Google has announced the upcoming arrival of several new features for Android. On the program: a significant improvement in Nearby Share, proximity sharing, which will become simpler thanks to the Self Care function.
Good news for Android users! Google just announced on his blog a series of updates to make phones and tablets running its operating system more convenient. One of the highlights is the Nearby Share function – which allows data to be transferred via Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. Normally, the recipient must accept the file before it can be sent. , in order to avoid receiving unwanted files – with malware for example. However, the Internet giant will remove this restriction to make trade easier. Instead, the Self Care function will make it possible in the coming weeks to automatically accept files from Android devices – smartphones, tablets, Chromebooks – connected to the same Google account.
Another change – minor this time – the Gboard keyboard will allow emojis to be automatically integrated into messages via the Emojify function. For example, if we are talking about a cake, the T9 will offer to integrate the corresponding emoji. No need to rummage through the emoji library to illustrate your message! Note that this option is only in beta version, which means that it is currently only available in English.
Google Meet more accessible and user-friendly
One of the major changes concerns the Google Meet video conferencing application, in order to bring users ever closer together. From now on, it will be possible to watch Youtube videos in groups and play games – classics like Uno! and heads-up – with a maximum of 100 correspondents. To do this, simply press the three small dots at the bottom right of the screen, and select “Activities” in the pop-up menu that opens. It remains only to choose what to do from the list. Also for videoconferences, users can now pin a person – whose video then appears larger at the very top of the screen – in order to focus their attention on them – which can be very useful for keeping their boss in touch. eye for example. These features are currently being rolled out, which may take several weeks.
Google will also roll out new features to make its operating system more accessible. In association with people who are deaf or hard of hearing, the firm has developed a system capable of identifying surrounding sounds. A way to alert the user to events they might not have noticed, such as a fire alarm, someone knocking on the door, or a frantically barking dog. For this, the system will send a notification to the screen of the smartphone or connected watch, vibrate the device or activate the camera flash.
In the same vein, Google has decided to make television shows and movies more accessible to people who are blind or partially sighted. For this, the audio descriptions on Google TV will now broadcast visual information so as not to miss anything of what is happening. A library of movies with audio descriptions will also appear. To access it, all you have to do is call the Google Assistant and say “Search for movies with audio description”. Again, these functions are being rolled out and will arrive in the coming weeks.