Share Button Removed From Google Navigation Bar

Google removed the share button from the navigation bar, so you can no longer use it to share photos, links or create events and polls in Google+. It's just another Google+ feature that's removed and Google+ seems to be on its way out.

Here's the missing share panel:

{ Thanks, Sean Leather. }

Quotes Card in Google Search

Google shows a card with a long list of quotes for searches like [Einstein quotes]. This works in the desktop interface and the mobile site and it's a quick way to find some quotations without visiting any search result.

Here's the first quote by Albert Einstein: "Computers are incredibly fast, accurate, and stupid. Human beings are incredibly slow, inaccurate, and brilliant. Together they are powerful beyond imagination."

{ Thanks, Mukil. }

Chrome Web Store Adds Compatibility Information

Chrome Web Store now shows if an app, extension or theme is "compatible with your device". Google also uses a small icon to reassure users that they can install the app, extension or theme and it will work on their device.

If the app is not compatible, the blue "add to Chrome" button is replaced by a red "not compatible" button, just like before. Click the "not compatible" button and you'll see a message like: "This application is not supported on this computer. Installation has been disabled. The following problems are detected: This app runs only on Chrome OS".

{ Thanks, Mukil Elango. }

Gay Google (2015)

Just like last year and the years before, Google celebrates the LGBT Pride Month with some special decorations that are displayed when you search for [gay], [lgbt], [lesbian], [transgender], [queer] and other queries that include them. This time, Google shows a colorful heart and some people holding hands.

You can also check Google's decorations from 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014.

Send Places to Mobile Devices in Google Maps

Google Maps now lets you send a place from the desktop site to the mobile app for iOS. You first need to open Google Maps for iOS, go to the Settings, tap Notifications and enable "Sent from desktop Maps". "Make sure you’re signed in to Google Maps with the same account across your computer and mobile devices with the latest version of Maps for mobile installed," informs Google. Then you can search for a place in desktop Google Maps, click "send to device", pick the iOS device and you'll get a notification on your device.

Some similar features are available for Android from the desktop Google Search site. You can send directions, notes and even set an alarm. Unfortunately, "send to device" is not yet available in Google Maps for Android yet.

{ via Lifehacker }

Updated Interface for Google Play Music Mini Player

Google Play Music for the Web wasn't the only thing updated to Material Design last month. Google also updated the mini player that's displayed when you install the Chrome app.

The mini player is still standalone, so it works without having to open Google Play Music in a new tab. It has some new animations, controls hide when you're not using them, there's an icon that shows the main player and you can click the song's title or the artist's name to open the album page or the artist page in Google Play Music.

Here are some screenshots from Chrome for Mac and Windows:

{ Thanks, Angelo Giuffrida. }

Google Payments

Now that Google announced Android Pay, it's interesting to see what happens with Google Wallet. A Google+ post mentioned a few weeks ago that Google is building a new Google Wallet app that will "will allow anyone with a US debit card to send and receive money for free within minutes - even if the other person doesn't have the app".

There's also a help center for a service called Google Payments, which is supposed to be available at payments.google.com. Right now, this URL redirects to Google Wallet. "You can securely store payment information in your Google Account using Google Payments. You can use this payment information to make and track purchases on Google services," informs Google. The services that support Google Payments are Google Play, Google Drive, YouTube and Google Express.

Chrome's Dev Channel replaced Google Wallet references with Google Payments. For example, there's an option that shows "addresses and credit cards from Google Payments". Here's a screenshot from Chrome Dev for Android:

{ Thanks, Brandon Giesing. }

Google Calendar Discontinues SMS Notifications

SMS notifications were a very useful Google Calendar feature back when smartphones weren't popular and most people used feature phones. Now that the sales of feature phones decline and they're replaced by low-cost smartphones, Google decided to discontinue SMS notifications.

"Starting on June 27th, 2015, SMS notifications from Google Calendar will no longer be sent. SMS notifications launched before smartphones were available. Now, in a world with smartphones and notifications, you can get richer, more reliable experiences on your mobile device, even offline. This change will not affect Google Apps for Work, Education and Government customers," informs Google.

{ Thanks, Manuelvh. }

New Logo for Video Hangouts

Jeremy Couch, a reader of this blog, noticed that video Hangouts have a new logo. Instead of the Google+ logo, Hangouts uses the Google logo.

Right now, Hangouts is a Google+ feature and it's also available inside Gmail, Google Inbox and as standalone apps for Chrome, Android and iOS. Maybe Google plans to detach Hangouts from Google+.

{ Thanks, Jeremy. }

10-Day Weather Cards in Google Mobile Search

Google's weather card for mobile devices now shows 10-day forecasts. Just swipe to the left to see the rest of the forecast.

Here are some screenshots for [weather in London]:

Until now, mobile weather cards only included 6 days. Google Now cards for weather are still limited to 5 days, while desktop cards show weather forecasts for 8 days.

Google My Account Promos

Google promotes the new interface of the Google Account settings page, which is now called My Account. "Google gives you the tools to control your privacy and security," informs a promotional card.

It's interesting to notice that "My Account" replaced "View Profile" in the panel that shows up when you click the profile picture from the navigation bar. "Profile" is now a small link next to "Privacy".

Here's the old UI:

From Google+ Notifications to Google Notifications

Google's navigation bar has a bell icon that shows the number of unread Google+ notifications and lets you read them. Google has recently renamed this section from "Google+ notifications" to "Google notifications" and added a special icon next to Google+ notifications.

Google also shows notifications for YouTube and Blogger, but most notifications should be for Google+. Until now, Google added icons for events and circles, but not for Google+ posts. Maybe the notification section will add support for other Google services.

{ Thanks, Frodo Baggins. }

Gmail's Basic HTML Warning

If you use this URL to open Gmail's basic HTML interface, you'll probably see this message:

"Do you really want to use HTML Gmail? You're about to use a version of Gmail designed for slower connections and legacy browsers. To get all of Gmail's features, including inbox categories, images, and quick actions, please use the latest version of Gmail (recommended)."

You can click "Take me to latest Gmail" or "I'd like to use HTML Gmail" if you really, really want to use it.

{ Thanks, Luiz Pimenta. }

Google+ Photos Redirects to Google Photos

Now that Google launched a new photo sharing service (Google Photos), it's interesting to see what happens with Google+ Photos.

Google has a new Android app for Google Photos. Until now, the Google Photos shortcut linked to the Google+ app. A recent update to the Google+ app removed the Photos section, so you can no longer check your photos from Google+.

The desktop Google+ site redirects users to the new Google Photos and shows this message: "Google Photos gives your personal photos a comfy new home. Photos shared in Google+ remain part of your Google+ profile." There's also a link to Google+ Photos.

Picasa Web Albums, Google+ Photos and the new Google Photos are different interfaces for the same photo library. Now that Google Photos no longer requires Google+, it's likely that Google can finally retire Picasa Web Albums and replace it with Google Photos.

Google's Navigation Bar Removes Google+ Integration

When you are logged in, Google's navigation bar shows your name next to the app launcher. Until now, Google added a "+" next to the name and linked to Google+. Starting today, Google no longer links to Google+ and the "+" prefix has been removed. You can still find the Google+ shortcut in the app launcher.

It's another change which shows that Google+ will take a back seat and will no longer be promoted as a standalone service.

{ Thanks, Juan. }

Offline Google Maps Navigation, Directions and More

Google released free turn-by-turn navigation for Google Maps back in 2009. At that time, it was one of the top reasons to buy an Android phone, at least if you lived in the US. Since then, Google added support for a lot more countries and developed an app for iOS which included the navigation feature.

Unfortunately, Google Maps Navigation still requires an Internet connection, like most of the features of the Google Maps mobile apps. Navigation continues to work if you lose your Internet connection, but you can't change your destination or your route. Google Maps lets you cache maps, though they're limited to 50km x 50km and you can't get directions, use navigation, find local businesses or read reviews. Nokia's HERE apps for Windows Phone, Android and iOS allow you to download full-featured country maps for free and use all of these features offline.

The good news is that Google Maps will soon add support for offline turn-by-turn navigation, directions, local search and it will even let you read reviews offline. Here are some screenshots from the Google I/O Keynote:

According to Jen Fitzpatrick, Google VP for Engineering & Product Management, the new features will be released later this year.

Google Sends Email Notifications for New Sign-ins

Google now sends email notification when you sign in to a Google account from a new device. Here's an excerpt from Google's notification:

"Your Google Account was just used to sign in from Chrome on Mac. Why are we sending this? We take security very seriously and we want to keep you in the loop on important actions in your account. We were unable to determine whether you have used this browser or device with your account before. This can happen when you sign in for the first time on a new computer, phone or browser, when you use your browser's incognito or private browsing mode or clear your cookies, or when somebody else is accessing your account."

Google suggests to check the Devices & activity section from Google Accounts Settings if you don't recognize this activity. You can also find additional information about the browsers and locations that were used. For some devices, you can even remove account access.

Google's Smart Lock for Passwords

Google Play Services brings an interesting feature: a Smart Lock for passwords and connected accounts. This feature is enabled by default and it allows the passwords of your apps and websites to be saved to your Google account. By default, Google automatically signs in to apps and websites connected to your account, but this feature can be disabled.

Chrome already has a syncing feature for passwords, so the new Smart Lock uses it to bring the same passwords to apps. For example, Google could save your Facebook password and it could use it to sign in to your account in the native Facebook app.

"Google Smart Lock for Passwords takes the hassle out of keeping your accounts safe for your favorite apps and websites. Smart Lock can save passwords to your Google Account and then help you use your passwords securely and conveniently on the websites you use in Chrome and the apps you use on your Android devices," informs Google.

There's also a page that shows your saved passwords: you can find it at passwords.google.com. "Your passwords from Chrome and Android are saved with Google Smart Lock and accessible to you across devices," explains Google. Unfortunately, this page doesn't show your passwords if you use a sync passphrase in Chrome: "you can access your data within Chrome on your syncing devices, but not from this website." A help center page mentions that you can't use Smart Lock for Passwords on Android if you set a sync passphrase.

If you don't have a sync passphrase, the page shows your passwords and lets you delete them. Click the eye icon to see a password.

{ Thanks, Herin Maru. }

Android M: When Apps Are Too Powerful

Android M was announced today and it's available as a preview for developers. It brings some new features and makes some radical changes that improve battery life and user privacy.

The most significant change is a new permission model that's also used by iOS. Until now, users could only install an app by granting all the permissions requested by the app and couldn't revoke permissions. In Android M, the app requests permissions as it needs them and users can always grant or revoke permissions from the settings.

Android's backup and restore feature has always been way behind iOS and that's about to change in Android M. Google used to save device settings and the list of apps you've installed, but not their data and settings. "Automatic backups are enabled for all apps installed on devices running the Android M Preview. No additional app code is required," informs Google. For now, users can store up to 25MB per Android app and "backups occur every 24 hours, when the device is idle, charging, and connected to a Wi-Fi network."

Doze is a new feature that saves battery life. "If a device is unplugged and left stationary with the screen off for a period of time, it goes into Doze mode where it attempts to keep the system in a sleep state. In this mode, devices periodically resume normal operations for brief periods of time so that app syncing can occur and the system can perform any pending operations," informs Google. A lot of features are disabled in the Doze mode: network access (except for high priority Google Cloud Messaging tickles), wake locks, WiFi scans, syncing.

Another power optimization feature is app standby. "The system may determine that apps are idle when they are not in active use. Your app is considered idle after a period of time, unless the system detects any of these signals: the app is explicitly launched by the user, the app has a process currently in the foreground, the app generates a notification that users see on the lock screen or in the notification tray or the user explicitly asks for the app to be exempt from optimizations, via Settings. If the device is unplugged, apps deemed idle will have their network access disabled and their syncs and jobs suspended."

Android Pay addresses Google Wallet's failure by creating an open platform for mobile payments. This time, Google partnered with 3 major US mobile carriers (AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon), in addition to banks, payment processors and retailers. After Softcard's demise, Android Pay will replace it. Google acquired Softcard technology a few months ago. It's worth pointing out that Android Pay is an app that requires Android KitKat or later, so it's not clear why it was announced as an Android M feature.

Google Now will also work inside Android apps. Tap and hold the home button and Google Now will show relevant information, including links to other useful apps. Say "OK Google" followed by a question and Google's answer will use the app's context. For example, you can ask "What's her latest album?" when listening to Mariah Carey in your favorite music app and Google will know that "her" refers to Mariah Carey.

Android M brings native support for fingerprint sensor, simplified volume controls, easy word selection with floating clipboard toolbar.