Once a year, Google organizes its developer conference with a rapid-fire stream announcement, revealing many of the projects that have been in the works behind the scenes.
You didn’t have time to see the entire two-hour presentation? We understand, which is why we’ve produced a list of the most important key takeaways from the event to help you understand it better.
Let’s get straight into what new announcements Google has done in the I/O 2022,
Google translate: Support for 24 new languages
Google Translate has added 24 new languages to its list of supported languages, bringing the total number of languages to 133. Eight of the 24 newly added languages are spoken in India. Assamese (North-Eastern India), Bhojpuri, Dogri, and Maithili are among the languages on the list (Northern India).
Mizo, Meitelon (or Manipuri North-eastern India), and Sanskrit are among the languages spoken.
The inclusion of these new languages also marks a technical milestone for Google and translate, as these are the first languages to be added using zero-shot machine translation.
It means that Google can translate between language pairs that have never been seen before and translate from one language to another without ever seeing an example. Google does acknowledge that technology isn’t perfect yet.
Google Maps get a new immersive view
Pichai also demonstrated a new immersive mode in Google Maps that allows users to explore specific locations using Google Earth images and Street View, but on steroids. You can not only explore cities but also look inside businesses. It appears to be extremely fascinating.
YouTube autogenerated chapters, transcriptions
Google has been able to auto-generate chapters for YouTube videos, but the company plans to add chapter markers to 80 million videos by the end of the year thanks to enhancements to the service. Google will soon begin rolling out automatic video transcriptions, making it easier to read through the video’s audio. This is a significant accessibility element as well.
Google docs get auto-summary
It’s an interesting feature. Google Docs will soon include a summary feature that provides you a cliff notes version of a large document so you can get a quick overview of what’s in it. It’s especially useful for those who frequently receive meeting notes or minutes and don’t want to waste time reading them.
Google multi-search functionality
Google’s most significant product undoubtedly searches, as the company demonstrated new tools and features for search at Google I/O. Take a picture of a part you need for a home repair and add “near me” to the query, and Google will identify the part in stock at a local business. Taking a photo of a plate of food is the same.
Multisearch Near Me will be available to English users internationally later this year.
Google lens
Google Lens can already recognize items filmed in a single frame, but it does not yet allow users to search for information about an entire scene in front of them. Google says that in the future, users will be able to pan their camera while using Google Lens to get quick insights into several things in a larger picture.
According to the company, this will be a significant advancement in the device’s ability to perceive and understand the world in the same way that we do.
Google Wallet: Store essentials like driving license and vaccination records
Google announced the launch of the new Google Wallet, which aims to standardize the way users save access to important items such as payment cards, tickets, boarding permits, studentIDs, and so on. Google Wallet will be available on Wear OS first, with support for payment cards.
Google assistants
- More natural
Google Assistant will now be able to recognize whether you have misspoken a command or need a moment to think about what you’re trying to say. The speaker on stage said, “Can you play that new song frommmmm……,” to which Google Assistant responded, “mmhmm?” “, while waiting for them to complete their thought.
- Look and talk
On Google Assistant devices with built-in cameras (such as the Nest Hub MAX), you will no longer need to say “Hey Google” before asking a question; simply glance at the device, and it will recognize your query using factors such as proximity/head orientation/gaze direction.
- Quick phrases
Nest Hub Max will now allow you to use frequently used commands that you have chosen without first saying the hot word. So all you have to do is ask “what time is it?” or “turn off the lights” into Google Assistant, and it will respond appropriately.
My Ad center tool
With My Ad Center, Google will give users more control over the ads they see, including the ability to control certain ad subjects directly.
According to Google, My Ad Center will give you direct control over the data used to personalize your ads. They will still be targeted to you (probably thanks to Google’s planned improvements with “Topics” to replace cookies), but you will be able to narrow the list down to be more relevant.
The ad types will be arranged into topical categories, and you can choose to view more or less of a certain category based on your interests. So, if you’re looking for sports for work but aren’t a sports fan, you might not want to see an advertisement for football—that type of thing seems possible.
There’s a whole section of My Ad Center dedicated to privacy, and ad personalization appears to be completely disabled.
What’s New in Android 13?
Although Android 13 has been in beta for a few months, Google took the time to go over some of the changes that users may expect to see when it is released later this year.
The material you are expanding to more regions of the interface will allow you to employ different languages for different apps.
Security is a big focus of Android 13, with Google highlighting its collaboration with carriers and device manufacturers to implement RCS, a technology that adds end-to-end encryption to normal SMS messages. Of course, the company took a shot at Apple’s lack of RCS support. Maybe with iOS 16?
Google displayed new Android 13 tablet features such as split-screen apps and drag-and-drop, as well as multitasking with paired apps. Google has also stated that 20 of its own apps would be updated to look and operate better on larger screens. During your search, Google Play will begin to surface tablet-optimized apps.
Conclusion
These are a few of the most significant key takeaways from Google I/O 2022. Apart from these, there are a few more updates; nevertheless, if we add them all, the article will become unending. That is why we have focused on the most important ones. For more digital marketing updates, stay tuned to Stellar Digital.
