Source: WhatsApp is working on a native app for Wear OS
Summary
WhatsApp is beta testing a Wear OS app allowing users to check their messages on their smartwatch. It is also end-to-end encrypted, with voice notes available to recent conversations and the ability to reply to messages through voice notes or text input. Though, initiating new conversations and searching specific chats is not yet supported. The app will also eventually support calls and starting conversations once available publicly.
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Source: Google’s Magic Compose can rewrite your texts using AI
Summary
Google has unveiled a new feature at its I/O developer conference called “Magic Compose”. It is a messaging feature that combines Android’s guided customization with generative AI to allow users to rewrite texts in different styles, helping people compose more personal messages.
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Source: Android is getting generative AI wallpapers you create with suggested prompts
Summary
Google announces generative AI wallpapers, cinematic wallpapers, and emoji wallpapers that will allow users to personalize their devices according to their vision. Users will also be able to customize their lock screens with new clocks and shortcuts, apply a new monochrome color theme across their phones, and use Night Mode and 10-bit HDR video in social apps. The features will be available soon for Android users.
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Source: With Project Tailwind, Google is using AI to make note-taking smarter
Summary
Google has introduced an AI-powered tool called Project Tailwind to automatically organize and summarize user’s freeform notes. Users can pick documents from Google Drive and Tailwind will create a private AI model with expertise in that information to provide a personalized interface. The tool can generate a study guide, answer natural language questions about the notes and cite sources within the documents.
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Source: Epic’s Fall Guys adds a creative mode so players can design their own levels
Summary
Epic Games has launched the fourth season of casual battle royale game, Fall Guys. The game now features a new creative mode where players can use game design tools and mechanics to build their own levels. Fall Guys offers a different style of gameplay compared to Epic’s core title, Fortnite, with colourful and cartoonish courses filled with obstacles. In recent announcements, Epic has started to support user-generated content and will now share 40% of Fortnite revenue with players.
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Source: Microsoft Office, Netflix, Amazon Kindle and more are tuning their apps for the new Pixel Fold
Summary
Microsoft, Zoom, Netflix, Amazon, and others are working to optimize their apps for the new Google Pixel Fold. The device has dual screens and can be folded in multiple ways, making it necessary for developers to ensure their apps work well on both screens.
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💻 Microsoft Office, Canva, Evernote, and Zoom are among the productivity apps optimized for the Pixel Fold’s dual screens. 📚 Amazon Kindle and Webtoon are among the reading apps. 🕹️ Minecraft, Roblox, and Asphalt 9 are among the gaming apps, while 📹YouTube and Gmail have also been optimized for the foldable’s screens.
Source: Google’s $1,799 Pixel Fold arrives in late-June
Summary
Google has confirmed the much-anticipated Pixel Foldable phone through an eight-second video on Twitter. The design offers more screen real estate with a 7.6-inch display, using the book rather than clamshell form factor. A spokesperson shared that Google wanted to offer a phone that turns into a high-productivity tablet, which isn’t the case with the clamshell design used elsewhere.
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💻 The Pixel Fold uses a 7.6-inch display, with a 6:5 aspect ratio, 2208 x 1840 OLED at 380ppi and a refresh rate of up to 120Hz.
Source: Android smartwatches are getting Spotify’s AI DJ, WhatsApp and updated Google apps
Summary
Google is updating Wear OS with new features and improvements, including updated first-party apps like Google Home and Gmail, and new offerings from third parties like WhatsApp, Peloton, and Spotify. WhatsApp’s arrival on Wear OS marks its first appearance on a smartwatch, and Spotify’s app will gain new tiles and support for AI DJ. Peloton’s app is adding support for equipment-based workouts and a progress tile.
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Source: Crypto needs a global view to build better regulatory models
Summary
US crypto firms are looking to relocate outside the US due to continued regulatory uncertainty and the need for clarity on crypto policy. Meanwhile, regulators and policymakers are keen to see non-financial use cases for cryptocurrencies while applying the law as it stands today.
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Source: Google previews Wear OS 4 with better battery life, third-party watch face support
Summary
Google has previewed Wear OS 4, which will bring battery life and accessibility improvements, an XML format for watch face creation and easier switching between devices.
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Source: Android Studio gets a built-in coding bot
Summary
Android Studio Hedgehog will introduce a new conversational experience in Android Studio called the Studio Bot. The bot will help developers write code, fix bugs and answer coding questions. Google built the bot with privacy in mind and it is still in training to become better at answering developers’ questions. Additionally, Google is rolling out a Codey-based code completion and generation service that competes with GitHub’s Copilot and Amazon’s CodeWhisperer.
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💻 Android Studio Hedgehog will feature a new conversational experience called the Studio Bot, designed to help developers write code and fix bugs more efficiently.
💬 The Studio Bot is built on top of Codey, Google’s new PaLM 2-based foundation model specifically trained for coding.
🔒 The Studio Bot was created with privacy in mind; none of the source code is shared with Google.
💪 The set of questions developers will ask of the Studio Bot is limited, allowing Google to create a system finely tuned to answer questions about a few programming languages.
💡 In addition to the Studio Bot, Google is rolling out a Codey-based code completion and generation service for VSCode, JetBrains’ IDEs, and Google’s own Cloud Shell.
Source: Google’s Health Connect platform is coming to Android 14 with new features
Summary
Google updated its Health Connect platform, which enables users to store and manage health data, share exercise routines and menstrual cycle logs, and allows other apps to gain access to it with users’ consent. Health Connect will be available on all Android mobile devices with Android 14. Google also updated its Health Services API on Wear OS devices, including a new “Batching Modes” feature to adjust data delivery frequency and golf shot detection capabilities.
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Source: Google Play developers will be able to push you to update your apps
Summary
Google announced new security and privacy features for app developers and Play Store users at its I/O developer conference. These include updates to its Play Integrity API, a new beta version of the Play Console app, changes to the Data safety section on the Play Store, and more. Google will also give users prompts to update their apps, even automatically when apps crash.
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💻 Developers can use a new feature to prompt users to update their app, if a particular problem has been resolved with later releases.
🔒 The Play Integrity API will now have an improved integration option that gives API verdicts 10x faster.
📊 The Play Store Console App has been given a makeover allowing developers to personalize their homepage.
🗑️ The Play Store’s Data safety section will introduce data deletion options and other policy requirements.
Source: Google brings AI and more to the Play Store
Summary
Google is adding new AI-powered features for Android app developers to build and optimise their apps for the Play Store. One of the most notable features is the Generative AI tool which generates a draft copy of Play Store listings which can be edited by developers. Another AI feature called “User Review Summaries” analyses and synthesizes comments to provide users with summaries posted about a particular app in the Play Store.
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