APK Insight

Ahead of this year’s expected arrival of Wear OS 5, Google is finally preparing to launch Material You color theming alongside a hint at a redesign for the app launcher.

We spotted two weeks ago that Google might rebrand “Assistant with Bard” to just “Bard.” The company might not have decided on a new Assistant with Bard name yet as the latest version of the Google app introduces “Gemini” as a candidate.

Bard is coming to Google Messages to “help you write messages, translate languages, identify images, and explore interests.”

During the Pixel 8 event, “Assistant with Bard” was announced for 2024. Before it launches on Android, Google might be dropping the “Assistant” moniker and rebrand to just “Bard.”

Physical SIM cards from cell carriers are on their way out, being replaced by digital eSIMs, as led by the iPhone 15 series altogether removing the SIM card slot for US models. To help encourage the move to eSIM, Google is preparing a built-in eSIM conversion tool for Pixel phones.

It’s barely 2024, and Google is already planning to wind down another feature this year. The latest Files by Google update includes evidence of the “Important” tab shutting down in the near future.

While Google has yet to announce a firm launch date for its AI-enhanced Assistant with Bard, the Google app has been updated with some new designs, including our best look yet at its popup window and an interesting tab switcher. The company is also tweaking its recently launched stocks and finance widget.

In 2022, Google announced it was killing the Assistant Driving Mode that provided a “Dashboard” homescreen. This left another optimized UI in Google Maps for Android, which was also called “Driving Mode,” but that’s now also facing deprecation in February 2024. 

Google is working on having “Assistant summarize your busy conversations” and messages when you’re using Android Auto. 

Following similar moves by Google Chrome and Calendar, Android Auto is set to stop functioning on older devices in the near future.

The thermometer on the Pixel 8 Pro only works to “measure the surface temperature of everyday objects,” but Google did submit an FDA application to take body readings. As we wait for that, the Fitbit app is working on Pixel 8 Pro thermometer integration.

After introducing a Finance Watchlist for your homescreen earlier this year, the Google app on Android is getting ready to add a Sports widget. 

Google’s Keep Notes app for Android is preparing to launch a new AI feature that makes it easy to generate a list, whether you’re deciding what to pack for a trip, preparing to go grocery shopping, or planning the steps to complete a task.

After initially testing in 2021, the Google app is again exploring a bottom Search bar on Android. Meanwhile, the in-app settings page has been reorganized.

With the addition of Magic Compose, we noted how the Google Messages text field was getting too cluttered, but a redesign is now on the way, while each contact’s profile page is also getting overhauled.  

For the past several months, Google Messages has been working on a Profiles feature, and we now have a better idea of what it’s for.

A new feature coming soon to the Google Pixel Watch app will save you some time and effort when charging the watch by notifying you when the battery is full.

Google is adding a new built-in tool to Gboard for Android that lets you “Scan Text” using optical character recognition (OCR).

Google Messages is preparing an easier way to pair your phone and send messages from the web browser, and there’s a fun emoji twist.

Update: The new pairing flow is beginning to appear on the web, revealing more about how it works.

The latest example of generative AI inside Google apps is a “Magic Lists” feature for Keep that’s meant to be a “creative note-taking aid.”

Gmail for Android and iOS is changing how you initiate Duet AI’s “Help me write” capability, while Google might be expanding it with “voice compose” in the future.