Today, Google kicked off its I/O conference with the traditional keynote full of new product announcements. Here are some of the most interesting things Google announced today.
Android M Brings Fingerprint Support, Better Permissions, and More
Just like last year, Google announced a developer preview for the newest version of Android. The new version, Android M, will have new permission controls which allow you to selectively give apps permission to use your camera, microphone, and more. It will also have support for fingerprint sensors that allow you to log in to apps or pay for things with your fingerprint. You can read more about what’s coming in the future in our Android M coverage here.
Google Now on Tap Puts Smart Suggestions Everywhere
Google’s search and voice commands are already pretty stellar. Today, though, Google announced Now on Tap. This feature would bring Google Now-style answer cards to any app you’re currently using. Simply hold down the Home button on your device and you can get a list of cards based on the context of the currently running app app with information you may need.
For example, Google showed an email asking if the recipient would like to see Tomorrowland. Now on Tap offered a card with information about Tomorrowland, a trailer, and links to IMDb and Flixster. In another example, Google demoed Now on Tap being pulled up in a text message conversation reminding the recipient to pick up the dry cleaning. Now on Tap offered to create a reminder to pick up the dry cleaning. Developers can plug into the system to give it deep links to various apps, so the implications of how useful this could be are virtually limitless.
Google Photos Breaks Away from Google+, Manages All Your Photos and Videos
Google has had a strange relationship with photos and videos. Despite owning Picasa and introducing tons of awesome features in Google+ Photos, usage hasn’t always picked up due to being tucked away in Google+. Today, the company is fixing that by breaking Photos off into its own product. It can automatically organize your photos, sort them by location, time, or even faces that appear in the images. You can automatically backup all the photos you take, and all your favorite Auto Awesome features have been incorporated into the new service.
HBO Now Is Coming to Android
HBO Now made huge waves when it came to the iTunes App Store. With the service, you can get access to HBO’s library of shows for $15/month, no cable subscription required. Now it’s coming to Google. The app will be available soon on the Play Store. The app will allow you to access all the same content that HBO Now gives you on other platforms on any of your Android device.
Google Maps Can Search and Navigate Offline
You could save map data in Google Maps for offline use for a while now. However, that ability has always been fairly literal: you can look at the maps and that’s about it. Today, Google announced that they’re finally bringing the big guns. Now, if you pre-load map data of a particular area, you can search for locations in that region, get directions, and start turn-by-turn navigation. The offline data even includes restaurant hours, reviews, and more. Now, “offline Maps” finally means the actual Maps experience, entirely without an internet connection.
YouTube Also Joins the Offline Party, Without Music Key
Back in November of last year, Google announced YouTube Music Key, which was an extension of Play Music All Access. One of the key features was that you could download music videos for offline playback. Now, however, the company is bringing that feature to regular YouTube videos, no paid subscription necessary. Users can download videos for offline playback for up to 48 hours.
Android Wear Is Getting Gestures, a Launcher, and More
Android Wear is still in its infancy, but it’s getting better at a pretty rapid pace. While today’s Android Wear announcement wasn’t technically new, it’s still exciting: Android watches will now get gestures that allow you to move between cards by flicking your wrist. They’ll have power-saving always-on modes that allow you to keep things like your to-do list on your wrist without running down the battery. There will also be an app launcher so you can bring up apps without voice commands.
Google Play Is Getting a Kid-Friendly Family Mode
For parents, keeping kids off the less savory parts of content stores can be a nigh-impossible task. Today, Google announced several changes to the Play Store to help make it easier on parents. There will now be kid-friendly version of Apps, Games, and Movies & TV that filters out adult content. You can also explore content based on characters like Dora the Explorer or Spongebob.
Brillo Will Be the OS That Runs All Your Smart Home Devices
After Google bought Nest, the company behind one of the best smart thermostats, it was expected that the company would move further into home automation. Today, the company announced Brillo, a stripped-down version of Android that would run on smart devices in your home, as well as a communications network that apps can use to plug into those devices. What that means is that, for example, recipe apps in the future could automatically turn on your Brillo-enabled oven to a certain temperature.
Bonus Round: A Few More Announcements
Google can’t contain all of its announcements in one keynote, naturally. After (or in some cases during) the presentation, Google announced a few other things. Here are the highlights:
Gmail’s awesome alternative interface, Inbox, is now available to everyone. The app has also been updated with Trip bundles, improved Reminder suggestions, and more.
Chromecast is getting a bunch of new features including autoplay, video queuing so you can set up multiple videos in a row, and the ability to use your phone as a second screen for your TV.
We’ll update with more as Google inevitably announces all the things.