Google Photos is working on a new feature called "Memories Games" that will create games based on the people, places, and things in your photos and memories.
Google has updated its Gemini overlay, introducing an expanded Plus (+) menu that includes new tools such as video generation, music creation, Canvas, and Guided Learning. The redesigned layout allows users to perform common actions directly from the overlay, enhancing accessibility and usability. The Plus (+) button now serves as a more robust entry point, although the repositioning of the feature carousel may slightly hinder one-handed usability on larger devices. Familiar shortcuts like Photos, Camera, Files, and Drive remain, ensuring continuity for users. The updated overlay integrates more deeply into the Android ecosystem, reducing the need to launch the main app and aiming to make Gemini a more integral part of users' daily tasks.
Google has updated the Gemini overlay on Android, introducing an expanded plus menu that now includes Videos, Music, Canvas, and Guided Learning, in addition to the existing Images and Personal Intelligence tools. Deep Research remains exclusive to the full app due to its requirement for a larger prompt box. The top section of the interface, including Screen, Photos, Camera, Files, Drive, and Notebooks, remains unchanged, but the repositioning of the carousel may affect one-handed usability. These enhancements allow users to access most of the Gemini experience seamlessly across Android devices without launching the full application. The changes are being rolled out with stable version 17.32 of the Google app.
Meta AI is integrated into WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, and Messenger, providing functionalities like chat, search, image generation, and automated customer support through the Meta Business Agent. Its availability varies by country, account type, app version, and language. Users should be aware that seeing a colleague's blue Meta AI ring in WhatsApp while they do not may indicate a rollout flag on Meta's end rather than an app malfunction.
Meta AI can answer queries, suggest ideas, generate images from prompts, clarify messages, assist with searches, and support customer interactions for business accounts. It is linked to the Llama model family, including Llama 2 and Llama 3.
To use Meta AI on WhatsApp, users need to update the app and can start a chat by locating the Meta AI button or circle. They can ask practical questions, request image generation, and utilize it in group chats. On Instagram, it enhances DMs and search functions, allowing users to create AI chats for content ideas and captions. In Messenger, there is an "Ask Meta AI" bar for direct interactions. Users can also utilize Meta AI on Facebook for search and content discovery.
The Meta Business Agent is a version of Meta AI for businesses, providing 24/7 responses to customer inquiries. It can be set up in Meta Business Suite or WhatsApp Business. Privacy measures should be considered, as users cannot entirely disable Meta AI and should avoid sharing sensitive information in chats.
For better responses, users should provide context and constraints in their prompts and consider training in prompt design and AI risk management for professional use.
Google is introducing Preferred Sources labels to enhance the trustworthiness of AI Overviews and AI Mode. The AI Overviews feature will now showcase an article carousel more prominently in Search results. The expansion of Google’s "Highly Cited" labels aims to highlight original reporting throughout Search results. The integration of Preferred Sources support is designed to provide users with more reliable answers. Google is prioritizing the display of actual articles beneath AI Overviews, particularly for trending topics or breaking news. The "Highly Cited" labels spotlight original reporting frequently referenced by other media outlets, helping users identify authoritative sources.
Google has released Android 17 QPR1 Beta 3, featuring a redesigned media app switcher that replaces the previous carousel format. The new switcher condenses media apps into compact cards that expand when tapped, improving user convenience and clarity. However, this design reduces the size of the active music app tab and player controls. Further modifications to the media player switcher are expected before the stable launch of Android 17.
Google's Android 17 QPR1 Beta 3 introduces a new media app switching interface that replaces the traditional carousel layout with a streamlined card layout. This design features compact cards for minimized media applications on either side of the main media player, allowing users to switch between apps by tapping on these cards. Media apps are organized by importance, showing the currently playing media first, followed by content from remote devices and past sessions. While the new layout has received positive feedback for its clarity, some users have raised concerns about the size of the media controls and requested options for customization to enhance accessibility.
Samsung has added a TikTok-style short video feed to its News app on Galaxy smartphones, allowing users to like videos and follow topics for a personalized experience. The update also includes articles from trusted publishers for more in-depth news coverage.
Google Wallet is undergoing a redesign of its Android app to enhance user experience, particularly in managing passes. The app's homepage layout has been changed, with passes now displayed in pairs and featuring themed backgrounds. Users can reorder passes by dragging them and have more control over which passes appear on the homepage. The floating action button has been replaced with a centered split-button, directing users to "Add to Wallet" and a new page for searching transactions and loyalty cards. This section is divided into Transactions and Passes for easy access. The redesigned Google Wallet is being rolled out across devices, and users should update to the latest versions of Google Wallet and Google Play services (stable 26.15.33) to access the new features.
Microsoft has introduced a feature in Microsoft Edge that highlights new Windows capabilities through promotional tabs following monthly updates. This feature currently appears to be exclusive to Microsoft Edge, with users seeing a carousel of new Windows features, including the return of the "big clock" in the Notification Center, the ability to pin the Windows emoji panel to the taskbar, and reminders about uploading documents to Copilot for AI summarization. Each feature includes a "Try Now" button for direct access to tools like the Snipping Tool. Microsoft aims to inform users about new functionalities while balancing the need to avoid overwhelming them with ads. Users can dismiss notifications if they choose.
