As 2021 nears its end, Google has decided to introduce a bag full of new Android features for users. The list includes new features for Android Auto, new Android widgets for Google apps, Emoji Kitchen, and more. Here are the details to help you better know these new features.
New Android Features Announced
In an official blog post, Google has introduced new widgets for its Google Play Books, YouTube Music, and Google Photos apps. The Play Books widget will allow you to easily access your library of books, the YouTube Music widget will provide playback controls on the home screen, and the Google Photos widget will help you access your loved ones/ pets’ photos right from the home screen.
Android Auto will now be updated with better usability. You will be able to automatically launch Android Auto when connected to a smartphone. You will soon be able to listen to music more easily with the always-on play button, get better smart reply options, and use voice search for music in your apps on Android Auto.
The Pixel 6, Pixel 6 Pro, and the Samsung Galaxy S21 owners will be able to use their phones as digital car keys. Of course, they will need to have a compatible BMW car (all 2020 and 2021 models). This feature was announced with Android 12 back in May.
Google Photos will also get the new Memories feature, which will display the festive photos with people in a photo grid. Users will be able to personalize, rename, correct, or do more to the Memories. Google’s Family Bell feature, which reminds members of a family of their daily tasks, will now work on Android phones.
Then, there’s the Emoji Kitchen feature in Gboard. This ability allows users to combine emoji into stickers. These are now available as part of the Gboard beta and will launch for all users in the coming weeks.
Lastly, Google has introduced some privacy features too. Android 11’s privacy feature that allows you to switch off permissions for apps that haven’t been used in a long time, will now reach Android 6.0 or above users.
All these new Android features will be available for users at different timelines. While the digital car key feature is now live for most users, Android Auto features will reach you in the coming months. The Google Photos’ Memories feature will arrive for users this week.
