All devices announced at #GoogleIO 2022:

Pixel 6a (summer)
Pixel 7 and 7 Pro (fall)
Pixel Watch (fall)
Pixel Buds Pro (summer)
Pixel Tablet (2023)

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Android 13 will have a unified Security & Privacy settings

At #GoogleIO, the company announced a unified Security & Privacy settings page. It will consolidate all privacy and security settings in one place, and also contains a color indicator of the user's security status and recommendations on how to improve security.

The Security settings page on Pixel devices already has a color-coded security status indicator and provides recommendations, but does not include privacy settings.

The new Security & Privacy settings page is contained within the PermissionController APK delivered through the PermissionController module.

You can activate this page (but you shouldn't!) with a command, but the actual page is not accessible in Beta 2 due to a missing privileged permission.

adb shell

cmd device_config put privacy safety_center_is_enabled true

🔗 Esper Blog

#TheAndroidShow: Fireside Q&A at #GoogleIO is now live!

Here is where to watch:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wq3Et-D9P5Y

Nest Hub Max gets 'Look and Talk' feature and Google Assistant's `quick phrases' from the Pixel 6

With Look and Talk the smart display will be able to recognize that you are looking directly at it, from a distance of one and a half meters. Once it detects your gaze, it will start listening to your commands without having to say "Hey, Google." Available to Android users with the Google Home app starting this week in English in the U.S.

The "Quick phrases" feature from the Pixel 6 will appear on Nest Hub Max in English this summer. That means you won't have to say "Hey, Google" beforehand for some pre-selected commands.

Google also showed how conversations with Assistant will become more natural. The Assistant will ignore parts of your speech such as "um," interruptions, natural pauses and other self-corrections, rather than recognizing what you said initially. (launching in early 2023)

🔗 Google Blog | #GoogleIO

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Google expands the availability of Android Earthquake Alerts System and adds Emergency SOS on Wear OS

At #GoogleIO 2022, Google announced that it is expanding the regional availability of earthquake detection in Android. A year ago, it had already introduced the feature in regions such as: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, the Philippines, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. (In total now available for 25 countries)

The company also announced the appearance of Emergency SOS on Wear OS devices. This feature will allow you to activate an emergency call on your watch, allowing you to easily contact pre-selected people and even emergency services in the area.

Google hasn't specified exactly when these new features will appear.

🔗 Google Blog

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Android 13 will make it easier to share clipboard contents between nearby devices.

At #GoogleIO 2022, the company reminded us of many of the features that were announced at CES 2022, but yet we still haven't heard about one of them yet.

Google revealed a new user experience that uses the clipboard interface from Android 13 Beta 1. There will now be a Nearby Share button next to the Pencil, which allows you to quickly send a copied text or image to another device. At the same time, the same interface appears on the receiving device.

The feature will be available this fall on smartphones and tablets with Android 13.

🔗 Google Blog

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Brief summary of the Google Pixel 6a:

• Pre-order opens July 21, 2022. And it will arrive in retail stores a week later, on July 28.

• Color options: Charcoal (black) , Chalk (gray-silver) , Sage (mint green).

• U.S. price - $449

• Where available: Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Puerto Rico, Singapore, Spain, Taiwan, the United Kingdom and the United States. (Learn more about pricing at 9to5Google)

• The Verizon version will cost $50 more ($499) because it will offer mmWave 5G support, a faster version of 5G, while the unlocked version of the smartphone supports Sub6. (9to5Google)

• Android Central reported that the device is also coming to India, but at a later date. (Android Central)

• Rick Osterloh, the senior vice president of devices and services at Google, confirmed to Android Central during #GoogleIO 2022 that the Pixel 6a has a different fingerprint sensor than the Pixel 6/Pro. No details are given. (Android Central)

• Google has confirmed that the Pixel 6a will have cases made of the same material as the Pixel 6/Pro. No Fabric Cases. (9to5Google)

• In general, the specifications agree with what was leaked by EvLeaks, except that the Google Store specifies a battery of 4,410 mAh instead of 4,306 mAh.

• No Headphone jack, no Wireless Charging;

• Sizes: 152.2 x 71.8 x 8.7mm

• 3 years of Android updates and a total of 5 years of security updates

The new Google Health Connect app will sync fitness data from various Android apps, including Fitbit, Samsung Health and others.

At #GoogleIO 2022, the company teamed up with Samsung to introduce "Health Connect," a service and API for Android developers. It unifies data from multiple devices and apps into an ecosystem. Fitness apps will be able reading and writing a user’s health and fitness data from the Health Connect app on your phone.

Android users will be able to control over which apps have read and/or write access to different types of data. Health Connect includes the following key data categories:

• Activity
• Body Measurement
• Cycle Tracking
• Nutrition
• Sleep
• Vitals

Any Android developer can make an app that requests permission to read or write fitness data to Health Connect.

The Health Connect app is already available in early access on the Google Play Store for devices running Android Pie or newer. But so far, no apps are connecting to it.

🔗 Android Developers | Play Store

Google unveiled a new Android Auto design with improved adaptation to different display sizes and split screen

The first screenshots of this interface appeared back in early February. The main feature of the redesign, codenamed "Coolwalk", is improved adaptation and scaling to different display sizes and a split-screen layout.

The screen can be divided into three cards:

• mapping and navigation (largest);
• scrollable сontext suggestions from Assistant (analog Material You clock with the date, trip ETAs, incoming text notifications, missed calls etc.);
• player controls (music, podcasts, audiobooks);

They also redesigned the status bar, putting all the elements in one line and adding new icons. Depending on the display, it can be attached either at the bottom or on the left.

The new interface is expected to appear this summer.

#GoogleIO

🔗 Android Developers (YouTube)
🔗 Android (YouTube)

The new Real Tone filters in Google Photos are starting to roll out today on Android, iOS, and web.

Announced at #GoogleIO, these filters were designed by professional image makers to work well across skin tones, so you can choose the filter that reflects your style.

🔗 Google Photos on Twitter

The Android Jetpack library now allows third-party developers to add Ultra-Wideband (UWB) support to their apps.

Previously, only system applications were able to use this module. But at #GoogleIO 2022, the company officially announced a simple set of UWB APIs working through the Android Jetpack library, which was supposed to appear within a month. And now that day has arrived.

Google has released androidx.core.uwb version 1.0.0-alpha, which allows apps to interact with UWB-enabled devices like the Pixel 6 Pro or Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra, S21 Ultra, S22 Plus / Ultra and Z Fold 3.

Currently, the UWB API requires the device to run Android 12 or newer.

• Link to Core Ultra Wideband (UWB) library

• Link to new UWB API documentation

🔗 Mishaal Rahman on Twitter