Google Updates: Chat sidebar revamp, TV streamer feedback, and Messages redesign
Google has rolled out several updates across its services, including a revamped Google Chat sidebar, a feedback survey for Google TV Streamer users, and an upgraded interface for Google Messages. These updates aim to improve functionality, customization, and user experience across the platforms.
Google Chat: Sidebar Customization with Custom Sections
Google Chat’s web interface now includes custom sections in the sidebar, offering users more control over organizing their conversations. This redesign introduces a unified navigation experience and flexibility for users to structure the interface as per their preferences.
Key Features of the Sidebar Update
- Custom Sections Creation
- Users can create new sections by navigating to Direct Messages or Spaces, hovering over the three-dot menu, and selecting Create new section.
- Conversations from Direct Messages, group chats, and Spaces can be moved into these sections using drag-and-drop or the Move conversation option.
- Enhanced Navigation
- All sections are unified into a single scrollable list, allowing smoother navigation.
- Users can view top conversations, expand sections to access older chats, and use a new “Show all” option for browsing conversations.
- Additional Sidebar Features
- Adjust the size (height) of sections.
- Reorder sections by dragging them up or down.
- Toggle an Unread filter to focus on messages requiring attention.
- Quickly start new messages from the three-dot menu.
- New Default Section: Apps
- A dedicated section for app integrations has been added to the sidebar.
Mobile and Rollout Details
While these features will be reflected in the Android and iOS versions of Google Chat under a “Sections” tab, creating and managing custom sections remains exclusive to the web. The update will roll out gradually to all Google Workspace customers, Workspace Individual subscribers, and personal account users in the coming weeks.
Google TV Streamer Survey: Gathering User Feedback
Google is reaching out to users of the Google TV Streamer (4K) via surveys to better understand their experience. The survey focuses on usability, design, and performance, highlighting areas for potential improvements.
Key Survey Questions
- User Satisfaction: Participants rate their likelihood to recommend the device on a 0–10 scale.
- Purchase Decision: Google explores why users chose the TV Streamer over competitors like Roku, Apple TV, or Amazon Fire Stick.
- Common Issues Reported:
- Problems with Wi-Fi setup or remote functionality.
- Difficulties in adjusting settings via the Home App.
- Slow navigation, casting issues, or insufficient storage for updates.
- Voice control or “Find my remote” features not working.
User Insights
The survey also gathers feedback on how users perceive the design and ease of using the device, as well as their satisfaction with features like smart home integration and storage capacity.
Google Messages: Merged Camera and Gallery Interface
Google Messages is testing a new design for its media picker, merging the camera viewfinder and gallery into a single fullscreen interface. This update is also rolling out the ability to send media in Original quality.
Changes in the Media Picker
- New Fullscreen Interface
- Tapping the Gallery icon now opens a fullscreen UI with the live camera viewfinder at the top and a gallery section below.
- Users can swipe to expand the gallery into a full grid or access the system photo picker through the “Folders” option.
- Simplified Media Quality Settings
- Users can select between two quality options before sending:
- Optimize for Chat: Reduces size for faster sending and less data usage.
- Original Quality: Sends images and videos at full resolution, marked by an HD+ icon.
- The “Send photos faster” toggle in Settings will be removed once this feature is widely available.
- Users can select between two quality options before sending:
- Streamlined Media Sending
- After selecting or capturing media, users can preview it in a new interface with options to write captions and confirm the recipient.
Current Rollout Status
This redesign is currently available in beta (version 20241118_03_RC00) and will be gradually rolled out to all users.
Conclusion
Google’s recent updates focus on empowering users with more customization, improved design, and better functionality. Whether through Google Chat’s flexible sidebar, TV Streamer feedback surveys, or Messages’ enhanced media-sharing options, these changes aim to deliver a seamless and user-friendly experience across platforms.
Android owners can now benefit from Google’s new updates: one allows you to find lost devices, and the other makes verification easier. Google has made its Find My Device network behave similarly to Apple’s AirTag system. You can find your lost Android phones and Bluetooth trackers, even when they are not connected.
Delivery places appear live on a map. Google has modified the way Android phones and tablets are shown, so now they display as “Android” instead of the whole brand name. In this case, your “Pixel 8 Pro” might be seen on the map as “Android”. The update tries to make things easier for users who monitor several devices.
In addition, Google Wallet now allows a simpler way to confirm your identity. You no longer have to enter your PIN when confirming your identity, since a digital ID (like a driver’s license) in the Wallet app allows you to scan with your face or finger.
You can use this to enter airports or receive services at government offices, since digital IDs are recognized there. You can prove your identity fast and securely without showing your ID. Google wants Android devices to be both useful and secure, so they added these two features.
Just recently, a person using a Google Pixel 6a shared that their phone got extremely hot and started to catch fire when they were charging it. At the time, the phone was being charged overnight with its original Google set.
The poster wrote on Reddit that they placed the phone on a wooden table and went to bed. In the middle of the night, they became aware of smoke all around them. The table had also suffered damage as a result of the burnt Pixel 6a. In their opinion, the phone was meant for light usage, like charging,g and was not used for things like gaming or video streaming.
Online photos reveal a damaged phone, showing it was overheated and suffered a meltdown. According to the user, the phone was never mishandled and was operating normally up until the incident happened. As a result, it is cause for concern because the charging station was standard and officially approved.
Google has not commented on the issue so far. Even though this incident is unusual, it should remind users to never charge their phones overnight without being present to watch. For those using a Pixel 6a, if you spot any unexpected heating in the phone, contact support for assistance.
My Google Pixel 6a spontaneously combusted in the middle of the night
byu/zaliver inGooglePixel
The new colors, blue and white, are now available for the Google Nest Audio, and it is also getting Gemini AI features. Both the updated Nest Audio and the Mini come in Lemongrass (light yellow-green) and Charcoal (deep gray). As they are in the same colors as the latest Nest Mini and Google Pixel gadgets, they help make Google’s devices appear more similar.
The Pixel Buds arrive in pink and light blue at the Google Store in New York and give the speaker a more current appearance. Before, Nest Audio was only sold in Chalk (white), Charcoal, and Sand (light pink). Now that Lemongrass is available, people can choose a speaker that adds more variety to their home decor.
Google will also add Gemini support to Nest Audio shortly after updating its color. Thanks to Gemini, the speaker will provide smarter answers and assist in summarizing emails, making messages or listing things. Following Google’s announcement, the Gemini experience will appear in the Google Home app, though it will still allow you to use the main Google Assistant. Alternatively, users have the option to use the services that are right for them.
The company has plans to add Gemini support to the Pixel Tablet and to several smart displays as well. The new features for Nest Audio prove that Google is continuing to work on its smart home products, despite not releasing new hardware recently. Ultimately, the improved design and new features, thanks to Gemin,i make Nest Audio feel fresh.
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