Google is back with the latest crop of features for Android devices, and it incorporates live location sharing for Find My Device so friends and family can more easily keep tabs on you.
Typically, you would use Find My Device to locate lost or stolen phones. Find My Device is also compatible with a handful of smart tags, and you can then place these trackers inside everything from backpacks to luggage. Afterward, you can open the Find My Device app on your phone if those things go missing. Now, it’s also going to be possible to locate loved ones.
Sharing your live location works similarly to how it does in apps like Telegram. In the Find My Device app, you can hit a plus button to share your location, which shows up in the map view for others. You can designate how long you want to share your location with a handful of options, including 1 hour, all day, or even until you turn it off.
You can also choose who you want to share it with. Those people can then check on your live location for the duration you set. They will also get regular reminders. These will show up as a notification, so they’ll be hard to miss. This feature will begin rolling out on March 4 to all supported devices.
Live location sharing in Find My Device is one of four new features for Android
Today’s feature drop adds a total of four new features for Android devices, and one of the remaining three gives users another way to protect themselves from scams. Specifically from scams in text messages. Google Messages will now give users real-time alerts that a particular message is likely a scam. Messages will now actively monitor for suspicious responses in a message thread, and if it detects anything strange or suspicious, it’ll give you the alert.
The alerts pop up in the same message thread as well, with a button to report and block right on the alert. If you’re certain it’s not a scam, there’s also an option to designate it as such. Google also confirms that scam detection happens on the device locally to keep conversation privacy intact.
Android Auto is gaining access to a few different games
If you have a car with Android Auto, today’s feature drop will give you more ways to keep yourself entertained. Google says it’s adding the capability to play games using your car’s infotainment screen. You’ll need to have the game downloaded onto your phone to access it through Android Auto. These games will only work while you’re parked, but it should be a neat way for some users to make the most of their downtime while waiting in the car.
According to Google’s blog post, the first four games being added are Candy Crush Saga, Beach Buggy Racing, Farm Heroes Saga, and Angry Birds 2. Google doesn’t mention if other games will be added to the compatibility list. However, it seems likely that Google will expand the list at some point.
Chrome will now help you find the best deals when shopping
The last new feature being added to Android is a new way to tell if you’re getting the lowest price on something. When using Chrome to shop online, you’ll now be able to check things like price history. You will also be able to track price drops and compare prices across the web. If you’re looking for a specific product, these new insights will be available through a new indicator in the address bar (you can see this in the image below as a circular button next to the web address).
Tapping the indicator brings up a pop-up card at the bottom of the screen. There, you’ll see a price history graph. You can drag your finger along this graph to check the price over the past few months. There’s also a small bell icon you can tap to track the price. So you know when it drops. Additionally, there’s a link at the bottom of this card to see buying options.
