- Google has announced five new Android features
- These include updates to Google Messages, Gemini Live, and Find Hub, along with the launch of Motion Assist
- All of these features should either be available now or rolling out soon
Android is constantly evolving, and you don’t need to wait for major new releases to get new features. Indeed, following on from the launch of Android 17 in June, Google has now announced five new improvements coming to Android.
These include updates to Google Messages, Gemini Live, and Find Hub, plus a whole new tool to help reduce motion sickness, so there’s quite a lot here.
You’ll find full details of all five new features below — some of which should be available now, while others are coming soon.
Latest Videos FromTechRadar
1. Motion Assist
We’ve known for a while that Google was working on a feature designed to combat motion sickness, and now it’s finally launching.
Dubbed Motion Assist, this Android 17 feature places a “subtle bubble overlay” on your screen that’s designed to reduce motion sickness when you’re in a moving vehicle, by moving in time with the vehicle, allowing you to read, browse, and watch videos while in a car or on a bus, train or boat, all without feeling ill.
You can set Motion Assist to turn on automatically or add it to Quick Settings, and you’re able to customize the shape, color, and opacity of the bubbles.
It remains to be seen how well it will work, but Apple launched a similar tool called Motion Cues a couple of years ago, and that can make a real difference, so hopefully this will too.
2. Chat themes in Google Messages
Google Messages has finally got a feature it probably should have had years ago — customizable chat wallpapers and themes.
This is actually slightly less new than the other things on this list, as Google already announced the feature and rolled it out a few days ago, but it’s highlighting it again as part of this latest Android announcement.
With this upgrade, you’ll be able to add more personality to your chats and make them more aesthetically pleasing — but don’t worry, any customizations you add are only visible to you, not the people you’re talking to.
3. Google Keep in Google Messages
Google Keep is also being added to Google Messages, meaning you can share a note or a list in a chat and allow it to be updated by everyone in that chat.
That could be useful if, for example, you want to build a grocery list together or brainstorm vacation or gift ideas. It should make for a handy combination of two existing Google apps, and it’s starting to roll out now.
4. Remembered items in Find Hub
Find Hub is soon getting an upgrade that will allow you to make a searchable inventory of your belongings, simply by telling Gemini where they’re stored. It will then remember where they are for you.
For example, you could say “Hey Gemini, remember in Find Hub that I put my passport in the bottom drawer of my bedside table.” Then, when you need to find it in the future, you can simply ask Gemini where it is — or check the new ‘remembered items’ tab in Find Hub.
This feature is rolling out soon to phones running Android 16 and above, in countries where Gemini and Find Hub are available.
5. Guided vision in Gemini Live
Finally, there’s a new visual assistant in Gemini Live that can deliver audio guidance about your surroundings by looking through your camera.
The goal here is to “extend your ability to read and understand what’s around you,” so this could be useful for example to read fine print on a label, or read a menu in a low-lit restaurant.
This feature is coming soon to phones running Android 9 and above, in countries where Gemini is available.
Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!
And of course you can also follow TechRadar on TikTok for news, reviews, unboxings in video form, and get regular updates from us on WhatsApp too.
Read the full article here
