Table of contents for Issue 50 in Android Advisor

Google always pulls out the stops for the keynote at its annual I/O developer conference, and this year was no exception. Google I/O 2018 lacked the flashy flagship hardware that defined previous keynotes – nary a new Chromebook, Pixel, or Google Home could be found – but it still managed to shine, thanks to some serious improvements to the software and services underlying the entire Google ecosystem. Hardware is nothing without software that tells it what to do, after all. And at I/O 2018, Google’s software was focused squarely on making the Internet more about you through the power of machine learning. Let’s dig in. Gmail Smart Compose Google CEO Sundar Pichai kicked things off with Smart Compose, which is basically Gmail’s Smart Reply cranked to 11. Whereas Smart Reply…

Machine learning can give you a version of the Internet tailored to fit your specific needs and wants. Google has been beating that drum for years, but the vision manifested itself in fresh, impressive ways in an overhauled Google Maps app revealed during the company’s I/O keynote. And then Google knocked our socks off with a thrilling vision of how augmented reality and computer vision could radically transform walking directions in the future. A redesigned Explore tab and a new For You tab will make Maps more personal for each of its one billion-plus users in the coming months, as the interface will be populated with restaurants, businesses, and activities from your local haunts. The focus will be on interesting events (such as new store openings) and personal recommendations to…

After years of minor updates, Google is finally rolling out a major overhaul of its News platform. Announced at Google I/O, the new Google News is more personal and customizable, made to better surface the news you care about from the sources you trust. Updates are available now. For You When you first open the new Google News, you’ll be greeted with a personal briefing of the top five stories selected for you. These are chosen by AI that scours the web and selects stories it thinks you’ll care about the most, given your interests and preferred sources. Scrolling past that, you’ll see more suggestions, again selected by AI. It looks for local news stories as well, assembling them into a personalized Local section. The For You tab will use…

Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) are a useful way to protect yourself from digital snoopers, as well as accessing forms of entertainment previously unavailable in your country. With most of us now conducting the majority of our online lives via smartphones and tablets, it’s good to know that there are a number of VPN apps and services such as NordVPN and ExpressVPN available for Android. We show you how to get one up and running on your device. What is a VPN? As the name suggests, a Virtual Private Network is a software-based connection between two points which encrypts all data sent and received. People often use VPNs to create ‘private tunnels’ that allow them to use public Wi-Fi spots, hotel connections, or other potentially unsecure networks without the threat of…

As expected Google released the open public beta of its new operating system, Android P, at its Google I/O event on 8 May 2018. It’s an update that brings noticeable visual change along with some quite dramatic gesture controls. For the first time you can download the beta on more than just the past few Pixel phones – see page 22. We’ve been using P (confectionary name TBC) for a few days by now, so here’s a run-down of what we think about the new look including new gestures, menus, settings and adaptive features. We downloaded it onto a Pixel 2 XL and it’s a bigger overhaul from Oreo than that OS was from Nougat and there’s a lot to unpack. Design Google introduced what it calls Material Design into…

Google has had voice search features in Android for years, but when Google Assistant rolled out on the Pixel in October 2016, everything finally came together. You can now get Assistant on all modern Android devices, and Google has already announced new Assistant features at I/O 2018 that will make it even better (okay, and maybe a little too real, in the case of Duplex). It can be easy to miss the improvements if you don’t obsessively keep an eye on the news, so here they are in one place: the 12 coolest new features in Google Assistant. 1. Sync connected smart home devices Google Assistant supports numerous smart home devices, but you might notice that devices you’ve just added to your account don’t always work right away. That’s because…

Along with updates to Google Assistant, Lens, Gmail and just about every app with the word Google before it, there was one unveiled at I/O that isn’t about enhancing Google’s ecosystem of services. In fact, it’s about using all of them less. Baked deeply into Android P is a set of tools Google is calling Digital Wellbeing, and it’s all about balancing your digital life with your real-world one. Through a series of settings, options, and features, Google wants Android P to be the least-used version of Android, and it just might make us love our phones even more. The bitter truth about app usage The premier feature of the new initiative is Android Dashboard, which provides a snapshot of your daily usage, not unlike the Battery tab in Android…

Sony’s Xperia XZ2 range is the firm’s first phone to boast the now-ubiquitous 18:9 aspect ratio on its screen. Read on for our thoughts. Design After years of similar-looking phones, Sony fans (just as much as us) have been crying out for a design revamp for the Xperia line. With the XZ2, they finally have it – sort of. It brings with it a new design language for Sony – dubbed ‘Ambient Flow’ – and is the firm’s first smartphone to have an 18:9 display. Finally, gone are the giant bezels that sat above and below the display of the XZ1, replaced by slightly less giant bezels above and below the new 5.7in display. Opinions at Android Advisor are split as to whether its an improvement, but this is certainly…

There’s a new Android P Public Beta that is available on more than just Pixel devices. You’ll also be able to install it on select devices from Nokia, Vivo, OnePlus, Xiaomi, Sony, and Oppo, and can check which are compatible at fave.co/2jI53oW. Should you install Android P? If you’re curious, have a compatible device and are reasonably techy, then why not. You can get a good look at what’s in store for Android, and if you don’t like it or find it too buggy you can simply revert to your previous operating system. Before you begin you should take the necessary steps to ensure all your data is backed up. Install Android P Public Beta Downloading Android P should be simple with Google’s Android Beta Program. Any devices enrolled to…

We all know Google as a powerhouse for search results when we’re entering text into a search engine, but the substantial improvements to Google Lens announced at Google I/O today effectively transform the AI service into a real-time search engine for the world around us – all with the help of on-board camera apps. Here’s what we’re looking forward to the most. 1. AR integration with Google Maps Sometimes, especially in unfamiliar cities, it’s hard to tell which direction you’re facing, even when Google Maps shows you right where you’re standing. Soon, though, you’ll be able to activate your camera in Google Maps and see helpful contextual information for the scene you’re looking at in the real world. Simply raise your camera, aim it at a scene, and you’ll see…

As expected, Google introduced a new way to navigate Android with gestures instead of virtual buttons, and it’s sure to spur opinions among both Android and iOS users. But while it might seem like a blatant rip-off of Apple’s iPhone X navigation, Google’s method – which is says it’s been working on since before the iPhone X landed – differs from Apple’s in meaningful ways. The early beta suggests that the experience will actually improve on Android’s speed and intuition. Here are four reasons why we’re looking forward to it on the Pixel and other Android P phones. 1. It’s optional The biggest difference between the gesture navigation in iOS 11 and Android P is that Google is letting you switch it on and off. Head over to the new…

You might feel secure when using the Internet on your phone, but the truth is that all your activities could be monitored by a number of interested parties. To put a stop to this here are a few different ways to stay anonymous. Is private browsing mode actually private? The most obvious place to start is with the web browser you already use. Most offer some kind of private or incognito mode, which promise to forget any sites you’ve visited, but these are not quite as safe as they might sound. While the searches won’t be stored on your device, they will still be visible to your Internet Service Provider, the websites you visit, or your employers if you’re using a work connection. Also, any downloads you make remain in…