Newsletter
The MWC 2024 is officially underway, bringing us new products, services, and other announcements from tech companies worldwide. Coinciding with the event, Google announced a bunch of Android and app updates. The company introduced nine new features to help you stay productive, including AI-powered Android Auto and Gemini for Google Messages.
Google announces new features for Messages, Android Auto, and more
Gemini, Google’s generative AI tool, is now available in the Google Messages app. You can ask Gemini to draft a message for you, come up with a joke, have random conversations, and more. The AI tool can also provide answers to your questions and help you with your creative ideas. You no longer have to use a separate app or visit a website for all this.
AI is also coming to Android Auto. If you are driving, AI will summarize long texts and group chats and suggest relevant replies and actions. You can simply tap a button to send your response, share your ETA, or start a call. Google originally announced this feature during Samsung’s Galaxy S24 launch last month. It is now rolling out to all Android Auto users.
Google’s Lookout app, which uses computer vision to assist people with low vision or blindness, can generate audio descriptions of photos with the help of AI. This feature was available in the US, UK, and Canada and is now rolling out globally in English. The company has also added screen reader support to the Lens in Maps feature introduced last October. It reads a place’s business hours, ratings, and directions out loud.
Android phones and tablets also now support handwritten annotations in Google Docs. You can use a stylus or simply annotate a document using your fingers. Google offers a variety of markup tools, including different pen colors and highlighters. For Spotify users, you get new casting controls to easily switch the output between your Spotify Connect devices. This feature is already available for YouTube Music.
Wear OS gets Google Wallet passes and transit directions
The latest updates from Google bring passes to Google Wallet for Wear OS. You can access your fight boarding passes, event tickets, gym memberships, loyalty cards, and more from your Wear OS-powered smartwatch. Google lets you select which passes to hide or display. This feature started rolling out last month. A wide rollout may have just begun.
Wear OS watches are also getting support for public transit directions on Google Maps. You don’t need to pull out your phone to check departure times for your bus, train, or ferry. You get compass-guided navigation directions to your destination directly on your wrist. If you want to look up things on your phone, you can mirror directions to your watch for hands-free navigation.
Finally, the Fitbit app is gaining the ability to pull up your health data from other apps. Google names AllTrails, Oura Ring, and MyFitnessPal among the supported apps. Data from the connected apps will be available next to your Fitbit data in the You tab. Data like exercise, steps, calories burned, floors climbed, and distance traveled from Health Connect-compatible apps appear in the Today tab.
