One of the ways that you can figure out what upcoming features will come to apps and even future devices is to do an APK teardown of a beta update. The Google app beta is now rolling out and so we get a peek into what’s in store for Google Assistant, including customization options for the voices and the hotwords, among many others. We also see an almost confirmation that the upcoming Pixel 2 will probably have a squeezable frame.
The new Pixel devices that will be released later this year have been rumored to have “squeezable frames”. An FCC filing for the Pixel 2 seems to have confirmed this. Well the APK teardown for the Google app beta also may have just confirmed further that this is happening, as it has the ability to “Squeeze for your Assistant”. What we don’t know yet is whether that’s the only function that the squeeze can do or if you can choose from other functions as well.
As for the Google Assistant, it looks like there are several new features that will be coming. Routines is a more advanced version of the Google Shortcuts introduced in I/O 2017. You will be able to initiate multiple things with just one command. There are also customization options for something called the Google Bar, including color, shading, and shape. There will also be more options for the Google Voice Assistant, as well as the hotwords to trigger it.
For those who have trouble sleeping, there will be “sleep sounds” to help you relax and get some shut-eye. It will shut off once you’re asleep. You will also get more commands when playing Podcasts on your device, like “Continue last played podcast.” But remember, all of these things are just in the teardown of the Google app beta, so nothing is guaranteed to show up in the stable app.
VIA: 9 to 5 Google
