2017-08 Android Devices SIG Notes Click here to return to the Computer Club’s Website

The Google Now Launcher or “Assistant”

1. Install the Google Now Launcher from the Play Store 2. When opening the App for the first time, you will be asked to set it up. It does not require any special permissions 3. You might need to change your default launcher. This true of Samsung devices 4. The first time you use it, you will have to work through the tutorial 5. You will find that the icons are now round 6. Touch and hold to change the background 7. To use it, swipe in from the left.

Features: ● Weather highlights are at the top “more” ● Travel Highlights: Provides flights, shuttles, cabs, etc ● Provides information about your location such as attractions, hotels, transportation, etc

Customize your Interests Sports and teams Television Movies Athletics

Stocks Actors and celebrities Stocks Public Figures

You will also receive stories about current events to read based on your interests To open or reopen, swipe in from the left. Swipe to the Left to close

The top menu icon ● Recent ● Reminders ● Might also have the options to customize your interests and manage your searches ● Also, may have ability to send feedback and help.

Get lucky This is more silly than practical, but it's pretty fun -- and it can be an entertaining way to kill some time by yourself or with others (hello, family road trips!). With your Pixel nearby, say "O K Google, I'm feeling lucky. " I'll let you find out what happens next.

Google flexes machine learning muscles with new features for Gboard (Google’s Keyboard)

Type the first two lines below into a Keep note.

I think I have to get two slices of bread and butter and jelly. I wouldn't have to do all this work for you. I wouldn't be able to

Note that the suggestions bar will suggest not only words, but phrases.

Type: “Look Forward”

Tap the > on left side then the magnifying glass and then s earch.

Run thru the other icons. Like emojis. You can search emojis by tapping the pen on the right of the emoji search bar then draw a pic.

Google has added some fun and helpful new features to G board, which highlight its latest machine learning capabilities. In a b log post, Google showed off a new doodle-search function for emojis, predictive phrase suggestions for texting, and enhanced results for searches made from within the keyboard.

Look for the enhanced feature to pop up in the latest update for G board in the Google Play Store. Hidden shortcuts for typing faster on Android if you're using Google's own increasingly compelling G board —formerly known as Google Keyboard—there's no shortage of useful possibilities lurking quietly beneath the surface.

Careful control of your on-screen cursor

Ever find yourself in the midst of typing something and then realize you need to add or change something several characters back? We've all been there—and trying to get that tiny on-screen cursor exactly where you want it can quickly turn into an exercise in frustration.

1. If you want even m ore precise cursor control, 2. tap the greater-than symbol in Gboard's upper-left corner and 3. then tap the "I" in the center of the top-bar menu. 4. That'll give you a series of arrows for positioning the cursor and 5. optionally also selecting, copying and pasting text.

Fast access to numbers and symbols

On the surface, Gboard seems to make it slightly difficult to get to special characters such as the underscore or the asterisk. But there's actually a super-simple way to find and access practically every number or symbol you could ever need.

All you gotta do is

1. touch your finger to the "?123" key and 2. then slide it upward across the keyboard. 3. You'll see a screen full of numbers and special characters instantly appear, and 4. you can then just swipe your finger (without lifting) to the one you want. 5. Once you let go, that character will be inserted into your text, 6. and the keyboard will go back to its regular QWERTY panel.

Some of the symbols —such as the parentheses, for instance—have even more special characters embedded within them.

1. You'll see an ellipsis (...) a t the bottom of their keys when you slide o ver them, and 2. if you keep your finger in place for a second or so, 3. you'll see a selection of additional related characters appear for your sliding-selection pleasure. Another bonus tip: You can make Gboard display all the basic special characters within its main keyboard interface, too—in the corner of each letter—so you'll know exactly where to swipe before you begin. That'll also give you the option of long-pressing any letter to pull up the associated symbol.

To enable that feature,

1. tap the greater-than symbol in Gboard's upper-left corner and 2. then tap the gear-shaped settings icon in the top-bar menu. 3. Select "Preferences," 4. then scroll all the way down and activate the toggle next to "Long-press for symbols." 5. Now all those crazy characters are right at your fingertips, whenever and however you want 'em.

Formatted fractions in a fraction of a second

Want to talk fractions without wasting your time? Long-press any number in Gboard to get a pop-up list of common fractions involving that figure.

And one more bonus: This'll work by first tapping the "?123" key and then long-pressing a number— or by using the swipe-to-get-a-number trick explained in tip #2. In the latter case, just touch and hold the "?123" key and slide your finger to the number you want. Let your finger rest on that number for a second or so, and any available fractions will automatically appear.

Play Store

You can install apps, games, and digital content on your device from the Google Play Store. Sometimes you can also use instant apps without installing the app on your device . Some content is free, some content you’ll need to buy.

Find and download apps or digital content

1. Open the Google Play Store app . (Note: you can also go to play.google.com on your PC. But, you cannot install them on the PC. Play Store apps are for Android Devices only! 2. Search or browse for content. 3. Select an item. 4. Tap Install (for free items) or the item's price. (If you choose to install an App that is NOT free, you will be asked for a credit card.) 5. Follow the onscreen instructions to complete the transaction and get the content.

For paid items, you can choose your payment method with the Down arrow . If it's your first time making a purchase, your payment method will be added to your Google Account.

If you're having trouble deciding what apps you need, Google Play has you covered. Check out this popular collection of apps for every purpose.

Click here for the collection of apps

GAMES FOR YOUR ANDROID Battle, race and puzzle your way to victory with a whole world of great games waiting for you to try.

Click here for the collection of games

Unlock your Pixel camera's potential The Pixel has a spectacular camera, but there's one asterisk to be aware of: By default, it won't capture certain types of content at the highest possible quality. To fix that, open your phone's Camera app, tap the menu icon in the upper-left corner, and select "Settings." Find the option labeled "Back camera video resolution," tap it, and then select "UHD 4K." (Remember, your Pixel comes with free unlimited photo and video storage on Google Photos, so you don't have to worry about how much extra space the higher quality format will take up.) While you're there, look for the option labeled "Panorama resolution" and change it to "High." If you ever take a panoramic photo with your phone (which you should, at least once!), you'll be grateful for the better quality.

Take photos without lifting a finger The new Google Assistant b rings some confusing inconsistencies to the realm of Android voice commands -- but along with that, it brings some handy new features to owners of Pixel phones. One of them is the ability to start a countdown and take a photo simply by speaking out loud. It couldn't be easier, either: Just say "OK Google, take a picture" to start a three-second countdown with your rear-facing camera -- or "OK Google, take a selfie" to do the same with the front-facing one. If you want to set a specific amount of time for the countdown, just add that into either command -- "O K Google, take a picture in 15 seconds, " for instance. (Or, any amount of seconds that allow you to be completely ready and looking your best!) And don't forget to smile, you good-lookin' son-of-a-gun.

Google’s New Slideshow Feature

Google Photos users can now start a slideshow from any album. The s lideshow feature is now available across both the web and Android versions of Google Photos, allowing users to kick off a slideshow from any picture in any album on the fly.

To start a slideshow, just head to an album, select a picture and tap the overflow (t hree stacked dots) dropdown menu. From there, simply select slideshow and you're good to go. And for a big screen experience, you can even cast the slideshow to your TV.