Latest updates on Android’s custom ML stack

Posted by The Android ML Platform Team

The use of on-device ML in Android is growing faster than ever thanks to its unique benefits over server based ML such as offline availability, lower latency, improved privacy and lower inference costs.

When building on-device ML based features, Android developers usually have a choice between two options: using a production ready SDK that comes with pre-trained and optimized ML models, such as ML Kit or, if they need more control, deploying their own custom ML models and features.

Today, we have some updates on Android’s custom ML stack - a set of essential APIs and services for deploying custom ML features on Android.

TensorFlow Lite in Google Play services is now Android’s official ML inference engine

We first announced TensorFlow Lite in Google Play services in Early Access Preview at Google I/O '21 as an alternative to standalone TensorFlow Lite. Since then, it has grown to serve billions of users every month via tens of thousands of apps.Last month we released the stable version of TensorFlow Lite in Google Play services and are excited to make it the official ML inference engine on Android.

Using TensorFlow Lite in Google Play services will not only allow you to save on binary size and benefit from performance improvements via automatic updates but also ensure that you can easily integrate with future APIs and services from Android’s custom ML stack as they will be built on top of our official inference engine.

If you are currently bundling TensorFlow Lite to your app, check out the documentation to migrate.

TensorFlow Lite Delegates now distributed via Google Play services

Released a few years ago, GPU delegate and NNAPI delegate let you leverage the processing power of specialized hardware such as GPU, DSP or NPU. Both GPU and NNAPI delegates are now distributed via Google Play services.

We are also aware that, for advanced use cases, some developers want to use custom delegates directly. We’re working with our hardware partners on expanding access to their custom delegates via Google Play services.

Acceleration Service will help you pick the best TensorFlow Lite Delegate for optimal performance in runtime

Identifying the best delegate for each user can be a complex task on Android due to hardware heterogeneity. To help you overcome this challenge, we are building a new API that allows you to safely optimize the hardware acceleration configuration at runtime for your TensorFlow Lite models.

We are currently accepting applications for early access to the Acceleration Service and aim for a public launch early next year.

We will keep investing in Android’s custom ML stack

We are committed to providing the essentials for high performance custom on-device ML on Android.

As a summary, Android’s custom ML stack currently includes:

TensorFlow Lite in Google Play Services for high performance on-device inference
TensorFlow Lite Delegates for accessing hardware acceleration

Soon, we will release an Acceleration Service, which will help pick the optimal delegate for you at runtime.

You can read about and stay up to date with Android’s custom ML stack at developer.android.com/ml.

Source: Android Developers Blog

Split table cells in Google Docs to better organize information

What’s changing

You can now split table cells into a desired number of rows and columns in Google Docs. For example, you can create subheading cells by splitting the cell under a heading cell into two columns. We hope this highly requested feature improves upon your ability to organize information with tables in Docs.

Getting started

Admins: There is no admin control for this feature.
End users: To split cells, open a Doc > right-click the cell > click Split cell > enter the number of rows and columns you want > click Split. Visit the Help Center to learn more about adding and editing tables.

Rollout pace

Rapid Release domains: Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility) starting on October 17, 2022
Scheduled Release domains: Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility) starting on October 31, 2022

Availability

Available to all Google Workspace customers, as well as legacy G Suite Basic and Business customers
Available to users with personal Google Accounts

Resources

Google Help: Add and edit tables

Source: Google Workspace Updates

Tune in at any age with Google TV kids profiles

As a dad to a toddler, kids profiles on Google TV have been a life-saver in my house. My son has his own space to watch his favorite movies and shows like “Paw Patrol.” I can also decide what apps he watches, set ratings for him and manage his screen time.

But I know how I use kids profiles will change as my son gets older. We’ve learned that families have different preferences depending on the age of their kids. So today, we’re introducing three features that make kids profiles even better for the whole family, no matter what age your kids are.

Parent-managed watchlists

Have you ever been looking for something to watch and see a movie or show your kids might love? Now you can watchlist it for them. With parent-managed watchlists on kids profiles, you can create a “must-watch” list for your kids directly from your own profile. Just click on the movie or show, press the watchlist button and select your kids profile watchlist. The next time your kids are watching TV, their watchlist will be waiting for them right on their kids profile’s home screen.

Set up a parent-managed watchlist for your kids profiles

Google-powered recommendations

When your kids finish their favorite show, they might not be sure what to watch next. But with Google-powered recommendations on kids profiles, finding new things to watch just got easier. They can now discover popular movies and TV shows right on their profile’s home screen, based on the apps you’ve added and the rating settings you’ve set. We’ve also added a new “hide” button, which allows you to hide a title from the Popular movies or Popular TV shows rows you aren’t interested in. Just press and hold the Select button on the remote and select “hide.”

A Google TV screen showing Popular TV shows and Popular movie rows on kids profiles

Discover popular movies and TV shows on kids profiles

Choose how your family watches YouTube

Families visit YouTube to have fun, learn, explore new interests and dive deeper into the things they love. If you have older kids in your home that are ready to move on from YouTube Kids, Google TV now supports a supervised experience on YouTube, so they can start exploring more of what YouTube has to offer with their Google TV kids profile. This experience comes with content settings for pre-teens and older, adjusts the features your child can use, and lets you block channels and manage additional controls through the YouTube mobile app.

A Google TV screen showing that the YouTube app is now available on kids profiles, in addition to YouTube Kids.

A supervised experience on YouTube is now available on kids profiles

These new features on Google TV kids profiles will start rolling out today and will be complete over the next few weeks on the new Chromecast with Google TV and other Google TV devices including Hisense, Philips, Sony and TCL.

Source: The Official Google Blog

A new look for Family Link, plus new features to stay safer

Five years ago, we introduced Family Link to give families tools that respect their individual choices with technology and enable them to create healthy, positive digital habits. Since then, we’ve seen how Family Link’s controls and settings, including screen time limits and content filters to find age-appropriate content, have helped families across the world find the right balance for them.

Today, we are announcing a new Family Link experience that offers the same flexibility and choice, and helps make it easier for you to keep your family safer online.

A new experience, streamlined for parents

The Family Link app UI is shown on a Pixel 7 phone. The gif shows the Highlights tab which has insights and snapshots of the child’s activity, the Controls tab where users can set controls and manage settings, and the Location tab that shows a map with the location of the user’s children.

We have redesigned Family Link to bring our most-used tools to the forefront. Parents will find their favorite features (like screen time limits and blocking and approving apps) in an all-new experience, and a central place for viewing requests and notifications. We’re also bringing new features that parents are asking for.

Parents have told us that some of Family Link’s most helpful features are tools to manage screen time and guide kids to age-appropriate content. Now, we’ve made them easier to use. The Controls tab enables parents to supervise with the ability to set screen time limits for each device or for specific apps, set content restrictions and manage app data permissions.

We understand there are times when you just want to temporarily change screen time settings in case your child needs a bit more time, like if you’re on a vacation or they simply must finish the last two minutes of their favorite show. Parents can now set “Today Only” screen time limits that override general screen time settings, and adjust them for one day without changing the rest of the settings and limits.

The user is setting a one-day screen time limit in the Family Link app.

Having peace of mind about where your child is goes a long way. On the Location tab, you can see all of your children on the same map with their device location. You’ll also find other useful features like battery life and the ability to ring your child’s device to find it – like when it’s hidden between the couch cushions. And now, you can turn on notifications to be alerted when your child arrives at or leaves a specific destination like school or soccer practice.

The phone on the left shows the user’s children's location on one map. The right side has a phone with the screen where users can create and label a new destination.

We know parents are busy, and sometimes it’s hard to keep up with what kids are doing. The Highlights tab shows a snapshot of your child’s app usage, screen time and recently installed apps, so you can understand how your child has been using their device. We’re also adding resources from trusted partners like Common Sense Media, ConnectSafely and the Family Online Safety Institute to help you navigate conversations around online safety at home. We’re just getting started with the Highlights tab, and will be updating this section over time with more helpful insights and content.

Two phone screens show the Highlights tab in the Family Link UI. The tab contains snapshots of the child’s device activity, such as screen time and their most used app.

We’ve created a central place for you to receive requests from your child and view your notifications. By tapping on the notifications bell at the top of your app, you’ll be able to keep an eye on important updates and see requests from your children for app downloads, purchases and access to blocked websites.

A notification stream shows a user’s location alerts and requests from their child to download or view content.

Family Link is also now available on the web for you and your children. If you’re away from your phone or don’t have the app, you’ll still have access to the features you need online. For your children, their Family Link web experience will help them better understand their parental control settings.

These updates will start rolling out today and will be complete over the next few weeks. Keep an eye out and learn more at g.co/familylink.

Source: Android

New features to help keep kids and families safer and entertained with tech

We’ve dedicated the last several years to creating products and services that have families in mind. Our goal is to allow kids of all ages to explore the best of what technology has to offer, in a safer way. We respect that each family’s relationship with technology is unique, so we want to give parents the tools and flexibility they need to find the right balance for their families — while also delivering more age-appropriate experiences.

Today, we're updating Family Link and Google TV with experiences for parents and kids alike, to help families build healthy, positive digital habits together.

Family Link’s new look and features

The Family Link app UI is shown on a Pixel 7. The gif scrolls through the Highlights tab which has insights and snapshots of the child’s activity, the Controls tab that shows where users can set controls and manage settings, and the Location tab that showcases a map with the location of the children.

Over the last five years, the Family Link app on Android and iOS have been helping families stay safer online. Whether it’s with your child’s first Android phone or exploring content on YouTube and Google TV, we’ve provided parents with the tools to set screen time limits and guide children to age-appropriate content.

Based on parents’ feedback, we redesigned Family Link to bring our tools to the forefront and make them easier to use. Across the Controls, Location and Highlights tabs, you’ll find new experiences like “Today Only” screen time limits, alerts for when your children arrive and leave a location and recommended content from trusted partners around online safety.

For easier access, parents and their children can also access Family Link online in a new web experience. Stay tuned for these changes to start rolling out today and complete over the next few weeks.

Source: Android

Increasing access to mental healthcare in Ireland

Mental health illnesses impact more than 84 million people across the European Union, with Ireland being one of the most affected countries. Across Ireland, but particularly in rural communities, access to support services can change everything. Turn2Me is an Irish nonprofit on a mission to offer safe and timely mental health services online and break the stigma. Google.org sat down with Fiona O’Malley, CEO, to learn more.

What is Turn2Me’s story?

Oisin and Diarmuid Scollard funded Turn2Me in 2009, six years after their brother Cormac committed suicide. The vision was to create a safe space for anyone in need to get professional help online. In 2013, Turn2Me gained the support of the HSE National Office for Suicide Prevention to deliver counseling online. Over the years, we have assisted more than 110,000 people with one-to-one and group support services online and our website now has 45,000 active users.

How is Turn2Me increasing access to mental healthcare in Ireland?

Our online-first, year-round free assistance helps us reach people who might otherwise be excluded because of the cost of counseling services or their location. We also join forces with other nonprofits to make our services known in rural areas across Ireland – and among young generations, LGBTQIA+ groups, and more.

Fiona O’Malley, CEO, Turn2Me

Technology is at the core of what you do. Can you tell us more about how tech solutions can drive social impact?

We know that peer support, awareness and timely access to help and information play a crucial part in mental health. Turn2me is one of the first online mental health services in the world and a great example of how investments in technology can help people feel more connected and heard.

We have invested in a custom-built platform where our users can book one-to-one counseling and support groups, but also share their thoughts and experiences 24/7 in a moderated, safe community. The Thought Catcher is an online mood diary popular with younger generations – users can select their mood, share feelings anonymously, track mood changes and receive supportive, uplifting messages. Our trained staff moderates the community and points users to resources and services.

Last but not least, we also use Ad Grants to run ads on Google Search at no cost and reach a wider audience – our sign-ups are dependent on word of mouth and online reach, and about 60% of our new website users come through ads.

A team of only six people runs Turn2Me. How do you manage?

Again technology, which helps us run things smoothly and efficiently. We’ve been part of Google for Nonprofits for years, which has given us access to Google Workspace for Nonprofits, improving operations and collaboration. For example, we use Docs to update our policies and share minutes of Board meetings and Meet to regularly keep in touch with other mental health nonprofits and find synergies.

Not having to pay for Ad Grants or Google Workspace means that resources can be reinvested in our programs, which helps us support between 30 and 100 more people every year.

We’re also incredibly lucky to have many wonderful volunteers along with our Board, which includes Oisin and Diarmuid Scollard, our founders. Like many families in Ireland, they know first-hand the importance of adequate mental health services and are passionate about driving change.

As a CEO, what would be your best advice to someone who’s just getting started in the nonprofit space?

I believe vision matters. Our belief in our cause combined with the immense support of the many people who help us are what help us thrive. With a bold vision, you can achieve so much.

Source: Google in Europe

Mapping our emotions at the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao

Art can inspire a wide range of feelings. From the melancholy of a painting to the awe we feel standing before a sculpture, researchers have been fascinated by the relationship between art and human emotion for many years.

Guggenheim Museum Bilbao and Google Arts & Culture have partnered on the occasion of the museum’s 25th anniversary and are offering a unique and emotional experience that lets everyone explore their feelings and get closer to the contemporary museum’s collection.

Artetik: From the Art, a new installation in the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, invites you to explore how artworks from the museum’s collection make you feel. By contributing to the experience, you will be guided to new artworks in the collection through an ever-changing visualization representing the shared emotions evoked in museum visitors.

The project is a collaboration between the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao and Google Arts & Culture, based on research about art and emotions by scientists at the University of California, Berkeley. This study explored the emotions evoked by works of art over time and across culture. 1,300 people described how a selection of around 1,500 artworks made them feel. The research revealed 25 different emotions relating to the pieces, including anger, boredom, nostalgia or love. The researchers used these feelings to create an interactive emotions atlas, grouping together artworks that evoked specific emotions. The installation developed by Google Arts & Culture and the Guggenheim Bilbao Museum gives this study life and – for the first time – applies the emotions atlas to a museum's entire collection.

This unique initiative enables the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao to fulfill its commitment to education and innovation by making the collection more accessible as part of its goal to “inspire and open up new perspectives through art and the values it represents.” It is also a way of achieving one of the Museum’s strategic objectives on digital transformation and the implementation of innovative digital projects and experiences.

Located on the third floor of the Museum, Artetik: From the Art will allow visitors to choose artworks from the collection and to indicate the emotions that those works trigger in them. As participants link the different works of art with their own feelings, the experience will generate a collective graphic of emotions that will change over time. At the end of their experience, users will be able to learn more about the chosen artwork, locate it in the Museum in order to savor it in person, and share on social media the graphic of emotions that each work produces. In addition, the app will allow visitors to discover other works of art from the collection that connect with similar emotions, providing access to the Museum’s artworks in a truly unique way.

Furthermore, the virtual space that Google Arts & Culture has dedicated exclusively to exploring the Guggenheim Bilbao Museum since 2017 will update and include the museum's entire collection, making it accessible to users and art fans around the world. Some of the materials available are:

The entirety of the museum's permanent collection in high resolution.
New digital stories about masterpieces from the collection. Thanks to the storytelling tools developed by Google Arts & Culture, anyone will be able to dig deeper into the details behind these artworks (eg. Man from Naples, 24 heads).
A cultural crossword that allows users to get to know the Guggenheim Bilbao Museum and their collection in a playful and educational way.
The video Folding gravity at the Guggenheim Bilbao Museum, published previously, which follows Trashhand, an American urban explorer and photographer, and Johan Tonnoir, a global expert in free running — a discipline that combines acrobatics and athleticism — as they explore the museum in a unique way, reimagining the iconic building designed by Frank Ghery.

Photograph of an installation composed of nine touch screens, organized in three groups (two large screens and a smaller one on the right). Two men are touching two of the small screens.
Artetik: From the Art, a new installation in the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao in collaboration with Google Arts & Culture, invites you to explore how artworks from the museum’s collection make you feel.
Vinyls on a white wall. Four blocks of black texts surrounded by small colorful sinuous shapes with some words written inside.
Artetik: From the Art, allows visitors to choose artworks from the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao’s collection and to indicate the emotions that those works trigger in them.
Giant sculpture of curved steel plates covering the entire space of a room. The photograph has a zenithal perspective, so we see the top of the sculptures.
The Matter of Time, by Richard Serra.
A painting with a head of a red pig on the left side, surrounded by countless inscriptions, splashes of color, cross-outs, and elementary signs.
Man from Naples, by Jean-Michel Basquiat.
Bronze sculpture in the form of a gigantic spider located on the outside of a building with a titanium facade.
Maman, by Louise Bourgeois.

To explore this exhibit visit g.co/guggenheimbilbao or download the free Google Arts & Culture app for iOS or Android.

Source: The Official Google Blog

YouTube creators are boosting the UK’s brands and economy

‘Creativity’, ‘diversity’ and ‘the economy’ are becoming increasingly associated with one another. The findings from two landmark studies, launching today at YouTube Festival, demonstrate that they are strongly symbiotic.

We have always known that creators are at the core of YouTube’s success and the latestYouTube Impact report by Oxford Economics on the state of the creator economy, highlights the wider, significant economic impact of YouTube’s creative ecosystem in the UK. A second piece of research, Mirrors and Windows, conducted with MTM, explores identity and media choice in the UK and the role and responsibility of brands in improving authentic representation.

This year I celebrated my 15th year at Google and there are some key themes that have progressed significantly during my time here. The main is the growth in sheer reach – new audiences continue to come to us with 96% of online adults in the UK visiting YouTube at least once a month. As a platform that attracts nearly the whole of the UK to our creative content, it should be no surprise that Oxford Economics found that YouTube’s creative ecosystem contributed over £1.4billion to the UK’s GDP, with 80% of creative entrepreneurs agreeing that YouTube provides an opportunity to create content and earn money that they wouldn’t get from traditional media.

I hear from creators every day about how our open platform has lowered the barrier to entry for creatives from every corner of the UK, and of every background and demographic. Munya Chawawa, who hosted YouTube Festival, is testament to how YouTube has the power to launch life-changing careers and ensure audiences can find content that reflects the diversity of the UK today. The research reinforced these anecdotes, with 79% of Mirrors & Windows respondents saying that they believe YouTube represents a wide range of voices, people and perspectives, a sentiment that was shared by those who identify as LGBTQ+ and those identifying as Asian, Black, Mixed or multiple, or other ethnic groups. Across the UK, from Scotland to Yorkshire to the South West, users also agree that YouTube has the content that people in the UK love.

Munya Chawawa at the MOBO Awards, 2021

While we’ve gained a better understanding of the tremendous benefits that YouTube’s creative ecosystem provides to our economy, society, brands and culture, the agencies and advertisers MTM spoke to indicated that they sometimes still have apprehensions about their ability to speak about the issue of diverse representation without misstepping and facing scrutiny. Saying that, as YouTube continues to introduce new ways to support diverse creatives, it is becoming a powerful vehicle for brands on the road to more inclusive campaigns.

When fashion and beauty destination ASOS, were planning to tell young people that their brand is for people of all sizes, races and celebrates self expression, YouTube was there to connect them with a unique opportunity to amplify this message. ASOS’ partnership with MOBO – a global brand dedicated to celebrating and championing Black culture and music – was a good example of how authentic and inclusive marketing equals reach and brand results, with ASOS’ pre-roll ads reaching almost three million people watching the Awards and associated music content on YouTube alone. The partnership, which also included ASOS sponsoring the Awards’ Best Newcomer category, not only demonstrated YouTube’s ability as a driver of cultural moments, but also its ability to bring brands closer to diverse audiences, deliver strong brand metrics, and support the creative development and distribution of representative content.

While we’ve known this for a while, the insights released today demonstrate that there’s an urgent need for cultural fluency – where brands show not just a familiarity with different cultures but an ability to communicate effectively in different contexts and be able to change and adapt as much as our platform and its audiences are.

I am so excited to continue to work with brands to help them thrive on this open and constantly evolving platform, where engaging with creative talent, ideas and audiences means direct investment in the UK economy, helping to maintain the UK’s position as a global leader in the creative industry.

Source: The Official Google Blog

Honouring Andrew Watson’s footballing legacy

The year 2022 will be remembered as a historic one for English football. The beloved Lionesses won their first major tournament in a dramatic Euro Cup final against Germany at Wembley. After 56 years of hurt, Sunday, 31 July 2022, marked the day that football finally came home. As a lifelong Arsenal fan who grew up idolising Ian Wright, I remember feeling immense pride as I watched history being made.

The country came together to celebrate the beautiful game — but for me, as character designer and illustrator, I am fascinated by the stories behind the big moments. So for me, this was a chance to reflect on the sacrifices that players from minority groups have been forced to make in order to play the game that they love. For example, many female players have had to maintain full-time jobs whilst pursuing their football career, often a side effect of sometimes disproportionate funding for the women’s game. And it wasn’t that long ago that players from minority ethnic backgrounds were largely excluded from the sport.

Andrew Watson was a Scottish footballer widely believed to be the first black footballer to play in the Football League and the first player of colour to play in an English Cup match. Born in 1856 in what is now Guyana, Andrew was one of the most influential footballers of his time, captaining Scotland and leading his team to historic victories over England and Wales. Balancing his business entrepreneurship with his football career, he played for both Scotland and England, typically in the full-back position.

When I was asked to create a Doodle dedicated to Andrew’s achievements, it felt like a dream come true. After reading about his incredible life, I decided to not only illustrate his career, but also the trajectory of those who have followed in his path. Coming so soon after the euphoric celebrations of the Lionesses’ victory, it was important to me to capture that connection in the Doodle — to demonstrate that one person’s contribution can spark a positive and lasting chain reaction. This is why I settled on the idea of incorporating other generations into the Doodle, and hence the original sketches depict Andrew himself with a football, proudly watching on as other generations follow in his footsteps.

A rough pencil sketch depicting six figures in a line running and jumping with footballs

My initial idea was to depict this chain reaction in the artwork, with Andrew proudly watching on as new generations play the beautiful game.

A detailed sketch in neutral colours detailing six figures of varying ages and genders playing football

The second sketch captures a greater level of detail and movement.

The final Doodle introduces character into the concept, and brings Andrew’s story to life.

With the finished product, I wanted to capture the beauty of football: the pace, the excitement, the vibrancy and, most importantly, the fun. Each character has their own experience with the ball, in the same way that each football player has their own unique style and strength.

I feel very proud and humbled to have been chosen to create this Doodle, and sincerely hope that people feel it captures not only Andrew’s legacy, but the legacy of all who follow in his footsteps.

Source: Google in Europe

Preview or download client-side encrypted files with Google Drive on Android and iOS

Quick summary

Admins for select Google Workspace editions can update their client-side encryption configurations to include Drive Android and iOS. When enabled, users can preview or download client-side encrypted files. This feature is available for file types supported by Google Drive, including Microsoft Office and PDF files. Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides are not yet supported.

Support for Google identity on Drive Android & Drive iOS will be introduced in a future release — we will provide an update on the Workspace Updates blog at that time.