We’re adding new features to Google apps on iPhones and iPads to help you get more done — whether you’re at work, at school or on the go.

New widgets will give you easier access to your favorite Google apps, while updated Chat and Gmail notifications can help you stay on top of important pings. Read on for more.

Translate over 100 languages from your Home Screen

The new Google Translate widget puts the app’s most popular features within easy reach — like taking a photo to translate text, using conversation mode to chat in two languages and translating copied text with a single tap. Plus, with the widget on your Home Screen, you can easily brush up on your language skills.

Get more work done on your iPad

If you’re using an iPad to get things done, the new XL widget for Google Drive will give you easier access to your important files.

Designed specifically for the iPad and rolling out next week, the XL widget will show more files right on the Home Screen. It will also have more shortcuts to help you quickly get to your Priority files and Shared drives — so that big presentation for work or final paper for school is right where you need it.

And XL isn’t the only option. With different Drive widget sizes available, you can easily personalize your iPad Home Screen — adding more or less Drive features depending on what’s most useful to you.

Never miss an important ping

Later this month, we’re updating the Gmail and Chat apps so that a sender’s profile photo will appear in your chat notification — making it easier to see who’s messaged you.

This update will also give you more control over which Chat and Gmail chat notifications break through Focus on your iPhone or iPad. This can be handy if you’re trying to cut down on screen time but don’t want to miss an important message.

Simply choose the contacts you want notifications from when Focus is on, and Gmail or Chat will do the rest — notifying you about those specific chat messages, even when other notifications are silenced.

Just got the new iPhone 13? Check out these tips to help you bring the best of Google to iOS.

Personalize your Home Screen

We know how important it is to get your Home Screen just right — and you can personalize it with our selection of widgets. With the right combination, you’ll never even have to leave your Home Screen to catch up on the latest.

For example, you can search the web, keep an eye on your commute, review your latest workout, and rock out to your favorite playlist all at once with our Google app, Google Maps, Google Fit and YouTube Music widgets.

Or if you have a busy work day ahead, you can choose to keep your Google Calendar, Gmail and Google Drive widgets front and center — plus any other apps you need to stay focused.

Starting a new school year? There are also plenty of widgets to help you have a productive day of studying. And you can easily place them around any other apps you need, like Google Classroom or YouTube.

Organize your favorite Google apps with Smart Stacks

If you prefer to keep your Home Screen clear of distractions (except photos of your dog, of course), give Smart Stacks a try. A Smart Stack of Google widgets will help you organize your Home Screen even better and keep your favorite Google apps at the ready.

Smart Stacks let you stack widgets of the same size on top of one another. Simply drag and drop widgets of the same size, the same way you do with apps to create a folder.

Set Chrome as your default browser for helpful Google features

When you click a link or open a website on your iPhone, you can get helpful benefits from Google by setting your default browser to Chrome. 

If you’re signed into Chrome and syncing, your tabs will sync across any of your devices using Chrome, and your saved passwords and autofill information will be ready to use. Not to mention, Chrome’s security features will continue to work in the background to keep you safe.

As the default browser, Chrome also integrates with Spotlight. So when you search for something using Spotlight, Chrome is helping you get the results you’re looking for.

We hope you enjoy these features — they’re designed to help keep you organized, updated and entertained with the best of Google on your iPhone 13.

Get ready to hit update. iOS 15 is here — and with it, many new features to improve your favorite Google apps.

Fewer interruptions when you focus

If you’re someone who gets non-stop notifications throughout the day, we bet you’ll enjoy the new Focus mode on iOS. Focus mode is really useful when you’re trying to get work done, study or just need a digital break. We’ve updated Google apps to work with Focus mode and make notifications as relevant and timely as possible.

For example, if you’re navigating somewhere with Google Maps, we’ll still let you know when you need to make a turn or if there are changes to your route — like road closures or unexpected traffic. Focus mode won’t silence these helpful, timely reminders.

Similarly, the Google Home app will let you know if there’s an unfamiliar face at your door. And if you set a reminder in Google Tasks that’s linked to a specific time, like “take the cupcakes out of the oven at 11:45,” we’ll be sure to notify you.

But notifications that aren’t as urgent or don’t require immediate action will go right to the Notifications Center, where you can check them whenever is most convenient for you.

In the coming weeks, you’ll start to see these new notification changes roll out across Gmail, Meet, Tasks, Maps, Home and many other Google apps. Try it out, your future self will thank you.

Bigger widgets for iPad

You’ve told us our iPhone widgets are really useful for accessing your favorite Google apps and features. Now, we’re bringing them to the iPad in a big way.

In the coming weeks, Google Photos and YouTube Music will roll out extra large versions of their popular widgets so you can easily access some of your best Memories and favorite music on your iPad Home Screen.

Easier access to Google on iOS

We’ve already made it easy to find what you need in Google Drive using Spotlight. And starting today, if you search for your favorite song in Spotlight, you can start playing it directly in YouTube Music.

The iPhone 12 comes out tomorrow, and if you’re getting ready to upgrade, here are 4 ways you can customize Google apps to get the most out of your new phone.

1. Personalize your home screen with our new widgets

Starting today, you can also add the YouTube Music widget to your iPhone. This puts your recently-played songs within easy reach—so you can always listen to your favorite tunes and get access to more than 70 million official songs.

Since the launch of iOS 14 in September, millions of people have taken advantage of our Search widget. It brings fast access to Search on your home screen, and includes shortcuts to different ways to search in the Google app. Lens lets you search what you see with your camera, Voice Search lets you hum to search to find songs, and Incognito can bring an extra level of privacy.

You can install the Photos, YouTube Music and Search widgets by following the simple steps below:

To install a Google Widget, first make sure you have the Google Photos app, YouTube Music app or Google app downloaded from the App Store. Then follow these steps:

1. Press and hold  on the home screen of your iPhone or iPad

2. Tap the plus icon on the upper left corner to open the widget gallery

3. Search for & tap on the Google app, YouTube Music or the Google Photos app

4. Swipe right/left to select the widget size

5. Tap “Add Widget”

6. Place the widget and tap “Done” at the upper right corner

2. Try Maps and YouTube Music on the Apple Watch

Many iPhone users choose to pair their device with an Apple watch—and having access to certain features with a flick of the wrist can be helpful in all sorts of situations. If you use Google Maps on your Apple Watch, you can get route estimates and  step-by-step directions to pre-saved locations without opening your iPhone. 

Our new Watch app for YouTube Music lets you customize your Watch face with YouTube Music playback functions (play, pause, skip) and gives recommendations for new songs based on your listening habits.

3. Choose your favorite email and browser service as default

When setting up your new iPhone, you can now choose which browser and email service you prefer to open by default, so when you open a link, it will open in Chrome automatically and when you click on a link to send an email, you’ll go straight to Gmail. Learn more about how to set Chrome and Gmail as your default browser and email service.

4. Enable advanced privacy features like Privacy Screen

If you use Google Drive on an iPhone or iPad, you might like a feature called Privacy Screen. Using Face ID or Touch ID on your iOS device, Privacy Screen will shield your files from view until it can verify it’s you. Privacy Screen is activated each time you close the Drive app and reopen it, or switch between Drive and another app. You can also choose to set a delay if you like, but we designed Privacy Screen to be a seamless check for sensitive information. It won’t slow you down, but it will make it harder for unwanted viewers to look at your files. 

We hope you get more from your new iPhone with these Google features—and stay tuned for more announcements in the coming weeks to make your iOS device even more helpful. 

The iPhone 12 comes out tomorrow, and if you’re getting ready to upgrade, here are 4 ways you can customize Google apps to get the most out of your new phone.

1. Personalize your home screen with our new widgets

Starting today, you can also add the YouTube Music widget to your iPhone. This puts your recently-played songs within easy reach—so you can always listen to your favorite tunes and get access to more than 70 million official songs.

Since the launch of iOS 14 in September, millions of people have taken advantage of our Search widget. It brings fast access to Search on your home screen, and includes shortcuts to different ways to search in the Google app. Lens lets you search what you see with your camera, Voice Search lets you hum to search to find songs, and Incognito can bring an extra level of privacy.

You can install the Photos, YouTube Music and Search widgets by following the simple steps below:

To install a Google Widget, first make sure you have the Google Photos app, YouTube Music app or Google app downloaded from the App Store. Then follow these steps:

1. Press and hold  on the home screen of your iPhone or iPad

2. Tap the plus icon on the upper left corner to open the widget gallery

3. Search for & tap on the Google app, YouTube Music or the Google Photos app

4. Swipe right/left to select the widget size

5. Tap “Add Widget”

6. Place the widget and tap “Done” at the upper right corner

2. Try Maps and YouTube Music on the Apple Watch

Many iPhone users choose to pair their device with an Apple watch—and having access to certain features with a flick of the wrist can be helpful in all sorts of situations. If you use Google Maps on your Apple Watch, you can get route estimates and  step-by-step directions to pre-saved locations without opening your iPhone. 

Our new Watch app for YouTube Music lets you customize your Watch face with YouTube Music playback functions (play, pause, skip) and gives recommendations for new songs based on your listening habits.

3. Choose your favorite email and browser service as default

When setting up your new iPhone, you can now choose which browser and email service you prefer to open by default, so when you open a link, it will open in Chrome automatically and when you click on a link to send an email, you’ll go straight to Gmail. Learn more about how to set Chrome and Gmail as your default browser and email service.

4. Enable advanced privacy features like Privacy Screen

If you use Google Drive on an iPhone or iPad, you might like a feature called Privacy Screen. Using Face ID or Touch ID on your iOS device, Privacy Screen will shield your files from view until it can verify it’s you. Privacy Screen is activated each time you close the Drive app and reopen it, or switch between Drive and another app. You can also choose to set a delay if you like, but we designed Privacy Screen to be a seamless check for sensitive information. It won’t slow you down, but it will make it harder for unwanted viewers to look at your files. 

We hope you get more from your new iPhone with these Google features—and stay tuned for more announcements in the coming weeks to make your iOS device even more helpful.