Google’s grip on Android simply acquired rather a lot tougher to disregard.
Its default messaging app, Google Messages, surpassed 10 billion downloads on the Play Retailer this week, doubling its attain in simply over two and a half years. On the similar time, the Cellphone by Google app crossed 5 billion downloads, cementing its function because the go-to dialer throughout Android units.
That progress has been pushed partly by Samsung shifting Galaxy customers to Google Messages and Verizon making it a near-default choice for its prospects. With new options rolling out and billions of RCS messages despatched every day, Google’s communication apps have gotten more and more central to the Android expertise.
Sad about Cellphone updates
In the meantime, a latest Cellphone by Google replace has triggered detrimental person suggestions in response to a brand new, contentious automated call-screening characteristic that directs unknown numbers to voicemail. Some customers have complained about lacking calls.
For instance, earlier this month, one person wrote that “the app now strikes all calls from numbers not in your contact listing instantly to voicemail. What a horrible concept.’’
The person went on to say that “The prior model had name screening, which allowed me to find out whether or not I wished to display screen a name or not. I’ve missed necessary calls from well being care suppliers as a result of the cellphone by no means rings when a selected particular person inside a enterprise calls.”
The person characterised this as “completely ridiculous and overreaching,’’ and referred to as it “a nasty concept framed to seem ‘superior.’” The person urged that, if doable, folks keep away from downloading this replace.
Google replied that the message could be handed alongside to the workforce for evaluation.
New Cellphone options, Android safety points
Pixel units are primarily receiving new options, however all telephones characteristic calling playing cards and the Materials 3 Expressive redesign.
In January, Google fastened a rotation challenge within the Cellphone app with a “maintain portrait mode” choice within the show settings. Customers reported that their Cellphone app generally rotated mid-conversation, splitting the UI into two separate views and making a jarring expertise.
Options apart, Google issued a dire safety warning in February about older Android units.
Different apps with 10b downloads
Google shares the excellence of greater than 10 billion downloads with a few of its different apps and several other different first-party apps.
They embrace: the Google (Search) app, YouTube, Google Photographs, Google Chrome, Gmail, Gboard, Google Drive, Google Maps, Google Meet, Google TV, Android Auto, Speech Recognition & Synthesis, Android Accessibility Suite, and Android Change.
Different apps with 5 billion downloads embrace: Information by Google, Google Calendar, YouTube Music, Contacts, Google Play Video games, Google Assistant, Digital Wellbeing, and Provider Providers.
For extra on Google’s increasing AI affect, try how the corporate is now rewriting headlines in Search outcomes.
