Latest news with #AaronLabiaga
Hans India
24-05-2025
- Business
- Hans India
Google Quietly Rolls Out Key Updates to Wallet, Play Store, Wear OS, and Google TV
While AI took centre stage at this year's Google I/O keynote, several important product updates slipped under the radar during developer sessions. From upgrades to Google Wallet and Wear OS to changes in the Play Store and Google TV, Google has quietly introduced meaningful enhancements that users will begin to notice soon. Live Updates Coming to Wear OS One notable feature involves Live Updates expanding to smartwatches. Already anticipated on Android 16 smartphones, this functionality will soon be available on wearables. In a developer session spotted by Android Authority, Google's Aaron Labiaga shared that the feature will reach smartwatches "later in 2026." Live Updates will allow users to view real-time status updates from delivery, rideshare, and navigation apps directly on their wrists, mirroring Apple's Live Activities for watchOS. Smarter Google Wallet Notifications and Expanded ID Support Google Wallet is also getting a significant intelligence boost. A new feature called 'Nearby Passes notification' will prompt users to open their digital pass when they arrive at locations where it may be needed, like an airport, gym, or café. According to Google, 'This notification serves as a direct gateway, allowing users to seamlessly access the associated pass with a single tap.' Additionally, Wallet's digital ID support is expanding. Users in Arkansas, Montana, Puerto Rico, and West Virginia can now store digital IDs, while support for UK passports is also being introduced. Another helpful improvement: airlines offering loyalty programs can now automatically send boarding passes to Wallet upon check-in. Google Play Store Gets More Social and Safer The Google Play Store is receiving its own set of enhancements, including a new option that lets users ask someone else to pay for an app or purchase. Initially rolled out in India, this feature will now be available in the US, Japan, Indonesia, and Mexico. It enables users to send a payment link outside of their Google Family group to request purchases. Google is also refining the subscription model by allowing users to buy add-ons alongside base subscriptions in a single transaction. On the development side, the Play Store will now let developers halt buggy releases in real-time, preventing flawed versions from being delivered to new users. To improve app discovery and engagement, developers can now enhance their listings with a content carousel, YouTube playlists, and audio samples for health and wellness apps. Google is also launching new topic pages to help users explore curated content across shows, movies, and sports. Google TV Gets Android 16 and New Audio Enhancements Google TV is set to benefit from Android 16, introducing visual updates through Material 3's Expressive design language. It's also gaining support for MediaQualityManager, which gives apps more control over picture profile settings. Another notable addition is the Eclipsa Audio codec, a spatial audio format developed in collaboration with Samsung. This is expected to improve the overall sound experience across compatible content on Google TV. As flashy AI demos dominated the spotlight, Google I/O's quieter announcements still promise real-world usability and quality-of-life improvements across a wide range of devices.
The Verge
23-05-2025
- Business
- The Verge
Google I/O revealed more updates for Wallet, Wear OS, Google Play, and more
The Google I/O keynote may have been all about AI, but there were a handful of other meaningful updates that didn't make it to the main stage. In addition to updates coming to Google Wallet, the company's developer sessions also revealed handy features that will roll out to smartwatches, the Google Play Store, and Google TV. Here are some of the updates Google didn't highlight during the keynote. Google is preparing to bring Live Updates — a feature that lets users track the status of certain activities in delivery, rideshare, and navigation apps — to your smartwatch. We already knew about Google's plans to bring it to smartphones with Android 16, but in a developer session spotted by Android Authority, Google's Aaron Labiaga confirmed that it will also work on wearables 'later in 2026.' Apple already has a similar feature, called Live Activities, that displays at-a-glance status information on watchOS devices. Google Wallet can take out your boarding pass when you get to the airport Google announced a bundle of upgrades for Google Wallet, including a new 'Nearby Passes notification.' If you enable the feature, Google Wallet will prompt you to take out your pass when you reach a location where you might need to use it, like a coffee shop, airport, or gym. 'This notification serves as a direct gateway, allowing users to seamlessly access the associated pass with a single tap,' Google says. Additionally, Google revealed that it's expanding digital IDs to Arkansas, Montana, Puerto Rico, and West Virginia, and is also adding support for UK passports. It will also allow airlines with loyalty cards 'automatically push' boarding passes to users' wallets upon check-in. Google Play will let you ask someone to pay for you The Google Play Store is adding a new 'Ask someone else to pay' button. The feature is exactly what it sounds like: it will let users 'request purchases' from people outside their Google Family by sending them a payment link. It launched in India first, but now it's coming to the US, Japan, Indonesia, and Mexico. Google is also trying to streamline checkouts by letting users buy subscription add-ons with a base subscription with 'one price and one transaction.' Additionally, Google is trying to make it easier to stop the rollout of buggy apps as well. The company says it will let developers 'halt fully-live releases' to prevent 'the distribution of problematic versions to new users.' The Play Store is also letting developers enhance their listings with a content carousel and YouTube playlist, along with audio samples for health and wellness app developers. There are new topic pages, too, that will let users browse through 'timely, relevant, and visually engaging content' for shows, movies, and sports on the Play Store. Google and Samsung's audio codec is coming to Google TV Android 16 is coming to Google TV, introducing some Material 3 Expressive design changes, according to 9to5Google. It also adds new features like MediaQualityManager, which will let apps automatically 'take control over selecting picture profiles.' Google TV will support the Eclispa Audio codec, the spatial audio format that Google and Samsung are working on, as well.
