Five new Android features coming this winter

In the coming weeks, Google will roll out five new Android features that improve navigation in Maps, Gboard emoji mashups, Voice Access, Google Play audiobooks, and nearby file sharing. Google is also making Android Auto available in 36 other countries.

For starters, Google offers Maps a new Go tab that lets you quickly navigate to your favorite places without entering the address. Pin drive destinations to school or work, for example, and the Go tab will show directions, live traffic and disruptions, along with an estimated time of arrival. You can also pin your preferred transit route to see departure and arrival times and any delays directly from the tab. Google suggests pinning the driving and transit options to the same destination to see which gets you there the fastest. The Go Tab will begin rolling out to Android and iOS devices “in the coming weeks,” according to the company.

Next, Google is expanding these custom emoji sticker mashups available on Gboard from a few hundred unique combinations to over 14,000. The so-called Kitchen Emoji now allows you to tap two emoji to see the suggested combinations, or double up on one. only emoji to see “more intense” variations. Already available on the beta version of Gboard, Google says the new Emoji Kitchen will be available on Android 6.0 and above “within the next few weeks.”

Google is also making a change that could result in more audiobooks being released in the Play Store. Google says it is providing US and UK publishers with a new auto-generated storytelling tool that can be used to create audio versions of books that are currently lacking. The tool is currently in beta and should arrive at all publishers in early 2021.

Next, Google is offering its improved Voice Access navigation, already available in Android 11, on all devices globally running Android 6.0 and later. With the help of machine learning, Voice Access allows user interface elements such as buttons and labels to be more easily manipulated by voice.

The nearby sharing feature will also soon support direct sharing of Play Store apps with nearby Android users. Apps are sent using whatever method your two phones deem the fastest: Bluetooth, Bluetooth Low Energy, WebRTC, or peer-to-peer Wi-Fi. To share an application from Google Play, you must go to the “Share applications” menu in “Manage applications and games” and select the application to share. Your friend should then accept the incoming application. This particular update will begin rolling out in the “coming weeks”.

Finally, Google says it’s expanding support for Android Auto to 36 more countries over the “next few months,” bringing Google apps and services into the compatible car dashboard for anyone running Android 10 or higher ( Android 9 users can download the app).