Android and WearOS are full of widgets and novelties just before the holidays

There’s something for everyone in this new Android update. The Mountain View company has unveiled on the Android site all the features that will benefit smartphones, but also connected watches running Wear OS.

The focus is on interoperability between devices. The new Google TV app lets you choose content from your streaming services from your phone or tablet and cast it to your connected TV. It is now possible to share your digital car key remotely with your loved ones. Rights management is all the easier since the digital key works on devices running Android as well as iOS.

Navigation in WearOS is simplified, switching between tiles is more instinctive. Android connected watches finally benefit from usable versions of Gmail and Calendar, with features, however basic, that they sorely lacked. The Google Keep app has been updated for more consistency between mobile and smartwatch versions. Athletes will be happy to learn that they can now start the Adidas Running app through the voice assistant of their watch running under Wear OS.

Your Google account now clearly tells you what actions to take for your security

With this update, Google is also emphasizing accessibility and inclusiveness. In the company’s own words, the new Reading Mode app “is designed by and for people with dyslexia, visually impaired or blind people. It helps you optimize your on-screen reading experience by allowing you to adjust contrast, text size, text-to-speech, page clutter and font types.

YouTube remains the biggest video-sharing service in the world, by far, no offense to TikTok. The new YouTube widget now allows you to search for a video in your library, in the Shorts or your subscriptions directly from the home screen.

Replying to a specific message is finally possible in Messages on Android. Plus, GBoard’s Emoji Kitchen has even more emojis to mix and match. Google Photos offers several new templates for creating photo montages.

Source: Android