Google unleashed an insane amount of news during its marathon keynote at the I/O developer conference today in California. A new music subscription service, Google Maps update, and messaging platform were just a few of the announcements.
Software and services was the name of the game at I/O this year, and here’s a roundup of everything Google unveiled earlier this afternoon:
Google Play Music All Access
Google’s rumored music subscription service finally exists, and it will cost $10 per month after June 30th (with a free trial). Sign up before then and it costs $8 per month. You can use All Access on the web or through the updated Google Play Music app. An iOS app for All Access hasn’t been announced yet.
Where to get: web, Google Play
Hangouts
Hangouts is Google’s new cross-platform messaging service. It’s a standalone app that competes directly with iMessage, Apple’s ubiquitous messaging platform. You can chat with multiple people at once and send media from any device. Everything is synced between devices by Google.
Where to get: Google Play, Chrome Web Store, iOS App Store
Google Now
Google’s assistant AI received some new additions today in the Google Search Android app:
For Android 4.1+ (Jelly Bean):
– Reminders (e.g. say “remind me to buy milk this evening”, “remind me to take out the trash when I get home”)
– Upcoming books, music albums, tv shows and video games you may like
– Real time public transit updates (select cities)
– Last train home (Japan only)
Where to get: Google Play
Everything Else
- There have been 48 billion Android app downloads to date, and 2.5 billion apps get installed each month.
- Google unveiled a few great tools for developers, including beta testing in Google Play, an integrated coding environment for making apps called Android Studio, cloud-synced game settings, and an educational section of Google Play.
- Google+ got 41 new features, including a multi-column design that adapts to different screen sizes. One of the big features is a new pop-up design for photos that sorts related media under hashtags. Also, there’s a built-in animated GIF maker, which is awesome. Each Google+ account now gets 15GB of free storage.
- Google Maps is getting a huge redesign on every device, including the desktop. A preview is available online now. The update will be coming to Android and iOS soon with search suggestions and live traffic reporting. An iPad app is coming this summer.
