also taking privacy into view for this feature. In order to capture a picture of the call, all the participants in the call will have to enable “Duo moments” in settings. While screenshot means that you take a picture regardless of whether all participants have given consent. Duo is tackling this head-on by making it mandatory for all participants to consent by enabling the setting in their application.

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[Nairrk]

Google Duo introduces new Family Mode, group calling for web version coming soon

Google has announced a slew of features for its popular video conferencing app, Google Duo. The company has introduced new family mode and the brand has revealed that it will be implementing a group calling feature for its web version soon.

To start with the family mode, the company says that it will allow users to doodle on video calls for everyone to see and one can also surprise them with fun effects and masks like astronauts, calls and more. In order to use this, users need to make a video call and tap the menu icon and then go to Family mode to get started. The company says that it has hidden mute and hang-up buttons in this mode to allow users to interact more with the family. This new family mode is available when signed into Duo with your Google account.

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[Nairrk]

Google Play Music to go dead: Here’s how to transfer Google Play Music library to YouTube Music

Google is known for producing several apps and then shutting them down. Among the many apps it has, Google's Play Music app is soon to go dead and the company's second music streaming app will replace it. For this, Google has introduced a way for users to transfer their music library on Google Play Music to YouTube Music so that switching to the former gets easier for people. Read on to know how you can do so.

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[Nairrk]

Attention Google Chrome users, this new tab feature will make your life easier

Chrome tabs: Google Chrome has now rolled out a new feature in its beta version and this feature can help users organise their work on the browser better. The feature is called tab groups and it allows users to simply group their tabs together for easier recognition. To group tabs together, users just have to right click on a tab, go on the option that says group tabs, choose whether they want to group the tab with an already existing group or create a new one altogether. Not just that, users can also label the group and assign it a colour.

The announcement was made by the tech giant in a statement released on May 13 on its blog. In the statement, the company said that they have been testing out the feature and trying to find other innovative ways to make Chrome tabs organised for months now. Based on user research and through the usage at their own levels, they have found several ways in which people like to group their tabs.

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[Nairrk]

Google Chrome now getting its biggest update with easier controls, enhanced security and more; details inside

Google has introduced a completely new set of features that will enhance safety and privacy for Chrome users. With an array of features introduced, the company aims to secure and safeguard the users’ data. “Apart from giving strong default protections, we aim to provide you intuitive, accessible, and useful controls so you can choose what is right for you,” the company said in a statement. Along with the introduction of new tools, Google has also presented a redesign of Chrome which will make it easier for the users to access all the Settings on the desktop, thus, helping them enable the controls they want on the web

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[Nairrk]

Google Search app on Android 10, iOS 12 and 13 gets dark mode

According to a report from Engadget, the company seems to have extensively tested the dark mode before this wider rollout. The report also highlighted that everyone may not be able to see the dark mode immediately. It is likely that some users may have to wait for a couple of days. This rollout seems to be a server-side change. This means that users don’t really need to toggle any switch in the app settings or wait to download a specific version of the app. Though, make sure that you are running the latest version of the app to get the mode as soon as possible.

Dark mode in the Search app will help create a more unified experience for users across different platforms and more. It will also likely reduce the eye strain that users may experience while trying to read the content in dim-light environments or at night.

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[Nairrk]

Google launches Action Blocks app to help people with cognitive problems

An action block is a kind of widget resulting from the combination of a pictogram that contains an action that will be executed by the Google Assistant. In this function, everything will be a matter of making a command to the Google Assistant. Such as calling someone, selecting an image to identify them, and giving them a name. Immediately, the block will be incorporated into the smartphone screen. And the user will only have to touch it to carry out the action.

In addition to the launch of Action Blocks, the company has also added new features to its Live Transcribe app. That offers real-time transcripts of conversations, aimed at people with hearing problems. The app will now include vibrating functions when someone close mentions the user itself.

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[Nairrk]

Google testing voice-enabled payment feature via Assistant

Google is reportedly testing a new feature on Google Assistant that will allow users to make payments using their voice. This has been spotted by Android Police this week, and according to Google spokesperson quoted in the report, the feature is in pilot testing for now and they didn't share any possible launch timeframe for it.

Voice is considered easy to mimic and with biometric features like face recognition and fingerprint scanner, this could be the next play toy for technology companies to experiment with. The report says select users with Google Pixel can head over to the phone's Setting - Google Assistant, and look for the Pay option. If "Confirm with Voice Match' shows up on the screen this means the voice-enabled payment option could be compatible on your device.

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[Nairrk]

Google Maps makes location sharing easier with Plus codes

Google is offering a new and safer way to share location with people. The feature called Plus Codes is available through Google Maps on Android for users. Plus Codes are basically an alphanumeric version of your address/location. You will find them on the latest version of the Maps but confined to Android users for now.

Google says, using these unique codes, people won’t have to reveal the full details of location anymore. The company says Plus Codes make it safer and easier for people to share addresses. Before this, you had search for a particular place and then look for its coordinates. Not anymore. Plus codes work just like street addresses. Use a plus code to find or share a place on Google Maps

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[Nairrk]

Gmail brings 'Dark mode' for Apple iPhone and iPad

Google has finally rolled out its long-awaited dark mode for Gmail on iPhone and iPad, after months of delay. The version 6.0.200519 of Gmail, which propagated through the App Store includes the following release notes: Pro tip (if you haven’t noticed). You can now switch between dark or light themes after upgrading to iOS 13. Or you can use the default system theme.

Dark Mode was announced for Gmail way back in September of last year, but rollout since then has been patchy on iOS. However, now one can activate Dark Mode within Gmail through the Menu section of the app, located in the top left-hand corner of the screen (three-line icon). From there select ‘Settings’ and then ‘Theme’ to select either ‘Light’, ‘Dark’ or ‘System Default’.

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[Nairrk]

Google brings Meet to Gmail on iOS and Android

Google announced its video conferencing app, Meet, to be made available for free to all Google account users in April this year. It was initially available for Gmail on the web, and now they are bringing Meet to Gmail on Android and iOS, so that you can easily join video meetings from your inbox.

A new Meet tab on phone’s Gmail app will be visible in the coming weeks where one can see upcoming meetings scheduled in Google Calendar, and easily join them with a single tap.

To start a meeting, users can tap on “New meeting” to start a meeting instantly. The meeting can be shared via a meeting link to share, or to schedule a meeting in Calendar. If you tap on “Join with a code,” you can join meetings shared with you by entering a meeting code.

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[Nairrk]

Google Chrome extensions used by millions discovered to be spyware

New spyware was recently discovered affecting millions of Google Chrome users. The spyware effort out about 32 million Chrome users at risk, based on download numbers of malicious Chrome extensions. These extensions were freely available to download and install on the Google extensions page and hence, were commonly used.

After the revelation was made by Awake Security, as per a report by Reuters, Google removed over 70 malicious extensions off the Web Store that violated policies. Despite the action, the incident brings attention to the fact that security measures are not tight enough for Google Chrome, one of the most commonly used browsers of the world.

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[Nairrk]

Google’s Area 120 launches Keen, a Pinterest-like sharable topics-based platform

Area 120, Google’s workshop for experimental projects, has come out with a new application called “Keen”. The new app is available for Android and web.

The Keen app allows users to create a topic board where they can add relevant links, images, and other content. They can also ask others to collaborate and add more resources. Users can follow other “Keens” as well depending upon their topics of interest.

Google’s Area 120 team says the app isn’t meant for endless browsing but focused on topics users want to share with friends.

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