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Google's 'About me' is your all-inclusive profile for the company's apps
In its on-going quest to strip Google+ down to its frame, Mountain View has spun yet another feature from the sputtering social network as a standalone item. A new "About me" page is Google's one-stop shop for updating your profile details across the company's arsenal of apps. Changes made here will update how your personal information is display in the likes of Google+, Photos, Drive and more. In terms of what's included, About me displays all of your contact info, education, work history, places, gender, birthday and more. If your Google+ profile is listed as public, the information here, and across Google's apps, will be as well. Not to worry, you can lock down individual cards as private should you choose to do so. The company says it's also working on a way for users to see what their profile will look like to those ogling it. If you're unsure about your security settings across Photos, YouTube and other apps, there's a handy link to Google's Privacy Checkup tool at the bottom of the page. Ready to check it out? You can do just that via the source link below.
Your next Android phone won't have as many pre-installed apps
If you never use Google Play Games, Google Play Books, Google+ or Google Newsstand, than good news: none of them will be installed on your next Android phone. The suite of apps used to be mandatory for any manufacturer that wanted to sell a device with essential apps like Google Play and Gmail, but new partner guidelines have taken them off of the required pre-install list. Put simply, this means there will be just a little more free space on the next Android smartphone you buy. And if you do use those apps? They're still available -- you'll just have to download them from the Google Play store to use them. [Image credit: Shutterstock]
Google 'retires' G+ as a requirement, starting with YouTube (update)
After spending a few years plugging Google+ into all of its services -- even as users of those services complained -- Google is rolling that back. It started by breaking out Photos and Hangouts, and now YouTube is taking a turn by reverting the system that's been in place since late 2013. In a blog post, we learn that "soon" you will no longer need a Google+ account to upload, comment or create a channel, and even if you're just a viewer, your comments on YouTube won't appear on Google+ (or the other way around). YouTube is just one of the first products making this change, so you can expect it to stretch across the rest of Google as well. If you want to ditch your Google+ account now that it's no longer a requirement, another blog post says it will make doing that easier too (but don't try it right now -- we'll tell you when).
Google clarifies what's going on with Google+ Photos
Facing a backlash from angry Google+ users (what, both of them?), Anil Sabharwal, the head of Google Photos, released a statement on Tuesday clarifying Monday's earlier announcement about the fate of Google+ Photos. According to Sabharwal, Google will still effectively "shut down" Google+ Photos in lieu of the company's new Google Photos service. However, Sabharwal noted that the older service will still allow users to share, comment and +1 photos and videos as they always have. They will also remain on the Google+ service for the foreseeable future and accessible via the Photos tab of the Profile page.
Yelp study claims that Google 'knowingly' worsens search results
Yelp really, really isn't a fan of Google's search rankings, and it's making sure that you know it. The location-based service has partnered with net neutrality pioneer Tim Wu on a study alleging that Google is "knowingly degrading" search results by peppering the findings with hits from its own services, such as Google+ reviews. The research project notes that test subjects were 45 percent more likely to click search results when they were purely "organic" (that is, more objective) versus the usual Google-influenced material. This is reportedly proof that Google is compromising the quality of your searches for the sake of helping its own business, and Yelp goes on to liken the Mountain View team to the monopolies of AT&T and Microsoft.
Google lets you hide unwanted web notifications
When you launch a Google service like YouTube or Gmail on the web, there's always a little bell icon in the corner hiding a bundle of notifications. For many people, this feed is a complete mess and full of alerts for services they rarely use. Well, now Google is making it a little easier to focus its notifications on the tools that really matter to you. As Android Police notes, it's now possible to hit the settings cog and toggle alerts for Google+, Photos and YouTube individually. Never use Google's social network? Now you can remain blissfully ignorant whenever someone adds you to a circle or gives your post a +1. Likewise, if you only care about knowing when people have replied to your YouTube comments, it's now much easier to keep those notifications front and center. At the moment only a handful of Google services are supported, but if enough people start using it, we suspect it'll only be a matter of time before the company bundles in all of its web properties.
Google Photos cuts out Plus to make the app we really wanted
The most striking part of the just released (on the web, iOS and Android) Google Photos is how familiar it feels if you've already been using Photos in Google+, or before that, Picasa. The biggest change I noticed early on is that by separating Photos from its attempt to launch yet another social network, Google is starting focus on stuff that both benefits its users, and that it does well: cloud storage and using information to narrow down searches. Now, it's a perfect fit for how most people use cameras everyday, from the ones in their phones to point-and-shoots (but maybe not your DSLR). With unlimited storage and machine learning that can link photos by the people in them or where they were taken it's ready to make sense of your massive image library.
Google Photos offers unlimited storage for mobile and web
Google today launched a standalone, unlimited photo and video service called Google Photos. Google Photos is a free -- and, again, unlimited -- storage, sharing and editing service, and it should be available today on Android, iOS and the web. However, do note that the unlimited storage only counts if you're okay with a little compression -- your photos will be downsized to 16-megapixels and your videos will have to be 1080p or worse. You can certainly upload original resolution photos and videos too, but they'll count against your Google Drive storage limits. Update: The Photos app is out, and we've given it a test run, check out our impressions right here.
Google plans to play nice with Facebook and Twitter on photos
According to Bloomberg Business, Google could soon be separating its web based photo sharing and storage service from the existing Google+ platform and offering it as a standalone. Bloomberg cites Googlers close to the project who say that the announcement could come during the upcoming Google I/O developers conference later this month. Reportedly photos stored with the new service can be posted to both Twitter and Facebook with a fraction of the hassle it takes to do so currently. These rumors have been a long time coming. Bloomberg reported a similar plan early last year and Google Senior Vice President Sundar Pichai was quoted in March stating that photos and social would be operated separately.
Google+ launches Collections, a Pinterest-style sharing board
The new Collections tab on Google+ offers a way to organize and share your interests with other people on the network, a la the mother of all cutesy-sharing sites, Pinterest. You're able to create a customized Collection about anything that you like (suggestions: Hello Kitty accessories, Harry Potter spells, summer books, League of Legends champions), complete with photos, videos, links and commentary. Fellow Google+ users are able to follow any Collection set to "public," or you can start a private Collection and keep all of those adorable Hello Kitty backpacks and phone cases to yourself. The Collections feature is live for many users right now, and you should be able to find it in the dropdown tab on the left side of your very own Google+ page.
Google Drive offers access to your Google+ photos
Google isn't wasting much time acting on its promise to divvy up Google+ into individual services. As hinted earlier, an updated version Google Drive on Android, iOS and the web now offers access to your Google+ photos. The unified cloud storage approach not only saves you the trouble of switching apps, but gives you more control -- you can move pictures from a big speech into the same folder as the speech itself. On iOS, Drive can also take over as your automatic camera backup. Only new photos will show up in the app right away, but your whole Google+ collection should be available within the next few weeks.
Google Drive will soon back up your phone's photos
Now that Google+ is splitting up into individual services, where will you go to back up your phone's picture library? To Google Drive, apparently. Android Police has discovered that the latest version of the cloud storage app on Android has preliminary code for an eventual photo backup feature that would behave much like Google+ or the standard Photos app. You'll have an easier time sharing your files on the big screen, too -- there are hidden mentions of Chromecast streaming support. These features may not go live in the next release (Google sometimes leaves pre-release code hanging around for a while), but they're likely coming sooner rather than later.
Google tests new Contacts that blend Gmail and Google+
While Google may be breaking pieces off of Google+, we wouldn't expect its profiles to go away anytime soon, since they're poised for a bigger tie-in with Gmail. The new Google Contacts setup "pools together all your contacts, circles, and the people you talk to most in Gmail." It has a beefed up ability to eliminate duplicates in your address book, and promises to keep people's info up to date based on what's in their Google+ profile. Another convenience is that it finally includes a list of your most recent emails and meetings with a contact, right on their card. Overall, it aligns with what exec Sundar Pichai pointed to as Google+ creating a common identity across the company's products, but we'll have to wait and see if this goes over better than the YouTube integration. The new contacts experience is coming to Gmail over the next few weeks, but you can get a preview of it here.
Google+ is being broken into services you might want to use
It's been the punchline to plenty of gags, and now it looks as if Google is finally ready to do something with its homegrown social network. The search engine has announced that the photography and social elements of Google+ are being broken into two separate products, one called Photos and the other named Streams. In a post on Google+, company VP (and Radiohead fan) Bradley Horowitz announced that he was taking charge of the outfit, adding that the move is a positive improvement to both products.
Google exec hints at Photos, Hangouts and G+ split
Rumors have long suggested that Google might separate the parts of Google+ that people have been most interested in -- photos and messaging / Hangouts -- away from the social network's main stream. Now it appears that Sundar Pichai agrees with that viewpoint, but unlike angry YouTube commenters, he can actually do something about it since he controls Google products like Plus, search, Chrome and Android. In a pre-Mobile World Congress interview with Forbes, Pichai said that going forward, we'll see the company deal with Hangouts, photos and the Google+ stream as three "important" areas, instead of one. While Google+ has apparently done the job of creating a common login and identity across products, he says the team is working on "next generation" ideas to create "more scale at what we do."
Google buys an app that helps you privately share photos
Remember those murmurs that Google would detach its photo service from its social networking? It just took steps that could make this split a practical reality. The search firm has snapped up the creators of Odysee, a mobile app that can automatically share photos in private as well as send your phone snapshots to your PC at home. The team (Nimbuz) isn't specific about its future plans beyond promises of more "amazing products," but it's joining the Google+ group. That's an unusual move for a developer that specializes in keeping pictures out of the public eye, but it'd make sense if Google wants a photo platform that can stand on its own two feet. Whatever Google's intentions, it's acting quickly. Odysee has already vanished from app stores, and the service shuts down on February 23rd.
Google Plus lets you define your own gender
Facebook gave its gender non-conforming users a better way to express themselves early in the year, and now it's Google's turn. An update to Google+ rolling out over the next few days will let you type in a custom gender for your social networking profile instead of having to settle for "other" -- you won't have to constantly explain yourself just because you don't fit into the male/female binary. You can also choose a pronoun, and it's still possible to limit who sees your gender. This is a small tweak to the code, but it should make a big difference if you haven't been comfortable with your G+ identity so far.
Google Plus now lets you pin posts to keep them front and center
Ever crafted a Google+ post that was so important that you just had to make sure people saw it? There's now an easy way to do exactly that. Much like Twitter, Google+ on the web now lets you pin a post to the top of your profile, making sure that people will see your screed even if it's technically old news. It's a simple addition, but it could well come in handy -- you can now keep a poll going for a long time, ensure that friends see vacation photos or give new followers a heads-up about what you're doing. You can only see these pins on Android and the desktop right now, although iOS viewing is coming soon.
Google+ flips the switch on polls after its recent purchase
Last month, Google nabbed a polling startup in order to boost the tools of its social network. Well, the folks in Mountain View didn't waste any time, as polls are already set to make their debut on Google+. The new feature is rolling out now, in case you need to crowdsource info for your next excursion or are curious to see which team the masses think will win the World Series. Polls can include up to five options with photos for each, and one click displays the ongoing results. Android and web users can expect to see the option "over the next few days," while it's said to be "coming soon" to iOS.
Chromecast's custom backgrounds are finally here
Google initially promised a summer release for Backdrops at I/O, but once we passed the autumn solstice it was anyone's guess when the Chromecast feature would arrive. But hey, it's rolling out now and that's what matters, right? To use your own G+ photos, those from the Google Cultural Institute, New York Times and more as new idle screens for the HDMI dongle it sounds pretty simple. Jump into the Chromecast app on your mobile device and futz around with the Backdrop settings to choose which sources you'd like for the photos. Boom; that's apparently it, according to the outfit. If something pops onscreen that you're interested in (maybe a satellite image of an island you'd never seen before) and you want more info, just ask "Okay Google, what's on my Chromecast?" into the Google app on your device. Pretty handy if you ask us. Just think: now you can use the biggest screen in the house to get people to finally check out your collection of Auto Awesome shots.