Tim
Google detailed its Android-wide Feature Drop for the month of December this morning, chock-full of new goodies that the majority of Android users should be able to play with.
The big three additions are new Gemini extensions, expressive captions, and Gemini in Lookout. For Gemini extensions, Google is opening up the service to your phone’s Utilities, Spotify, Messaging, Calling, and also added updates for Maps. As Google detailed in its blog post this morning, “With the new Spotify extension, you can play your favorite songs and discover playlists for any mood. You can also call contacts and send messages with your default phone and messaging apps, set alarms and control device settings and your camera.”
Expressive captions look sweet, using AI to capture the “intensity of emotion of words and sounds in captions.” For example, if you’re watching a sport with the captions enabled, you’ll get a better sense for how things are best said, complete with readable “gasps” and “cheers and applause.”
Google says that thanks to Expressive Captions being built into the Android system, it can be used in live and social content.
Gemini in Lookout: Image Q&A in Google’s Lookout app now uses Gemini 1.5 Pro to provide more accurate and detailed image descriptions. Users simply take, upload, or open a photo in the app to hear the caption read aloud in a natural-sounding voice. Users can then gain a, “deeper understanding of the image by asking follow-up questions, now available globally.”
Quick Share QR Codes: This new feature aims to make it fast and easy to transfer any sort of media from one person to the next. You’ll select what you want to share, tap the QR code, and then have the other person scan the code to begin the transfer. You won’t need to verify a device, add them as a contact, or change any sharing settings. Fast and simple sharing, just how we like it.
Google Drive Auto Enhancements: Google Drive will begin to auto enhance your scanned documents, removing shadows and blurring, as well as improving contrast and white balance. The idea is, the user won’t have to manually edit anything once the document is scanned. You’ll simply snap a photo, with the end result being a gorgeous and usable document.
Emoji Kitchen Update: If you’re a fan of combining emoji, Google has added a few more fun combos for you to discover. If you happen to know someone who loves pizza, maybe you should check out what happens when you add a heart emoji with a pizza emoji? Fun stuff.
These changes are rolling out now to Android users globally.
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