Google Photos is really good at recognizing people in a photo and grouping their pics together. It's one feature I've come to rely on to find all the photos I have of specific friends or family members and even photos of "person X and person Y and person Z" together. But there were still a couple of small things missing from Photos' facial recognition like the option to manually tag a person in a pic or the ability to see who Google had recognized in a photo from the photo itself, not their dedicated page.
But the latter is now implemented. Actually, it was implemented at some point in the last few versions: I can confirm that it wasn't there in 2.10.0.148909749 but it is live in 2.12.0.151124741, so it was added to Photos sometime between March 13 and 30.
One of the features we've been expecting WhatsApp to add is the support for mentions in group conversations. That way, not only you would be able to quote someone or some specific message, you'd also be able to directly address a contact inside a group to get their attention. This feature is now live in the latest WhatsApp beta v2.16.272.
When you're in a group chat, try typing the symbol @ and you'll get a list of all the participants in that chat. You can tap any of them or just type the first letters of anyone's name and it'll narrow down to them.
Google Photos may have started as a part of Google+, but since splitting into a standalone product, it has to move quickly to introduce new features and improvements to keep users engaged. The latest update to v1.5 didn't bring any visible changes to the app, but it does include evidence of some interesting changes we can look forward to in upcoming releases.
Since the launch of Android 5.0 last month, the sheer number of app updates has been magnificent – and downright overwhelming. Believe it or not, most of the new versions haven't done much more than add Lollipop support and splash a fresh coat of Materialized paint on the UIs. Seriously, we've been checking. This isn't entirely a bad thing, as it's giving me time to work on some other projects... You'll see soon enough <wink>. But, we've finally got something to talk about with the latest release of Google Play services 6.5. Strictly speaking, a few of tidbits to follow were actually first seen in different minor releases of 6.1, but we're putting it all together here.
Google has just announced its second new app in one day, releasing Google My Business to the Play Store. With the goal of "helping your business shine," My Business offers smart insights for your Google-connected business. From Google+ page insights to the ability to update your company's information, My Business helps you find and connect with "your people."
The app offers insights on your business' appearance in search, how users interact with you on Google+, and how you're displayed in services like search and Maps, with the option to update your information any time. My Business also has quick access to your Google+ page for quick business-related sharing on the go.
A new "People" section has popped up inside the Android Play Store app, and it doesn't require an update to hop into (we're still using 4.6.17). This corner of the market will point you towards other Android users, particularly those in your circles, and offer a look at what apps and content they're using. The area is accessible right from the app's sidebar, and it's significantly glossier than the similar "From familiar faces" section of the Play Store's home page.
The feature integrates with Google+, pushing you to follow users or view their full profiles. Within the Play Store app, the focus is entirely on content.
Perhaps the most time-saving key on the Android keyboard is the microphone, but using it is more hassle than it's worth when certain words just refuse to be recognized. More often than not, these words are contact names. Luckily, there is a way to trick your phone into recognizing even the most tongue-twisting of names. If you're tired of your phone turning "Demonte Jones" into "Demon's bones," just teach it to recognize the latter as the former. Granted, this might be a problem when you're texting a friend the location of a secret item in your favorite MMORPG.
Open up the People app and find your desired contact.
In its latest update (to version 1.17) though, the app underwent a bit of beautification, bringing it closer to a true holo standard. The redesign isn't perfect, but it's undeniably better.
File this one under How did Google not have a test for this? Got a birthday or anniversary in December? Sorry - Android 4.2 doesn't know what December is. Well, rather the People/Contacts app that comes stock and is part of the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) doesn't. Wait... what?
We couldn't believe it either, but it's true. Google forgot to include December. As in, there are 11 months in a year. January after November. Christmas is ruined. Santa is dead. At least we'll save money on buying presents, right?
We verified this on a Nexus 7 and a Nexus 10 running 4.2.