A new feature called Simple View, available only for Pixel smartphones from model 6 onwards, is designed to improve clarity by means of a simplified layout. It can be found in the settings under Accessibility. — Photo by Samuel Angor on Unsplash
BERLIN: Google has started rolling out new features for Android smartphones, among them a newer version of Quick Share that makes it much easier to use.
You can now quickly start sharing a photo, video or any kind of document to someone else's phone by letting them scan a QR code on your phone, the company says.
Previously, Quick Share (Android's answer to Apple's AirDrop) didn't quite live up to its name, since recipients had to first be stored in the sender's smartphone contacts for an exchange to work. Sharing settings also had to be configured.
A new Gboard keyboard and Emoji Kitchen feature meanwhile allows you to personalize messages with your own emoji combinations.
And for those who store files in Google's Drive cloud, the company says photo scans of things like receipts and documents will now be automatically enhanced to make them easy to read. Contrast and white balance will be tweaked, and shadows and blurring will be removed.
A new feature called Simple View, available only for Pixel smartphones from model 6 onwards, is designed to improve clarity by means of a simplified layout. It can be found in the settings under Accessibility.
At the same time the feature is designed to simplify using the phone in general, for example with additional navigation buttons. It also allows you to change the size of fonts and icons, as well as the sensitivity of the touchscreen.
In addition, Google has extended the periods during which Pixel smartphones receive upgrades to the latest Android operating system – from three to five years from release for the 6 and 7 model series and for the Pixel Fold (1st generation).
For the Pixel 6 devices, for example, the recently released Android 15 would otherwise have been the end of upgrades. Now they will also receive Android 16 and 17.
It may take a few days or even weeks for the feature updates to reach all Pixel devices. Either you get the December drop offered by the device or you try to start the update manually: Navigate to ‘System/Software Updates’ in the settings, tap on ‘System Update’ and then on ‘Check for Updates’. – dpa
