New accessibility and sharing options are coming to Android gadgets

Android is introducing a clutch of latest options to enhance accessibility, personalization, and productiveness throughout numerous gadgets. One of the main bulletins is that Nearby Share — Google’s AirDrop competitor — is getting a much-needed replace that enables customers to simply ship information between their very own gadgets.

After you choose in to make use of the brand new characteristic in your Android telephone or pill, all transfers between these gadgets can be robotically accepted, even when your show is switched off.

This self-share characteristic has been anticipated for a couple of months, and whereas we’re completely satisfied to see that file transfers can be simpler, it’s nonetheless disappointing (although completely unsurprising) that the characteristic is restricted to Android-to-Android interactions. An official launch date for self-share hasn’t been introduced, however Google says the characteristic will arrive on gadgets in “the next few weeks.” (It’s not clear when precisely the opposite options talked about on this replace can be dwell.)

The new updates can even enhance accessibility throughout numerous Google companies. Google Drive and Keep are getting redesigned widgets for gadgets with bigger screens that may give Android pill customers one-touch entry to Docs, Slides, and Sheets information throughout the Google Drive widget, whereas the Keep widget will enhance in measurement and font measurement, enhancing observe taking for folks with diminished imaginative and prescient.

There’s additionally an improve for Android’s sound notifications — a little-known characteristic that may be discovered inside your gadget’s Accessibility settings.

These sound notifications have been initially supposed to assist folks with listening to impairments. Turn them on, and your Android gadget will hear out for seems like fireplace alarms and knocks in your entrance door, making a notification when it hears them. Now, customers can create customized alerts by recording particular noises. So, for instance, you may file the jingle your washer performs after ending a cycle, after which, every time your Android telephone, watch, or pill hears that sound, it’ll ship you a notification.

For these utilizing Google TV, the service additionally now has a curated library of content material with audio descriptions that you could find both by looking the service manually or utilizing the voice-controlled Google Assistant (it’s not clear when precisely this characteristic launched).

Google Meet customers can even have entry to multi-pinning throughout calls, enabling you to maintain your consideration on a number of particular folks inside bigger group conferences — similar to the primary speaker and an ASL interpreter.

Google Meet can be introducing dwell shared experiences, similar to video games and co-watching on Android cell and pill gadgets. This characteristic can be utilized to play classics similar to Uno, Kahoot!, and Heads Up!, in addition to watch YouTube content material with as much as 100 folks at a time.

Text messaging on Android gadgets can be getting an “intelligent emoji suggestions” replace in Gboard, and Android will enhance the obtainable emoji for this characteristic by releasing new seasonal emoji mashups for Emoji Kitchen that can be obtainable as stickers.

Finally, should you occur to have a smartwatch operating Wear OS, then some further performance and enjoyable are additionally coming your means. A Keep tile can now be added to your look ahead to on-the-go notetaking, and your Bitmoji will be added to your watch face. This cartoon avatar will change expressions relying on what you’re doing, the time of day, and even the climate. So, should you’re out for a run and get caught within the rain, your watch will look as depressing as you are feeling.