Latest news with #GoogleApps
Android Authority
a day ago
- Android Authority
Files by Google will finally be able to natively display text files (APK teardown)
Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority TL;DR Google's file manager for Android is working on integrating a viewer for text files. Evidence first appeared in Files by Google version 1.8436.793259964.0-release but the tool is not yet active. When available, it should let you view text files and copy data out, but won't support editing. Android, as a platform, was never designed to be one-size-fits-all, and that's a huge part of its appeal. Some users will go their whole lives never thinking twice about their phones' file system, because they really don't need to — but for those who do care about where all their data lives, and how it's organized, we have tons of fantastic file manager apps. Those include Files by Google, and we're starting off this week by checking out what looks like a new feature in the works for Google's own solution. A good developer really knows their user, and we are getting exactly those kind of synergistic vibes from this find. The sort of person who's likely to be frequently using a file manager on Android may not be a developer themselves, but they're probably the type of user who feels comfortable navigating the same circles. And that often means dealing with text file documentation. Rather than the sort of rich text you're used to from Google Docs or any other full-featured word processor with font size and style options, and all the formatting choices you could ever dream of, plain ASCII text files endure to this day, with their broad compatibility being a big reason why — pretty much every computer ever made will be able to make sense of them. Looking at the changes in the 1.8436.793259964.0-release build of Files by Google, we've identified work on a basic viewer for text files. While it's not yet accessible, we were able to get an early look at the tool in action. Functionally, it's quite limited, but we're also not sure it really needs to be doing anything more to be useful. Files will let you open text files and view them directly in the app. You can select text, and copy it to the clipboard… and that's about it. There's no search function, and certainly no text-entry or editing tools — this is for viewing text files, and maybe copying some lines out of them. This probably sounds like either nothing in the world to you, or a super-useful addition for quickly checking out stuff like README files. Like we said: The devs here absolutely know who they're making this for. It's not like we couldn't just open a text file in a dedicated editor app, or you could go with another file manager that already has a text viewer built-in, but we will be plenty happy to see Files by Google getting one, too. ⚠️ An APK teardown helps predict features that may arrive on a service in the future based on work-in-progress code. However, it is possible that such predicted features may not make it to a public release. Follow
Android Authority
a day ago
- Android Authority
Gemini Live is finally able to interact with other Google apps in real-time
Tushar Mehta / Android Authority TL;DR Gemini Live can now interact with other Google apps. With this update, you can now ask Gemini Live to fetch information from Calendar, Keep, Maps, and Tasks in real-time. The feature is starting to roll out to those using the Gemini app on both Android and iOS. Gemini Live is getting a significant upgrade with the ability to interact with other Google apps. Following the announcement at I/O 2025, Google has been testing support for various apps, including Calendar, Keep notes, Maps, and Tasks, for several weeks now, and it is now starting to roll out more widely. Gemini Live can interact with other apps through app-specific extensions, which have already been present in the standard version of Gemini. However, now with support for Live, you can instruct the AI chatbot not only to pull out information from supported apps, but also interrupt it midway and change your query or ask an entirely unrelated question without waiting for the commands to process sequentially. The wider rollout was spotted by 9to5Google, and I now have it on various devices running Android 15 or 16. Now, when you interact with Gemini Live and ask it about information possibly residing in any of the four apps, i.e., Calendar, Keep, Maps, and Tasks, the app's name will appear in a toast message. An incomplete circle can be seen rotating next to the app's name while the information is being processed. While we had previously also spotted support for app snippets in Gemini Live alongside extensions, that feature has yet to go live. But besides Android, where the update does not appear tied to a specific app version, Google is also reportedly extending support to the Gemini app on iOS. Meanwhile, we await an update on support for third-party apps through Gemini Live, something that Apple is also working on with the upcoming Siri update. Follow
Android Authority
7 days ago
- Android Authority
Here's an early look at Gboard's Material 3 Expressive refresh (APK teardown)
Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority TL;DR Google is working on a Material 3 Expressive redesign for the Gboard app settings. The redesign features a card-style user interface and a rearranged settings menu with new descriptions. Gboard is one of those apps I cannot live without, so much so that I even install it on my iPhones (which sounds blasphemous, but it works great). On Android phones, Google is working to bring a Material 3 Expressive redesign for Gboard settings, so you can enjoy a consistent and refreshed experience whenever you need to set up the keyboard app. ⚠️ An APK teardown helps predict features that may arrive on a service in the future based on work-in-progress code. However, it is possible that such predicted features may not make it to a public release. Gboard v15.7.3 beta includes code for a Material 3 Expressive refresh for the app settings. We managed to activate the upcoming redesign to give you an early look: Just like we have seen with various other Google apps, the settings menu for Gboard is wholeheartedly adopting the card-style UI. We could only enable the new Expressive redesign on Android Canary and Android 16 QPR1 Beta 3. Enabling the redesign externally on Android 15 builds caused Gboard to crash, so you may need to be on the latest Android 16 release to enjoy the redesign whenever it rolls out. Eagle-eyed readers will also notice that several settings have been rearranged, and their descriptions have changed. We had to activate this change externally, so be on the lookout for it rolling out in the future. Follow
Phone Arena
05-08-2025
- Business
- Phone Arena
Your phone's AI assistant is quietly helping overload the US power grid
Receive the latest Google news Subscribe By subscribing you agree to our terms and conditions and privacy policy Do you feel responsible for using AI? No, if they made it, I'm going to use it. Yes, I feel plagued by guilt. I haven't thought about it in this way. No, if they made it, I'm going to use it. 0% Yes, I feel plagued by guilt. 0% I haven't thought about it in this way. 0% – Google's statement on a Google blog post, August 2025 iPhone 14 for $99.99 When you switch to Total Wireless, keep your number & grab 3 mo. of 5G We may earn a commission if you make a purchase Check Out The Offer Google has agreed to cut back electricity use at some of its data centers during times of high demand on the power grid. Yup, artificial intelligence has become very Google, this marks the first time it has committed to temporarily limiting its AI workloads in coordination with utility providers. While these cutbacks only affect a small slice of power usage overall, they point to a growing tension between the rapid growth of AI and the limits of the energy infrastructure we rely on for all other Google didn't name the specific AI projects that are so power-demanding, I'm sure that it has to do with a thing smartphone users will be familiar with, namely – Gemini. For those who still haven't heard of it, that's the Big G's advanced AI assistant, which powers features like smart replies, email summaries, and photo editing across Android and Google apps. Although these tools seem simple on the surface, they are centers (that are being used by Google and other companies to develop and train AI) are now drawing so much electricity that some regions are struggling to keep up and Google has agreed to scale its effort like Indiana Michigan Power and the Tennessee Valley Authority, which are part of the new agreements with Google, have reported rising demand from tech companies building out AI infrastructure. In certain areas, energy requests from these facilities are approaching or even exceeding the total available supply – raising concerns about power shortages and higher costs for homes and help prevent that, Google has agreed to slow down some of its AI-related computing when the grid is under stress. These types of arrangements, known as demand-response programs, are common in energy-heavy industries like manufacturing or crypto features on our phones – now powered by systems similar to Gemini – come with an invisible footprint. The convenience of AI isn't just about speed or accuracy anymore. It's also starting to have real-world effects on things like electricity demand, power bills, and even grid reliability.I pity those who don't feel a need for AI on their phones, yet experience power grid disruptions because of AI. Such irony.
Android Authority
26-07-2025
- Android Authority
Google makes great apps, but these aren't it if you ask me
Andy Walker / Android Authority Google is a software company and knows how to make great apps. I mean, I use apps like Gmail, Maps, YouTube, and Drive on a regular basis. Then there are its AI-focused apps like NotebookLM, which is by far the most underrated app in Google's arsenal. However, there are a few apps I think are way underdeveloped and need some serious work. They're simply too basic for me, or lack many of the features you get with the competition. I know Google is all about simplicity at times, but it's taking things too far with some of its apps. I want to discuss four of them and explain why I think they desperately need an upgrade. Let's dive in. Which of these apps is your least favorite? 0 votes Keep NaN % Tasks NaN % YouTube Music NaN % Wallpapers NaN % Google Keep Joe Maring / Android Authority As far as note-taking apps go, Google Keep is as basic as they get. Even fundamental things like text formatting are very basic, with Keep only offering a few options. While the app itself launched over a decade ago, these basic formatting features were only widely rolled out to the Android app in 2023, with the desktop version catching up two months ago. You have two heading options on offer, as well as the ability to bold, italicize, and underline text. That's it. You can't change colors, adjust the font size outside of the available headings, or create a bulleted list. While you can upload images to a note, you can't place them in a specific area, as they automatically show up on top. You can create labels to try and organize your notes, but you can't create notebooks like with most of Google Keep's competitors. I get that Google is trying to keep this as a simple note-taking app, since a lot of people are into that. Not everyone wants an app that's as feature-packed as Evernote or Notion. However, there's a limit, and I think adding things like improved formatting options and a better system for organizing notes would still retain that simple nature Google is going for and significantly improve the app's overall usability. I was a Keep user for years but ultimately decided to move to a rival app for these very reasons. Google Tasks Andy Walker / Android Authority I tried this for a while and really wanted to love it, especially since it's well-integrated with Gemini, but I just can't stand it. If you think Keep is basic, take a look at Tasks. It's as barebones as it gets. I've been using Todoist for years, and it still feels like a very simple app to use. However, it's packed with features that improve the overall experience and don't get in my way if I don't want to use them. I love that I can write out 'Do laundry every Wednesday at 6 PM' and the app will create a recurring task right away. Since it supports natural language input, I don't have to manually select a date or time; I just type it out. That's simple and efficient. With Google Tasks, you get none of that. I also love that I can give a priority level to each task, use filters and labels for improved organization, create sub-projects, and see what's on my to-do list just today for improved focus, among many other features. With Google Tasks, you get none of that. The only features I can highlight are the ability to create lists and add a star to a task so you can find it faster. All very basic stuff, really. With the amount of money, knowledge, and manpower Google has, it should be able to make a proper to-do list app instead of giving us this barebones offering, which I don't think many people use. YouTube Music Nathan Drescher / Android Authority This is by far the most developed app on this list. It's a good one overall, I'll give it that, but it still needs work since it's facing tough competition from Spotify and the likes. I want to minimize the number of apps I use, so I'd ideally like YouTube Music to be my main app for podcasts, but that's not going to happen anytime soon. The podcast feature on YouTube Music feels like an afterthought instead of being well-integrated into the overall experience. It's very hard to find podcasts to listen to, as its discovery feature is not great compared to rival apps. If you know what you want to listen to, you can search for it, and that's that. But if you want to explore new podcasts in specific genres or see what other people are into, then YouTube Music is not that great. Then there are the limitations of the free plan. The music stops playing as soon as I turn off the screen, which isn't a big deal when I'm at home, as I tend to watch videos and check out lyrics while listening to my favorite jams. But when I'm in my car, turning off the display is a must as I want to preserve battery life. I can't do that with YouTube Music, but I think I should be able to, especially since Google gets plenty of cash from the two ads I have to listen to every fourth or fifth song. Spotify's free plan, for instance, allows for background playback when the screen is off, and what's even more interesting is that the number of ads I have to listen to is significantly lower compared to YouTube Music. Sure, Spotify has other limitations YouTube Music doesn't, but I can live with those while listening to music in my car. Google Wallpapers Robert Triggs / Android Authority Pixel 8 Pro I recently broke my phone and had to switch to an old OnePlus for the time being. I turned it on and found a Google Wallpaper app installed that I forgot existed. A wallpaper app from the maker of the Pixel and all those fancy apps I use at all times sounds exciting, but that excitement went away a few minutes after opening it. The app is super basic and has a very small selection of wallpapers, especially compared to a rival app like Zedge. The wallpapers are separated into only ten categories, which seems incredibly low considering how many categories similar apps offer. The selection of wallpapers is limited. Not only is the selection limited, the wallpapers themselves aren't really that good. Most are very generic in my opinion, although I did manage to find a few good ones. What I find interesting is that Google hasn't even bothered connecting the app with Gemini, which would allow users to create custom wallpapers based on prompts. Google has a competitive advantage here that it's simply not utilizing. The app itself is just so basic that I don't know why Google made it in the first place. These are the four apps Google needs to work on, but let me know in the comments if there are any others you think are sub-par. Some of these bring back memories of apps like Google Podcasts, which were so basic for reasons unknown to me that Google decided to kill them Which of these apps is your least favorite? 0 votes Keep NaN % Tasks NaN % YouTube Music NaN % Wallpapers NaN % . I don't think that's going to happen with apps like Keep and YouTube Music, but I don't think a lot of people would miss an app like Wallpapers. At least, I wouldn't.
