Android update improves proximity sharing and accessibility

O Google announced, on Thursday (08), a android update with news for cell phones and tablets that run the operating system. The main highlight is a change to the Proximity Sharing feature (nearby shares) which makes it more like Apple's AirDrop.

Overall, the company's goal was to improve productivity and accessibility tools, as well as improve operating system customization. In addition to more sophisticated sharing, Google announced new widgets for G Suite, more ways to use emojis and more functional features for people with disabilities.

The announcement of the improvements came shortly after Apple's event, which took place on Tuesday (07). On that occasion, the company launched the iPhone 14, Watch Apple 8 e AirPods Pro 2, in addition to announcing the new iOS 16 and WatchOS 9.

Proximity sharing

Among the changes that the Android update brings, this is perhaps the most anticipated by users. It's just that now sharing by proximity is faster, working very similarly to Apple's AirDrop: with a touch, you'll be able to share files and information between your devices. The feature will work for photos, documents, links and even Wi-Fi passwords.

To do this, you will only need to select the devices that are logged in to the same google account. That is, you will no longer need to manually approve all transfers for them to occur. After one tap, they will happen automatically. Proximity Sharing will continue to be restricted between Android devices.

About security, Alice Zheng, product leader of Nearby Share (the name, in English, of the Android tool), assured, in an interview with the Google Blog, that the change in the feature will not leave the devices more exposed in public places.

In Nearby Share, we will first show you who is trying to send you a file and what the name of that file is, and only after you accept the transfer will we show you the photo or video. That way, if you're in a public place and you're asked to share, you'll never need to preview something you don't want unless you accept it first.

Alice Zheng, Product Lead for Nearby Share, in an interview with Google Blog

Anyway, the news will arrive "in the next few weeks" for devices that are running from the Android 6 upwards, as Alice Zheng, Product Lead for Nearby Share (the Android tool) explained, in an interview with the Google Blog.

New widgets and more emojis

Google also announced that both the Google Drive as much as Keep will win widgets with a redesigned design (for devices with large screens) and new functions.

In the case of Drive, its new widget will bring three buttons that will serve as a shortcut to access, with one touch, Google Docs, Slides and Sheets files. The new Google Keep widget will be bigger, with a larger font, to make it easier to access notes made in it and create new ones. The app will also get a button for Wear OS, Google's operating system for smartwatches.

As for emojis, the change will happen on GBoard, Google's keyboard, in this new Android update. That's because the company announced that it will start making the “Emojify” button available (which, until then, only appears in the beta version of GBoard) in the coming weeks – at first, for the English language of the keyboard. Here's how it works: after you type something, you can tap this button to get emoji suggestions to include in what you've written.

The company also announced that it will be adding GBoard “Emoji Kitchen” combinations, where you can mix emoji concepts to create a crazy figurine. These new combinations will be inspired by fall.

Last but not least, Wear OS will open up a space for you to add a bitmoji – those customizable avatars – to your smartwatch home screen. And this little avatar won't just stand there looking at you, he'll have expressions and poses that will vary according to the time of day and what you're doing.

Live sharing on Google Meet

The Android update will also bring changes to Google Meet. One of them is the support for live sharing of content, like Apple and Sony Share Play, with up to 100 people at the same time. And this new feature has several possible applications, ranging from playing a game of Uno with the guys to watching something cool (or educational) on YouTube.

Another novelty announced for Meet is the possibility of pinning some people on calls with a lot of people. This will be useful to highlight, for example, who is making a presentation or chairing the meeting.

Android Update Accessibility Features

The Android update will bring fun and useful additions to a number of Google tools, but the company also announced new accessibility features in the operating system.

One of the novelties can be found in the sound notifications, which is in the “Accessibility” category, in the Android settings. This feature is aimed at people who are deaf or who do not have a good part of hearing.

Before showing what will change, let's understand how it works. When activated, this feature causes the device to signal in some way (flashing the flash light, vibrating or sending a notification) when picking up sounds such as fire alarms and knocking on the door.

Now, the person will also be able to configure notifications for specific sounds that they can record (for example, the sound their washing machine makes when finishing a machine), thus creating their personalized library of sounds. Then whenever your Android devices, whether cell phone, watch or tablet, pick up these sounds, they'll warn you.

Finally, Google TV will bring a library of content that will feature audio description. The person will be able to search and browse this content through the voice command “Search for movies with audio description” to the Google Assistant (embedded in several models of remote controls).

See also:

Android 13 is officially released by Google; see who gets the new version

Sources: The Verge, Tech Crunch e Google