Tag Archives: TechCrunch

Google has updated its flagship iPhone apps with support for home screen widgets, a new feature of iOS 14. The company announced today it’s rolling out new widgets for Gmail, Google Drive, Google Fit and soon, Google Calendar and Google Chrome, in order to put useful information on the home screen or to provide quick access to common tasks. The company had already launched a widget for its Google Search app back in September.  The new widgets, for the most part, seem to be handy… Source link

For the past year and a half, Google has been rolling out its next-generation messaging to Android users to replace the old, clunky, and insecure SMS text messaging. Now the company says that rollout is complete, and plans to bring end-to-end encryption to Android messages next year. Google’s Rich Communications Services is Android’s answer to Apple’s iMessage, and brings typing indicators, read receipts, and you’d expect from most messaging apps these days. In a blog post… Source link

Google is launching a major redesign of its Google Pay app on both Android and iOS today. Like similar phone-based contactless payment services, Google Pay — or Android Pay as it was known then — started out as a basic replacement for your credit card. Over time, the company added a few more features on top of that but the overall focus never really changed. After about five years in the market, Google Pay now has about 150 million users in 30 countries. With today’s update and… Source link

Google has taken the wraps off Chimera Painter, a web-based tool that lets anyone generate terrifying cryptozoological entities in an interface that looks like MS Paint by way of Diablo. Why, you ask? Well, isn’t it obvious? No… no, I suppose it isn’t. Surely the strangest thing to hit Google’s AI blog for at least a month, the Chimera Painter does actually have something like a reason for existing. The team was looking at ways to accelerate the creation of art for games, which… Source link

Google today announced an update to Google Maps that includes a number of new COVID-related features, as well as the ability to see the live status of your takeout or delivery orders, as well as the launch of the long-expected new Assistant driving mode. In addition, the company shared a few new stats around Google Maps today. The company says that it makes 50 million updates to Maps each day now, for example, though that includes user-generated content like user reviews, photos and… Source link

A coalition of 135 startups and tech companies with services in verticals including travel, accommodation and jobs have written to the European Commission to urge antitrust action against Google — warning that swift enforcement is needed or some of their businesses may not survive. They also argue the Commission needs to act now or it risks undermining its in-train reform of digital regulations — which is due to be lay out in draft form early next month. The letter has been inked… Source link

Google changes its storage policy, Facebook extends its political ad ban and Ring doorbells are recalled. This is your Daily Crunch for November 11, 2020. The big story: Google Photos will end free, unlimited storage Google is changing its storage policies for free accounts in a way that could have a big impact on anyone regularly using Google Photos. Currently, Google Photos allows users to store unlimited images (and HD video) as long as they’re under 16 megapixels. Starting on… Source link

Google Music is dead, and with it one of the few remaining connections I have to the company that doesn’t feel like a gun to my head. The service, now merged haphazardly with YouTube Music, recalled the early days of Google, when they sometimes just made cool internet things. It made it nearly a decade, though — pretty impressive for a one of their products. I’ll just say it up front: I’m a lifelong music pirate. Oh yes, I’ve reformed in recent years, but I’ve got a huge… Source link

Come June 1, 2021, Google will change its storage policies for free accounts — and not for the better. Basically, if you’re on a free account and a semi-regular Google Photos user, get ready to pay up next year and subscribe to Google One. Currently, every free Google Account comes with 15 GB of online storage for all your Gmail, Drive and Photos needs. Email and the files you store in Drive already counted against those 15 GB, but come June 1, all Docs, Sheets, Slides, Drawings,… Source link

India’s antitrust watchdog has approved Google’s proposed investment of $4.5 billion in the nation’s largest telecom platform Jio Platforms, it said in a tweet on Wednesday. Google announced in July that it would be investing $4.5 billion for a 7.73% stake in the top Indian telecom network. As part of the deal, Google and Jio Platforms plan to collaborate on developing a customized-version of Android mobile operating system to build low-cost, entry-level… Source link