Tag: Google

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Android Q Beta 2 Revealed The New Bubbles Multitasking Feature

Google releases the second Android Q Beta. With the first version, we learned that support for foldable smartphones would be brought by Android Q, as well as better privacy and permissions controls, along with some other features. However, our devices will have to wait a while until they benefit from the Android Q Beta 2, but promises written by Google in their release blog post saying that “bug fixes, optimizations, and API updates” will be introduced, along with a great emulator for foldable and a crazy new multitasking feature.

Android is a multitasking lover, and we have seen that from the floating windows and split screens, along with a hidden desktop mode in the Android Q Beta 1. A new multitasking feature will be introduced by Android Q Beta 2, and its name is Bubbles. Bubbles allow the user to minimize an app into a little circle which will float around on the screen above all your other apps.

Android Q Beta 2 rolled out with the new Bubbles multitasking feature

A small UI will be opened if you tap on a bubble. The only demo showed by Google is of the one for a messaging app. A contact can be found in each bubble, and a small chat UI is showed if you tap on the bubble. If you did not forget Facebook’s “Chat Head” UI for Messenger, Bubbles is not different from that, but it is built into the OS.

Google said that Bubbles could be used in a lot of ways, so it is helpful for everybody. “Bubbles are great for messaging because they let users keep important conversations within easy reach. They also provide a convenient view over ongoing tasks and updates, like phone calls or arrival times. They can provide quick access to portable UI, like notes or translations, and can be visual reminders of tasks too.”

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Google I/O 2019 – What To Expect From The Most Significant Google Event of the Year

As usual, Google I/O will also happen this year. The giant Internet company, Google, plans to reveal a lot of novelties about its products and its future plans during that Google I/O 2019 event which would take place at Shoreline Amphitheatre in the backyard of the Google’s campus, in Mountain View, California, USA. Here’s what to expect from the most significant Google event of the year.

As confirmed by Google CEO Sundar Pichai on Twitter, Google I/O 2019 would take place between May 7th and May 9th, 2019. While there is nothing said about when Google will start allowing developers to register to the event, in order to participate, there are already many voices talking about what will Google debate at its I/O event.

Google I/O 2018 was an exciting event with the presentation of the Google’s Duplex AI for the Google Assistant and the introduction of Android 9 Pie, but also with the announcement the Internet giant made about its Gmail, Play Store, and other Google Apps.

Here’s what to expect from the Google I/O 2019 event

During Google I/O 2019, we expect the company to announce Android Q, discuss future changes in its Google apps suite, and launch Google Pixel 3 Lite variant for emerging markets.

The Google Pixel 3 Lite would boast a 5.65-inch FullHD Plus display with 18:9 aspect ration, Snapdragon 670, 4 Gb of RAM, and a mid-range 2,915-mAh battery. Also, Google Pixel 3 Lite might come out with a 12.2-mp main camera and an 8-mp selfie camera.

Besides, some expect Google also to launch a Pixel 3 XL Lite version that would boast a bigger screen, while, under the hood, it would sport the same specs mentioned above. Nonetheless, at Google I/O 2019, the company might also reveal more details on the upcoming Google Pixel 4 lineup. Be it as it may, Google I/O 2019 would be a very interesting event, as usual.

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Top 3 SEO Trends in 2019

As Google, which is the most popular search engine on the planet, is struggling to become better than ever and is continuously changing its “robots,” SEO experts have to adapt and come up with new approaches. These represent SEO trends, and here are the top 3 SEO trends in 2019, so far.

In 2018, Google surprised everyone with its new focus on mobile- and speed-friendly features of the websites and the same trends are characterizing the beginning of the new year. Accordingly, SEO campaign must adapt to the novelties. Also, many non-Google trendsetters are influencing this industry, so we must take those into account, too.

Top 3 SEO Trends in 2019

Mobile-First Indexing

Google is making efforts to use the mobile version of sites for indexing and ranking purposes. That has started in March 2018, and the giant Internet company still uses it in 2019. That, however, doesn’t mean that the standard variants of the sites are excluded. Google, therefore, wants to force webmasters to focus on mobiles as smartphones and tablets are becoming the most used systems. Accordingly, you should not ditch working on the mobile version of your site.

Center on branding to give Google a ranking signal

The Google Webmaster Trends Analyst Gary Illyes said that Google focused its searching algorithm on online brand mentions, as reported by Search Engine Land. Every other website that mentions your brand (site’s name) helps Google see your page as an entity. By “seeing” all the websites that suggest your brand, Google decides whether your web page is an authority in a specific field or not. Besides, backlinks are still a strong ranking signal, and they would remain among the top SEO trends in 2019.

Page speed is crucial

Nowadays, on the brink of 5G network launch and with lightning-fast Internet connections, page speed is essential. Google has acknowledged that for some time now, and it focuses on that feature of the websites. That’s why website speed test should be one of the main features you need to consider while choosing web hosting provider. What is more, in July 2018, Google took that to the next level since it has taken mobile page speed’s into account for ranking ever since.

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Google Will Eliminate Play Store Apps That Don’t Comply With The New Call Log and SMS Policies

In October, Google adopted new, stricter, call log and SMS policies, and granted apps developers 90 days to bring their applications into compliance with the new regulations. Now, that period is coming to an end, so Google will eliminate all the Play Store apps that don’t comply with the new call log and SMS policies.

According to Google, the Internet giant decided to adopt stricter policies regarding call log and SMS permissions because some apps abused the function. In short, Google wants to protect users from potentially malicious apps and private data leaks.

“As previously announced and directly communicated to developers via email, we’ll be removing apps from the Google Play Store that ask for SMS or Call Log permission and have not submitted a Permissions Declaration Form. If you have not submitted a permissions declaration form and your app is removed, see below for next steps,” said Paul Bankhead, Director, Product Management at Google Play Store on Android Developers Blog.

Google Will Eliminate Play Store Apps That Don’t Comply With The New Call Log and SMS Policies

“Our new policy is designed to ensure that apps asking for these permissions [call log and SMS] need full and ongoing access to the sensitive data in order to accomplish the app’s primary use case and that users will understand why this data would be required for the app to function,” Paul Bankhead added.

Paul Bankhead also explained what Google would consider when reviewing a submission:

  • The likelihood that an average user would understand why this type of app needs full access to the data.
  • User benefit of the feature.
  • Importance of the permission relative to the core functionality of the app.
  • Risks presented by all apps with this use case having access to this sensitive data.
  • Availability of more narrow alternatives for enabling the feature.

According to Google, tens of thousands of devs have already resubmitted their apps to comply with the new call log and SMS policies. Those applications which do not meet the requirements, however, will be deleted from the Google Play Store.

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Google Assistant To Be Available On Over 1 Billion Smartphones By The End of The Month

Google plans to expand its Google Assistant in 2019 even more. Accordingly, by the end of the month, Google Assistant would be available on over 1 billion smartphones, and it would support new languages and regions, as well. Thus, the giant Internet company plans to double the use of Google Assistant which settled around 500 million users as of May 2018.

Even more, Google said that the number of Google Assistant users grew by four times in 2018, as the application became more useful than it has been in previous years, and all that thanks to the improvements the company implemented, such as AI and others.

“In 2018, the Google Assistant learned to speak new languages, expanded to new regions (like the Netherlands, Indonesia, and Turkey), and became smarter with new features that can help you throughout your day […] By the end of this month, we expect the Google Assistant to be available on one billion devices, up from 500 million last May,” Google wrote on its official blog.

Google Assistant To Be Available On Over 1 Billion Smartphones By The End of The Month

The fact that Google Assistant will become available on over 1 billion smartphones by the end of the month is no surprise since the assistant became much more useful to users.

According to Google, “the Assistant speaks new languages and understands local cultures – it’s now in nearly 30 languages and 80 countries, up from eight languages and 14 countries last year. And the Assistant became multilingual so that you can speak more than one language to it at home.”

Google is going to reveal more details on how Google Assistant improved and how it can help users, during CES 2019 which will start today, January 8th. “From day one, we’ve built the Assistant with one goal in mind: to help you get things done. Tomorrow, we’ll unveil even more ways the Assistant can help you at home, in the car, and on the go at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. If you’re at CES, be sure to swing by the Google Assistant Playground (Central Plaza-1) for a firsthand look,” the official Google blog post reads.

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