Latest news with #GoogleBeta
Android Authority
06-08-2025
- Android Authority
Gboard is one step closer to letting you save your favorite Emoji Kitchen creations (APK teardown)
Joe Maring / Android Authority TL;DR Google is working on a new feature for Gboard's Emoji Kitchen. This feature will let you mark your Emoji Kitchen creations as favorites and use them again. The functionality has yet to go live, but appears closer to completion. Google is preparing Gboard for a host of changes, with new predictive features that use AI to help you compose messages more easily. Additionally, there are some changes coming to emojis and stickers, one of which is now getting more visibility with a recent update. ⚠️ 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. We recently discovered new changes coming to Emoji Kitchen in Gboard. In case you're unaware of the feature, Emoji Kitchen lets you create distinct-looking stickers by combining two or more emojis together. In the latest Gboard beta (version 15.7.3.787916401 beta), we found references to an upcoming feature that will let you save your sticker creations as 'Favorites' for reusing later. Although the functionality to save stickers as favorites is not available yet, we were able to tinker with the latest release and enable it to demonstrate how it could work when rolled out widely. While we spotted the functionality in June, we couldn't get it to work back then. That changes with the recent beta update. With this option enabled, every time we try out a new sticker created from an emoji combination, a pop-up emerges and prompts us to save the result as a favorite. When we wish to use the saved sticker next time, we can tap the heart-shaped icon in the top right corner of the Emoji Kitchen suggestions, which will reveal our favorites. Since the dedicated Emoji Kitchen browser is limited to Pixel phones, we're unsure of how Google could integrate it on Android devices from other brands. However, it is less likely that Google limits the feature to its own Pixel devices only. Lastly, we'd like to reiterate that you can't save Emoji Kitchen creations as Favorites just yet, but we can expect to roll out soon, considering it looks closer to completion in Gbaord's latest beta. If you're currently using Gboard beta, the keyboard app will still show the recent suggestions it made to you, regardless of whether you used them or not. Follow
Phone Arena
11-07-2025
- Phone Arena
Google removes an often used tab from its Android phone app but don't worry
When you need to make a phone call to someone you often call on your Android phone, you can tap on the Favorites tab on the Phone by Google app. That shows you the name and avatar of several people whom you often call. Tap the avatar of the person you want to call, and the call is made. The tab is found on the bottom of the screen next to the Recents, Contacts, and Voicemail tabs. But you might not find the Favorites tab on the Phone by Google app the next time you look for it. Google has started rolling out a redesigned look for the Phone by Google app that those subscribed to the app's beta program are seeing. Replacing the Favorites tab is the word Favorites near the top of the display, with a little arrow pointing up or down. If the arrow is down, tap on it, and five Favorites appear along with one button that you can use to add a favorite to the list. Google changes where you'll find your Favorites on the phone by Google app. | Image credit-PhoneArena With the change, the Favorites tab at the bottom of the screen is no more, which means that there is more room for the Recents, Contacts, and Voicemail tabs. It also gives the Floating Action Button (FAB) for the dial pad more room to be spotted by the user on the screen. The new look for your Favorites in the Phone by Google app appears on my Pixel 6 Pro running the latest Android 16 QPR1 Beta. More importantly, the version of the Phone by Google app I'm running is 182.0.779772896-publicbeta. The latest update for the Phone by Google beta was released yesterday. However, if you don't have the new feature even if you're running the correct version of the app, this could be a server-side update, and you're just waiting for Google to flip the switch. If you have a Pixel, you can check which version of the Phone by Google app is on your phone by going to Settings > Apps > See all xxx apps . Scroll down to the Phone app, tap the listing, and scroll down on the Phone's App info page to the very bottom of the display. That is where the version of the app is listed. Google continues to work on the Android UI, trying to take the clutter out while making the operating system more intuitive. Secure your connection now at a bargain price! We may earn a commission if you make a purchase This offer is not available in your area.
