Google Play has always been about connecting you to the best apps, games, and digital content. Since everyone plays a little differently, we wanted to introduce a new way to enjoy many of these digital experiences: Google Play Pass. We’re excited to announce that Play Pass is coming to Australia.
Play Pass is a subscription service that gives you access to hundreds of apps and games that are completely unlocked—all without ads, in-app purchases and upfront payments. Play Pass offers a high-quality, curated collection of classic favourites like Sonic the Hedgehog to brand new titles like Levelhead, and from award-winning Indies like Stardew Valley to useful apps like Photo Studio Pro, with new apps and games added every month.
Play Pass is rolling out to Android devices in Australia this week. You can get started with a one-month trial, and subscribe for just $7.99/month or save with a yearly subscription for just $49.99/year.
Apps and games you already love, plus more to discover 
The Play Pass collection spans hundreds of titles, from games that help you unwind to apps that power productivity. We think the creators of Monument Valley put it best: “Play Pass helps encourage people to try new experiences they would not have otherwise," says Maria Sayans, CEO of Ustwo games.
You’ll find well-known titles like Terraria, Monument Valley, and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. And other amazing titles you might be less familiar with like LIMBO, This War of Mine, Teslagrad, and many more. With new additions every month—including favourites like The Gardens Between and Kingdom Rush, coming soon, and brand new releases premiering on Play Pass later this year like Bright Paw from Rogue and Line Weight from The Label—there’s always something new to discover.
To make all of these apps and games easier to find, we’ve added a new Play Pass tab for subscribers. Play Pass apps and games can also be found throughout the Play Store–just look for the Play Pass “ticket.” All apps and games found on the Play Pass homepage or throughout the Play Store with the ticket are completely unlocked with your subscription.
Share with the whole family 
Just as with Google Play Family Library, family managers can share their Play Pass subscription with up to five other family members in their Google Family. Each family member can access Play Pass individually, so your experience won’t be affected by what others download. Play Pass also has a great selection of family-friendly apps and games—from Sesame Workshop to Learny Land—so the whole family can enjoy.
Get started
Once Play Pass is available this week, you can start your trial by simply opening the Play Store app on your Android device, tapping the menu at the top left, and looking for “Play Pass.” You can learn more here. Have fun!

Posted by Zoe Hayes, Head of Apps & Platforms Marketing, Google Australia & New Zealand

In October, we introduced the all-new Google Pixel Buds—with high-quality sound, an unobtrusive design that fits securely and comfortably in your ear and helpful AI features. We wanted to make sure whether you're streaming content while working out or sitting in a noisy room talking on a conference call, you have the best possible audio experience. Today, Pixel Buds are available for $279 in Clearly White in Australia through the Google Store.
We sat down with some of the team behind Pixel Buds to learn more about what’s new, and also to hear how they’ve been using them.
Get started easily with Fast Pair 
“I always used to use wired headphones because I had concerns about the reliability of Bluetooth® connectivity, as lots of other earbuds have pairing problems, including the original Pixel Buds. With the new Pixel Buds, we focused on improving Fast Pair to eliminate these pain points and easily connect to your phone.”
 - Ethan Grabau, Product Manager
Clear calls with special mics and sensor 
“To give you clear calls, even in noisy and windy environments, Pixel Buds combine signals from beamforming mics and a special sensor that detects when your jaw is moving. This helps so you don't have to look for a quiet place to take a call. It’s come in particularly handy these past few weeks for me working from home with two young daughters.”
 - Jae Lee, Audio Systems Engineer
Adaptive Sound for better audio 
“Adaptive Sound is perfect for those moments like when you’re steaming milk for a latte, or when you're washing your hands or the dishes. Those noises can eclipse your audio experience for a bit, until the latte, or your dishes are done.”
 - Basheer Tome, Senior Hardware Interface Designer
“To help, Adaptive Sound temporarily and subtly adjusts your volume to accommodate for the new noise in your environment, and goes back to normal after it’s dissipated. It works kind of like auto-brightness on your phone screen: It momentarily adjusts to the world around you to make the experience of using your device a little simpler.”
 - Frank Li, UX Engineer
Hands-free help with Google Assistant
"When I’m working in the yard and wearing gloves, I can use ’Hey, Google’ on my Pixel Buds and easily control my music. I can also hear my notifications, and reply to a text message with just my voice and Google Assistant.
"And when I'm taking my dog on our daily walk and using my Pixel Buds, I use Google Assistant to navigate and check my fitness progress hands-free while juggling a leash and bag of dog treats. The Pixel Buds are slim enough they fit snag-free under a hat or hoodie, too."
 - Max Ohlendorf, Technology Manager
Real-time translations with conversation mode
“We set out to see how we could use Google Translate on Pixel Buds to reduce language barriers. Making the conversation as natural as possible even with the use of the phone was important, so we decided to create the split screen UI to show exactly what was being said, and translating it in real time on the screen with conversation mode. Any exposure to a different language is also an opportunity to learn, so we wanted to make the feature is not only as helpful as possible for things like being in a different country, but also as simple as being able to help bilingual households across generations connect through language.”
 - Tricia Fu, Product Manager
Peace of mind with Find My Device
“The fear of losing expensive wireless earbuds is real, and in many cases a reason why people are afraid of trying them. We tried to reduce that fear a bit with Find My Device. If an earbud falls out when you’re walking or running, you know right away. But you may be less aware when you return home and absentmindedly put them down somewhere. So we built the ability to let you ring your earbuds from your phone. We also wanted to make sure we were thoughtful in what that experience is like. You can ring one earbud at a time, to focus on finding either the left or right earbud. The moment your hands touch the lost earbud, the ringing will stop. We hope people won’t need to use this feature often, but if they do, they can find misplaced earbuds more easily.”
 - Alex Yee, Interaction Designer
Like Pixel phones and other Google devices, Pixel Buds will get better over time with new features, including an update to Find My Device which will show the last known location of your earbuds. Check out more cool features on Pixel Buds and see which features will work with your device.

As we’re spending more time at home, many of us are looking online for inspiration for new shows or films to watch. But with so many great films and TV shows out there, picking the right one can be tough. Starting today, we’re bringing a new experience to Google Search in Australia that we hope will help you spend less time choosing and more time watching.

Now, when you search for things like “good shows to watch” or “what to watch”, you’ll see suggestions of what to rent, buy, or stream from a number of providers. At launch in Australia, we’ll surface recommendations of films and TV shows from Disney+, Foxtel, Google Play, Stan, YouTube and more - and we look forward to adding more streaming providers in the coming months.


Use the “Edit Providers” button to add which TV and movie subscription(s) you already have for personalized recommendations based on your subscription.

What you want to watch will likely change depending on your mood. You might feel like a drama or documentary one night, and the next day find yourself wanting something lighter. Even when you’re hankering for something specific, like “horror movies from the 80s” or “adventure documentaries about climbing,” Search will give you options.

In addition to finding recommendations in Search, with the “Watchlist” feature, saving shows for later has never been easier. After you search “what to watch,” simply tap “Watchlist” in the preview window for any show or film to add it to your list. You can navigate between your recommendations and the “Watchlist” tab so you won’t lose track of what’s already been saved.


This is just the first version of this experience, stay tuned as we add more interest categories and further updates in the coming months.

We hope this helps you plan your next night’s viewing, you might just find a new favourite!


Posted by Matt Sheets, Product Manager, Google Search