My favorite Google app secrets

And the best buried Android 14 treasures  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ # Brought to you by: [Average Joe logo](=)​ Grab the nearest explorer's hat, my fellow curious primate: This week, we're going on an expedition. With Google's grand fall event behind us and Android 14 officially out in the wild, it's time to get back to doing what we do best 'round these parts and seek out sweet new ways to make whatever devices we're using a little more useful. It's my favorite thing to do. And in this week's Things to Try section, I've got some great new gems to share with ya. Check 'em out and let me know whatcha think — and keep that hat handy, too, 'cause we'll be needing it a lot more in the months to come. JR Come pick my brain on Google's latest gadgets. After living with the Pixel 8 Pro, Pixel 8, and Pixel Watch 2 for a week, I've put together some supremely detailed and candid impressions exclusively for our Android Intelligence Platinum Community — and I'm standing by now to field any and all questions about the new devices and what they're like to use. ⛔ No ads, no distractions, and absolutely no BS or beating around the bush. It's a whole new kind of in-depth, interactive, and independent journalism, and it's possible purely as a result of reader support. ➜ Come join the club and the conversation — and get ready to experience all sorts of awesome member-exclusive perks: [CLAIM YOUR SPOT IN THE COMMUNITY ➜]() Today's read: ⌚ 3 Things to Know: 1 minute ⌚ 3 Things to Try: 1 minute ⌚ Just for Funsies: 10 seconds [] ❱❱ 3 Things to Know This Week 1. Android's software support step-up is slowly spreading ➜ THE SHORT VERSION: Following Google's move to offer a full seven years of operating system and security update support for its latest Pixels, a Samsung exec has said his company is closely considering extending its support window for Galaxy-branded Android devices. 🔎 KNOW MORE: Remember last week, when we talked about how Google's move could — and likely would — have a ripple effect on the entire Android ecosystem? This is a promising first sign of such a shift shaping up. - So far, Samsung's plans are still pretty vague and uncertain. But a public comment that the company is at least looking at offering a longer period of updates can only be a positive thing. - We've seen these patterns play out before, both with Google stepping its software support window in the past and even more recently when Samsung was the one leading the charge. It may take time, but sooner or later, other device-makers invariably start to feel the pressure to keep up. - That's the beauty of having this kind of competition within a single platform. It forces all the players to keep upping their games to keep up — and that ultimately benefits us all as users, no matter which type of device we might prefer. 📌 READ MORE: You can get a closer look at Samsung's statement in [this short 'n' sweet write-up](. --------------------------------------------------------------- 2. Google's Assistant revamp is raising fresh questions ➜ THE SHORT VERSION: An unofficial first peek at Google's incoming Assistant overhaul makes the plans for this next era even murkier. 🔎 KNOW MORE: At its hardware event last week, Google told us it was working to bring its Bard AI chatbot into Assistant to create a whole new generation of virtual helper. - Thus far, Bard — like other generative AI chatbots — has revolved mostly around things like answering questions (with questionable accuracy) and generating text and images. - The leaked screenshot of the new Bardified Assistant follows that pattern and talks about the tool exploring ideas, creating, and understanding. - So how will that fit in with Assistant's current capabilities for phone and connected device control and other more functional, practical actions — especially considering that Assistant's only been getting less reliable with that stuff as of late? It'd be nice to have some answers and assurances, but so far, we simply don't know. 📌 READ MORE: Peek at [the first Bard-Assistant leak]() for yourself and revisit [Google's official (if info-light) announcement]( for further context. --------------------------------------------------------------- 3. Your Google-connected speakers are about to get better ➜ THE SHORT VERSION: After an awkward year of having Google actually eliminate once-present features in its Google Home speaker setup, the company is rolling out updates that bring back the ability to keep devices in multiple groups and then stream audio to any of 'em as you see fit. 🔎 KNOW MORE: This whole fiasco revolves around a long-running lawsuit against Google by the speaker company Sonos. - Following an earlier ruling in Sonos's favor, a judge just knocked down Sonos's patent claims and said Google did nothing wrong. - That means Google can bring back the advanced speaker grouping options it removed as a result of the initial lawsuit's ruling. - Man alive, this stuff is a mess — and it sucks the worst for us, as people who actually pay for and then rely on this technology. With any luck, this'll be the end of it, and the devices we bought will continue to work in the way they were initially presented. 📌 READ MORE: Google's [announcement about the ruling]( gives you all the high points of what's happening, while [this Nest Community Forum post]( explains what's changing now. #top SPONSORED MESSAGE Question: How do you achieve FIRE🔥? [Man in front of fiery scene smiling calmly](​ Sounds like something straight out of Pokémon, we know, but hang on: It actually stands for Financial Independence, Retire Early. In other words, you build your nest egg now so you can retire while you’re still relatively young (and then you can play Pokémon). The key to FIRE? Making whatever money you've got saved start working for you. Get this: An investment in the The Invesco QQQ Trust ETF between 2011 and 2021 would've grown by 560% by now — a nearly 6x return! Meanwhile, regular ol' savings accounts earn you less than 1% interest. Tsk tsk. ➜ Put yourself on the FIRE track by signing up for [The Average Joe](, a free 4x-weekly newsletter that simplifies the stock market for everyday investors — normal folks who don't speak the language of financial gobbledygook. The 5-minute, jargon-free newsletter covers only the stock market news you need to know to really make your money count. ​[Try out the free newsletter (with one click!) now]( and join 200,000+ everyday, average-joe investors getting FIRE’d up in all the right ways. [​GET THE AVERAGE JOE FOR FREE ➜]( #top [] ❱❱ 3 Things to Try This Week 1. Uncover Android 14's best buried treasures If you've got one of Google's Pixel phones, good news: You'll be seeing a snazzy-sounding update to Android 14 any day now — if you haven't already. And while this latest Android version may seem a bit ho-hum on the surface, you'd be surprised how much useful stuff is actually there and waiting to be found. ➜ I dug up a bunch of off-the-beaten-path Android 14 features well worth your while to explore — small-seeming but significant touches you'd probably never even realize existed if you didn't have the right road map. ⌚ Each of these elements will take you between 10 and 60 seconds to find and set up. 📌 I've got all the info you need in my hefty new two-part guide. [Start with the first five features here](), then [make your way to these next seven treasures]() to finish your expedition. 🚥 Android 14 is in the midst of rolling out to all currently supported Pixel devices as we speak. If you have a Pixel and haven't received it yet, hang tight: Google sends updates like these out in waves so they reach a subset of users every few days. You should be seeing it soon! ⌛ And if you have any other type of Android device, stay tuned. It's up to each device-maker to process and send software updates out to its users, so...hopefully they'll all start to catch up before long. --------------------------------------------------------------- 2. Grant yourself real-world magnification superpowers Here's a neat new possibility to play around with: ➜ Google's got a new Magnifier app that lets you zoom into far-away text or objects with your phone's camera and then apply all sorts of helpful enhancements to make 'em easier to see. See? [Google Magnifier app] ​ The app is available for most Pixel devices, but if you don't have a Pixel, a third-party equivalent called Magnifier + Flashlight works in a very similar way — albeit with a fair amount of ads throughout the experience (though you can opt to either pay two bucks a year or watch an occasional full-screen ad to bump up to its Pro version and eliminate those interruptions). ⌚ Either one will take you 10 seconds to install and start using. 📌 Just [snag the Google Magnifier app](, if you've got a compatible Pixel, or [grab the Magnifier + Flashlight app]() on any other Android device — and get ready to zoom-a-zoom-zoom away. --------------------------------------------------------------- 3. Try out some of my favorite Google app secrets I fancy myself a modern-day Indiana Jones — only instead of adventuring through dangerous temples of doom, I mostly poke around on screens and try to find interesting out-of-the-way features. Hey, we all have our strengths, right?! ➜ This week, I put together a sprawling collection of the best easily overlooked options and possibilities through all of Google's most popular productivity services — a whopping 77 tips in all. ⌚ The entire list is pretty substantial, to say the least, but each individual tip will take you no more than 20 seconds to figure out. Some highlights: - You probably know you can snooze emails in Gmail (via the three-dot menu icon when an email is open, on Android) — but did you know you can customize what default snooze times come up by default? You do it in the settings of the Google Keep app, and those same times will carry over. Go figure! - In Google Calendar on Android, you can always return to the current date by tapping the box with today's number directly to the left of your profile picture, at the top of the screen. On the Calendar desktop website, the keyboard shortcut t will accomplish the same thing — while g will let you go to any other date in a flash. - When you're in the midst of navigating with Google Maps on your phone, you can use a bunch of special "Hey Google" voice commands — like: - What road is this? - How’s traffic ahead? - What’s my next turn? - What’s my ETA? - Find gas stations - Maps also has some handy hidden gestures, like allowing you to zoom in or out of any map view with a single hand by double-tapping and then sliding up or down on the screen without lifting your finger. 📌 You can [find my full collection of Google app tips at Fast Company](. Just be advised that the article is part of the site's premium program, which costs a dollar for three months of access (or you can also get six months of access for free as a perk of [an Android Intelligence Platinum membership]()). #top [] ❱❱ And Just for Funsies... Well, here's a hilarious tale: A woman named Siri has apparently had to [start going by a different name]( because of a recent iPhone update. The latest iOS software rollout, if you haven't heard, lets iLovers summon their subpar virtual assistant simply by saying "Siri" — no "Hey" required. And that means anytime anyone so much as says this poor woman's name, iPhones everywhere start chirping and chatting. Sheesh — that's rough. On the plus side, it's at least less bad than the fate of a woman named Alexa Seary (who, incredibly, is [100% a real person](=)!). Whew. Good thing we didn't end up naming our son "Hey Google." Close call. #top Toodle-Oo Hey, hope you have yourself a lovely and immensely enjoyable autumn weekend. Let's do this again soon, shall we? What'd you think of this issue? Pick a face to vote and let me know! [Loved it]([It was all right]([Coulda been better]( ​ ➜ Did you enjoy this issue? 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