Google Maps is replacing Speech Services with Assistant voice typing.

Previously, when you clicked the microphone button in the search bar, a square speech-to-text window appeared as part of Google Speech Services. Now, however, that window has been replaced with a Google Assistant card that pops up from the bottom.

According to the onboarding message, this is a faster way to search. It also has a built-in suggestion carousel, the elements of which essentially replicate the carousel below the search bar.

Google News | En

Google Files is preparing another redesign of the 'Nearby Share' tab.

The page is now divided into 3 sections:
1) 'Receive Files', which activates the pending file transfer mode from another device;
2) 'Share to nearby devices' which proactively shows the nearest devices available for transfer, clicking on one of the devices opens the list of files you want to transfer;
3) 'Sharing suggestions' which displays recent files with full screen expand button and 'send' button to quickly start a file transfer.

For now, this design is just a work in progress, since not all buttons are fully functional.

Google News | En

Android 14 Beta 4.1 bugfix has been released.

If you’re currently enrolled in the Android Beta Program, you will automatically get offered an over-the-air (OTA) update to Android 14 Beta 4.1. Eligible devices include Pixel 4a 5G, 5, 5a, 6, 6 Pro, 6a, 7, 7 Pro, 7a, Pixel Fold, Pixel Tablet series devices.

Build: UPB4.230623.005 → UPB4.230623.007
Patch: July 2023

• OTAs
• Factory Images

🔗 Android beta Programm enrollment

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Android 14 Beta 4.1 includes the following fixes [Part 1]:

• Fixed an issue where in some cases after a user performed the system back action to close an app, the app couldn't be launched again until the device was restarted.
• Fixed an issue with ScrollView that caused the over scroll effect to get stuck after performing a fling gesture.
• Fixed issues that prevented Wi-Fi calling from working in some cases.
• Fixed an issue that caused the system to fail to transfer an animatable icon to the client when using SplashScreen#setOnExitAnimationListener.
• Fixed an issue that prevented notification groups from expanding properly in the notification shade.
• Fixed an issue that could cause the screen to flicker when launching an app that uses activity embedding.
• Fixed an issue that could cause the system UI to crash if one app in split-screen mode was closed by swiping up from the Overview screen.
• Fixed an issue that caused the network status icon to display incorrectly in some cases after turning on or off one of the SIM cards on a device that had multiple SIM cards.
• Fixed an issue that could cause the system theme to change color after rebooting a device.
• Fixed an issue where lock screen shortcuts sometimes displayed incorrectly when using certain system theme color palettes.
• Fixed an issue that could cause the launcher UI to flicker when launching an app.
• Fixed an issue that caused Battery Share to be interrupted or fail shortly after it was enabled.
• Fixed an issue that would cause an erroneous "No installed apps work with this USB Accessory" message to display when a device was connected to their vehicle, which prevented users from launching and using Android Auto.
• Fixed an issue when unlocking a device while TalkBalk is enabled where TalkBalk sometimes erroneously stated that the device was still locked before stating that the device was successfully unlocked.
• Fixed an issue with WiFi scanning that sometimes caused scanning to continue even after exiting the Settings app, causing additional power consumption and slower WiFi connectivity until the device was restarted.
• Fixed an issue where, in some cases, Ultra HDR images didn't display correctly in Google Photos.
• Fixed an issue where, when a user who had enabled Fingerprint Unlock tried to launch an activity from Quick Settings on the lock screen on a device that has an in-display fingerprint scanner, the sensor sometimes failed to activate, forcing the user to re-lock the device and unlock the device first before accessing Quick Settings.
• Fixed an issue where, when a user who had enabled both Fingerprint Unlock and Face Unlock tried to launch an intent by tapping on a notification and then authenticated using their face, the intent didn't launch and the user was brought back to the lock screen.
• Fixed an issue where a white or black bar was sometimes displayed between the status bar and the top of an open app.
• Fixed an issue where the background color of the "Add to homescreen" dialog box was fuchsia instead of its usual color.
• Fixed an issue on Pixel Tablet devices where interacting with the device while transitioning from the screen saver to the low light clock could cause the system UI to crash.
• Fixed an issue on Pixel Tablet devices where the home screen sometimes only displayed the wallpaper but no app icons after unlocking the device.
• Fixed an issue on Pixel Tablet and Pixel Fold devices that caused the foreground and background colors on certain screens to have insufficient color contrast to enhance accessibility.
• Fixed an issue on Pixel Fold devices where wallpapers that were applied to the lock screen displayed left-aligned instead of center-aligned on the outer display.
• Fixed an issue on Pixel Fold devices where the "Tap to check phone" feature sometimes stopped working after folding and unfolding the device.

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Android 14 Beta 4.1 includes the following fixes [Part 2]:

• Fixed an issue on Pixel Fold devices with 3-button navigation enabled where folding and unfolding the device while on the home screen could cause the navigation buttons to become misaligned.
• Fixed an issue on Pixel Fold devices where the wallpaper picker showed a blank thumbnail for the default live wallpaper option.
• Fixed an issue on Pixel Fold devices that sometimes caused two clocks to display on the lock screen.
• Fixed an issue on Pixel Fold devices that caused the clock on the lock screen to appear clipped.
• Fixed an issue on Pixel Fold devices that caused widgets to overlap or stack on top of each other in some cases.
• Fixed an issue on Pixel Fold devices where an app icon on the home screen couldn't be moved out of a folder while the device was unfolded.
• Fixed an issue that could cause the Pixel launcher to crash in some cases.
• Fixed system stability issues that caused UI jank in some cases.

Google News | En

Google is delaying the launch of its Find My Device network and trackers because of Apple.

Along with the announcement of Unknown Tracker Alerts (which currently only works with AirTag), Google said it will not launch the Find My Device (FMD) network "until Apple has implemented protections for iOS."

Also, Google has confirmed to 9to5Google that alerts for unwanted use of AirTag trackers are currently based on a custom implementation that differs from the upcoming specification. Android is implementing these alerts now to allay user fears, as Apple's tracker is quite widely available.

Google is working with other tracker manufacturers (Samsung, Tile, Chipolo, eufy Security and Pebblebee) to expand interoperability as part of a joint industry FMD specification.

The FMD network was originally scheduled to launch during the summer, but is now expected to launch before the end of 2023.

Google News | En