Google

64-bit version of Google Chrome for Mac launches

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 19, 2014

After releasing 64-bit Chrome for Windows and a beta version of Chrome for Mac with 64-bit support back in August, Google today announced that the app is out of beta and available to everyone.

Public release of the 64-bit Chrome for Mac edition marks the end of the road for 32-bit NPAPI (Netscape Plug-in APIs) plugins as the Internet company now requires developers to provide their extensions with 64-bit support.

Most users shouldn’t be affected, however, because the vast majority of plugins and extensions are readily available in both 32-bit and 64-bit form. Chrome 39.0.2171.65 (Google, we need to talk about version numbers!) also includes more than three dozen under the hood changes for stability and performance and comes with a set of new APIs allowing extension developers to take advantage of new features.

YouTube app update adds new music homepage with YouTube Mix

Cody Lee ∙ November 13, 2014

Google updated its iOS YouTube client this morning, bringing the universal app to version 2.16.11441. The update is fairly minimal, but it does include a new music homepage and YouTube Mix integration, making the music listening experience on YouTube "better than ever."

The new music homepage allows you to do things like play albums right from search, and it will now offer you song recommendations based on your previous listening habits. It also allows you to listen to an endless YouTube Mix playlist, built using your favorite songs and artists.

YouTube unveils ad-free subscription service with background play, offline viewing and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 12, 2014

Google-owned YouTube on Wednesday announced a long-rumored service which lets you stream ad-free music, play tracks in the background through mobile apps for iOS/Android and on YouTube.com, mark individual music videos and other clips for offline playback and much more, in exchange for a flat monthly fee of ten bucks per month.

Dubbed YouTube Music Key, it's releasing in beta next week.

The service integrates with Google's existing subscription music service called Play Music (formerly Google Play All Access), which includes more than 30 million songs. If you'll be taking Music Key for a spin when it launches, Google will treat you to a promotional subscription fee of eight bucks per month.

Google Drive gains Touch ID, iPhone 6/6 Plus support, Storage extension and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 6, 2014

After adding passcode protection to Google Drive for the iPhone and iPad half a year ago, Google on Thursday added more coolness to the software.

First and foremost, the app now includes full support for iOS 8 technologies and can finally lock itself behind Touch ID fingerprint authentication.

And should you happen to own one of the new 4.7-inch iPhone 6 or 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus devices, Google Drive will take full advantage of the increased resolutions to show more files and content.

They've also added a new option to save videos from Drive to your device and implemented a handy system-wide Storage extension allowing you to access your Drive in almost any iOS 8 app.

Google Drive is available at no cost in the App Store.

Google Maps with OpenTable reservations, Uber integration and Material Design now rolling out

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 6, 2014

Announced yesterday, a much-improved Google Maps for the iPhone and iPad featuring Material Design appearance, OpenTable reservations, Uber integration and more is now rolling out in App Stores worldwide.

Featuring engaging animations, shadows and depth — courtesy of Google's newly-found design language for desktop, mobile and the web — Google Maps 4.0 promises to be the funnest version of the app to date.

The search giant says the layers and buttons “come to life so you know just where to touch to get directions, recommendations and imagery.”

Download the app now, give it a whirl and tell us how you liked it in comments.

Google Maps 4.0 is free in the App Store.

Google Maps for iOS revamped with Android’s Material Design UI

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 5, 2014

Keen on deploying Android Lollipop’s Material Design across its mobile apps on all platforms, Google on Wednesday announced a new version of Google Maps for the iPhone and iPad featuring engaging animations, shadows and depth.

The fresh new design is all about creating surfaces and shadows that echo the real world, the search firm said.

With Google Maps’ new material feel, layers and buttons “come to life so you know just where to touch to get directions, recommendations and imagery”. The update will be rolling out over the next few days.

Google Maps is available free in the App Store.

This Chrome extensions lets you open Google Drive files in compatible Mac apps

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 27, 2016

Google on Wednesday announced a new extension for the Chrome browser which makes it easy to open files stored in your Google Drive in compatible applications on your Mac or Windows PC.

“This includes apps like advanced image and video editing software, accounting and tax programs, or 3D animation and design tools,” wrote the search firm in a blog post.

Simply right-click on the file from Google Drive and select “Open with” to see a list of applications on your computer that can open it. The extension is called “Application Launcher for Drive” and you can download it for free in the Chrome Web Store.

YouTube now accepts silky smooth 60FPS footage captured on your iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 27, 2016

Announced four months ago at the VidCon conference, the Internet giant Google a few days ago began rolling out support for playback of YouTube videos recorded in 48 and 60 frames per second (FPS).

This is great news for both video creators and Apple fans, who can now upload their silky smooth 60FPS footage captured on their iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus to YouTube.

For those who have been sleeping under the rock, the new iPhones are capable of capturing full HD (1,920-by-1,080 pixels) footage at either 30 or 60 frames per second, depending on your preference set in Settings > Photos & Camera.

And with YouTube officially accepting 60FPS uploads, your high frame rate footage gets a treatment it deserves.

If you haven't shot any 60FPS video on your iPhone 6 yet, do it now — I guarantee you'll be amazed how smooth it plays back without any stutter, no matter how fast you pan the camera.

Google News & Weather gets iOS 8 Today widget

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 14, 2018

Nearly a month following its App Store debut, the search giant's News & Weather application for the iPhone and iPad has received a Today widget for iOS 8's Notification Center, along with a handful of bug fixes.

Bumped from version 1.0.232 to 1.1.276, the software now provides an at-a-glance overview of the top three headlines within the Notification Center, but no interactivity.

Google News & Weather is free in the App Store.

Disney’s Movies Anywhere out for Android, makes cross-platform movies a reality

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated March 2, 2018

In a somewhat ironic twist of fate, Disney is helping blur the lines between Apple's and Google's respective ecosystems with Tuesday's release of its Movies Anywhere app for Android, now available free of charge in the U.S. Google Play Store. That's right, the app now lets folks buy and enjoy Disney content on both iOS and Android devices.

The movie-curating app debuted as an iOS exclusive in February 2014 with support for free streaming of any Disney, Pixar and Marvel content previously purchased from Apple's iTunes Store. Any of the 450 Disney movies you bought using the app would immediately register as purchased inside the iTunes Store.

Now that Disney Movies Anywhere is available for both iOS and Android, not only can you watch your Disney movies across Apple's and Google's platforms, but also purchase any Disney, Pixar or Marvel Universe movie on Google Play and have it available on iOS and vice versa.

Native Google Calendar app with Material Design coming to iPhone soon

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 3, 2014

Fantastical, Sunrise, Readdle, Tempo... You can safely add Google to your list of stock calendar replacements on iOS as the search giant confirmed today bringing the native Google Calendar experience to the iPhone and iPad soon, though without providing a timeframe for availability.

Google currently does not have a Calendar app in the App Store, but that's going to change soon as it's now started rolling out a brand new Calendar experience to first Android 5.0 Lollipop devices.

“Yes, we’re also working on a version for iPhone,” the Gmail team said in a blog post Monday announcing the new Google Calendar for Android 5.0 with Material Design.

Google optimizes Play Music for iPhone 6 screens

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 31, 2014

Another day, another high-profile app receives its iPhone 6 focused update. After Apple optimized the WWDC app for the bigger iPhone screens, the Internet giant Google on Friday refreshed its Play Music iOS client with native display support for the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 and 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus screens. The refreshed application has additionally squashed several bugs and introduced “lots of little tweaks”.

Google Play Music is available free in the App Store.