Category Archives: Google India Blog

The Official Google Blog for India

Now speak to your Assistant on Google Home in Hindi

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/as3-pwHgEOBZmr8de_-UKdR0OCgp-okgzy16FOJjkcMrL3qhGEipxP5gZjyrM3kaGgEvT6usGNnO9CJozMaDmWIRFXWD5JPFYeu9_9QLwmqpY4-Pnqk4WmANo0cSFOpenoLwksQA Purvi Shah Technical Program Manager Assistant
Since we launched the Google Home and Google Home Mini in April this year, we have been overwhelmed by the response from our many Indian users who are asking it to do everything from playing the latest news and songs, to getting things done around their home. Powered by the Google Assistant, with a simple “Ok Google” or “Hey Google”, you can get answers, pull up your favourite tunes, get a heads up on everyday tasks, or even control smart devices.


Beginning today, people in India can now talk to their Assistant on Google Home in Hindi.




Our team has been hard at work teaching the Assistant on Google Home to understand Hindi, and it will now respond to you with uniquely Indian contexts. The Assistant is already available in Hindi on your smartphone, and now you can also get hands-free help at home in Hindi to get things done in your world.


To set up your Assistant on Google Home in Hindi, simply open the Google Home app on your phone, tap the Account icon at the lower right corner, then tap Settings. Navigate to the Assistant tab, then select Languages, tap ‘Add a language’ and set ‘हिंदी (भारत)’ as the first language in the list. Just say “Ok Google” to start a conversation with your Assistant on Google Home––to start, try asking “आप क्या कर सक्ते हैं?” Note that you will be able to set your Google Home language to either English or Hindi -- both languages can’t be used together.


Stuff your Hindi Assistant on Google Home can help with
Tap into the power of Google to get quick answers with things like planning and mapping your commute, finding the latest weather, traffic or finance information. Try questions like “दादर तक पहुँचने में कितना समय लगेगा?” or “माउंट एवरेस्ट कितनी ऊंची है?”.


Or pull up your favourite tunes from music services like Google Play Music and Gaana, and listen to the latest news bulletins from popular Indian news sources such as Times of India, NDTV, Dainik Bhaskar, India Today, Aaj Tak and more. All it takes is a question like “बॉलीवुड के गाने चलाओ”, or “आज की खबर बताओ”.


Do you have other smart devices at home? Use Google Home to control and connect your home by voice, to speakers, TVs and other smart devices. For instance, you can control your lights with a simple “लाइट ऑन करो” as well as switches from popular home automation systems including Philips Hue and TP-Link, with more integrations coming soon. Can’t remember if you switched off the kitchen light before going to bed? You only need to ask, “क्या मेरी बैडरूम के लाइट्स ऑन है?”


And the next time you’ve got your hands full in the kitchen, get help with tasks like adding items to a shopping list. You can also get step-by-step instructions on whipping up your family’s favourite dish by saying “Hey Google, मुझे चॉकलेट केक की रेसिपी बताओ”.


With your permission, you can enable access to what matters to you -- so by just asking you can get daily information that is tailored to you. All it takes is a “Hey Google, मेरा आज का दिन कैसा है?” and you’ll get a quick recap on things like the weather, your calendar appointments, and news briefing from a source of your choice.


For an overview of all actions already available for the Hindi Assistant, you can check out this site.


This is just the beginning. Your Google Assistant on Google Home will continue to get better over time -- we can’t wait for you ask more of it.


बात करते रहो!

Posted by Purvi Shah, Technical Program Manager, Assistant

Towards Gender Equity in STEM through Relatable Role Models

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/p8jUSpk8ZBmJqDSVIgjG0EGfW1xph_ko7uyeebgSB13woDV3cz9qfxL3VteaJPCT_O4dvkEUIuD3v7mCFFQaEHYNIFN0GDH_Mqa2-Togr880sznwSHEv_QaliizQxgb7RsQLdikw Nithya Sambasivan and Saumya Mittal Researcher Google
At Google we know that diverse perspectives strengthen us as a society. We also know that one way to bring diverse perspectives to the table is to build a strong educational foundation for underrepresented groups in the tech industry. So we’re building programs and supporting partners that reach millions of students every year, with a focus on women who are underrepresented in the field today.


In line with this thought, Google strongly encourages women to excel in Computing and Technology and become active leaders in the field, globally. Women who want to pursue tech as a career do not always find relatable role models or community online due to existing gender disparities in representation, making equitable participation an uphill climb. The lack of community is especially pronounced for women from under-represented backgrounds and communities, such as women from smaller towns of India or those taking up doctoral streams in core sciences like distributed systems or nuclear physics.


The challenge with gender disparity in Computing is often attributed to the pipeline problem--staggeringly dropping numbers of women at various stages. For example, women make up 18% of Computer Science (CS) majors in the U.S., disturbingly down from 37% in 1984. However, the pipeline problem is not shaped similarly across the world.


India: High undergraduate entry, sharp declines in careers
India offers an interesting case study on gender parity in Computing. Indian women represent 45% of CS undergraduate enrollments--a commendable achievement. Yet, when it comes to advanced degrees and career growth, women experience a societal whiplash. Only 30% of CS Ph.D. enrollment is represented by women, and less than 6% of senior Computing professionals are women. To understand these surprising phenomena, a team of Google researchers, along with researchers from the University of Michigan, conducted qualitative research on the various life stages of thirty-nine women in CS in India.


Our research shows that women are encouraged, even coerced, into CS undergraduate degrees due to factors like job security, convenient work environments, and marriage prospects. However, the same socio-cultural factors work against women in higher degrees and early-career stages. Societal stigma faced by women with advanced degrees, housework responsibilities, workplace discrimination, lack of paternity leave, and unsafe late night IT shifts all lead to a precipitous exist by women in the CS workforce around the age of 30. The perception that women become ‘over-qualified’ to find a suitable partner causes many families to pressure women to drop out of or decline advanced degrees.


Relatable role models benefit the entire family
Our findings show that Indian women’s participation dwindles in advanced degrees or careers due to the shared view of women’s primary tasks being to raise families. A major challenge here is that successful and relatable role models are hard to find, especially when women are going against the grain. Relatable role models from similar life experiences, backgrounds, languages, and strata serve an important role for the entire family as much as they do for the woman scholar or professional. Role models enable a dialogue with the family and society on women’s independence and career choices, by pointing to successful women from the same community, making career growth seem accessible and non-threatening. The few women that have access to relatable role models consider them to be game changers in their lives, in choosing career paths and convincing families.


Announcing the Women in STEM video series
Today, we are highlighting eminent women scientists across Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) to bring forth as role models for young women and their parents across India. The scientists come from various parts of India, with diverse backgrounds. Each of them has an inspiring story about their life experiences and challenges, sharing what led them to a successful path. The video series and short film are part of Google’s efforts to inspire millions of young women across India to pursue their passion for STEM fields.


Check out inspiring stories of nine eminent Indian scientists in STEM fields


Towards gender-equitable computing
Our initiative is a small step in the complex societal issue of gender parity in Computing and STEM worldwide. A concerted effort is required to address the challenges. Parents and partners have to open up attitudes to women’s gender roles. Funding bodies should provide scholarships at the Masters and Ph.D. levels to enhance women’s financial agency in advanced education. Computing societies should develop a global outlook on STEM diversity. Within Google, the research insights are helping us build a more balanced workforce, through efforts such as promoting relatable role models from underrepresented groups across various levels and building sustainable communities through mentorship and Employee Resource Group programs. We hope that by bringing attention to the societal influence on women's education and careers, we can move towards a fair and equitable field for all.


To know more about Google’s commitments, including commitments towards supporting women and other underrepresented groups, visit https://www.google.com/about/our-commitments/


Thakkar, D.*, Sambasivan, N.*, Kulkarni, P., Kalenahalli Sudarshan, P., & Toyama, K. (2018, April). The Unexpected Entry and Exodus of Women in Computing and HCI in India. SIGCHI (p. 352). ACM.


By Nithya Sambasivan and Saumya Mittal

5 reasons to love the new Chromecast

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/uJ_Dwg_g96eXtKUqTx2d4oDIlfRzJ0gWzG1LhgMXEwC-02oRIvsaTMM3svbAvudvGkVoBf53g3rqVvyDPvti4oJ6jaBox7aNBzS2jM6nww0j6o9xQar1NYFuSyJwU_z3IQEonJAH Jess Bonner PM Chromecast


We launched our first Chromecast in 2013 with the aim to make it easy to get your favorite content right from your phone to your TV. With hundreds of compatible apps to cast from, people are tapping the Cast button more than ever. And since Chromecast, the Made by Google family of products has continued to grow, bringing the best of hardware, software, and AI together. So for this 5th year of Chromecast, we wanted to share the top 5 reasons we’re excited about our newest Chromecast:
  1. Fits right in. With a new design, Chromecast blends in with your decor and the rest of the Made by Google family.
  2. Stream hands-free. Chromecast and Google Home work seamlessly together. Just say what you want to watch from compatible services, like YouTube or Netflix, and control your TV just by asking. Try, “Hey Google, play Lost in Space from Netflix.” (You’ll need a Netflix subscription to get started.)
  3. Picture perfect at 60fps. Our newest Chromecast supports streaming in 1080p at 60 frames per second, giving you a more lifelike image. So when you’re watching the match, it will feel even more like you’re there.
  4. More than a screen, it’s a canvas. With Ambient Mode, you can personalize your TV with a constantly updating stream of the best and latest photos taken by you, your friends and your family from Google Photos. With new Live Albums from Google Photos, you can enjoy photos of people and pets you care about and skip blurry photos and duplicates -- all without lifting a finger. New photos will show up automatically on your TV -- no uploading hassles.
  5. And it has an MRP of just ₹3,499. So it’s the perfect gift this upcoming holiday season for the streamer in your life.
    The new Chromecast is available in Charcoal starting today exclusively from Flipkart, and comes with a one-year Sony LIV Premium subscription along with a six-month Gaana Plus subscription.
    So go ahead, #StreamOn!
    Posted by Jess Bonner,  Chromecast PM

    Meet the finalists of Doodle 4 Google 2018 from India

    https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/lyN9OllRLcEGTUB2GYiPSXOT45WWUUw9f5C_fREwmWf1_aavxg14Y5a5ZX1m7u9El1FIMHMegWf9TweH3gN8-5cfXLKk10WSIK-ieZaEe3CW0HeE0LvTDrQEvo1eSiolNxWvx636 Sapna Chadha Director of Marketing Southeast Asia & India
    Entries now open for online voting for users to choose the winner


    This year, we asked art loving students from Class 1 - Class 10 in India, to tell us “What inspires me?”, and we are indeed inspired to see their vivid imagination and utmost creativity. Thousands of children from across the country sent in their entries. Over 55% of the entries were from non-metro cities, including Visakhapatnam, Bhopal, Jabalpur, Kottayam, Bareilly and Bhubaneswar, proving that creativity has no boundaries.


    Today, we are glad to announce top 20 finalists for the annual Doodle4Google (D4G) 2018 competition. These children expressed themselves in unique ways! From a beautiful sight at the beach to nature’s tiny creatures; India’s farmer community to the Indian folk music; space exploration to learning from animals; children drew their inspiration using crayons, clay, and graphic designs.
    This year’s D4G participants are grouped into five categories: Group 1 comprising students from Class 1 to 2; Group 2 with students from Class 3 to 4;  Group 3 with students from Class 5 to 6; Group 4 with students from Class 7 to 8 and Group 5 with students from Class 9 to 10.


    These entries went through multiple rounds of judging, first by a panel of art teachers and then jury comprising of creative mastermind Arun Iyer, famous artist and YouTube Kids Creator, Rob (Harun Robert), India’s leading female YouTube Creator Sejal Kumar and our original doodle team lead, Ryan Germick. Details of the finalists along with their doodles are showcased at https://doodles.google.co.in/d4g.


    You get to vote for your favourite little doodler too! It’s time for you to show some love, and ensure their doodle is featured on www.google.co.in on Children’s Day i.e. November 14, 2018. Online voting to pick the final winner will start on October 23 and will close at 10:00AM IST on November 6. Finally, based on your votes, the national jury will pick the final winners.
    Here is the list of the 20 finalists from across India:


    Group 1: Class 1 to 2
    C Jayavant Kamesh, Sri Prakash Vidyaniketan, Visakhapatnam
    Shalom Keshet, St.Mark's Sr. Sec. Public School, New Delhi
    Aryamn Chitlangiya, Jayshree Periwal High School, Jaipur
    Shaikh Mohd Rufael Rizwan, MESCO Crescent English High School, Mumbai


    Group 2: Class 3 to 4
    Aarohi Dixit, Dolphins International School, Pune
    Patel Priyal Dilip, BKM Primary School, Bhopal
    Daksh Verma, Gaur International, Greater Noida
    Ankit Bhattacharya, Delhi Public School, New Town, Kolkata


    Group 3: Class 5 to 6
    Daniya Kulsum, Sri Prakash Vidyaniketan, Visakhapatnam
    Aritra Haldar, G.B. Memorial Institution, Kolkata
    B Sathwik, Sri Prakash Vidyaniketan, Visakhapatnam
    Yash Pandurang Shelar, Ramannaug, Pune


    Group 4: Class 7 to 8
    Pingla Rahul More, J B Vachha High School, Mumbai
    Manvi Jain, The Emerald Heights International School, Indore
    B Shreya, Kendriya Vidyalaya Ganeshkhind, Pune
    Aribah Fatima, Madina High School, Hyderabad


    Group 5: Class 9 to 10
    Dhwanit P Nagar, Swami Vivekanand International School, Mumbai
    Anika Goel, Global Indian International School, Hyderabad
    Aditi Shekhawat, Army Public School, Bengaluru
    Sujoy Swastik, KIIT International School, Bhubaneswar


    About the History of the Doodle:
    Over the years, doodles on the Google homepage have made search on Google more fun and enjoyable for its users worldwide. When doodles were first created, nobody had anticipated how popular and integral they would become to the Google search experience. Nowadays, many users excitedly anticipate the release of each new doodle and some even collect them!


    Doodles are known as the decorative changes that are made to the Google logo to celebrate holidays, anniversaries, and the lives of famous artists and scientists. Having a little bit of fun with the corporate logo by redesigning it from time to time is unheard of at many companies but at Google, it is a part of the brand. While the doodle is primarily a fun way for the company to recognize events and notable people, it also illustrates the creative and innovative personality of the company itself.

    Posted by Sapna Chadha, Director of Marketing, Southeast Asia & India

    A Final Update on Our Priorities for 2018

    Dear Creators,


    Since 2005, YouTube has transformed from a single video at the zoo to a global video library where billions of people turn to each day for knowledge, creativity and connection. Today, YouTube is a diverse community of creators who are building the next generation of media companies and drawing fans from every corner of the world. You are making history and changing the way people watch video, engage with each other and share their voice. I feel honored to help you do this, and I continue to be inspired by what I see.


    In the last year, the number of channels with over 1 million subscribers has increased by 75%. Each month, more than one billion fans come to YouTube to be part of music culture and discover new songs and artists. Building on that momentum, we’ve expanded YouTube Music to the UK, Ireland, Germany, Austria, France, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Russia, Canada, Denmark, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Brazil. We also rolled out three new stories on Janelle Monáe, J Balvin and Shawn Mendes in our YouTube Artist Spotlight series over the last few months. And we launched 13 YouTube Originals in the last quarter, including three in Germany and two in France.


    All of this is possible because of the creative economy powered by you. However, this growing creative economy is at risk, as the EU Parliament voted on Article 13, copyright legislation that could drastically change the internet that you see today.


    Article 13 as written threatens to shut down the ability of millions of people -- from creators like you to everyday users -- to upload content to platforms like YouTube. It threatens to block users in the EU from viewing content that is already live on the channels of creators everywhere. This includes YouTube’s incredible video library of educational content, such as language classes, physics tutorials and other how-to’s.


    This legislation poses a threat to both your livelihood and your ability to share your voice with the world. And, if implemented as proposed, Article 13 threatens hundreds of thousands of jobs, European creators, businesses, artists and everyone they employ. The proposal could force platforms, like YouTube, to allow only content from a small number of large companies. It would be too risky for platforms to host content from smaller original content creators, because the platforms would now be directly liable for that content.  We realize the importance of all rights holders being fairly compensated, which is why we built Content ID, and a platform to pay out all types of content owners. But the unintended consequences of article 13 will put this ecosystem at risk.  We are committed to working with the industry to find a better way. This language could be finalized by the end of year, so it’s important to speak up now.


    Please take a moment to learn more about how it could affect your channel and take action immediately. Tell the world through social media (#SaveYourInternet) and your channel why the creator economy is important and how this legislation will impact you.


    Please read on for an update on our priorities for 2018.
    Communication and transparency
    As I’ve written to you before, we’ve made a conscious effort to communicate with you more in the places where your conversations are taking place--social and video. Based on your feedback, we’ve also increased the number of product updates or “heads up” messages regarding changes to YouTube, including smaller tests or experiments, on our @TeamYouTube handle and the Creator Insider channel. And we continue to share helpful tutorials and inspiring creator stories on our YouTube Creators channel, formerly the Creator Academy channel. We’re working to increase these efforts. I’m posting more videos to my own channel and the Creator Insider channel just posted their 100th video!


    We’ve heard that you want communication from us in a simplified way and in one central location. To that point, we launched YouTube Studio, the new one-stop shop for platform news and product updates. This is the primary place for getting YouTube-related information, such as announcements about new features, creator academy videos and Creator Insider weekly news flashes. This easy-to-view dashboard is THE place you can go to find the latest news and will be the new homepage for all creators by end of the year.


    Finally, our leadership continues to meet face-to-face with creators around the world. Robert Kyncl and Neal Mohan spoke to creators from across Europe, the Middle East and Africa at the Creator Summit in Berlin. Robert continued his series of Creator Interviews with Caspar Lee in Berlin and Gautam Anand, Managing Director of YouTube APAC, sat down with Korean creator Dotty in Seoul. We saw incredible turn out at our Creator Summit in Seoul, with creators from across Asia Pacific, and we look forward to hosting Latin American creators at our final 2018 Creator Summit in November.

    Helping you succeed
    Monetization is the heart of your business. To that end, we released an update to our monetization systems this quarter, which improved the accuracy of monetization icons by 10%.


    In my last letter, I talked about our pilot to test a new video upload flow that asks creators to provide specific information about what’s in their video as it relates to our advertiser-friendly guidelines. Most creators in the pilot were able to accurately represent the content in their video, and it is providing more transparency to creators in terms of what type of content is suitable for ads. We hope to offer self certification to more creators before end of year and plan to expand broadly in early 2019.


    This summer, we announced Channel Memberships, and since then, we’ve seen thousands of creators take advantage of this feature. For instance, Wintergatan, creator of the Marble Machine, grew his revenue by more than 50% since adding channel memberships and is using it to fund his next generation Marble Machine and a World Tour. Gaming creator Markiplier increased his revenue by 20% and comedy creator Mike Falzone tripled his YouTube revenue. We’ve also seen creators use Memberships to support creative endeavours, such as TriStar Gym offering exclusive Brazilian Jiu Jitsu technique videos and Ola Englund offering guitar lessons online to members. Because of this success, we're accelerating the roll-out of memberships to more channels and lowering the subscriber threshold from 100,000 to 50,000 subscribers. We plan to expand memberships to even more of you in the months to come.


    Over the past few weeks, we've hosted three special editions of our NextUp camps designed to support up-and-coming Black, Latino and women creators. We received more applications for this round than any other before it. If you missed your chance to apply this time, please stay tuned for the next round. We are hosting two more in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil and St. Petersburg, Russia and plan to announce more in the coming months.

    Giving people more ways to engage
    Since we announced Premieres this summer, creators have been using this new feature to generate more views, more engagement and more revenue for their channel. For instance, Twenty One Pilots premiered their new video My Blood to more than 75,000 fans who watched it together and engaged over live chat and comments. One of our top gaming creators, TheRadBrad, tried it out and told his fans in his live chat that “it was one of the coolest experiences in my 8 years on YouTube.” And Linus Tech Tips’ premiere of his recent tech reviews was one of his best performing videos. I’m happy to announce that premieres is now available to all creators.


    We recently introduced YouTube Giving, a suite of features that allow creators and nonprofits to raise funds for causes they care about directly on YouTube videos and live streams. While these features are currently in beta, we’ve seen creators use them to create inspiring impact. Hope for Paws raised over $100,000 in the first 10 days, and over 12 gaming creators have teamed up with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital to raise over $125,000 throughout Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Our hope is to expand these features soon to more creators so that they can give back and support causes they care about.


    Finally, we’re building a stronger gaming community on YouTube with features, such as our new Gaming Destination, Gaming Creator on the Rise and dedicated pages for over 80,000 games. We’ll also be retiring the standalone gaming app next year. We know this change impacts a lot of you, but it will allow gaming creators to have greater access to fans while still providing a unique gaming experience.

    Tightening and enforcing our policies
    One of our biggest priorities from a policy perspective has been investing in the news experience on YouTube and tackling misinformation. In close collaboration with many of our news partners, we've rolled out a number of changes to address them. For example, we have worked to make credible sources more readily available to users and rolled out breaking news and top news shelves in 23 countries. We also hosted the first YouTube News working group meeting at our headquarters and used this opportunity to listen to news organizations, academics, and creators on how we can improve news on the platform. Finally, we’re supporting journalism with technology that allows news to thrive, including an innovation fund to help news organizations sustainably build their video capabilities. We know we have more to do to combat misinformation, and we will continue to invest in innovative solutions to address this.


    We also continue to provide updates to our YouTube Community Guidelines enforcement report, which you can read here.

    Learning and education
    Learning is one of the best parts of YouTube. In recent months, BookTubers came together for their annual BookTubeAThon, during which creators read books, shared their thoughts via their channels and inspired people around the world to do the same. We also saw “Study with me” videos gain popularity--motivating users to persevere through their own study sessions.


    We’re committed to empowering both the creators who want to share their knowledge with the world and the users who come to our platform to learn--from home improvements to the basics of physics to grammar lessons. Today I’m happy to announce we’re investing $20 million in YouTube Learning, an initiative to support education focused creators and expert organizations that create and curate high quality learning content on YouTube. Part of this investment includes a Learning Fund to support creators who want to build multi-session learning content for YouTube. If you’re interested in this program, please fill out this form.


    As part of our efforts to support creators who are sharing their knowledge on the platform, we also launched Learning, a new channel of curated tutorials, DIY videos, skill-based playlists, and other high-quality educational content from a range of creators. And we hosted three YouTube EduCon gatherings in Los Angeles, Mexico City and Rio de Janeiro. These conferences were great opportunities for Edutubers to network and learn new skills, and we’re planning to hold more conferences in new places in the upcoming year.


    At YouTube, we hope to give back. We’ve worked with Lilly Singh to support girls’ education and fight violence against children, and we teamed up with Priyanka Chopra, BB Ki Vines and MostlySane to encourage girls’ literacy and education around the world. Please take a moment to watch and support theses causes.


    Thank you for making YouTube an incredible source of creativity, knowledge and inspiration. As always, keep the feedback coming. I’m listening.


    Susan Wojcicki

    Yes, all girls can.

    https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-kUMrAQiPNBI/W77w0d_hI-I/AAAAAAAAFxw/fUG1CsEW0BcH1liYKvA6gICQ8Ee28ynGACL0BGAYYCw/h1280/2b9ef831-32bc-4497-8281-d80dce8f6d43 Priyanka Chopra GM and VP Guest Editor
    Entering the village school full of young girls, I was greeted by peals of laughter— there was a break in which they were all play acting—one was wearing a makeshift lab coat and playing doctor, another young one was wearing big glasses, holding a chalk in one hand, and was playing teacher, while one had made a huge tower from blocks and was pointing to her becoming a civil engineer and making big buildings. Where was I? It’s not important because I have travelled to the remotest villages with UNICEF across India and seen the same over and over again.


    Those smiles and their dreams, their trust in us, the faith in their dreams and role playing —have constantly reinstated my hope. Over a decade of working with UNICEF to empower the girl child, to ensure access to education for the girls, is working— maybe in small steps but the efforts can be seen. The statistics staring at us may be staggering but then, let us not focus on how big the numbers are. Worldwide, over 250 million children and youth are out of school, so the battle is global. Which means, more effort from all of us as a responsible society. If the battle is big, let’s match our efforts to that scale, and up the ante on how we can help reduce that number. Bring more smiles, send more girls to school, ensure less dropouts and empower every girl child’s dream.

    Today, on October 11, 2018, International Day of the Girl Child, I have teamed up with YouTube to highlight the importance of educating a girl child. What I love about it is that through this campaign, viewers will be directly linked to stories from NGOs making an impact all across the nation. Our goal? To improve access and quality of education for the girl child. And the best part? In an effort to truly make a difference in bridging the learning gap in India, Google.org – Google’s philanthropic arm, has announced a grant of $200,000 to UNICEF India to support their ongoing efforts… and I am so so grateful.




    Joining me this International Day of the Girl Child, are India’s popular YouTube voices -- Bhuvan Bam, Prajakta Koli and Vidya Vox. Together, we are reaching out to you to join us to protect those little girls with big dreams.

    By Priyanka Chopra

    Google Pixel 3. Make every day more extraordinary.

    https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/XxrotzJSqjXta9LOTjAR23YtYqIYVrpAaAjzc5bq6BfptrUU1M35J48-ROuOUTpeKZMsHbnLWctqCz27FCWQ-n7u3k0xKcGSgkBYedazL29f6ZlagSUghL8HJ2VGgmbY_98MHr_I Mario Queiroz GM and VP Google Pixel
    Today we’re introducing Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL, the new smartphones from Google. Pixel brings you the best of Google in a phone, powered by AI to deliver more helpful, thoughtful, and enjoyable experiences. That means a phone with a camera that uses AI to make sure you never miss the perfect shot, and a more helpful visual and audio experience while charging, powered by the Google Assistant.


    Brilliant photos every time and super-charged selfies
    We’re taking more photos on our phones than ever before, but we still often miss the perfect moment. Pixel 3 helps you get that perfect shot on the first try.


    Here’s how the best camera gets even better with Pixel 3:


    • Capture smiles, not blinks: A feature we call Top Shot uses AI to help you capture the perfect photo every time. When you take a motion photo, it captures alternate shots in HDR+, then recommends the best one—even if it’s not exactly when you hit the shutter, looking for those where everyone is smiling, with eyes open, and facing the camera. Top Shot automatically captures alternate shots in HDR+. If your timing wasn’t perfect, the camera will suggest a better one and give you the option to save it.
    • Get better zoom: When you zoom in on a phone camera, the image looks grainy. Super Res Zoom is a computational photography technique, traditionally used for astronomy and scientific imaging, that produces sharp details when you zoom.
    • No light; no problem: Pixel 3 lets you take natural-looking photos in dark surroundings, all without a flash. With Night Sight, coming soon to Pixel 3, you can take bright, detailed, colorful shots around the campfire, in a moonlit forest, or a selfie as you’re headed out of that dimly-lit club.
    • No selfie stick required: Get everyone in the picture with Group Selfie, which gives you 184% more of what you love in your selfies.
    • Look … no hands! Photobooth mode uses AI to recognize that when you’re smiling or making a funny expression, you’re ready for a selfie. It snaps the photo on its own so that you don’t need to reach for the shutter button—a good option for candids.
    • Even more stunning portraits, front and back: When you take photos in Portrait Mode, you can change the blurriness of the background, or change the part of the picture in focus, after the fact. Google Photos can also make the subject of your photo pop by leaving them in color, while changing the background to black and white.
    • Create and play: With Playground, you can make photos, selfies, and videos come to life with cameos from your favorite superheroes, animated stickers, and fun captions. In celebration of Marvel Studios’ 10 Year Anniversary, you’ll enjoy seeing the characters from the Marvel Cinematic Universe (exclusively on Pixel) react to each other and to you. New packs for Weather, Pets, Sports and Signs let you have everyday fun, and coming later this year, you'll be able to sharpen your dance skills with moves from Childish Gambino.
    • Super smooth video: When you want to capture something that won’t stop moving—think an adorable toddler or your new puppy—Motion Auto Focus will make sure your Pixel 3 camera stays in sharp focus automatically as you record, even through all the tail wagging. And if you happen to be taking a selfie video while walking or moving around, Pixel 3 brings you front-facing video stabilization.  



      Unlimited storage for all of your photos and videos
      With Pixel 3, you can save all your favorite moments with free, unlimited photo and video storage in original resolution*. It’s hassle-free, you don’t have to think about back-ups. Come back to Google Photos later and search for the beach photos you took on your Pixel 3, and they’ll pop right up.


      Your AI-powered sidekick
      The AI in Pixel 3 enables new features that make your day-to-day actions simpler and easier.


      If you want to know more about something you’re looking at, use Google Lens**, built right into the Pixel 3 camera. To scan and translate text, find similar styles of clothing, identify landmarks, popular plants and animals -- all in real time -- you can now long press in the Pixel 3 camera to easily open Lens. When you point your camera at information you want to remember or don’t feel like typing in—like a URL or QR code on a flyer or an email address on a business card—Google Lens suggests what to do next, like creating a new contact.


      You can count on even more help across other apps too, including Gmail’s Smart Compose, now available for mobile on Pixel 3. Smart Compose suggests phrases in your emails so that you can draft them faster, on the go. Gboard, the keyboard built into your Pixel 3, will recommend GIFs, stickers, and more, to make your conversations fun and engaging. Available first in English.


      The Google Assistant is also baked into Pixel 3 to help you find answers and control your phone and compatible smart home devices—all with a simple squeeze or just by using your voice.


      Digital Wellbeing
      Our phones, while probably the most important tech in our lives, shouldn’t control our lives. So Digital Wellbeing, a suite of tools to help you find your own balance with technology, is built into Pixel 3. It includes a dashboard to help you understand how you spend time on your phone, the ability to set time limits on specific apps, and a new Wind Down mode to help you get to sleep at night by gently transitioning your display to a grayscale screen. When you don’t want to be bothered by rings or notifications, just flip to Shhh— an easy gesture that turns on Do Not Disturb and minimizes distractions.


      Fast and wireless charging
      Pixel 3 comes with an 18 Watt fast charger in the box, which can give you 7 hours of use in 15 minutes of charging***. With our AI-powered Adaptive Battery technique, Pixel 3 prioritizes battery power for your most important apps to make your phone last all day.




      Alongside Pixel 3, we’re also introducing Pixel Stand, our new, Qi compliant wireless charger (sold separately). While charging in the Pixel Stand, your phone turns into a smart visual and audio experience powered by the Google Assistant. Features include:


      • An enhanced music experience on your Pixel 3 when charging. See your favorite artists' album covers on display while listening to their music and charging your phone.
      • While your phone charges, turn it into a digital photo frame with Google Photos and relive your favorite moments with family and friends.
      • Quick Access to your Google Assistant so you can get a rundown of your day, the traffic for your commute and listen to you favorite podcast just by saying “Hey Google, good morning.”
      • Smart home integrations to help you simply manage your home (coming soon.)
      • A gentler wake-up with Pixel Stand’s Sunrise Alarm, which mimics a sunrise on your screen over 15 minutes to help brighten your room so you can get on with your day.


        Pixel 3 is IP68 water and dust resistant and has a security chip custom-designed by Google called Titan M, making it the most secure phone we've built yet. Titan M enhances mobile security by protecting your unlock credentials, disk encryption, app data, and the integrity of the operating system code itself. Powered by Android 9 Pie, Pixel 3 comes with the latest Android operating system.


        You can choose from two sizes -- the 5.5-inch Pixel 3 and the 6.3-inch Pixel 3 XL -- and three colors: Just Black, Clearly White, and Not Pink. Both have the exact same feature set and include high quality Pixel USB-C earbuds and a USB-C Digital to 3.5 mm headphone adapter in the box. Pixel 3 comes with dual front-firing speakers tuned by a GRAMMY-winning music producer to turn your phone into a powerful speaker.


        Both smartphones will be available for pre-order in India starting Thursday, 11th October -- from ₹71,000 for Pixel 3 and ₹83,000 for Pixel 3 XL -- on Flipkart and at offline partners including Reliance Digital, Croma and other leading stores across India. Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL will be available for sale in India both online and in retail stores from 1st November 2018.

        Posted by Mario Queiroz, GM & VP, Pixel

        *Free, unlimited online original-quality storage for photos / videos uploaded from Pixel 3 to Google Photos through 31st January 2022, and those photos / videos will remain free at original quality. g.co/help/photostorage. Data rates may apply. You may opt-out at any time.
        **For available Google Lens languages go to g.co/help/lens. Requires internet connection
        ***Approximate battery life based on a mix of talk, data, standby and use of other features, use with always on display off and mobile hotspot off. An active display or data usage will decrease battery life. Wired charging: rates are based on use of the included charger. Wireless charging: Up to 10 W with Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL charging with Pixel Stand (sold separately). Actual results may vary.

        Book a ride with the Google Assistant

        https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/xSY8wGoxTfoLSAfMjBj_VVRyMs6NxmC0QS1VfyKJQN40-74jlZZSV-7--tQvBApr7SQNsop9KgK117QI_yVgkbrdlztffu6c9YxUD5VVDQL1lbc5rAMf5GyUm61B3UIxDLNsFVUA Vishal Dutta Product Manager Geo
        When my friends and I are getting ready to head out to dinner, there's always a moment when we stop to ask who is going to order our ride. Now, Google can take care of it. This week, we’re rolling out a new way to easily book ride services with your Google Assistant.


        With your Android phone, iPhone, Google Home, or any smart speaker with the Assistant, start by saying, “Hey Google, book a ride to the Bluebird Cafe” or “Hey Google, get me a taxi to Indira Gandhi International Airport.” You will then be given a list of popular ride services to select from, including Uber, Ola, and many more, along with more information on estimated pricing and wait times from each service. If you only want ride options from a single provider, just include their name in your request, for example, “Hey Google, get me an Ola ride to Gateway of India.”


        Then grab your phone and tap on your preferred ride service, and the app will open to let you confirm the booking. The feature will be available first in English and any country where one of our supported ride service partners operate. We plan to expand to more languages in the coming months.


        If you’re in a hurry and your hands are all tied up, you’ll now be able to use the Assistant to see all your favorite ride services in one place and pick the one that works best for you.

        Posted by Vishal Dutta, Product Manager

        First ever YouTube Pop-up Space Delhi opens its doors at Kingdom of Dreams and we’re also bringing the YouTube NextUp Camp to Delhi!

        https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/otAMrqbbCvjYNXcWRZ37siyQj0BOSLqxd9ywIY-EGmFqoVxjRvPeVjjxZ8iO2bR_gls8hHjRlbkb3jN-F0sOPbSRMWtw_cjnlkKrgrftr5X02miDZ5BF5uBzTPhJbtTVnBlJ7rs7 Marc Lefkowitz Head of YouTube Creator & Artist Development Google APAC
        Budding creators will get free access to three beautifully themed sets, and production equipment to produce original & innovative digital video content


        For creators looking to bust out of their bedrooms and onto the world stage, we’ve got good news for you. From October 5th - October 7th, we’ll be hosting Delhi’s first ever YouTube Pop-up Space at the Kingdom of Dreams, where creators will have the opportunity to utilize the venue to produce quality content. They will get free access to the state-of-the-art production equipment and themed production sets, to produce original and innovative high production quality content for their own YouTube channels.  Moreover, budding creators will be able to attend events and workshops that will help them improve their presence on YouTube and to collaborate or network with others creators and industry professionals.
        Creators at YouTube Pop-Up Space Delhi

        Unfortunately slots for shoots are already full up, but you can follow the action on social media at #YTSpaceDelhi and stay informed of the latest news about activities and events. If you’re a budding YouTube creator, you can find more YouTube creator resources at youtube.com/creators and learn more about the YouTube Spaces across the world at youtube.com/space.

        From the Hyderabad Pop-Up, we have seen tremendous success and introduced the world to Mahathalli’s first Web Series called Aha Na Pellanta, Lahari Music’s Swing Zara Fan Made Video Song and Chinese Bhel recipe by Kabita’s Kitchen.  We are excited to further nurture the creators from this part of the country.

        Alongside the Pop-Up, we will also kick off the first ever NextUp Creator Camp in Delhi, where shortlisted creators will get an opportunity to team up with production experts to learn about and perfect their camera work, lighting, sound, and writing skills. They’ll also get to hear from some of the NextUp alumni, including Sejal Kumar, Mumbiker Nikhil, Jordindian and Cafe Marathi about their journeys on YouTube and explore possibilities of collaborating with other fast-rising creators in the program. That’s not it, winners will also receive some cool prizes and support for production gear, channel strategy consultations, and invites to exclusive YouTube events.

        By Marc Lefkowitz, Head of YouTube Creator & Artist Development, APAC