MWC’s (Mobile World Congress) 2023 event continues in Barcelona, Spain. Some companies have already made their big announcements before the trade show officially starts today. Others have just begun to announce their products. Google da, A9 new features coming to Android and Wear OS just shared.
Almost all of these features focus on improving users’ quality of life. They bring with them many details about productivity, accessibility and customization. Let’s go deeper.
9 New Features Announced for Android and Wear OS
Google Keep Note Widget
As the name suggests, the Keep app will finally allow users to add a widget of their choice to the home screen of their Android device. The widget displays reminders, background colors and images. Users can now check their to-do lists directly from their home screen.
Google Keep Wear OS Shortcut
Wear OS 3 users can now create Keep notes directly from their watch face via a new shortcut. All they have to do is tap the shortcut and create a note using voice (default) or keyboard input.
Adding Google Drive Annotation
Users will finally be able to annotate PDFs natively using their fingers or a stylus in the Google Drive app for Android. You will be able to use different tools such as marker, pen, highlighter, eraser, undo and redo. You can also show or hide annotations and save a new copy of annotated documents.
Noise Cancellation in Google Meet
Google Meet already supports noise canceling on select Android devices. But Google says the feature is now available for more devices. Thus, users will not have to worry about distracting sounds in the background during calls.
Increasing Content Size in Chrome
Users can now easily increase the size of content (text, images, videos, and interactive controls) in Chrome for Android by up to 300% using the zoom gesture. Users will also be able to set their own default size so they don’t have to change it every time.
New Audio and Video Modes in Wear OS
Wear OS 3 users will get new audio and video modes to improve accessibility. The mono sound mode helps limit the disorientation caused by split sound, while the color correction and grayscale modes aim to relieve eye strain.
Quick Pairing on ChromeOS
Fast Pair is coming to Chrome OS, so Chromebook users will be able to connect supported Bluetooth headphones with a simple tap. Additionally, headphones that are preset to an Android smartphone will automatically connect to the Chromebook.
New Emoji Kitchen Combos
One of the fun features in Gboard was the Emoji Kitchen, which allows users to mix, rearrange and share emojis as stickers. Google will update the combinations regularly. Therefore, ahead of spring, the company also introduced new combinations.
Paying for Animations in Google Wallet
Tap and Pay will continue to be a key feature of Google Wallet. This action will now also be used to get new animations featuring animals.
Which of the above features excites you the most? Let us know in the comment section below.