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Your Google Account is getting rid of its password
The company is rolling out passkey support for Google Accounts, which will eventually replace your password completely
Google and other key players in the industry have long been pushing for a passwordless future, and today, Google has announced that it’s rolling out passkey support for Google Accounts. This means that you will be able to sign in to your Google Account without a password and without confirming your login with a second factor. Passkeys replace both of these methods and are supposed to be inherently more secure than passwords and multi-factor authentication, on top of being immune to phishing.
Google and Apple team up to make Bluetooth tracker tags safer
The tech giants are collaborating in an effort to stop unauthorized tracking
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Wireless location-tracking accessories, like Apple’s AirTags and Google’s upcoming Nest Locator Tags, are designed to help people track down missing items, but they have also led to the emergence of safety issues with unwanted tracking and stalking. There have already been targeted efforts to prevent misuse, such as Apple launching an app to find unknown AirTags, and Tile threatening a $1 million fine for those who misuse its trackers. Now, Google and Apple are teaming up for an overarching solution to combat the misuse of Bluetooth trackers.
When Apple introduced the AirTag almost two years ago to this day, it made waves because every iPhone could passively help identify and locate the object trackers. Earlier this year, we got word of Google’s plans to follow suit with an AirTag replica as well, codenamed Grogu at the time. Now, it appears Grogu has an official-sounding name and an icon you should get used to seeing.
Typically, in a roundup like this, we'd sit here extolling the virtues of the many excellent screen protectors available and why they're all great and easy to use. But we're also committed to providing objective, helpful information, so we'll give it to you straight: It's a bit of a tricky business to keep the glass on your Google Pixel 7 Pro in perfect condition.
Judge the Pixel Fold's bezels for yourself with this leaked new look
The inner display opens up in a late reveal
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The Google Pixel Fold, the company's first foldable, is expected to debut at Google I/O on May 10th. As the event's date is fast approaching, more leaks and rumors about the Fold keep surfacing online. In the last few days, the Pixel Fold was spotted in a quick hands-on video, with another leak detailing almost everything about it. And now, high-resolution press images of Google's first foldable have made their way to the internet, giving us our best look at its design and the big cover display.
Google Pixel 8 & 8 Pro: News, leaks, rumored price, and release window
After the Pixel 7 impressed us, what's next for our favorite Android phones?
The Google Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro are likely to be two of the best Android phones of 2023, but we've yet to hear any official news directly from the company on their existence. Leaks and rumors suggest we'll be seeing a Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro in the second half of 2023, and we may even hear of their existence during Google I/O 2023 in May. The Google Pixel 7 and Google Pixel 7 Pro were first teased at I/O 2022, so we may see similar during that event alongside reveals for the Pixel 7a, Pixel Fold, and full details on the Pixel Tablet
Google TV's built-in free channels are now arriving for everyone
The free channels were announced earlier this month
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Google stepped up efforts to bring its fight to many of the best streaming platforms by unveiling more than 800 free channels for Google TV earlier this month. The expansion has made the smart TV operating system a great option if you're looking for a way to watch your favorite shows and movies without having to pay for a subscription. The free channels are now making their way to a wider set of users in the United States.
Google vows to fix a glaring omission in Authenticator's cloud backup
End-to-end encryption will be added eventually
Google recently added a long-requested feature to its Authenticator app: the ability to back up 2FA codes to the cloud. The new feature syncs 2FA tokens across your devices via your Google account, addressing a major inconvenience in the app's previous implementation of two-factor authentication. However, shortly after the rollout, a team of security researchers warned against enabling cloud backup in the app, saying it's not end-to-end encrypted. According to a product manager at Google, this will be fixed down the line.
How to make Google your default search engine on any browser
How to set Google Search as the default search engine in Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge, and Opera browsers on Windows, Mac, Android, and iPhone
Almost everyone agrees that Google Search is the best way to find information online. Whether you're looking for the best Android phone, how to travel with a minimal carbon footprint, or wondering what something looked like in the past, Google is your friend. For many years, Google has reigned as the most popular search engine with the most reliable results. Despite Bing's recent gains after adding an AI chat feature, Google Search is still the undisputed leader.
Google gets legal approval to utterly wreck CryptBot malware
An international restraining order is no substitute for safe browsing practices
Companies like Google play a critical role in keeping software users safe in the ever-evolving world of modern cybersecurity. While oftentimes that takes a technical approach, plugging vulnerabilities prone to exploitation, it can also involve legal efforts to drag bad actors to justice. Right now, we're looking at a mix of both of those, as Google moves against the distributors of the CryptBot malware, with a little help from the courts.
You can finally use Gboard's Emoji Kitchen stickers in real life
Google is selling sheets of emoji mashup stickers for three bucks a pop
The Gboard Emoji Kitchen is arguably one of the best things about Google's software keyboard. It lets you create practically limitless digital stickers by fusing your choice of hundreds of existing emoji, making for some cute and creepy combinations. Now, Google's bringing part of that experience into the real world with Emoji Kitchen sticker sets, which you can buy starting today.
Get the best look yet at the Google Pixel 7a and its cases in new leak
The cases are likely to have similar colors as the phone itself
Historically, Google has unveiled its top-of-the-line Pixel smartphones in October each year, and we expect this to continue in 2023. Before autumn rolls around, though, we have another phone launch to get through. Leaks about the Google Pixel 7a have kept our eyes glued to the search giant's next budget offering, with one reliable leaker showing off official-looking renders of the next-generation device and a few phone cases to boot.
Google isn’t feeling the AI pressure in 2023 Q1 earnings
Google’s ever-growing search business is under pressure, but still proves to have healthy growth
Google announced its quarterly earnings this week, looking back at a surprisingly successful first quarter of 2023, managing to exceed expectations. Even though it’s a bit slow in the race to AI, hastily reacting to OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Bing Chat with a slapped together event, the company is still widely profitable, and its operations don’t seem to be affected by the downturn hitting businesses across the tech sector.
You may have heard a lot about artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) in recent years as the demand for each continues to rise. These two terms in the technology world have been tossed around for one specific reason: They take our device hardware beyond its physical limitations. For example, the best Android phones rely on an AI or ML model to achieve even more impressive photos from the camera. This guide discusses Google ML Kit and how it uses efficient on-device processing to improve our smartphone experience.
How to access your passwords in Google Chrome
They're pretty easy to manage once you know where to look
Traditional text-based passwords will likely stick around for a while, despite the rise in passwordless and biometric authentication options. Because of this, the best Android phones can only do so much to protect our online accounts. The goal for the future is to remove old-school passwords, but it will take some time before this trend becomes sufficiently widespread not to worry about passwords anymore. In the meantime, Google offers an updated Password Manager feature to keep our passwords safe and secure.
Best Google Pixel 7 screen protectors in 2023
Tempered glass to TPU films, we've got all the top screen protectors right here
The Google Pixel 7 is undoubtedly one of the best Android phones of 2023. After all, it has a powerful Tensor chip, solid cameras, and an enticing price tag. So if you have one, it deserves the best care. While an excellent Pixel 7 case is quite helpful in keeping the phone safe and sound, a screen protector makes equal sense if you want the included OLED screen to remain blemish-free.
Digital threats have become increasingly clever, and even the most tech-savvy people can be caught off guard. The number and variety of cyberattacks have also increased dramatically. If you've been putting off a security checkup, it's time to take action.
Google’s new DeepMind division wants to take ChatGPT head-on
The company is scrambling to catch up with Bing and ChatGPT
Ever since ChatGPT and after it Bing Chat took the internet by storm, Google has been scrambling to come up with a competent answer. The company quickly held a thrown-together AI event in Paris, even though it announced its big ChatGPT competitor, Google Bard, a day before in a blog post. In an effort to further streamline its AI strategy, the company has now announced a restructured DeepMind division, gathering its AI experts in one central place to accelerate development.
The Google Play Store will soon prompt you to update crashing apps
Google didn't offer a timeline for the feature's wider rollout
Being the stock app hub for Android smartphones and tablets, the Google Play Store is an integral part of the Android experience. It routinely gets new features and security patches that quash any existing bugs. The changelog from the November 2022 Play Store system update discussed a new prompt coming to the app market that would ask users to update a repeatedly crashing app if a new version is available. Months after we first learned of this, the company announced on its Android developer blog that it is launching the feature.
Google details how Play alternative billing could work in the UK
On today's episode of bending the knee
It seems like yesterday when Fortnite developer Epic Games dragged Google to court alleging Play Store billing practices for in-app purchases (IAPs) were unfair to app developers. Since then, legislators in various countries around the world have investigated Google’s practices and ruled mostly in favor of the app developers. Now, Google Play billing in the UK could change, leaving independent developers free to choose billing systems that suit them best.