Google Starts Issuing Stadia Refunds

With Stadia's looming demise in January, Google has began honoring its pledge to compensate consumers. The refund procedure began yesterday, and Google has issued a FAQ outlining how it works.

As previously mentioned, Google is refunding any software purchases made through the Stadia Retail (such as games, DLC, in-game currency, and current pre-orders) and hardware purchases made through the Google Store; physical store purchases cannot be returned. Hardware that qualifies includes:

• Stadia Controller
• Founder's Edition
• Premiere Edition
• Play and Watch with Google TV packages

Stadia Pro subscriptions will not be returned, although members can continue to play their Pro titles until the closure. Those who acquired a subscription on or after September 29, 2022 and were charged for it will get their money refunded.

Refunds will be granted in the same method of payment that was used to make the transaction. If that account is no longer available, Google will send an email with instructions for setting up an other means of getting the refund.

Users may have already received an email informing them of the status of their refund. Although payments are currently being made, this does not guarantee that you will receive yours today or this week. This will be a phased deployment that will last until January 18. There's no telling when you'll get your refund, so eligible customers should keep a watch on their inbox and bank account over the next several days or weeks.

Google Pixel 6a Coming This July For $449

The Pixel 6a should come as no surprise. The phone, which was introduced at Google's I/O 2022 keynote, is powered by Google's first "Tensor" AI processor, similar to the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro. When it hits stores on July 28th, it will cost $449. 

The Pixel 6a has the same two-tone casing as the Pixel 6, which makes it stand out in a sea of dull smartphones. Google has reduced the screen size to 6.1 inches, down from 6.34 inches on the 5a. Google claims it is around the size of the Pixel 5 as a result of this decision, as well as reduced enclosure materials. 

Most notably, Google's Tensor processor provides all of the same capabilities as the more costly Pixels. There's 5G support, Titan M2 security, and enough processing power to handle complicated tasks like Google's Live Translate. The Tensor processor is a "huge deal for a phone at this price," according to Rick Osterloh, Google's SVP of Devices and Services. It's certainly more amazing than the older Snapdragon CPUs that are often seen in mid-range phones.

The Pixel 6a, like the 5a, has twin rear cameras, but now includes a 12-megapixel ultrawide sensor in addition to the 12-megapixel primary camera. It retains the same 8MP front-facing camera as before. The Pixel 6a has an improved version of Google's Magic Eraser picture editing tool, as well as a Real Tone feature that will better capture the nuances of skin tones.

Google promises five years of security updates for the Pixel 6a, making it a good buy if you don't plan on upgrading frequently. The Pixel 6a phone will be available in charcoal, chalk, and sage cases, and pre-orders will begin on July 21st.

Google Teases Pixel 7 With Next-Gen Tensor Chip

Google recently gave an early glimpse of the Pixel 7 during its I/O 2022 keynote, ahead of its release later this year. While Google did not release many detailed features or components, the company did show off the Pixel 7's design, which retains the prominent camera bar that debuted on the Pixel 6. One enhancement for the Pixel 7 in 2022 is a redesigned frame constructed of recyclable aluminum that now stretches smoothly across the camera bar.

The regular Pixel 7 will have two back cameras, like previously, but the more expensive Pixel 7 Pro will include a triple camera array. Meanwhile, the phone will use a second-generation Tensor processor aimed to improve a variety of capabilities as as speech recognition, images, videos, and security. Unfortunately, there has been no news on pricing or an official debut date, so stay tuned for more information this fall. 

Google Developing New Pair Of AR Glasses

Google is developing a new pair of augmented reality glasses. At I/O 2022, the company teased the gadget by providing a brief video demonstrating some of its features. We observed a "early prototype" of the wearable transcribe a real-time dialogue, effectively generating subtitles for the wearer. Google also demonstrated the prototype converting an English discussion into Spanish, allowing a non-English speaker to converse with the Google employee speaking to them.

Google has not stated when it expects to release the wearable. Also the teaser video Google presented during its presentation featured wording at the bottom of the screen stating that what it was exhibiting was a "simulated point of view," implying that the final interface will appear far different from the one Google showed off. 

Android 12 GO Edition Will Make Phones Faster And More Efficient

Android 12 Go Edition has been announced by Google. According to the company, the OS for low-cost phones would make your smartphone up to 30% faster when it launches in 2022. This builds on Google's prior 20% improvement with Android 11 Go Edition. The launch animations have also been smoothed out, according to the company.

If you're short on space, a new feature in the operating system lets you save both battery life and storage by hibernating apps you don't use very often. You can also utilize Files Go to remove something safely and then restore it after 30 days. Meanwhile, Nearby Share has received an upgrade that allows you to save data by transferring apps between devices. Separately, if you ever need to translate a webpage, a newly added shortcut on the recent applications interface can help you do so quickly.

Android 12 Go Edition is all about privacy features, in addition to performance tweaks. The privacy dashboard from Android 12 is now available in Go Edition. It allows you to see all of the permissions that your apps have and revoke them as needed. You'll also be able to check if your phone's microphone or camera are turned on thanks to new privacy indicators in the status bar. With the update, you'll be able to restrict apps to simply viewing your approximate position rather than your precise location. You may now create a temporary guest account directly from the lock screen if you ever want to let someone use your device. When they're finished, Android Go Edition 12 will immediately reset your phone.

YouTube Testing A Cheaper ‘Premium Lite’ Subscription

 Google is testing a lower-priced YouTube subscription plan in parts of Europe that gives you ad-free viewing without offline downloads, YouTube Music and background playback. 

The plan costs €6.99 ($8.32) per month, the same as the student tier, whereas the normal price is €11.99 ($14.26). YouTube confirmed to The Verge that it's also testing the offering in Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg and Norway with local equivalent pricing. 

Google Shutting Down Internal Game Studios For Stadia

Google Stadia, Google’s video game streaming service, is shutting down its internal game development studios and refocusing on offering it to third-party publishers.

Google will close its two Stadia Games & Entertainment studios located in Los Angeles and Montreal. Google says it will try to find new roles at the company for those impacted.

"With the recent successful launch of Cyberpunk 2077 on Stadia, gameplay on all types of devices, including iOS, growing our slate of YouTube integrations, and our global expansions, it’s clear that Stadia’s technology has been proven and works at scale," Google's vice president of Stadia and GM Phil Harrison said in a statement. "Having games streamed to any screen is the future of this industry, and we’ll continue to invest in Stadia and its underlying platform to provide the best cloud gaming experience for our partners and the gaming community. This has been the vision of Stadia since the beginning."

Google states that players can still access their games on Stadia orStadia Pro, and that third-party games will continue to release on the service. It’s unclear how many third-party games Google plans on hosting on Stadia.

Apple Music Is Now Available On Nest Audio Deceives

Apple Music is rolling out to Google Assistant-enabled devices like Nest Audio, Nest Hub Max, Nest Mini, and more. To play music from Apple Music, first link your Apple Music account in the Google Home app. You can also select Apple Music as your default music streaming service. Then, all you have to do is say, “Hey Google, play New Music Daily playlist,” or “Hey Google, play Rap Life playlist.”

You can ask Google Assistant to play any specific song, artist or playlist available on Apple Music. You can also play your liked songs from your Apple Music library by saying, “Hey Google, play my songs” or “Hey Google, play my library.” If you have more than one compatible smart speaker or display, you can use the multi-room control feature in the Google Home app or on a Nest smart display to dynamically move your music from one device to the other, and even play music on all of the devices in your home by saying, “Hey Google, play music on all my speakers.” 

Apple Music began rolling out Monday on Nest and other Assistant-enabled smart speakers and displays in the U.S., U.K., France, Germany and Japan. 

Android Getting Its Own Version Of iOS AirDrop, Nearby Share

Google has unveiled its tool called Nearby Share that’s basically Android’s version of Apple’s AirDrop sharing feature. It’s now available for select Pixel and Samsung phones, with Google saying it’s continuing to “work with our partners to bring Nearby Share to more smartphones in the Android ecosystem over the next few weeks.”

Nearby Share will let you quickly send and receive files with the people around you and uses a mix of protocols. It’ll show you a list of devices near you, and once you select your recipient, they’ll get an alert to accept or decline your file. Nearby Share will also work with Chromebooks in the coming months and enable easy transfers between your laptop and smartphone. 

Google Pixel 4a Goes On Sale In Late August

Google has announced the Pixel 4a. The phone features a 5.8-inch OLED screen and a  Snapdragon 730G chipset with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage. It also packs a headphone jack and the same AI-augmented 12MP camera Google has been using in its flagship phones for years. There is one potential catch however, the Pixel 4a only comes in black. The Pixel 4a costs $350 and goes on sale on August 20th. You'll be able to buy unlocked models from Best Buy and Amazon in addition to Google itself, or from carrier partners US Cellular and Verizon.

Google Stadia Is Getting A Bunch Of Exclusive Games

During the latest Stadia Connect, Google announced a handful of Stadia exclusives and a few other notable games coming to the service. Google announced that it's working with developers like Harmonix (Rock Band, Fuser), Uppercut Games (Epoch, Submerged), and Supermassive Games (Until Dawn, The Dark Pictures anthology) on a couple of unannounced projects. The company didn't detail any of those projects, but it's nice to see that more studios are working on games that might drive people to the service. 

Finally, Google announced that the following games would be coming to its service soon:

• Super Bomberman R Online (First on Stadia; Fall 2020)
• One Hand Clapping (Early Access; First on Stadia; Playable in Stadia Pro once Stadia Connect is live) 
• Dead by Daylight (Cross-play all platforms; cross-progression with Nintendo Switch and PC) 
• PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds Season 8 (July 30) 
• Hitman and Hitman 2 (both September 1)
• Hitman 3 (January 2021) 
• Serious Sam 4 (Stadia and PC only at launch; August 2020)
• NBA 2k21 (Fall 2020) 
• Outriders (coming to Stadia in 2021) 
• One Hand Clapping (Early Access; First on Stadia; live with Stadia Connect) 
• WWE 2K Battlegrounds (September 18) 
• PGA TOUR 2K21 (August 21) 
• Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice (Fall 2020) 
• Hello Neighbor (September 20; Playable in Stadia Pro at Launch)
• Hello Neighbor: Hide & Seek (Holiday 2020; Playable in Stadia Pro at Launch) 

Google Offering A Free Nest Mini To YouTube Premium Subscribers

Google is offering a free Nest Mini to active individual and student YouTube Premium, YouTube Music Premium and Google Play Music subscribers. If you're the primary account holder of a family plan, you can also get a free Nest Mini. The promotion is open until June 30th, though Google warns it could end earlier if it runs out of supplies. At the moment, it appears that only people in the US can take part in the giveaway. 

PUBG And EA Titles Come To Google Stadia

Google has announced that PUBG and titles from Electronic Arts such as Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order are coming to their streaming platform Stadia. 

PUBG is playable now, including cross-play functionality, and is free to Stadia Pro members. Also available is the Pioneer edition ($39.99, and includes Survivor Pass: Cold Front and some exclusive Stadia skins) and standard edition ($29.99).

EA's titles are coming later this year and beyond. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order comes to Stadia in the fall, with the Madden and FIFA franchises to follow in the winter of 2020. A total of five EA games are hitting Stadia, with a press release from EA clarifying that the remaining, unnamed titles from the company are coming to the platform in 2021.

Other game announcements during the presentation include:

• The May 1st Stadia Pro free titles: Zombie Army 4, SteamWorld Heist, and The Turing Test. Thumper is leaving at the end of this month.
• First on Stadia titles: Crayta (free on Stadia Pro this summer), Get Packed (available now), and Wave Break.
• Embr is starting early access on May 21.
• Rock of Ages 3: Make & Break is coming on June 2 (the exact date was specified by a separate press release).
• Octopath Traveler is now available.
• Orcs Must Die 3 is coming this summer.

Apple And Google Team Up On COVID-19 Contact Tracing Tech

Apple and Google have announced a joint effort to help governments and health agencies reduce the spread of COVID-19. Across the world, governments and health authorities are working together to find solutions to the COVID-19 pandemic, to protect people and get society back up and running. 

Software developers are contributing by crafting technical tools to help combat the virus and save lives. In this spirit of collaboration, Apple and Google are announcing a joint effort to enable the use of Bluetooth technology to help governments and health agencies reduce the spread of the virus, with user privacy and security central to the design.

Since COVID-19 can be transmitted through close proximity to affected individuals, public health officials have identified contact tracing as a valuable tool to help contain its spread. A number of leading public health authorities, universities, and NGOs around the world have been doing important work to develop opt-in contact tracing technology. 

 To further this cause, Apple and Google will be launching a comprehensive solution that includes application programming interfaces (APIs) and operating system-level technology to assist in enabling contact tracing. Given the urgent need, the plan is to implement this solution in two steps while maintaining strong protections around user privacy.

 First, in May, both companies will release APIs that enable interoperability between Android and iOS devices using apps from public health authorities. These official apps will be available for users to download via their respective app stores.

 Second, in the coming months, Apple and Google will work to enable a broader Bluetooth-based contact tracing platform by building this functionality into the underlying platforms. 

Apple and Google says this is a more robust solution than an API and would allow more individuals to participate, if they choose to opt in, as well as enable interaction with a broader ecosystem of apps and government health authorities. Privacy, transparency, and consent are of utmost importance in this effort, and we look forward to building this functionality in consultation with interested stakeholders. We will openly publish information about our work for others to analyze.

 As part of this partnership, Google and Apple are releasing draft technical documentation including Bluetooth and cryptography specifications and framework documentation.

Google Cancels Developer Conference I/O

Due to coronavirus concerns, Google has cancelled I/O, its annual developer conference. The company has sent out an email to all attendees informing them of the decision. I/O 2020 was set to be held from May 12th to the 14th at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, California. All guests will receive a refund by March 13th, and will be automatically granted an option to purchase a I/O 2021 ticket.

Here’s an official statement from Google: ”Due to concerns around the coronavirus (COVID-19), and in accordance with health guidance from the CDC, WHO, and other health authorities, we have decided to cancel the physical Google I/O event at Shoreline Amphitheatre," the email states. "Over the coming weeks, we will explore other ways to evolve Google I/O to best connect with and continue to build our developer community. We'll continue to update the Google I/O website."

A #GoogleIO update.

Due to concerns around the coronavirus (COVID-19), we've decided to cancel this year's physical event at Shoreline Amphitheatre. It's sad that we won't be able to gather as a developer community but your health and safety is our priority. (1/2)

— Google Developers (@googledevs) March 3, 2020

Google I/O 2020 Happening May 12th - 14th

Google has announced that its annual developer event will return to the Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View. Google I/O will run from May 12th - 14th. In the past we've seen announcements focusing on everything from Assistant to Google Glass, so you never know with Google. 

Cosmos aligned. We'll be back at Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View for this year's #GoogleIO on May 12-14! pic.twitter.com/3bZqriaoi1

— Sundar Pichai (@sundarpichai) January 24, 2020

Here’s Everything You Need To Know About The Recent Google Event

During Google’s Made by Google event, the company revealed a ton of new products, including the Google Pixel 4 / Google Pixel 4 XL, Google Pixel Buds and a new Google Home mini, now called the Nest Mini. Here’s everything you need to know.

The Google Pixel 4 and the Google Pixel 4 XL and they both are the first smartphones to feature radar capabilities with Google's Motion Sense. This allows users to use their phones without touching them by sensing through materials and improving the gesture experience. It will know when you are reaching for your phone and can initiate face unlock, it can turn off your screen if you are not near the phone, swipes can skip music for you, and you can even wave your hand to snooze an alarm.

The Google Pixel 4 features 2 cameras and a new telephoto lens. Night Sight can now also be used for taking shots of the night sky. The Pixel 4's new Recorder app also "simultaneously transcribes speech and identifies sounds like music and applause." Google Pixel 4 features 6GB RAM, a 90hz display, and Pixel Neural Core, and Google's custom-built Titan M security chip. Google Pixel 4 will be available for $799 USD and the Google Pixel 4 will be available for $899 USD in three colors: Clearly White, Just Black, and the limited edition Oh So Orange. Both devices are available now.

Google Pixel Buds give its user instant access to Google Assistant and it features translations to foreign languages, Adaptive Sound that will adjust the volume depending on how loud the surroundings are. Google Pixel Buds also pair with Bluetooth 4.0+ laptops, tablets and iOS devices, and feature 5 hours of listening time on a single charge, with "up to 24 hours with the wireless charging case." They are also sweat and water resistant.  Google's wireless Google Pixel Buds will be available in Spring 2020 for $179.99 USD and arrive in four colors: Clearly White, Oh So Orange, Quite Mint, and Almost Black.

The Google Home Mini is now the Nest Mini and features a few upgrades from 2017's Home Mini. The Google Nest Mini has improved sound and bass that's "twice as strong as the original Google Home Mini." The Nest Mini also has LED lights that will only show when your hand gets near to indicate where you need to tap to adjust volume. Nest Mini will also dynamically adjust the volume of Google Assistant depending on background noise and can connect to other Nest speakers to build a whole home audio system. Stream transfer is also available and will allow users to move their music, audiobooks, and/or podcasts with them as they move around the home. The Google Nest Mini features the same design as the Google Home Mini and comes in four colors: Chalk, Charcoal, Coral, and Sky. Google Nest Mini is available now for $49.99 USD.

Google's Play Pass Subscription Service Is Available Now

Google’s equivalent to Apple Arcade, Google Play Pass has launched in the US. You can sign up now for unlimited access to a catalog of games and apps.

At $4.99 per month, Play Pass is an affordable way to access Android games like Stardew Valley and Risk or apps like Facetune and AccuWeather without having to purchase each one individually. There's also an introductory offer for a limited time in which you can get the service for $1.99 per month for the first 12 months.

If a developer's app is accepted to the Play Pass package, then their paid app becomes free for subscribers, in-app purchases are free and ads are removed. Revenue is paid out as "a royalty that incorporates time subscribers spend in their app and captures how users value all types of content."

There will be a Play Pass tab in the Play Store to help you find the app you want, and the subscription gives you access to the full versions of all included apps. An option for families to share a Play Pass subscription between up to five family members is also available. There's a 10-day free trial of the service available now, and it will be coming to countries outside the US soon.

Android Q Is Now Known As Android 10

Google has revealed the name for Android Q and it's not what you’d think. It's not named after any dessert that starts with the letter Q, Google has decided to simply call it Android 10. In a blog post, the company said it's changing the way it names its releases altogether in a push for greater accessibility. "We've heard feedback over the years that the names weren't always understood by everyone in the global community”.

Borderlands 3, Cyberpunk 2077 And More Are Coming To Google Stadia

Google Stadia arrives this November, and we now know more about the sizable lineup of games coming at launch. Google announced Borderlands 3, The Elder Scrolls Online,  Darksiders Genesis, Destroy All Humans 3, Mortal Kombat 11, Super Hot, Farming Simulator 19, Samurai Shodown, Grid, Doom Eternal, Attack on Titan 2, Windjammers 2, and Kine are coming to the service at launch. Also is should be noted that Cyberpunk 2077 and WatchDo Legion are also coming to Google Stadia.