Google

Gemini app enhances utilities, Pixel Recorder introduces clear voice, and Google Messages revamps text field design

Published

5 months ago

December 3, 2024

Tech enthusiasts have a lot to look forward to as Gemini, Pixel Recorder, and Google Messages unveil significant updates aimed at improving user experience and functionality. Here’s a deep dive into these updates and what they mean for users.

Gemini App Expands with Utilities Extension

The Gemini app has begun a wider rollout of its Utilities Extension, allowing users to handle various tasks directly within the app. This new addition eliminates reliance on Google Assistant for basic functions like turning on the flashlight or setting alarms.

How to Access the Utilities Extension

Open the Gemini app.
Tap multitasking, select App Info, and force stop the Google app.
The Utilities feature should now appear in the Extensions section of Gemini and is enabled by default.

Key Features

With Utilities, users can perform numerous tasks even from the lock screen, such as:

Managing alarms, timers, and notifications.
Controlling device features like Bluetooth, Flashlight, Battery Saver, and Do Not Disturb mode.
Adjusting volume and brightness settings.
Powering off or restarting the device.
Capturing photos or screenshots.

The update also allows Gemini to interact with Pixel Screenshots, enabling advanced browsing or searching through screenshots using voice commands.

Detailed Capabilities

Gemini supports multitasking with commands such as:

“Turn on Battery Saver and reduce brightness to 50%.”
“Take a selfie with a 10-second timer.”

Additionally, it can open apps, settings, and websites or manage alarms and timers with natural language commands like:

“Set an alarm for 7 AM.”
“Show my alarms and delete the one for 8 AM.”

Pixel Recorder Preps “Clear Voice” Feature

Google is testing a new feature for Pixel Recorder called Clear Voice, designed to reduce background noise for clearer speech playback.

What is Clear Voice?

This feature isolates human speech while removing environmental sounds, improving recording quality. However, it only works with the phone’s internal microphone and mono audio, as external microphones and stereo recording are not supported.

Technical Highlights

Users can toggle Clear Voice in the Recorder app settings.
Strings within the app suggest guidance like:
- “Switch to mono audio for this feature.”
- “Clear Voice is disabled for new recordings by default.”

Though Clear Voice isn’t live yet, its development shows promise, particularly for those frequently recording in noisy environments.

Other Recorder Updates

Pixel Recorder has also integrated Gemini Nano multimodality for summarizing longer transcripts on Pixel 9 devices. Additionally, a Recorder app shortcut has been added for quick access, and support for wrist-based recordings on the Pixel Watch 3 and older models was recently introduced.

Google Messages Rolls Out New Text Field Redesign

Google Messages is undergoing yet another design revamp, improving usability and addressing feedback from prior updates.

What’s New?

The latest beta version introduces a left-aligned text field with redesigned button placement:

Plus Button remains on the far left for quick access.
Buttons for Magic Compose, Emoji, and Gallery are rearranged for better ergonomics.
Voice Memo/Send remains to the right of the text field.

This redesign seeks to declutter the interface while maintaining functionality.

Additional Updates

Read Receipts Redesign: Now visible on the main message list, though this may still be in beta testing.
Smart Reply Suggestions: Users hope for a return of the Magic Compose/Rewrite option for more streamlined messaging.

How to Try the Update

To access the redesign, install the beta version (20241202_01_RC00) and force stop the app via settings. However, it may not be available to all users yet, as the rollout is gradual.

Conclusion

The recent updates across Gemini, Pixel Recorder, and Google Messages signal Google’s commitment to enhancing usability and efficiency. Whether it’s through Gemini’s expanded task management, Pixel Recorder’s noise-reduction technology, or Google Messages’ improved interface, these innovations make life easier for users in a tech-driven world.

Stay tuned as these features continue to roll out and improve over time!

Google

Google brings new AI tools for learning languages and adds more features to Wallet and NotebookLM

Published

8 hours ago

April 29, 2025

Tom Carter

Google is rolling out several new AI-powered features to help users learn languages, manage documents, and store IDs more easily.

First, Google is introducing new language learning tools through its Search app. These tools use AI to give users personalized lessons to practice speaking and listening in Spanish. English speakers in the U.S. can try these lessons, which include feedback and daily reminders. Google plans to expand support for more languages and regions soon.

Next, NotebookLM — Google’s AI note-taking tool — is getting smarter. It now offers “audio overviews,” where users can listen to summaries of their notes. This feature works in English, but Google says more languages like Spanish, Hindi, and Japanese will be added later this year. NotebookLM can also now answer questions based on user documents in more languages.

Lastly, Google Wallet is becoming more useful in the UK. People can now add digital versions of their UK passports for identity verification. This feature, in partnership with the UK government, helps users quickly confirm their identity online for government services.

With these updates, Google continues to blend AI into everyday tools, making learning, organizing, and identification easier and more accessible for users worldwide.

Android

Google apps and Android Auto get fresh looks and smart updates

Published

10 hours ago

April 29, 2025

Tom Carter

Google is bringing a cleaner and more modern design to many of its apps with the latest Material You changes. Apps like Google Calendar, Contacts, and others now have rounded corners, better spacing, and improved colors. These small updates make the apps look more polished and easier to use, especially on tablets and foldable phones. Google is quietly adding these updates through server-side changes, so users don’t need to download anything extra.

At the same time, Android Auto is also getting a helpful new feature. Google is testing built-in climate controls that let you adjust your car’s temperature and fan settings directly from the Android Auto screen. A demo shown by Google includes a new “Climate” button on the screen, which opens controls like temperature, fan speed, and even seat heaters.

This update is meant to reduce distractions while driving, as drivers won’t need to switch between different screens or reach for physical buttons. Google says the feature will work on cars that already support digital climate control systems.

Together, these changes show how Google is making its software not just prettier, but smarter and more user-friendly. Whether you’re checking your calendar or driving to work, these improvements are designed to make daily tasks easier and safer.

Google

Gemini app gets new look and better controls for switching ai models

Published

12 hours ago

April 29, 2025

Tom Carter

Google is giving its Gemini app a fresh new design on Android to make things easier for users. The biggest change is how you switch between different Gemini AI models like Gemini 1.5 Pro and Gemini 1.0 Pro.

In the old version of the app, you had to dig into the settings menu to switch models, which wasn’t very convenient. But now, Google has made it simpler by adding a new button right below the chat box. This lets you quickly choose the AI model you want to use. You’ll also see a short note explaining what each model is good at, helping you decide which one to use.

The new layout also moves the microphone and image upload buttons. They now sit to the left of the text input bar, which makes the bottom of the screen look cleaner and more organized.

These updates seem to be rolling out slowly, so not everyone will see them right away. However, it looks like Google is testing these changes before launching them more widely.

With this update, Google is trying to make the Gemini app more user-friendly and give people more control over how they interact with its AI tools. It’s a small but helpful step in improving the overall experience.