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Google Play Books 'Bubble Zoom' makes it easier to read comics
Google Play Books become more comic-friendly last year with addition of vertical scrolling. At this year's Comic-Con, Google is announcing another handy feature that will be reading the illustrated panels even easier. The tool is called Bubble Zoom and as you might expect, it detects and zooms in on those speech bubbles as you read. Before now, you had to use two fingers to zoom like you would in other apps. When reading graphics-heavy comic panels, that isn't an ideal solution. Thanks to the new tool, you can enlarge the text with a tap while still gazing at a full-screen view of the page.
The Google Play Store family plan is reportedly ready to launch
Late last year, Google took its first step towards letting users share their purchased media with family members. The initial foray was a family plan for Google Play Music, which let multiple family members stream music for $14.99 a month. But now, it seems that Google is going to let users share movies, TV shows, book and apps as well. According to Gizmodo, Google's family plan will let you share all media purchased from the Play Store with five other family members, though purchased music isn't part of the deal. The family "manager" will be able to control what other members can access and what they won't be able to see.
Android apps will unlock the full potential of Chromebooks
For me, the most exciting announcement at Google I/O in May wasn't even mentioned in the opening-day keynote. During the second day of the conference, Google dropped some rather big news: The Play Store and Android apps will come to Chromebooks later this year. As someone who's been a big Chrome OS believer for years now, I was quite pleased at the notion of having more apps and better offline capabilities. It's just what the platform needs to fully move past its "glorified browser" reputation. While the Play Store won't officially come to Chromebooks until the fall, there is a way to give it a shot today. If you install the Chrome developer channel on the ASUS Chromebook Flip, you can try Android apps out now. I've spent the past few weeks seeing how much running Android on a Chromebook changes the experience of using the platform -- for good and for bad.
Adele's '25' heads to streaming services now that you bought it
Chances are you've already purchased Adele's 25 if you really wanted to hear it or obtained it through other means. Now that the artist has enjoyed seven months of albums sales, the collection of songs will debut on streaming services tonight at midnight ET. According to Billboard, Apple Music, Amazon Prime, Spotify and Tidal confirmed that the album will be available in their respective libraries this evening. Mashable reports that Google Play is a landing spot for the singer's latest work as well.
Android apps are now available on Chrome OS
The ASUS Chromebook Flip is the first Chrome OS device to get Android Apps after Google announced the feature at its I/O conference in May. If you own that device and are willing to download an early alpha version of Chrome OS 53, the Google Play store icon will appear on the desktop. According to Google's François Beaufort, the build should also bring Android apps to the 2015 Chromebook Pixel and Acer Chromebook R11. However, some Reddit user say that the Play Store isn't yet working on those devices.
Google will give app developers a bigger cut of the revenue
It's not just Apple that's looking to the deal sweeter for app developers. According to Recode, Google is also introducing a new revenue-sharing model that will give them a bigger cut. Just like Cupertino, the big G plans to increase the amount Android developers take home from 70 percent to 85 percent of all revenue from subscriptions. Google's offer sounds even better than the iPhone-maker's, because the company will reportedly give publishers 85 percent of the revenue from every subscriber, not just from those who sign up and pay for 12 full months.
Google Play will suggest neglected apps for you to uninstall
When you add an app from Google Play and space on your phone is tight, you're often stuck wondering which of your darlings programs you should kill delete. According to Android Police, Google Play is going to help your decision-making process by offering up suggestions as to what you no longer need. When you've run out of on-board storage, you'll be given a list of your least-used apps, ranked in order of weight. So, in the example, the store suggests that you wipe Google Translate or Facebook Messenger and free up some much-needed space. It's not clear if the feature is rolling out to users worldwide or if this is a limited trial, but we've asked Google to let us know.
TripAdvisor is offering two free months of Google Play Music
Google Play Music is a solid service, but it's a bit of an afterthought in the marketplace compared to bigger players like Spotify and Apple Music. And in a crowded market, Google's likely looking for ways to muster up more interest and exposure for the service -- but the partnership the company announcing is a bit of an odd one, no matter how you slice it. Google has partnered with Tripadvisor to put specific travel-focused stations inside the Tripadvisor Android app. Tapping one to start it up will drop you into the Google Play Music app and offer you two months of the premium service for free, provided you've never used it before.
Android Apps and the Play Store are coming to Chrome OS this year
Google CEO Sundar Pichai was handed the reins of Android in early 2013, putting him in charge of both Chrome and the company's mobile OS. Ever since then, rumors have swirled that Google would look to merge its two distinct operating systems into a unified whole. Those picked up steam this past fall, and indeed Google is finally unveiling some closer ties between Chrome OS and Android. But that doesn't mean Chrome OS is going away. Quite the opposite, in fact: This year, Google's browser-based operating system will become compatible with the million-plus Android apps available in the Google Play Store. The company accidentally revealed its plans yesterday, but a session this morning at Google I/O makes it official.
Google's Family Library will let Android users share apps
It's been a long time coming, but Android users will soon be able to share apps with other family members. Android Police reports that Google has begun notifying developers that Family Sharing, which lets up to six family members enjoy the same paid app, will be enabled by default from July 2nd, giving Android households the opportunity to enjoy similar perks to those with iPhones and iPads.
Google Play is getting a dedicated VR section
Google is unpacking a lot of virtual reality news at its I/O developer conference today, and to make sure you can discover that content easily, the company is adding a dedicated VR section in the Play Store. That virtual reality hub will serve up immersive mobile games from the likes of EA and Ubisoft, as well as video streaming from Netflix, Hulu and HBO Now, among other services. You'll be able to get news reports from USA Today, New York Times, Wall Street Journal and CNN with sports-related stuff from the MLB and NBA. Google's own photos, Play Movies, Street View and YouTube videos will work on the new Daydream VR platform as well.
Google Play makes it easier to test Android apps
It's not too hard to beta test an Android app, but the process still tends to involve jumping through a few hoops. You might need to visit the developer's website, for instance, or join a community. Thankfully, it's about to get downright trivial in the near future: Google is rolling out a Play Store update that lets you join (or leave) Android betas right from the regular app's listing. Certain tests may ask you to sign up for a Google+ community first, but you won't have to go scrounging for a beta-specific app entry or download an installer from a website.
Google Play Music's podcasts are convenient but lack features
Google announced last fall that it would finally bring podcasts to Google Play Music, and last week a collection of shows debuted in the web app. This means that if you have a subscription to the service, all of your listening material is in one place -- just like Spotify. You'll no longer need to use Stitcher, Pocket Casts or the like to listen to shows. But is Google's new integration the best option? I've been waiting for the feature to arrive on the Play Music Android app, and now that it has, I can offer some impressions.
Netflix lets Android users pay with their Google Play account
Netflix is giving Android users a new way to settle their monthly bill. As its Play Store listing reveals, the Netflix app on Android will "soon" be updated with a Google Play Billing option. That means customers can choose to have their account charged directly through Google Play, provided they already have some form of payment method stored. In a statement to Variety, the company said it would roll out over "several weeks" to a "segment of members in supported regions." So for now, it seems the option will be restricted to a small group of users. Bummer. The same feature was added to the Netflix for iOS app last September. If you're lucky enough to gain access, the Android equivalent is worth considering. Switching to Google Play Billing means you can reduce the number of companies that have access to your card details. With the Google Play Store, you also have some additional payment options, such as physical gift cards. Such an option could prove valuable for families and younger Netflix users that don't have access to a debit or credit card.
Android security report shows why you should stick to Google Play
Many security-conscious types will tell you to only grab apps from Google Play if you want to avoid malware, and Google just provided a good reason why. The internet giant has released its second-ever annual Android security report, and it's clear that how secure you are depends heavily on where you go for software. Attempts to install malware within Google Play dropped significantly between 2014 and 2015, with no more than 0.15 percent of users grabbing some kind of rogue code. However, that figure shoots up to 0.5 percent when you consider all Android users -- Google says it saw an uptick in attempts to compromise devices beyond its app store.
Podcasts are now available in Google Play Music
Perhaps one of the worst-kept secrets of the last six months has come to pass: Podcasts have officially been added to Google Play Music for Android and on the web. This comes right as predicted last week, when an internal NPR memo tipped the launch date. Fortunately, Google's doing something rather clever with its podcast launch. Just like the activity-based radio stations that Google added after buying Songza, you'll be able to browse a variety of podcast "channels" for when you're not sure exactly what you feel like listening to.
Google Play podcasts might finally launch on April 18th
Podcasts have been rumored to come to Google Play Music for a long time now, and it looks like that wait is finally over. As noticed by Android Police, NPR sent a newsletter out to member partners that said podcasts would come to Google Play Music on April 18th. It's not concrete confirmation, and we've been burned in the past by similar accidental disclosures (like Bill Simmons tweeting that podcasts would launch on Google's platform back in February), but this seems like pretty solid evidence that Google Play Music will get perhaps its biggest missing feature filled in soon.
'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' digital downloads come to the UK
If you've ignored regional loopholes and a plethora of dodgy websites waiting for Star Wars: The Force Awakens to become available in the UK, your patience has finally paid off. The latest instalment in the franchise is now available for digital download from online stores like iTunes, Google Play and Amazon.
Google Play apps are getting more unified logo designs
The new logo and wordmark that Google unveiled last fall marked probably the biggest visual revamp in the company's history, and now Google Play's logos are getting a bit of a facelift. The logos for Google Play and the Play Store have been tweaked slightly, but the rest of the icons for Play stores and services (like movies / TV, music, books and games) all have been radically redesigned. Now, every icon has a silhouette of the "play" button as well as a visual indicator of the media type in question.
Google pulls Taliban app after it was on Play for two days
A propaganda app from the Taliban that was initially accepted on the Play store Friday has now been pulled by Google over hate speech concerns. Called "Pashto Afghan News - Alemara," it reportedly features videos and statements from the group's main website. A Google spokesperson told The Telegraph that "we don't allow apps that advocate against groups of people based on their race or ethnic origin, religion, disability, gender, age, nationality, veteran status, sexual orientation, or gender identity."
