Android Has Five New Features Out Today
Google hasn't announced an official release date for Android 15, but it's on its way. Sometime in October, we should see the new update hit compatible devices, and with it, new features and changes.
In the meantime, Google has a new post out today highlighting five new features for Android phones, tablets, and smartwatches.
TalkBack now runs on Gemini
TalkBack is a screen reader tool designed for blind and low-vision users, and offers audio feedback for elements on the display, such as icons and text. When enabled, TalkBack describes what it is selecting on-screen, which helps when it's difficult to see the screen yourself.
Now, Google says its generative AI model, Gemini, will power these audio descriptions for images. According to Google, Gemini will be able to identify just about any type of image on your phone's display, whether that's a picture in your photos library or a product you find online, and it will describe the image to you in detail.
Chrome will read out loud to you
You don't need TalkBack enabled for Android to read out loud to you: Chrome will now do it for you, too. The feature has been in testing for at least the past two months, but Google is officially rolling it out today. This talk-to-text (TTS) option also comes with playback controls, like speed, voice, and language. Just ask Chrome to start reading an article for you, and adjust the controls to your liking.
Circle to Search for music
Two weeks ago, I wrote about Android's Circle to Search feature gaining the ability to search for music. The feature, which uses your device's microphone to analyze music, had rolled out to Samsung Galaxy S24 devices, but hadn't made its way to other phones yet.
With Google's announcement today, it seems Circle to Search for music is now on its way to more devices. Once it lands on yours, you can long-press your device's navigation bar (if using button controls, long-press the home button), then tap the music icon to begin searching. It works for songs you hum or sing yourself, as well as music playing from your phone or another source.
Android Earthquake Alerts System expansion
Google is expanding Android's Earthquake Alerts System to cover all U.S. states as well as six territories. This feature is built on crowd-sourced earthquake detection data: The accelerometer in your smartphone can actually detect the vibrations of an earthquake, and can communicate this to Google's system. When enough smartphones in one area detect these vibrations, that indicates a potential earthquake. No matter where you are in the U.S., you'll receive an alert if Google sends one out for your current location.
Google has two types of alerts following detection of a 4.5 magnitude earthquake or stronger: The Be Aware Alert is for lighter shaking, and will present as a standard notification. In the event of extreme shaking, Android will display a full-screen alert instruction you how to find cover and protect yourself. Terrifying, but useful.
New Google Maps features for smartwatches
Finally, Google is also rolling out a few new features for Maps on Wear OS. You'll now be able to access offline maps on your watch. To do so, just download the map on your connected phone first. Then, you'll find your offline maps by scrolling through Google Maps on your watch. You can also search using your voice, and there's a new shortcut to access Google Maps from the watch face.