A long-standing tool for website owners, robots.txt has been in active use for over 30 years and is broadly supported by crawler operators (such as tools for site owners, services, and search engines). In this edition of the robots refresher series, we'll take a closer look at robots.txt as a flexible way to tell robots what you want them to do (or not do) on your website.
Robots Refresher: robots.txt — a flexible way to control how machines explore your website
A long-standing tool for website owners, robots.txt has been in active use for over 30 years and is broadly supported by crawler operators (such as tools for site owners, services, and search engines). In this edition of the robots refresher series, we'll take a closer look at robots.txt as a flexible way to tell robots what you want them to do (or not do) on your website.
Source: Google Search Central Blog
Gemini 2.0 Deep Dive: Code Execution
This blog post introduces Gemini's code execution feature, which allows the AI model to generate and run Python code for tasks like solving equations, data analysis, and creating visualizations.
Source: Google Developers Blog
Enhancements for custom and AI-generated backgrounds in Google Meet
What’s changing
We’re introducing two improvements for creating custom background images with Gemini in Google Meet:
- First, we’ve upgraded the image generation model, which will significantly improve the visual appeal and quality of generated backgrounds, while also better representing user requests.
- Next, we’ve added several new preset styles to help you get started creating your own backgrounds. Specifically, you’ll see options for the following:
- Professional office
- Bookshelf
- Stylish living room
- Cozy living room
- Tropical beach
- Fantasy castle
- Sci-fi spaceship
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Getting started
- Admins: To enable or disable the ability to create backgrounds with Gemini, go to Admin console > Apps > Google Workspace > Settings for Google Meet > Meet video setting. Visit the Help Center to learn more about how to control whether users can change their backgrounds in Meet.
- End users: When enabled by your admin, visit the Help Center to learn more about creating background images with Gemini in Google Meet.
Rollout pace
- Rapid Release and Scheduled Release domains: Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility) starting on March 6, 2025
Availability
Available for Google Workspace:
- Business Standard and Plus
- Enterprise Standard and Plus
- Also available with the Gemini Education or Gemini Education Premium add-on
Anyone who previously purchased these add-ons will also receive this feature:
- Gemini Business*
- Gemini Enterprise*
- AI Meetings and Messages*
*As of January 15, 2025, we’re no longer offering the Gemini Business and Gemini Enterprise add-ons for sale. Please refer to this announcement for more details.
Resources
Source: Google Workspace Updates
Google for Startups Accelerator: AI for Energy applications are open
Learn more about the first-ever Google for Startups Accelerator: AI for Energy.
Source: AI
Long Term Support Channel Update for ChromeOS
A new LTC version 132.0.6834.211 (Platform Version: 16093.93.0), is being rolled out for most ChromeOS devices.
Source: Google Chrome Releases
Widgets on lock screen: FAQ
Posted by Tyler Beneke – Product Manager, and Lucas Silva – Software Engineer
Lock screen widgets in clock-wise order: Clock, Weather, Stocks, Timers, and Google Home App. In the top right is a customization call-to-action.
Posted by Tyler Beneke – Product Manager, and Lucas Silva – Software Engineer
Widgets are now available on your Pixel Tablet lock screens! Lock screen widgets empower users to create a personalized, always-on experience. Whether you want to easily manage smart home devices like lights and thermostats, or build dashboards for quick access and control of vital information, this blog post will answer your key questions about lock screen widgets on Android. Read on to discover when, where, how, and why they'll be on a lock screen near you.
Q: When will lock screen widgets be available?
A: Lock screen widgets will be available in AOSP for tablets and mobile starting with the release after Android 16 (QPR1). This update is scheduled to be pushed to AOSP in late Summer 2025. Lock screen widgets are already available on Pixel Tablets.
Q: Are there any specific requirements for widgets to be allowed on the lock screen?
A: No, widgets allowed on the lock screen have the same requirements as any other widgets. Widgets on the lock screen should follow the same quality guidelines as home screen widgets including quality, sizing, and configuration. If a widget launches an activity from the lock screen, users must authenticate to launch the activity, or the activity should declare android:showWhenLocked="true" in its manifest entry.
Q: How can I test my widget on the lock screen?
A: Currently, lock screen widgets can be tested on Pixel Tablet devices. You can enable lock screen widgets and add your widget.
Q: Which widgets can be displayed in this experience?
A: All widgets are compatible with the lock screen widget experience. To prioritize user choice and customization, we've made all widgets available. For the best experience, please make sure your widget supports dynamic color and dynamic resizing. Lock screen widgets are sized to approximately 4 cells wide by 3 cells tall on the launcher, but exact dimensions vary by device.
Q: Can my widget opt-out of the experience?
A:Important: Apps can choose to restrict the use of their widgets on the lock screen using an opt-out API. To opt-out, use the widget category "not_keyguard" in your appwidget info xml file. Place this file in an xml-36 resource folder to ensure backwards compatibility.
Q: Are there any CDD requirements specifically for lock screen widgets?
A: No, there are no specific CDD requirements solely for lock screen widgets. However, it's crucial to ensure that any widgets and screensavers that integrate with the framework adhere to the standard CDD requirements for those features.
Q: Will lock screen widgets be enabled on existing devices?
A: Yes, lock screen widgets were launched on the Pixel Tablet in 2024 Other device manufacturers may update their devices as well once the feature is available in AOSP.
Q: Does the device need to be docked to use lock screen widgets?
A: The mechanism that triggers the lock screen widget experience is customizable by the OEM. For example, OEMs can choose to use charging or docking status as triggers. Third-party OEMs will need to implement their own posture detection if desired.
Q: Can OEMs set their own default widgets?
A: Yes! Hardware providers can pre-set and automatically display default widgets.
Q: Can OEMs customize the user interface for lock screen widgets?
A: Customization of the lock screen widget user interface by OEMs is not supported in the initial release. All lock screen widgets will have the same developer experience on all devices.
Lock screen widgets are poised to give your users new ways to interact with your app on their devices. Today you can leverage your existing widget designs and experiences on the lock screen with Pixel Tablets. To learn more about building widgets, please check out our resources on developer.android.com
- Widgets: https://developer.android.com/develop/ui/views/appwidgets/overview
- Widget Design: https://developer.android.com/design/ui/widget
- Jetpack Glance: https://developer.android.com/develop/ui/compose/glance
This blog post is part of our series: Spotlight Week on Widgets, where we provide resources—blog posts, videos, sample code, and more—all designed to help you design and create widgets. You can read more in the overview of Spotlight Week: Widgets, which will be updated throughout the week.
Source: Android Developers Blog
Empowering San Antonio’s underrepresented communities
Google Fiber’s Community Connections program provides gigabit internet service to local nonprofits to help them serve their constituencies and meet their organizational goals. Today, Empower House, the first GFiber Community Connection in San Antonio, shares how access to high-speed internet is helping the nonprofit foster an environment of empowerment and equity for people of all backgrounds.
With rising socio economic challenges in East San Antonio, a diverse group of women founded Martinez Street Women’s Center to improve reproductive health services and create a space for marginalized women and girls to access the necessary resources and education to help them succeed.
Twenty-six years later, with a second location on the southeast side of the city and a third on the west side, we are now called Empower House and have expanded to meet the needs of our diverse community — all through the lens of restorative justice. Through community health, youth programming and advocacy opportunities, we have advanced our collective journey toward justice together with those most impacted by systematic inequity.
Empower House believes in the strength shared information and education offer, and coupled with access to resources, we provide opportunities for the empowerment of our community. We shared that vision with the Esperanza Peace and Justice Center, and in 2017 added a music and talk radio station, KXEP 101.5 FM The Empower House. Hosting six weekly shows and, as a part of the Pacifica Network, KXEP has been a thriving community connector, sharing and amplifying inspiring stories from women of color, LBGTQ+ individuals and other traditionally marginalized communities.
As our radio station continues to be a centerpiece with our community content creation, it was imperative to be innovative in finding solutions to grow the production. We recently built out a radio station and student studio to expand and modernize our space by providing our radio hosts with the necessary resources to strengthen their programming.
The renovation was enabled in part through GFiber’s Community Connections program, which paid for the technology of the new student studio and generously installed 1 Gig network service for free. We are grateful and humbled to be the first recipient of GFiber’s Community Connections program in San Antonio.
Through GFiber’s high-speed connection, we’re able to work quicker and smarter. Our radio studio has produced 14 local radio shows. We also added an on-demand feature on our website and a radio app that makes our programming more accessible on the go. Our online radio visitors continue to increase with current listenership at more than 17,000, who have downloaded more than 900 episodes to date from our website.
With GFiber’s support, we outfitted our Student Studio enabling us to teach students of all ages the skills necessary to harness the technology for storytelling, recording and editing. The voices of the most marginalized amongst us have traditionally been underrepresented in radio and our rich history and culture deserves to be uplifted and highlighted by those of us that live it.
Additionally, GFiber provides 1 Gig service to our Digital Equity Center, which serves as a free WiFi hub for the community, with laptops and printers available for public use.
Today, our extensive programming has served thousands of San Antonians, creating transformative change for future generations of families. And with the support of GFiber, we will continue to carry out our mission for decades to come.
To learn more about our radio programming, please visit https://empowerhousesa.org/radio/.
Posted by Becca Najera, Assistant Director, Empower House SA
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Source: Google Fiber Blog
Submissions are now open for the Google Vids Education Film Festival.
The inaugural Google Vids Education Film Festival is now accepting submissions. Educators with access to Google Vids can submit short videos in the following categories:…
Source: Learning & Education
CalCam: Transforming Food Tracking with the Gemini API
CalCam, a calorie-tracking app, uses the Gemini API to analyze meal photos, providing users with fast and accurate nutritional information. Polyverse, CalCam's creator, highlights Gemini API's speed, accuracy, and structured JSON output are crucial for CalCam's seamless user experience and efficient development, allowing for easy integration and detailed food analysis.