Your phone's futuristic new search feature

And out-of-sight Android Contacts superpowers  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ [Android Intelligence](#) [Android Intelligence](#) Brought to you by: [HubSpot logo]()​ Look, I'm a skeptical guy by nature. It's not often I ooh and ahh over some shiny new smartphone feature, especially nowadays — when so many incoming "innovations" are far more impressive on paper than in practice. Today, though, I've gotta tell ya: I am oohing. And ahhing. And it's all because of the first discovery in this week's Things to Try section. That, and some simply splendid out-of-sight superpowers for interacting with your favorite friends and family from your phone, all await you below. But first — my, oh my, have we got some interesting new news nuggets to chew over... [JR Raphael, Author] JR Today's read: ⌚ 3 Things to Know: 1 minute ⌚ 3 Things to Try: 1 minute ⌚ Just for Funsies: 20 seconds ​ [] [3 Things to Know This Week] 1. Google Assistant's making a (kinda-sorta) comeback ➜ THE SHORT VERSION: After months of positioning Gemini as a full-fledged replacement for Assistant, Google's giving us a curveball and saying it'll keep Assistant around after all — only not on Android. 🔎 KNOW MORE: Google now says it'll keep developing Assistant for smart speakers and displays as well as TVs and cars while pushing forward with plans to shape Gemini into the sole on-demand assistant for Android. Wildly unnecessary confusion and inconsistency, here we come! 📌 READ MORE: [This exasperated rant reflective new analysis of mine]() explores why this is such a silly move and how Google could still set this ship right. --------------------------------------------------------------- 2. The Chromecast is kaput ➜ THE SHORT VERSION: As part of the same surprise announcement that included the Assistant admission, Google revealed it's axing its 11-year-old Chromecast brand and launching a more premium set-top box instead. 🔎 KNOW MORE: The new Google TV Streamer sells for $100 — a noteworthy hike from the Chromecast's $30 starting point. It's a shame to see the simplicity and affordability of the Chromecast fade away, though some of the Streamer's new features do seem intriguing. 📌 READ MORE: Check out [the official announcement]( and see [this interview-driven news brief]() for some deeper perspective on the change. Cast your vote... ​[Which discontinued Google service still stings the most?](​ --------------------------------------------------------------- 3. A tiny floating taskbar could be coming to your phone ➜ THE SHORT VERSION: Google added an on-demand taskbar into Android for tablets and foldables a couple years ago, and now, the company may be working on a scaled-down version of the same concept for phones. 🔎 KNOW MORE: The taskbar pops up when you swipe up from the bottom of your screen and makes it easy to open other apps — in full or in a split-screen — without having to go back to your home screen. It's brilliantly useful on large-screen devices, and it'd be a welcome feature for phones, too, though it isn't clear yet if or when it might actually launch. 📌 READ MORE: See [the still-under-development phone taskbar concept]( for yourself and look back to [this 2022 column]() to learn how you can try something similar on any phone today. SPONSORED MESSAGE ChatGPT at work: Cheating, or genius? 🤫 The old saying goes “work smarter, not harder,” and that’s what millions of professionals are doing with ChatGPT! [Kid in sunglasses singing while working on a computer]()​ Emails, article summaries, data analysis… ChatGPT can be used in nearly every field to save time + boost productivity. Want to learn how? [Download HubSpot’s free guide How to use ChatGPT at Work](): 🧠Learn the what’s, why’s, and how’s of ChatGPT’s capabilities ✂️ [100 copy ‘n’ paste ChatGPT prompts]() you can use today ⚙️ Automations for email, content creation, customer support, and more ➜ [Download the free ChatGPT guide and cut hours from your workday!]() [ACCESS 100 TIME-SAVING CHATGPT PROMPTS ➜]() ​ [] [3 Things to Try This Week] 1. Find your phone's futuristic new search feature My friend, the future is officially here. I’m not talkin’ about any overhyped generative-AI “creative text generation” gobbledygook, either. I’m talkin’ about a genuinely awe-inspiring and actually practical new search power available on any Android device this second — one that’ll make your life meaningfully easier and grant you all sorts of incredible new ways to learn about the world around you. ➜ It’s an upgrade to the Google Lens visual search system on Android that lets you point your phone’s camera at anything and then simply ask questions about it by speaking out loud. See? [A screenshot showing the Google Lens Android visual-spoken search system returning results for a question about when a specific phone came out] ​ Google first told us about this option way back in May​, at its Google I/O conference, and then rolled it out quietly as part of an under-the-hood Android app update just recently — without any fanfare or announcement. In other words, you'd have no way of knowing it even showed up and became available! ⌚ The update is already on your device, though, and it’ll take you 10 seconds to find and start using. 📌 [Here's how](). --------------------------------------------------------------- 2. Summon some out-of-sight contacts superpowers Your phone's Contacts app may not feel like the most exciting element imaginable, but don't be fooled: That simple-seeming setup holds some supremely useful powers. As usual, it's just up to you to find 'em. ➜ I've put together a fresh collection of eight Android Contacts tricks that'll save you time and enhance your phone-using experience in all sorts of interesting ways. ⌚ Each one will take you no more than a minute to dig up, figure out, and appreciate. 📌 [Have at it]() — and let me know which pointer ends up being most useful for you! --------------------------------------------------------------- 3. Check out a new contact-specific notification station Here's an interesting Contacts-related addition you probably haven't noticed: At some point in the not-too-distant past, Google updated its Android Contacts app widgets to include an intriguing new notification advantage. ➜ When you place an individual contact widget on your home screen, it now instantly updates to include any incoming notifications from the person in question — right there on your home screen. That means it'll show the person's face along with one-tap icons for interacting with them most of the time — and then, when you've got a new message pending from that person, it'll change to show that message and suggested options for replying instead. [A screenshot showing the Google Contacts Android widget, in its default state and with an incoming text message shown within it] ​ Nifty, no? ⌚ You'll need all of 12 seconds to set it up for yourself: - Just press and hold any open space on your home screen and select the option to add a widget. - Find and tap the Contacts section, then select the "Individual contact" option. (And note that this is all connected to the Google Contacts app. If your phone doesn't already have it, you'll need to [download it from the Play Store first](=).) - Select the contact you want. You can then press and hold the widget to move or resize it. And the next time you get a message from the person within it, it should show up right then and there — for easy-as-can-be viewing and responding. ​ SPONSORED MESSAGE [Cartoon dog reading newspaper]() Looking for more great content? Learn about everything from tech to finance, careers to health, and everything in between in these great newsletters! [SIGN ME UP!]() [] ​ [And Just for Funsies...] Tying into our talk about discontinued Google services from earlier, I was randomly looking through old apps from the past this week and happened to stumble onto an ancient Play Store listing that really brought me back. It's for an extremely early Google-made Android app called Places Directory. The [link to it]( won't even work anymore, unless you had the app installed on a phone at some point in the past. But goodness gracious, is that carefully preserved page a sight to see. I mean, just check out these screenshots: Holy Froyo, Batman! As its name suggests, Places Directory was a way to help you discover physical places around you — back when such a concept seemed novel and wasn't widely available in Maps, Search, and a zillion other sources. The app was last updated on June 26, 2010. Ahh, simpler times. T-minus 4 days and counting The 2024 Google Pixel and Android event is right around the corner now — this coming Tuesday. We're expecting to see a plethora of purty new Pixel products and, more broadly, get our clearest peek yet at the next phase of Google's grand vision for the future of Android and everything around it. We'll have plenty to think over here next Friday — that's for damn sure. Onward, ho! --------------------------------------------------------------- 📊 Last week's poll results: In our previous Android Intelligence reader poll, I asked which mapping service you use on your Android device. - A whopping 65% of you said you use Google Maps - 19% said you rely on a mix of both Maps and Waze - 13% reported relying on Waze only for all on-the-go guidance - And 3% voted for the mysterious "Other" option [A drawing of a Google Android robot in a car saying: "Other? That must mean MapQuest — right?"] ​ 🤚 Wait! Before you go: What'd you think of this issue? [Thumbs Up](=) [Thumbs Down]( Hit the thumbs-up or thumbs-down to cast your vote and let me know. Want less email? 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