What you need to know
- Google is announcing new app updates that are available now or coming soon for Android phones.
- Gboard receives new Emoji Kitchen mashups for Pride when custom text stickers are rolled out to all Android smartphones.
- Accessibility features like Sound Amplifier and Lookout receive useful new updates.
- Users will soon be able to use Play Points for in-app purchases in the Play Store.
Summer is almost here and Google is announcing a handful of features coming to Android smartphones. These new features will make it easier to communicate and interact with the world around them with fun updates to Gboard and enhancements to accessibility features. Play Store also receives a good update to help users make in-app purchases.
Custom text stickers and new Emoji Kitchen mashups
Custom text stickers are one of the best new features that have come on Gboard recently. The feature lets users easily convert almost any text into a fun sticker, adding a nice touch to a greeting or festive text. The feature was previously exclusive to Pixel smartphones, but Google will soon enable the feature on all the best Android phones.
Creating a custom text sticker with Gboard is easy enough, and it will definitely make your texts stand out. Google says it will be available on non-Pixel Android phones “soon”, though we’ve already noticed that the feature will come on some of our devices like the Galaxy S22.
Gboard also receives a bunch of new Emoji Kitchen mashups to help get ready for summer. There are 1600 fun new combinations to try, including a football watermelon. And to celebrate Pride month, Google also includes a bunch of new rainbow stickers.
Accessibility gets a boost
Google is also making some improvements to its accessibility apps, which should help make it easier for users to understand what’s going on around them. The first is an update to Sound Amplifier, which is used to help those with hearing loss. It can be used to amplify sounds around you or on your device, and the latest update brings better noise reduction, improved processing, and a new user interface that should make it easier to use.
And for those with visual impairments, the Google Lookout app updates, which is designed to help describe different things around you. It has a few modes that can help describe text, currency, documents or objects around you. These modes are being updated with improved accuracy, but the biggest news is the brand new mode coming to Lookout.
With the new image mode, Android users with low vision can open an image from almost any app, and Lookout will describe it to them. And Lookout will also work offline, which means you do not need a data connection, making the app much more accessible to those who depend on it.
Google Play Points gets even better
Finally, Google is giving its Play Points rewards program a boost by allowing users to use their points to pay for items in the app. This means you can save a few bucks and use the points you have accumulated to either drop the payment or cover the entire cost.
This feature started popping up in March, but it is finally rolling out to more users globally. According to Google, the feature will be available “in the coming weeks” in countries where the Play Points prize program is available.
Samsung Galaxy S22 +
Galaxy S22 + is a great phone for anyone looking for a bigger screen. It has a versatile camera system, a powerful flagship kit and many years of software support thanks to Samsung’s five-year update promise.