The feature most responsible for removing friction in my Android phone experience is Fast Pair. Being able to connect my Bluetooth earbuds, specifically, the Pixel Buds to my phone with just one tap after they’re automatically detected is so incredibly useful that I can’t even imagine what I did before it. Obviously, I connected them […]
Continue ReadingGoogle Messages may soon allow you to pin and star conversations
XDA Developers has performed a teardown of the latest Google Messages APK for Android, and while these inspections don’t guarantee features will make their way to the masses, they often do. During their adventure, they discovered that the app may soon allow users to pin conversations to the top of their messages for quick access. […]
Continue ReadingGoogle Account Activity adds password protection option to keep prying eyes at bay
A new security option has appeared in your account settings which is a part of the Safer with Google initiative. You can now add an extra layer of verification to your account activity page to make certain no one can see your personal information on shared devices that you may have left yourself signed in […]
Continue ReadingGmail will now let you save image attachments to Google Photos, but bundles are still missing
Remember way back in the day when Gmail introduced an ‘Add to Drive’ button to save email attachments directly to the cloud? Well, that was all fine and well when images were saved to Drive, but ever since Google separated the two services, users have been forced to save images from an email body to […]
Continue Reading‘Desktop PWA Sub Apps’ could help users install multiple experiences in one fell swoop
A new potential Chrome flag discovered by Chrome Story called ‘Desktop PWA Sub Apps’ may enable installed web applications to create additional shortcuts for related web apps. Sound confusing? Let me explain. Traditional software packages – like Windows applications, for example – are delivered to a user via an installer. These installers can give the […]
Continue ReadingGoogle Docs now supports placing images above and behind text
Likely as a part of the larger Smart Canvas update to Docs, users will now have the ability to place images above or behind text instead of just between or aside it. Formatting of the text will also be preserved when importing or exporting documents from Microsoft Word. The lack of consistent formatting in the […]
Continue ReadingGoogle’s Fuchsia OS will officially roll out to first-gen Nest Hubs soon
After having spotted Fuchsia 1.0 running on the original Google Home Hub via a Bluetooth qualification listing last month, 9to5Google has been directly told by Google that the mysterious new zircon microkernel-based operating system will be rolling out to that very same device over the coming months. Up until now, the smart home hub has […]
Continue ReadingGoogle Photos introduces Storage saver and new tools to reclaim space as unlimited ends
We are officially just one week away from Google taking an axe to its unlimited free storage for Photos and Drive. Having announced it six months ago, it’s hard to believe it’s finally happening. We’ve become so accustomed to free and unlimited storage over the years that now that the company is doing its best […]
Continue ReadingPlay Pass adds 21 new games and gives an update on its success at Google I/O
Google I/O is now over, and there was a ton of gaming news crammed into the three-day event. We’ve already covered much of it, but I wanted to take a look back on something that was discussed which I didn’t have time to report on until now. During the ‘What’s New with Google Play‘ session, […]
Continue ReadingChrome is preparing to let you lock Tab Groups to prevent accidental changes to them
If you’re a regular reader here on Chrome Unboxed, then you will no doubt recall how much I love Google’s Tab Groups feature for Chrome. I’ve been tracking it for quite some time, and get excited whenever I see new features appear for it. Not only can you auto-create tab groups, but you can also […]
Continue ReadingGoogle Calendar will now let you hide holidays that aren’t relevant to you
Workspace and regular Google account users can now gain more control over their Google Calendar by adjusting their settings to show or hide holidays based on what’s relevant to them. Basically, Calendar has always shown all holidays to all people within reason, but a new update now makes sure that official public holidays that aren’t […]
Continue ReadingThe Google Play Store will better surface apps and games built specifically for Chromebooks
This week was full of some incredibly interesting announcements for Chrome OS. While I was really hoping for a sneak peek at Material You for laptops, I was instead left standing with my hands out. However, Google Play apps, Linux, progressive web apps, and gaming all got the royal treatment, so I’m more than satisfied […]
Continue ReadingThe new Power Connector accessory makes Nest Thermostats compatible with more homes
A new accessory now available for pre-order on the Google Store makes it possible to set up Nest Thermostats in homes where they would previously have been incompatible. By using the Nest Compatibility Checker, many users were disappointed to find that they couldn’t enjoy having a smart thermostat in their homes, but the Nest Power […]
Continue ReadingGames made with Unity can now be directly built for Chromebooks
Unity 3D is one of the most popular game development engines in the world. Right next to Unreal Engine and smaller tool kits like Godot, it’s directly responsible for some of the most popular video games in the world. Most games you’ll find on the Google Play Store were created with Unity, but up until […]
Continue ReadingGoogle wants Android apps and games to suck less on Chromebooks, and it’s about time they do
During Google’s I/O conference, the company hosted a session called ‘Input Matters for Chrome OS‘ where they gave some best practices for developers who want to help their users get the most out of their Android apps on Chromebooks. Over the years, I’ve complained a lot about the fact that most Google Play apps on […]
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