AndroidAppsGood and EVO

Google updates a bunch of its Android apps: Here’s what’s new

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Google just issused a bunch of Android app updates today, and to make your life just a tad bit easier, we’ve gone ahead and rounded them all up for you. Here’s what’s new, with all the links you need to update.

Google Authenticator

This app embodies one of my favorite things about Google: Two-step verification. It’s also one of the reasons I feel OK about putting all my files in Google Drive. The latest update isn’t a big one, promising only miscellaneous bug fixes and UI enhancements (none of which I’ve been able to find myself), but since this is one of those things that keeps your Google account secure, you’ll definitely want to make sure you’ve got the latest version.

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Download: Play Store

Google Search (a.k.a. Google Now)

If you’re lucky enough to have a device running Jelly Bean, the latest update to Google Search brings a ton of awesome new features, including new cards. The official changelog really needs no explanation due to its awesomeness, so without further ado, here it is:

For Android 4.1+ (Jelly Bean), Google Search keeps getting faster, plus: New cards:

  • Events nearby
  • Suggestions to help with your research
  • Boarding passes from Gmail (United only, more to come)
  • Search by camera when at museums or shops
  • Weather at upcoming travel destinations
  • Approximate monthly summary of walking and biking activity

New voice actions:

  • Post to Google+
  • Say “What’s this song?” to find the song you hear
  • Say “Scan a barcode” to find product info

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Download: Play Store

Google Translate

You travelers and language buffs should be pleased to know that Google Translate now has text recognition via the camera for Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. (This makes it much easier to translate menus when traveling in these Asian countries.) The app also now supports handwriting recognition in Afrikaans, Croatian, Czech, Icelandic, Latvian, Lithuanian, Macedonian, Slovak, Slovenian, Ukrainian, and Welsh.

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Download: Play Store

Google Voice

I’m very happy to see that Google is still updating this app, because the lack of attention it has received until recently had me very concerned for the Google Voice service as a whole. Granted, this one isn’t quite as exciting as some of the other updates, but it does promise to fix the annoying inbox synchronization bug from which it’s been suffering – you know, the one that causes you to get duplicate notifications on every single device that Google Voice is installed on. (That was really annoying for a gadget geek like me.) It also fixes the SMS notification delay bug, although I haven’t actually noticed that one myself.

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Download: Play Store

…and more:

Apparently, Google also updated a bunch of other apps I don’t ever use, including Google Apps Device Policy, YouTube for Google TV, Google Catalogs, and My Tracks, and Zagat. But if you do use them, make sure to update now!

[Android Police]
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John F

John was the editor-in-chief at Pocketables. His articles generally focus on all things Google, including Chrome and Android, although his love of new gadgets and technology doesn't stop there. His current arsenal includes the Nexus 6 by Motorola, the 2013 Nexus 7 by ASUS, the Nexus 9 by HTC, the LG G Watch, and the Chromebook Pixel, among others.

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