Google News

‘Hey Google, pay for my parking’ feature is live – TechCrunch

For Android users, this could be the end of parking tickets as we know them. At least, that’s the promise Google makes with its latest update. Google announced Thursday a slew of new features that rolled out through its latest software update, including the ability for users to pay for parking using their voice through a partnership with ParkMobile. The goal is to help drivers eliminate the pain points of paying at the meter when it’s too cold, a meeting runs… Source link

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Google adds Air Raid Alerts to Android phones in Ukraine – TechCrunch

Google is starting to introduce a rapid Air Raid Alerts system for Android phones in Ukraine, the company announced on Thursday. The new feature is the tech giant’s latest update on its response to Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine. “Tragically, millions of people in Ukraine now rely on air strike alerts to try to get to safety. At the request, and with the help, of the government of Ukraine, we’ve started rolling out a rapid Air Raid Alerts system for… Source link

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Amazon, Microsoft and Google have suspended cloud sales in Russia – TechCrunch

As the war in Ukraine continues, companies as varied as Exxon, Visa, McDonald’s and Coca-Cola have suspended sales in Russia. Tech companies like Adobe, Apple and PayPal have joined in over the last couple of weeks. We queried the world’s top cloud infrastructure vendors (including Amazon, Microsoft, Google, IBM and Cloudflare) to find out how each was reacting to Russia’s attack on Ukraine. Each company let their public blog posts stand as the message they… Source link

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Google dials up focus on portability ahead of rule changes – TechCrunch

Google has signalled it’s dialling up efforts around portability, announcing a plan yesterday to spend $3 million and “hundreds of hours” of its engineers time over the next five years to build on existing (sometimes very long-standing) initiatives in this area, such as the 2018 open source Data Transfer Project (DTP) to which Google is a contributor. The move comes at a time when lawmakers in multiple jurisdictions are paying increased attention to barriers that prevent service… Source link

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Google details its latest big Android feature drop

Google Photos’ portrait blur feature on Android will soon be able to blur backgrounds in a wider range of photos, including pictures of pets, food, and — my personal favorite — plants. It’s one of a host of updates coming to Google’s apps and services on Android, which also includes tweaks to Google TV, a new screen time widget, and wider deployment of a Gboard feature that helps improve your grammar. Google Photos has previously been able to blur the background in photos of… Source link

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Android’s iOS-friendly emoji reactions officially launch in major Google Messages update

We’ve known for months that Google has been working to make its Messaging app properly display emoji reactions sent by iPhone users. Now Google is making the feature available to all as part of a host of new and updated features for its Messages app that are rolling out over the coming weeks. The beta already gave us a pretty good idea of how Google Messages translates emoji reactions sent by iOS users, properly formatting them on Android instead of appearing as a confusing text… Source link

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Google’s Message app can now handle iMessage reactions, challenges Apple with new features – TechCrunch

Google is giving its default messaging app a big upgrade, the company announced today. The Messages app, which comes pre-installed on most Android phones, will gain a number of new features with the update. Most notably, it will address the long-standing issue where iMessage’s “Tapbacks” weren’t delivered as emoji reactions, but were rather sent as a separate message. It’s an annoyance that’s made chats between Android and iPhone users confusing, cluttered and far too… Source link

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Google opens beta for future Pixel feature drops

If you’re interested in getting early access to Android features, then Google has a new beta program for Pixel owners. The search giant has just announced the release of the first beta for its upcoming Quarterly Platform Release (QPR), which are branded as Feature Drops when released to Pixel devices. 9to5Google reports that these features may end up being officially released as part of the Google Pixel’s June update. According to a new page on Android’s developer site, the beta is… Source link

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Google suspends Play store billing, YouTube payments in Russia – TechCrunch

Google is suspending billing on its mobile app store, Play, and pausing payment-based services for YouTube users in Russia — blaming “payment system disruption” related to Western sanctions on Russian banks. The development, which was reported earlier by Reuters, comes in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the sanctions on Russian banks that swiftly followed as the West opted for an economic response to Putin’s war in Europe. In a support note on its Android… Source link

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YouTube, Google Play suspend payment-based services in Russia

Youtube logo is placed on a Russian flag in this illustration picture taken February 26, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register March 10 (Reuters) – Alphabet Inc’s (GOOGL.O) YouTube and Google Play store are suspending all payment-based services in Russia, including subscriptions, as Western sanctions start to pose banking challenges in the country. Google and YouTube had recently stopped selling online advertising in Russia following… Source link

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