Google wants you to stop saying ‘Hey Google’ repeatedly.
The Alphabet-owned giant is working on a feature that it probably wasn’t planning on revealing until their Google I/O developer conference on May 18, 2021, but the cat is out of the bag!
New Google Voice Shortcuts
According to the latest media reports, Google is currently testing a new feature that lets users stop alarms and answer phone calls on Android by simply using the word ‘stop’. You needn’t pick up your device or even wake up your Google Assistant by saying “Hey Google”!
This mysterious feature has popped up as a new setting called ‘Guacamole’ in the Google app for a few users on Android 11. You can use the Google voice shortcuts like “Stop,” “Snooze,” and “Answer/Decline the call,” respectively, to manage alarms, timers, and calls.
Now, if you’re thinking the feature sounds familiar, then you’re not exactly wrong. The Alphabet-owned tech giant had already included a similar Guacamole-like feature in its Google Home smart speakers and Nest Hub displays at Google I/O 2019. Google users have had the ability to say ‘stop’ to pause alarms nearly for two years already.
But that being said, there’s a host of new features that are arriving on Android 12, which is expected to be rolled out in September 2021.
What’s in store for you?
Key Features Of Android 12
- Android’s accessibility menu is also getting a massive facelift. The primary and most-used options will be laid out on the main page while the lesser-used options such as Display Size, Color Correction, Font size, etc. are being moved under ‘Text and Display’. Also, the horizontal lines that are used to separate the different menus will be removed in Android 12.
- There will be major improvements when it comes to scrolling screenshots. Currently, one needs to keep scrolling to capture a long screenshot. However, with the upcoming update, taking a screenshot will open up a new activity with an expanded view of the page. This will allow you to select the area you wish to capture manually. The soon-to-be-released feature is being dubbed the ‘Magnifier’.
- Android 12 will have an app pairing feature, an advanced version of the split-screen feature that gives users more control over split-screen apps. Using the app pairing feature, you can double-tap the centre to swap the positions of the open taps.
- For large-screen devices and foldable phones, a taskbar similar to that of Windows has been spotted in the developer preview of Android 12. This is an interesting addition as it forces the android launcher to show pages side by side on big smartphone screens.
This isn’t all. There are several other minor changes and tweaks that will be included in the stable release of Android 12. You can find out more details about them here. We will keep you updated on all future developments. Until then, stay tuned.
