While the development team dedicated to Android has recently released a new beta of Android 12, the engineers at Google who take care of the other projects are certainly not idle. This is evidenced by the recent updates of Google Stadia, Google Chat and Google Photos, which are testing new really interesting features.
Google Stadia
The recent update of the Google Stadia app, which has reached version 3.31, brings to attention some news in development. In fact, analyzing the APK file it was possible to discover that Bridge Mode, a function that has been under development for a long time, is now called “Play on TV”. The function, according to what can be understood from the code, should allow you to connect a third-party gamepad to an Android smartphone and use it to play on the TV, effectively transforming the smartphone into a bridge between the two devices.
With Play on TV, it would also be possible to use the smartphone screen as a controller for the TV, via touch controls. Among the other innovations in the works we find the Magic Linking, which should simplify, thanks to the Play on TV function, the connection between smartphones a Stadia session open on your account. There are references to IARC Ratings, which could help developers bring their titles to Stadia faster, thanks to the unified age rating process, and voice chat, a feature that users are loudly requesting.
Google Chat
Among the many possibilities of Google Chat is that of viewing the tasks created and today Google provides us with a very simple method to understand from which message the creation of the activity was created or requested. Simply hover over the task, or select it from a mobile device and select the Chat. In this way, Google hopes that it will be easier to contextualize the activity, thus improving productivity and collaboration with colleagues. The new feature is being rolled out for Google Workspace users and may take a few more days to be visible to anyone.
Google Photos
We close with Google Photos, which is testing with a small group of users an improvement of Top Shot, a function designed to find the best shots. Instead of displaying a simple reminder inviting you to look for a better shot, the updated version displays a small gallery of images from which to select the best. It must be said that at first glance the new interface could be confusing, remembering the burst mode which offers a series of burst shots, ideal for very fast scenes. As always, therefore, Google may have decided to test a new interface and, based on user reactions, decide to enable it for everyone or simply discard it.
The new mode seems at the moment limited to Pixel smartphone owners, let us know in the comments if you also see the new Top Shot interface and if you are still stuck to the traditional one.
