News & Reviews:   Google

Google has announced that enhanced Google Photos features are coming to Google One members on Android and iOS. These include the AI-powered Magic Eraser feature that was first introduced in the Google Pixel 6 series.

If you’re an Android Auto user, then you must’ve encountered an annoying limitation that prevents Google Maps from being opened on your connected device when the app is opened on your car infotainment screen. Well, thanks to a new update, this has finally changed as the limitation is reportedly removed.

Apple has released the iOS 16.3.1 update which brings several bug fixes and optimisations to supported iPhones. However, if you’re a Google Photos user, you may not want to update your iPhone just yet as the latest update also brought about a new bug which breaks the Google Photos app on iOS.

There have been a lot of talks about ChatGPT recently and whether it was a coincidence or not, Google just announced its own OpenAI chatbot. Promptly called Bard, Google's AI service will be unveiled in the next few weeks. 

Last year, we reported that Google Chrome’s Incognito tabs can be put behind biometric authentication to protect your privacy, though it was only available as a full feature on iOS. Now, Google has finally expanded the feature’s availability to Android without the need to activate it via a flag.

Apple is reportedly planning to directly take on Google and Amazon in the smart home market by releasing a slew of devices in the near future. These include a smart display device to compete with the Google Nest and Amazon’s Echo Show.

Google is reportedly in the midst of developing a Bluetooth tracker device to compete with the Apple AirTag. Codenamed ‘Grogu’, it is alleged that the Google Nest team is taking lead in the development of the tracker.

Previously, we reported on Google’s plans to introduce standalone Google Maps navigation support on Wear OS. True to its words, the tech giant recently announced that turn-by-turn Google Maps navigation on Wear OS without a smartphone is now available to users. 

Popular GPS navigation app Waze is testing a new feature that would warn users of potentially dangerous roads that have a “history of crashes” based on Waze community data. Currently in beta, the app would colour the road on the map red if it is deemed as high-risk.

Google has announced a new feature on Google Voice which adds a red “suspected spam caller” warning for calls that are believed to be spam. This was made so as to protect users from unwanted calls and potentially harmful scams.