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Google Lens is easily one of the best apps you can have on your Android or iOS smartphones for it's powerful and different use cases. There are many ways to access Google Lens on both Android and iOS, including from the Google app on iOS to the standalone app on Android, and from Google Photos and Google Chrome.
Google Lens is a great piece of software for visual search from your camera and gallery and comes in really handy to do homework and other things. However, all your searches using Lens may pile up over time and you might need to delete them for a clean up. You can do so by launching Lens, going to Lens history, and deleting your search history from the Google activity page. The process Is quite similar on PC and iOS.
Google Photos makes it really convenient to delete photos you no longer need in a jiffy. With shortcuts such as slide to select photos, you can select multiple pictures at once to batch delete them and move to the bin. Photos that you delete are not permanently lost but are stored in the Bin where they stay for 60 days before getting deleted forever. You can restore photos from the Trash by tapping the photos and tapping Restore.
I switched to a Pixel Watch 2 from a Galaxy Watch4, and I regret it because the Fitbit app is inferior, the watch lacks essential features, a practical form factor, and competitors like Samsung and OnePlus are making better Wear OS smartwatches. One of the other reasons why I dislike the Pixel Watch is due to its extreme ecosystem lock-in.
Google has officially announced its annual Made By Google hardware event, which sees the launch of its Pixel portfolio of phones and stable Android release. The event is all set to be held on August 13 at 10:00 AM PT. This year, we will get to see the launch of the Pixel 9 series of phones alongside the stable public release of Android 15. In addition, Google has also stated that it will showcase the "best of Google AI" as well this year.
Pixel Phones Get So Hot That Google Wants to Teach You How to Cool Them
Abubakar Mohammed
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Google is working on Adaptive Thermal, a feature that could help bring the temperature of Pixels down. The feature will first trigger a notification when the device temperature reaches 49 degrees Celsius. If it reaches 55 degrees Celsius, Adaptive Thermal will warn users 30 seconds before it shuts down the phone to prevent any harm.
Google to Take on Apple’s Genmoji with Custom AI Sticker App on Pixel Phones
Ajaay Srinivasan
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Google is bringing generative AI for creating custom emojis and stickers with a new app called Creative Assistant. The app will reportedly integrate with Google's Markup app allowing you to add AI stickers directly into screenshots and images. This new functionality is expected to debut with Pixel 9 later this year.
Resetting your Google Home Mini can be a good way to fix your smart speaker in case you're facing any issues or want to give it to someone else. To do this, you can press the reset button for 15 seconds at the bottom of the original Home Mini, or press the top of the second gen Home Mini for 15 seconds.
Dave Burke posted on X that he has stepped down as the Vice President of Android Engineering and is shifting into an advisory position. This comes after Google announced that ChromeOS will use the same kernel stack as Android, and the Products and Platform teams merger announced by Sundar Pichai.
Pixel Watch 3 Leaked Renders Show a Design Familiar to Its Predecessor
Abubakar Mohammed
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The high-resolution renders suggest that the next iteration of the Pixel watch will feature the same screen size and design. The watch will reportedly be slightly thicker than the Pixel Watch 2 and will have a measly upgraded battery capacity of 307 mAh (from 304 mAh). The Pixel Watch 3 is supposed to arrive in October alongside the Pixel 9 series.
Google’s AI is Losing It! Asks Users to Eat Rocks, Add Glue to Pizza & More
Arjun Sha
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Google's new AI Overview experience in Search is rolling out to users in the US. People are complaining about the misinformation AI Overview is generating. We have collated some of the replies generated by Google's AI Overview. Essentially, Google has redefined the relationship of a search engine provider and taken the role of a publisher.
Getting the Google Pixel 8a for Rs 52,999 does not make sense, especially, since you already have phones like the iQOO 12 and OnePlus 12R that bring you more for less. Besides, if you're looking to buy a compact phone specifically, there's the Samsung Galaxy S23's 8GB/256GB variant which costs about the same and brings more storage than the 8a's base model. The poor thermal management and incorrigible front design of the phone make it a hard phone to recommend. My suggestion? Wait for the price to drop in the coming months if you're that hellbent towards getting it.
Google took to a blog post to reveal the thought process behind Gemini AI's naming. At first, it was titled Titan, which didn't resonate well enough with the team. However, it did give them an idea to come up with something deeply rooted into space. For the AI model to come to life, the Google Brain and DeepMind teams joined hands last year. The other inspiration came from NASA's Gemini project which trained astronauts to land on the moon.
Google Beefs up Android Security with Theft Protection, Live Threat Detection, and More
Anshuman Jain
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In this article, we will discuss upcoming security features on Android devices, including theft protection with factory reset requirements, offline detection, easier access to Find My Device, live threat detection for Google Play Protect, hidden content in screen sharing, and cellular network protection. These features aim to enhance user privacy and security, and will be available on Android 10+ devices later this year.
Google’s New Project Turns Your Face into a Cursor for Android Apps
Sagnik Das Gupta
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Google has launched Project Gameface, a gaming accessibility tool, on Android. The tool, which is basically a novel cursor, came into being to allow quadriplegic users enjoy a hands-free Android experience. What started with Video Game Streamer, Lance Carr, has finally seen the light of day officially. Using head tracking and expressions through the device camera, the tool lets users control their Android device and play games on it.
Moments after the Google I/O 2024 keynote, the company announced a new web filter is coming to its Search engine. This new filter allows users to get an old-school Search experience, favoring only text-based web links. This filters out every other Google annoyance like featured snippets, shopping panels, etc.
Google Infuses Chrome Desktop App With Gemini Nano for Smarter Browsing
Sagnik Das Gupta
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Google Chrome is all set to soon get Gemini Nano built right into its desktop app. The AI model will be running on-device, bringing features like 'Help Me Write' to users. The feature will be available via an upcoming Chrome 126 version. It will be to Google Chrome what Copilot is to the Microsoft Edge app.
Google Announces Imagen 3, Its Latest AI Text-to-Image Generator
Sagnik Das Gupta
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Google announces Imagen 3, which is its latest AI text-to-image generator. The tool is an upgrade from the last gen Imagen 2, for Google calls it the highest quality text-to-image generation model till date. To put the latest model to use, you will need to head over to ImageFX in Google Labs and sign up for it. Developers and enterprise users will get access to it soon through Vertex AI.
Android 15 Developer Preview and beta builds have been under testing for months, allowing us to finally confirm the desert name of Google's latest operating system as Vanilla Ice Cream. This time as well, Google has gone with using a dessert as an Android codename. Android 14 came with the "Upside Down Cake" codename, while the one before was called "Tiramisu".
If you're looking for cases to buy for the Pixel 8a, you should take a look at this list we've compiled. From ultra-rugged cases that offer a 360-degree protection and designer cases that focus on aesthetics to transparent cases that highlight your phone's color to even cases that bring some top-tier utility, we've handpicked each of those.
Pixel 8a: Why is Google So Tone-Deaf on Pixel Pricing in India?
Abubakar Mohammed
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Google has announced the Pixel 8a in India at Rs 52,000, and it proves that with each passing year, Google distances itself from understanding the Indian smartphone scene. The steep price increase makes us believe that Google still doesn't understand the Indian market.
According to Google, the Wallet and Google Pay app will co-exist, and while the former will be for storing things like transit, gift, and loyalty cards, and no tap to pay, the latter will be for making payments. We believe this makes Google Wallet quite useless.
Files by Google App Gets a Built-in PDF Reader but Still Lacks Some Features
Anshuman Jain
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We will soon see a new PDF reader feature native to File by Google app. It will replace the Google Drive PDF viewer that is the default option Android users rely on today. The upcoming PDF reader will feature navigation and text annotation tools with a simple interface. The feature is yet to arrive but some users have already received it.
Google's Phone app has a new feature called Audio Emoji, which allows users to play sound snippets during calls. It features six sound effects, like clap, laughter, and drumroll, that you can play during a phone call. The feature is currently available for users who have enrolled in the beta program for Google Phone app but will soon be available for stable users.
The Pixel tablet released last year was supposed to be Google's redemption in the tablet market but it did not work out for them. So for their next tablet, they should go back to the drawing board and put efforts in improving the hardware and software features while also ditching any gimmicks.
There's a hidden feature that has been spotted inside the Gemini Settings page which lets you "Choose your default media provider". It will help users select a streaming service as the default, allowing Gemini to start accepting commands related to music streaming, such as "Play my liked songs".
What Does Google’s AI-Hardware Merger Mean for Your Next Android Phone?
Abubakar Mohammed
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Google has decided to merge AI and Hardware teams, and for those wondering, here's what this decision could mean for Android. This could mean users will get faster updates, better ecosystem features on Pixel, better AI features, and improvements to existing AI features.
YouTube's new AI "Ask" button, allows viewers to ask video-related questions and receive real-time responses without pausing the video. It's currently available for YouTube Premium users in the US, for English videos only. It can provide summaries, discuss specific sections, or translate educational content into simpler language. This feature is a convenient tool, but could potentially affect video watch time.
If you want to mass delete unnecessary junk mails from your Gmail, you can do so easily from the web. To do so, go to go to Gmail web using any desktop browser -> select More drop-down menu from left panel -> select All Mail -> tick central checkbox -> click on Select all [total number of emails] conversations in All Mail -> hit delete icon -> click on OK in popup window. Using the web version, you can also use Advanced Search to filter, sort out and bulk delete specific types of emails as well.
This Essential New Chrome Feature Will Shield Your Account From Hijacking
Arjun Sha
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Cookie theft aka session hijacking has become a security menace where attackers gain access to users' online accounts without requiring a password or 2FA authentication. To put a stop, Google has developed Device Bound Session Credentials (DBSC) for Chrome that bind the authentication session to the device. It means attackers can't use the stolen cookie to access accounts on another device. You can enable DBSC on Chrome right away.
Google Tightens Grip on YouTube: Third-Party Ad Blockers Targeted
Abubakar Mohammed
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Google has announced that it will now strictly go against third-party YouTube apps and Ad blockers that go against its terms of service. The strict measures to ban Ad blockers tell us that Google is pushing users toward purchasing YouTube Premium, which gives you access to Ad-free video playback and YouTube Music
The Pixel 9 series will be getting a new Exynos 5400 modem that will satellite connectivity and fix the connectivity issues that have plagued Pixels for years. The modem will be coming to the Pixel 9 series, Pixel Fold 2, and a 5G Pixel Tablet which is under development. The feature will ask you a few questions, and will then message your emergency contacts followed by emergency services.
Google has announced a new workspace app at Cloud Next 2024. The new workspace app called Google Vids is a video, writing, production, and editing assistant which will be available in June this year. The main use of the feature is to make content like team recaps, announcements, training reels, and more using generative AI.
Google at the Cloud Next 2024 event made its Imagen 2 model generally available to enterprise customers. One of its new features is that it can generate short video clips aka live images of up to four seconds. In addition, the generation clips show different camera angles and motion. Users can also inpaint and outpaint images on Vertex AI.
Recent reports from users in India suggest that Google Wallet might have started working in the subcontinent, allowing users to set up and add payment cards and passes. While the app has been working for me for over three months, the WearOS app still refuses to work. Besides, the only way to download Wallet is by installing the APK. All the events indicate that Google might be planning to bring Wallet to Android.
Google has released Jpegli, an image coding library capable of reducing the size of regular JPEGs up to 35%, while retaining details thanks to the 10+ bits per component. Jpegli is a tad bit better than WebP thanks to its faster and higher-quality compression. It can save storage while speeding up the load times of web pages.
Google Phone App Is Getting a Lookup Feature to Identify Unknown Callers
Abubakar Mohammed
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Google could soon add a Lookup feature in the Google Phone app. While the name might suggest that it's a Truecaller-like caller ID lookup feature, that's not the case. When you tap on the Lookup option, the Phone app will open your device's default browser and searches for the number on the web.
Soon You Might Have to Pay to Access Google’s AI Search Features
Sagnik Das Gupta
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Google announced its SGE (Search Generative Experience) last year, and now, we are getting to see this entire thing become "premium". In other words, you will have to pay for the AI features integrated within Google Search. For those unaware, generative AI in Google Search allowed you to get a summary of your query, thereby providing all the information you need right at the top. Now, the new Financial Times report suggests that you will soon need to pay the premium $19.99/month fee of Google One AI to make use of it.
Google announced in a blog post that it will be increasingly investing in the podcast experience on YouTube Music and sunsetting Google Podcasts on April 2 in the US. If you're looking for alternatives to Google Podcasts, some of the best apps you can use are Pocket Casts, Podcasts Addict, and Spotify.
Amidst the iOS 17.5 Beta rollout which hints at the release of Apple's unwanted tracker alerts feature, Google's new Find My Device experience, which was delayed due to Apple, is coming soon. Google has started to roll out a part of the feature which lets you put your Android phone on the Find My Device network.
Play Edition devices were Google's attempt at bringing Stock Android to some of the most popular devices that ship with custom UI on top of Android. Google should bring it back to offer Pixel-like Android experience with other devices in partnership with manufacturers in theirupper mid-range an flagship devices.
Google Finally Agrees to Delete Data It Collected from Incognito Mode for Years
Sagnik Das Gupta
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Back in 2020, a couple of Google account holders took to Boies Schiller Flexner to file a lawsuit against Google for illegally collecting user data on its Chrome's Incognito mode. The Incognito mode is supposed to be private browsing and previously, users were not accurately informed that while it's private to them, data is still collected as when normally browsing. Now, Google and Boies has reached a $5 billion settlement to finally move and delete or remediate this very data.