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Google Overview Updated October 11, 2022
Google Stories October 11
Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro display refresh rate: How they differ, and what that means for you
Refresh rate is an important aspect of your device – the higher it is, the smoother the display feels. The Pixel 7 and 7 Pro have slightly different refresh rates, and this quick guide will take you through the differences and screen features both phones pack, like variable refresh rate on the Pixel 7 Pro.
Google Stories October 10
According to a new report, Google is exploring the naming rights to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Google Stories September 27
One of the biggest evolutions to Material You in Android 13 is support for themed icons in third-party apps, a function that’s quickly expanding to more and more apps as of late. Now, Android 13 on Samsung devices also supports themed icons, but it turns out a lot of Google apps are still missing support.
Google Stories September 23
Android 13’s themed icons: What they do and how to enable them
Themed icons on Google’s Pixel have taken on a completely new function with Material You, changing color per app depending on your wallpaper. This guide will take you through turning on Pixel and Samsung-themed icons.
Google Stories September 21
Report: Google wants open, royalty-free alternative to Dolby Atmos and Vision
Google is a big player in the codec space with AV1, and is now setting its sights on alternative audio and video formats that could replace Dolby Atmos and Vision.
Having trouble accessing Google.com this morning? Google isn’t down, but it might have to do with Malwarebytes being used on your device.
Google Stories September 14
Google is scaling back its experimental Area 120 division by half, refocusing the group on “AI-first” projects.
EU upholds antitrust ruling against Google’s actions on Android, drops fine to €4.1 billion
In 2018, the European Union ruled that Google’s app bundling with Android, essentially forcing its partners to include a long list of Google apps with their phones, was illegal. Google appealed that ruling, but the EU has just announced that it will uphold the decision, despite lowering the fine.
Google Stories September 8
To mark the death of Queen Elizabeth II, Google has paid tribute with a gray version of the normally colorful company logo.
Google Stories August 30
Susan Wojcicki became the CEO of YouTube in 2014 but held talks about a job as Tesla’s Chief Operating Officer (COO) and Elon Musk’s second-in-command before that.
Google Stories August 24
Fitbit today unveiled its new lineup of smartwatches and a new fitness tracker, and it’s clear that the brand’s new owner has heavier influence this time around. Ahead of the Pixel Watch bringing Fitbit to Google’s hardware lineup, “Fitbit by Google” seems to be the new branding for the company.
Google Stories August 22
Our Google accounts can, in many cases, be the pillar of our digital lives. One account holds our email, our photos, our documents, and perhaps even the login to other accounts around the web. It’s for that reason that one parent has been living through a terrible situation, after Google locked him out of his account suspecting child abuse due to photos of the parent’s son that were taken to get medical help.
Google Stories August 11
In a sign of the times and following other tech companies, CEO Sundar Pichai told employees today that Google is “slowing the pace of hiring for the rest of the year.”
Google Stories August 9
For the past year, Google has been increasingly calling out Apple for not adopting RCS (Rich Communication Services) on the iPhone. Meant to replace SMS/MMS, it has a number of technical advancements that would improve the messaging experience between Android and iOS users. Google is now launching a “Get The Message” pressure campaign in hopes that Apple will change its mind on RCS.
Google Stories August 8
The saga continues this week, as Google has just filed a new lawsuit against Sonos just months after an unfortunate ruling that saw Sonos win and force Google to disable or break features for many of its products.
Google Stories July 26
Alphabet today announced Q2 2022 earnings with $69.7 billion in revenue. These numbers range from April to June with the fiscal year is well underway.
Google Stories July 19
Google confirms reporting outages with AdSense, Analytics, and more for the second time in a week
Last Friday, several Google products saw outages, but the company’s ad products were among the most hard hit with reporting delays for several hours. Now, Google has confirmed another reporting outage for AdSense, Google Ads, and some other products.
Google Stories July 18
Small businesses, especially ones that only operate in a local area, can live or die based on their reputation. Lately, that very reputation has been the target of scammers, as one-star reviews left on Google products demand payment in gift cards to take down the reviews. If you own an affected business, Google is on the case.
Google Stories July 14
The Google-Samsung relationship has improved a great deal in recent years with the latter often appearing at the former’s keynotes, while there have been joint ad campaigns. The latest highlights a slew of Google services running on Samsung hardware.
Google Stories July 12
Google says Tinder-owner Match wants to use Play Store ‘for free’ in counterclaim
Earlier this year Google signed a temporary deal with Match Group, the company that owns the popular dating app Tinder, which would allow the group’s apps to use third-party billing during a lawsuit. Now, Google has issued a counterclaim against Match, saying that the group wants to use the Play Store and its services “all for free.”
Google Stories July 8
The Wall Street Journal is reporting today that Google has “proposed splitting parts of its business that auctions and places ads on websites and apps into a separate company under the Alphabet umbrella.”
Google Stories July 7
How to manage payment methods in your Google Account
Buying things and paying for subscriptions online has been completely normalized and is one of the easiest ways to do so. Google lets you add and keep debit and credit card information stored in your Google Account, so you have that info wherever you go. One important aspect of this is being able to manage payment methods in your Google Account, whether that’s adding or removing them. Here’s how to do that.
Google Stories June 29
Google is preparing to launch a brand new way to move from Apple’s iPhones to an Android device. Here’s your first look at Google’s “Switch to Android” app running on an iPhone.
Update: Google’s Switch to Android app now supports all Android 12 devices, not just Pixels.
Google Stories June 24
Following this morning’s decision by the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade, Google has informed its US employees that they can relocate themselves “without justification.”
Google Stories June 22
Netflix reportedly in talks with Google to bolster ad-supported tier
Netflix confirmed earlier this year that it is preparing an ad-supported streaming tier, and it seems the company is considering Google as a partner for those ads.
Google Stories May 23
Google and Match Group have signed a temporary agreement so that any in-app payments made in Tinder and Hinge will be made using a third-party system.
Google Stories May 17
After nearly five years of construction, Google this month officially opened its Bay View campus in California. Besides an iconic design, it’s focused on sustainability and offering an “adaptable and healthy workplace.”
Google Stories May 12
Transform music into something a little bit crazy with Google’s Tone Transfer tool
This year at Google I/O 2022, Google showcased a lot of breakthroughs in new AI tech and security. One of these cool advancements from a couple of years ago made its way to the stage in the pre-show. It’s called Tone Transfer from Google’s Magenta team, and it lets you turn normal instruments or sounds into something completely different.
Google Stories May 11
This year at Google I/O 2022, Google is focusing on bringing us brand-new hardware. One product of this year’s event is Google’s new addition to Google’s headphone lineup, the Pixel Buds Pro.
Every year, the emphasis on cybersecurity and privacy grows larger and larger. This Google I/O is no different, with Google making some big changes to how much control you have over your internet presence. One new feature is the ability to completely wipe important details in results about you from intimate Google Searches. Along with that, Google is expanding its Safety Status security features to more apps and putting a bigger emphasis on 2SV.
Google Stories May 10
The long-awaited Google I/O 2022 is finally coming! Tons of innovations and exciting ventures are to be unveiled this year. So how and where on YouTube can you watch this year’s event and Google I/O Keynote? This guide will take you through it.
Google Stories April 26
Alphabet today announced Q1 2022 earnings with $68.01 billion in revenue. These numbers range from January to March, and kick off the company’s fiscal year.
Google Stories April 22
The Google Store is now offering a new bundle that pairs the Pixel 6 and Fitbit Charge 5 at selected global online storefronts.
Google Stories April 14
Elon Musk started by tweeting out – if not demanding – Twitter feature requests/changes in a truly remarkable moment for technology and corporate governance. This led to a rejected board seat and this morning’s acquisition attempt, complete with “Plan B” if/when the board rejects. Decrees-by-tweet and hostile takeovers cannot be a sustainable way to run a product, and these events play into my long-held belief that Google should have bought Twitter years ago. It would have certainly been a more orthodox turn of events compared to what’s going to play out very publicly over the coming weeks.
Google wants to turn its King Cross HQ into a destination for tourists, community projects, and more
Google has shared details on how it wants to make it’s upcoming London Kings Cross headquarters into a destination for shopping, tourists, and growing brands.
Google Stories April 13
In what has been an annual occurrence for the past several years, Google today detailed its US investment plan for 2022 that covers office and data center expansions, as well as ongoing work towards previously announced new locations.
Google Stories April 5
Beta programs allow you to experience cool new features in certain apps that you wouldn’t otherwise be able to see until full release. So how do you get early access to Google’s features? This guide will show you how to join beta programs on the Google Play Store and what apps allow you to do that.
Google Stories April 4
Google is offering electric scooters to ease US employees’ return to the office
As the COVID-19 pandemic starts to settle down in some parts of the globe, Google is returning its employees to in-person offices. Now, Google is offering up access to electric scooters for its employees to assist in daily commutes.
Google Stories April 1
Google has declined to participate in April Fools Day 2022, marking the third year in a row, but is that actually a good thing?
Google Stories March 31
It came to light — sorry, not sorry — last month that Google internally developed a smart lamp for its employees. More details about Google’s “dLight” are now available courtesy of FCC confidentiality ending.
Google Stories March 23
With the war in Ukraine ongoing, Google today detailed its company-wide response to the conflict with a focus on the “safety and security of our employees, users, and customers.”
Google Stories March 22
[Update: Removed for repair] Google removes popular Android statues from Mountain View HQ
While Google has effectively dropped the public-facing dessert names for Android builds, in years prior a new themed statue would appear outside the Mountain View base to coincide with a new software release. It seems that in recent days, Google has removed all of the Android dessert-themed statues from the tech giant’s headquarters.
Google Stories March 21
Recently, Google added the ability for users on mobile to delete the last 15 minutes of their Google search history with one single tap. This guide will take you through how exactly you can do this on your device.
Google has been expanding its privacy features over the past couple of years, and at Google I/O nearly a year ago, the company announced the ability to delete 15 minutes of search history with just one tap, and now that feature is finally arriving on Android.
Google Stories March 16
How to check your internet speed from Google’s homepage and other sites
There are a lot of great ways to check and test your internet speeds. Maybe you’re trying to figure out your internet connection’s download and upload speeds to ensure your network is working correctly, or perhaps you just want to show your friends how fast your internet is for some reason. One great way to check your speeds, if you want, is to use Google. Of course, there are other options too. Here’s how.
Google Stories March 14
Court rules in favor of Google after Genius claimed ‘stolen’ lyrics… again [Updated]
In 2019, lyric-website Genius accused Google of ripping off its lyric transcriptions to use in Search even catching Google “red-handed” in the act. Following a court case win in 2020, Google has once again prevailed in court over this matter.
Google Stories March 4
Alongside other responses, Google announced this evening that its Voice VoIP service and Fi MVNO are waiving calling fees to Ukraine. The company also provided an update on Project Shield protections.
Google hires The Verge’s Dieter Bohn to join Android & Chrome division
Executive Editor of The Verge Dieter Bohn announced on Friday that he’s leaving the technology publication to join Google.
