News: Tango's Reach Is Being Limited by New Zenfone Exclusive to Verizon
Verizon will be exclusively selling the ASUS ZenFone AR, which supports Tango (Google's mobile AR platform) and Daydream VR.
Google Chamado Search Results
News: Google Search Never Wants You to Feel Left Out Again
Google added a new feature to its mobile app that pairs your searches for events with direct summaries of activities from sites like Eventbrite and Meetup. If you see an event you like, then you can tap on it to check it out for more fun details or book your ticket directly through the providing website.
News: Google Teases Android O's Half-Dunked Code Name with an Enticing Easter Egg
Google loves to play games. That's just what they did when they went ahead and teased us with a few Android O hints after Reddit user Zitroney unlocked an Easter egg in a Google Creative Lab developer's app ShortStories.
How To: Install the Google Play Store on Your Kindle Fire Without Rooting
Deep down inside, Kindle Fires are actually Android tablets — the only trouble is, Amazon has layered so much of a skin on top of it all that you can't normally use Android's main app store, the Google Play Store. The Amazon Appstore, which comes bundled with Kindle Fire devices, only has about 600,000 apps, so it would be great if you could access Google Play's library, which boasts 2.8 million.
How To: Send Text Messages from Google Home to Any Contact
If you use the Google Assistant on your Android device, you can easily send a text message to any one of your contacts. But even though that same Assistant is powering the Google Home, you can't use the smart speaker to accomplish the same task — at least, not without some tinkering.
News: Your Google Pixel Will Become a Zombie Phone in 2019
Sad news for fans of Google's fantastic Pixel line. Google confirmed today that the Pixel and Pixel XL won't be getting any software or security updates past October 2019. What does that mean for you? Well, your Pixel might start acting a little ... weird soon. Should we run to Georgia and join the ricktatorship before that happens? Get the Pixel 2 when it's ready for launch? Or maybe ... we wait things out and grab the next Pixel after that?
News: Snapdragon 835 Will Power Three Pixel 2 Variants
Three variants of the Pixel 2 have appeared in Google's Android Open Source Project (AOSP) code, confirming various suspicions about which processor will power the Pixel 2.
News: Former Google Self-Driving Car Boss Receives Funds for New Project
Google's former driverless car boss Chris Urmson raised considerable funds to get his new startup company Aurora Innovation up and running. Axios initially reported that Urmson raised over $3 million to fund his brainchild in the wake of his Alphabet exit, according to an SEC filing.
News: Google to Remove SMS Features from Hangouts (Update: New Version Rolling Out)
It's fair to say that Google's messaging services are in a bit of a heap at the moment, and to make matters worse, Hangouts is removing its SMS capacities. Hangouts version 18 is now being rolled out, but doesn't appear to incorporate any functional changes.
Deal Alert: Get a Free Season of Game of Thrones from Google Play—Right Now!
The Google Play Store is known for some pretty random promotions and offers, most of the time it's a free book or a discounted movie. But this time, an entire season for Game of Thrones is up for grabs. Yes, that's right, all of Season 5 of Game of Thrones is free to download, watch, or just stash in your library for later.
News: New Nexus 6 Update Downgrades Your Android Version Back to 7.0
Google has done it again—they've pushed another broken OTA update for the Nexus 6. Except this time, it almost completely softbricks your Nexus 6 instead of just screwing up Android Pay and SafetyNet. Apps are force-stopping left and right, making the phone practically unusable.
How To: Unlock the Hidden 'Indie Corner' Category on Google Play to Find Great Indie Games
Mobile gaming is a huge industry that raked in more than $91 billion in revenue in 2016, and of course, all of the major players get most of the glory. But smaller, independent game developers make some of the most fun and unique games out there — it's just harder to find their stuff because they don't have the promotional budget of studios like Rovio and Gameloft.
How To: Install Apps from the Play Store Without Gapps or Google Services
Android is Google's project, so of course you can see the search giant's fingerprints all over the operating system. Aside from the obvious user-facing apps, there's Google Cloud Messaging, Google Connectivity Services, and the much-maligned Google Play Services running in the background, to name a few.
How To: Use Google's Reverse Image Search on Your Android Device
Considering that Google makes Android, it's rather strange that the operating system doesn't have a baked-in solution for doing a reverse image search. Sure, you can long-press pictures in Chrome to search for other instances of a photo, but it's not possible with pictures you find in other apps, or photos you've downloaded to your phone.
How To: Add a Number Row to Google's Gboard Keyboard
Google's Gboard is by far the most popular keyboard available right now. Gboard lets you search almost anything—from regular Google searches, to emojis, and even GIFs—just by using your keyboard. The app even lets you share search results, saving you a great deal of time, which would've otherwise been spent juggling between apps and programs.
PSA: Unlocking Your Pixel's Bootloader Does NOT Void Your Warranty
As we first reported here on Gadget Hacks, Google's new Pixel and Pixel XL smartphones come with an unlockable bootloader, with the exception of models sold by Verizon.
News: Google Pixel Speaker Sound Distorted, Popping, or Staticky? Here's How to Fix It
The brand new Pixel and Pixel XL, Google's first direct attempts at taking on the iPhone, haven't rolled out exactly how Google would have liked. The devices have already had more than their fair share of issues, starting with the camera, and now extending to the built-in speaker. The camera issues were marked as "solved" by Google, but the lens flare is still very much there, just not as prominent.
News: Google Said It'd Take Years but This Guy Already Got His Daydream Working with an iPhone
Matteo Pisani, CTO and co-founder of Remoria VR, has managed to do something the folks over at Google said couldn't be done for at least a couple of years. With a little bit of tinkering, Pisani was able get his Google Daydream VR headset and remote to work on an iOS device.
How To: Easily Transfer Contacts, Photos & Calendars from iOS to Android with Google Drive
Google Drive has a very simple way to switch from iOS to Android. iPhone users who want to take the plunge into the wonderful world of Android, but were hesitant to do so in the past because of the laborious process of backing up their data, can back up their contacts, photos, videos, and calendars with the tap of a button.
News: Quick Charge 4.0 Is Coming Even as Google Warns OEMs Against It
If you're an Android fan, you're probably familiar with Qualcomm's Quick Charge technology or, at the very least, what it can do. Quick Charge 3.0, the third generation of Qualcomm's fast-charging technology, is built into most Snapdragon SoCs and it's what lets you charge your phone's battery up to 70% power in just 30 minutes. What's not to like?
User Testimonials: Why People Are Switching from iPhone to Pixel
Reading through various internet forums, it certainly sounds like the Google Pixel and Pixel XL are attracting more iPhone users than any of Google's previous Nexus devices. The sales figures seem to back that up, too, as the Pixel is outpacing last year's Nexus 6P, and pre-order demand has exceeded Google's expectations, causing delays in shipments. (We reached out to Google but they wouldn't give us any specifics on sales numbers or numbers of switchers.)
News: Why Pixel Root & Custom Recovery Methods Are Taking Longer Than Usual
In the past, some of Google's Nexus devices have had root methods even before the phones hit shelves. The Google Pixel and Pixel XL are basically Nexus devices from a software standpoint, so why have we gone more than a week since release without a working root method or custom recovery?
How To: Get More Out of Google Pixel's 'App Shortcuts'
Google's got quite a few tricks up its sleeve with their Pixel and Pixel XL flagships, including functionality we've never seen before on Android. One awesome feature is called "App Shortcuts," and the basic premise is strikingly similar to Apple's 3D Touch—just long-press an app icon, then you'll get a pop-up that lets you perform quick actions.
How To: Tell Google Assistant 'I'm Feeling Lucky' for a Fun Easter Egg
If you took your favorite search engine, gave it a witty personality, and bundled it together with a messenger-style interface, you'd have the new Google Assistant. It's great for getting fast answers—even on your follow-up questions—but its flair for fun might just be the standout feature.
News: Google Pixel's Pros & Cons
Whatever you think of Google's new Pixel phones, the one thing we know for sure is that these are the most polarizing devices in recent memory. On the one hand, we've seen reviews in which longtime Android users say they'll be walking away from the OS all together thanks to Pixel. On the other hand, you've got the iPhone-obsessed David Pierce over at WIRED saying he'll be switching immediately.
News: Google Pixel Reviews Are Out—Here's What People Are Saying
The reviews for the Google Pixel phone have hit the web. There's a lot of praise, but not all are so positive. We've collected some of the best takes on the new devices from the top tech sites around.
How To: Get the Pixel's New Rounded Icons on Your Android Right Now
Google makes Android, but now, Google makes its own phones, too. Until this point, they've always stayed on the software side of things and let Samsung and friends handle the hardware, but their new Pixel phones are changing all of that.
News: Pixel vs. iPhone 7 (You Might Just Have Buyer's Remorse)
Now that Google has announced its new Pixel smartphones, folks who rushed to buy an iPhone 7 might be experiencing a bit of buyer's remorse. The new Pixel and Pixel XL are packed to the brim with cutting-edge features and top-notch hardware, and Google seems to be taking direct aim at the iPhone 7 with its Pixel marketing (and their groan-worthy jokes during the keynote).
How To: Add Your iTunes Library to Google Play Music & Stream Songs from Any Device
It's always a pain to make sure you have enough storage on your smartphone. Pictures and videos occupy a lot of space, so your music library has to take a back seat—otherwise, you might see that pesky "Storage Full" notification at any time.
News: The 5 Best Android Calendar Apps to Replace Your Stock One
Whether you use Google Calendar, Exchange, iCloud, or any other service, you need a good Android calendar app to keep you organized on the go. For many folks, the obvious answer was always Sunrise Calendar, but Microsoft purchased the company behind this awesome app in a classic acqui-hire move, and now, Sunrise has officially been shut down.
How To: Use Google Cardboard if Your Phone Doesn't Have a Gyroscope
Many midrange phones are being manufactured without a gyroscope sensor—the Moto X Play, third-generation Moto G, and several of Samsung's Galaxy Grand models, among others. It's not exactly an essential smartphone sensor, and leaving this out keeps the phone's price point down, so it's an understandable omission.
News: Google's Nexus Chargers Could Be Dangerous—Here's Why You Need to Be Careful
The new USB Type-C standard was supposed to revolutionize smartphone charging, but so far, it's done more harm than good. Many cable and charger manufacturers are struggling to keep their products in line with the proper USB-C specifications, so as a result, we now have to check to see if a cable is compliant before purchasing one.
News: Google's New App Fixes Everything Annoying About Apple's Live Photos
Apple's Live Photos is a cool feature that lets you turn ordinary pictures into a GIF-like animated photos. However, these images have some pretty big drawbacks: they live only in the iOS universe and can be shaky without a tripod.
How To: Get the Chrome Experience on Android Without Google Tracking You
If you're tired of Google tracking you, but love how Chrome works, CyanogenMod has you covered. Their browser is called Gello, which is based off Chromium, Chrome's open-source counterpart. It's basically a souped-up version of Chrome—without all of the intrusive Google stuff. So if you're uncomfortable with Google displaying personalized ads based on your browsing history, or using your location to bring the "Physical Web" to your phone, you won't have to worry about any of that with Gello.
News: Install This App to Get 2 Free Months of Google Play Music's Streaming Service
Google Play Music has teamed up with TripAdvisor to make planning your next vacation a little more fun, and they're throwing in a nice deal for good measure.
How To: Google Photos' Killer Features Make It a Must-Have on Android
Google Photos is one of the best photo management services out there. It allows you to back up an unlimited amount of high-quality images without ever paying a dime, the photos and videos sync flawlessly across all of your devices, and its neural network-powered visual search feature seems like something that was pulled directly out of a Sci-Fi movie.
News: How to Get Google's Gboard Keyboard on Your Android
Google released an amazing swipe keyboard a few months ago called Gboard that has Google Search built right into it; This makes adding pics, GIFs, videos, and links to articles, restaurants, and shops a breeze. It even helps you search for emojis! The only problem is that Gboard is for iOS devices only, meaning only an iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch can use its magical powers.
News: Google's New Group Messaging App Is Like Pinterest & Hangouts in One
Google is launching a new app called Spaces that lets you share things from the web with small groups of people. The aim of Spaces appears to be granting you a forum with like-minded people to help cut down on off-topic comments that can steer a conversation off the rails. Spaces comes with Google Search, Chrome, and YouTube built in, so you won't need to switch apps to go hunting for interesting content to share. You can invite people to your groups—or "spaces" as they're called in the app—b...
How To: Get Google's Hidden Weather App on Your Home Screen
You can now access Google's slick Weather app without having to first open the Google or News & Weather apps. However, you will have to use Google to access the weather the old-fashioned way one more time, but you'll have the option to place a shortcut on your home screen to access the weather directly going forth.
News: Google's Newest Nexus Phones Return to Record Low Prices (With Freebies!)
A handful of retailers have put the newest Nexus smartphones on sale again, so you're in luck if you missed out on picking one up during the discount period last month. Actually, you might be better off since some retailers are giving away freebies with some models, too.