Official Android Blog: April 2015

Official Blog

News and notes from Android team

Google Keep: Take notes on the go

Thursday, April 23, 2015

At the grocery store, juggling your shopping list with a gallon of milk, a basket of food, and your phone usually ends up with a “Spill in aisle 4.” Starting today, you can leave your phone in your pocket and view notes on your Android Wear device. Just start Keep from the app list or say “OK Google, open Keep” to begin browsing notes on your wrist. To take a new note, you can still use “OK Google, take a note.”

Swipe up and down to browse through notes, tap to view a particular note, or just tap the plus sign and speak to create a new note. You can also add reminders to notes directly from your Android Wear watch. With this update, Keep will support recurring reminders too!
We also recently launched the ability to add labels to notes in the Keep Android app and on the web to help you stay organized. Use labels like “Inspiration” and “To-dos” to never miss an idea or task.

So whether it’s taking notes on Android Wear, setting reminders, or adding labels to notes, use Keep to make sure you never lose a thought.
Google Keep is available for free on Google Play for your Android devices (Android 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich and above), the web, and the Chrome Web Store.Posted by Ranna Zhou, Product Manager and Chief Notetaker for Google Keep

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Labels: Android Blog

Android Wear: wear what you want, get what you need

Monday, April 20, 2015

Android Wearcustom watch facesrainbow of bandsAlways-on screen, always-on apps
When you buy a watch you want it to, well, tell the time. So most Android Wear watches include an always-on screen—no tapping, twisting or shaking required to see what time it is. Now we’re expanding this option to apps, so they can stay visible as long as you need them, instead of disappearing when you drop your arm. In either case the screen is only full color when you're actively looking at it—so you get the info you need, and you save on battery life.

Wi-Fi support

With GPS and offline music support, you can already leave your phone at home, then go jogging and jamming like normal. Now Android Wear supports watches with built-in Wi-Fi. As long as your watch is connected to a Wi-Fi network, and your phone has a data connection (wherever it is), you’ll be able to get notifications, send messages, and use all your favorite apps. And if you really do forget your phone, you can always ask your watch where it is.

Simpler, faster, and more smiley

When it comes to your watch, using apps should be as simple as checking the time. So today we’re making a number of Android Wear improvements to help you access your info, and express yourself more easily:

Got your hands full? You no longer need them to check your news and notifications. Instead you can just flick your wrist to scroll through the stream.

Your apps and contacts are now just a tap away from the watch face. Just touch the screen, and you’ll be able to start apps and send messages immediately.

: Can’t talk? Now you can draw hundreds of different emojis, directly on the watch screen. We’ll recognize your work (no art degree required) and send it via message or text.

These updates are coming to all seven Android Wear watches over the next few weeks, starting with the new LG Watch Urbane. In the meantime, there are plenty of useful apps and lots of beautiful watch faces—so find your favorites, and wear what you want.