Google announced a fair number of news coming this month for its Android apps: These concern the Gboard keyboard, the Amplifier and Lookout accessibility apps, and the Google Play Points initiative. Here are all the details, including timing and distribution methods.
GBOARD: NEW EMOJI AND MORE
The main novelty is the expansion of the availability of customized text stickers to all devices after being a Pixel exclusive, but … For now they are available only if the typing language is set to US English. As the first animation below shows, basically you write the message you want to send and choose one of the graphics generated automatically by the system.
And then it expands, this time for everyone, the Emoji Kitchen, that software feature that “mixes” Emoji in completely new and unprecedented combinations – often surreal, like … A watermelon-balloon?, but that’s the beauty of it. Google says there are over 1,600 new combinations to discover, and the main themes are two: the celebration of Pride Month and the upcoming summer.
INCREASINGLY EFFECTIVE AMPLIFIER AND LOOKOUT
Amplifier is one of the latest Google gimmicks in the field of accessibility. Basically, it helps those with hearing problems a isolate certain sounds and frequencies, for example background noises, in order to focus on what really matters, such as your interlocutor. Google says it has improved its background noise identification algorithm, to ensure faster and more accurate amplification, and to have implemented an easier-to-identify graphical interface.
Much the same goes for Lookout, which is an app designed for those with low vision: use the camera and machine learning to describe the surrounding environment to the user in various ways. Google today introduces the Pictures mode, thanks to which the app analyzes and describes the images opened in practically any other app. The algorithms underlying the Documents, Text, Food Labels and Explore modes have also been enhanced and improved. The update for both apps is already available on the Play Store.
GOOGLE PLAY POINTS
Play Points is a loyalty initiative which rewards the money spent on the entire Google Play ecosystem. From now on, the accumulated points can be used also for in-app (or in-game, naturally). It will be possible to cover the entire amount or only a part. The news will be distributed over the next few weeks in all countries where Play Points is supported: among these is Italy.
