Tag Archives: Product

Google Play Points: a rewards program for the ways you Play


Since 2012, Google Play has been your place to find and enjoy apps, games, movies, TV shows, and books. More than 2 billion people in 190 countries use Google Play to discover blockbuster movies, apps that help you be more productive, and books that inspire imagination. 
To show our appreciation, we created a new rewards program called Google Play Points that lets you earn points and rewards for the ways you already use Google Play. Over the two years, millions of people in Japan, South Korea, the US, Taiwan, and Hong Kong have joined the program. Starting this week, Google Play Points is launching in Australia, as well as UK, France and Germany. 

It’s free to join, and you can earn Play Points to use for special items and discounts in top games like Candy Crush Saga and Pokémon GO, or for Google Play Credit to use on movies, books, games, and apps. 


Play your way and earn points 
With Google Play Points, you’ll earn points on everything you buy with Google Play, including in-app items, movies, books, subscriptions and more. You can also earn Play Points by downloading featured free apps and games. Weekly points events can boost your earning rate on movies, books, and select games. 

Google Play Points has four levels, from Bronze to Platinum. Your level depends on how many points you’ve collected, and higher levels have perks like weekly prizes. 


Redeem your Play Points how you’d like 
We’re partnering with developers of some of the top apps and games on Google Play so that you can redeem points for special in-app items like characters, gems and more. You can also use Play Points for Google Play Credit and rent an award-winning movie or buy a best-selling audiobook. 


Join for free 
Google Play Points will be available over the next week. It’s free to join, there is no recurring or monthly fee, and you’ll earn three times the Play Points on everything you buy your first week. To get started, visit Google Play. Tap menu, then Play Points. Learn more about Play Points--and get ready to earn points and rewards. 

Posted by Winston Mok, Product Manager, Google Play

Made for music, the new Nest Audio is here

This year, we’ve all spent a lot of time exploring things to do at home. Some of us gardened, and others baked. We tried at-home workouts, or redecorated the house, took up art projects. But one thing that many—maybe all of us—did? Enjoy a lot of music at home. Personally, I have spent so much more time listening to music during quarantine—bossa nova is my go to soundtrack for doing the dishes and Lil Baby has become one of my favourite artists. 
So, in a time when we’re all listening to more music than ever, we’re especially excited to introduce Nest Audio, our latest smart speaker that is made for music lovers. 

A music machine 
Nest Audio is 75 percent louder and has 50 percent stronger bass than the original Google Home—measurements of both devices were taken in an anechoic chamber at maximum volume, on-axis. With a 19mm tweeter for consistent high frequency coverage and clear vocals and a 75mm mid-woofer that really brings the bass, this smart speaker is a music lover’s dream. 
Nest Audio’s sound is full, clear and natural. We completed more than 500 hours of tuning to ensure balanced lows, mids and highs so that nothing is lacking or overbearing. The bass is significant and the vocals have depth, which makes Nest Audio sound great across genres: classical, R&B, pop and more. The custom-designed tweeter allows each musical detail to come through, and we optimised the grill, fabric and materials so that you can enjoy the audio without distortion. 
Our goal was to ensure that Nest Audio stayed faithful to what the artist intended when they were in the recording studio. We minimised the use of compressors to preserve dynamic range, so that the auditory contrast in the original production is preserved—the quiet parts are delicate and subtle, and the loud parts are more dramatic and powerful. 
Nest Audio also adapts to your home. Our Media EQ feature enables Nest Audio to automatically tune itself to whatever you’re listening to: music, podcasts, audiobooks or hearing a response from Google Assistant. And Ambient IQ lets Nest Audio also adjust the volume of Assistant, news, podcasts, and audiobooks based on the background noise in the home, so you can hear the weather forecast over a noisy dishwasher. 

Whole home audio 
If you have a Google Home, Nest Mini or even a Nest Hub, you can easily make Nest Audio the centre of your whole home sound system. In my living room, I’ve connected two Nest Audio speakers as a stereo pair for left and right channel separation. I also have a Nest Hub Max in my kitchen, a Nest Mini in my bedroom and a Nest Hub in the entryway. These devices are grouped so that I can blast the same song on all of them when I have my daily dance party. 
With our stream transfer feature, I can move music from one device to the other with just my voice. Just last month, we launched multi-room control, which allows you to dynamically group multiple cast-enabled Nest devices in real-time. 

An even faster Assistant 
When we launched Nest Mini last year, we embedded a dedicated machine learning chip with up to one TeraOPS of processing power, which let us move some Google Assistant experiences from our data centres directly onto the device. We’ve leveraged the same ML chip in Nest Audio too.
Google Assistant helps you tackle your day, enjoy your entertainment and control compatible smart home brands like Philips Hue, TP-Link and more. In fact, our users have already set up more than 100 million devices to work with Google Assistant. Plus, if you’re a YouTube Music or Spotify Premium subscriber, you can say, “Hey Google, recommend some music” and Google Assistant will offer a variety of choices from artists and genres that you like, and others like them to choose from.

Differentiated by design 
Typically, a bigger speaker equals bigger sound, but Nest Audio has a really slim profile—so it fits anywhere in the home. In order to maximise audio output, we custom-designed quality drivers and housed them in an enclosure that helps it squeeze out every bit of sound possible. 
Nest Audio is available in two colours in Australia: Chalk and Charcoal. Its soft, rounded edges blend in with your home’s decor, and its minimal footprint doesn't take up too much space on your shelf or countertop. 
We’re continuing our commitment to sustainability with Nest Audio. It’s covered in the same sustainable fabric that we first introduced with Nest Mini last year, and the enclosure (meaning the fabric, housing, foot, and a few smaller parts) is made from 70 percent recycled plastic. 

Starting today Nest Audio is available for pre-order in Australia for $149 at the Google Store and other retailers, including JB Hi-Fi, Harvey Norman, and The Good Guys. It will be on-sale from October 15 through these same retailers, as well as Officeworks and Vodafone. 

Posted by Mark Spates, Product Manager, Google Nest

Pixel 4a (5G) and Pixel 5 pack 5G speeds and so much more

Today, we hosted Launch Night In, a virtual event introducing new products from across Google that will offer a little joy, entertainment and connection for people. These products bring together the best of Google’s hardware, software and AI to deliver helpful experiences built around you. Not only are these products more helpful; they’re more affordable too. 
Our new smartphones, Pixel 4a with 5G and Pixel 5 offer more helpful Google features backed by the power and speeds of 5G.1 From Google’s latest AI and Assistant features, to the biggest ever batteries we’ve put in a Pixel, to industry-leading camera features, Pixel 4a with 5G and Pixel 5 join our much loved Pixel 4a in providing more help at a more helpful price. 

5G speeds at affordable prices 
5G is the latest in mobile technology, bringing fast download and streaming speeds to users around the world. Whether you’re downloading the latest movie2, listening to your favourite music on YouTube Music, catching up on podcasts with Google Podcast or downloading a game Pixel 4a with 5G and Pixel 5 can provide you with fast speeds at a helpful price.1 Starting at just $799 for Pixel 4a with 5G.

New camera, new lenses—same great photos 
Ask any Pixel owner and they’ll tell you: Pixels take great photos. Pixel 4a with 5G and Pixel 5 are no exception. These phones bring Pixel’s industry-leading photography features to the next level. 
  • Better videos with Cinematic Pan: Pixel 4a with 5G and Pixel 5 come with Cinematic Pan, which gives your videos a professional look with ultrasmooth panning that’s inspired by the equipment Hollywood directors use. 
  • Night Sight in Portrait Mode: Night Sight currently gives you the ability to capture amazing low-light photos—and even the Milky Way with astrophotography. Now, these phones bring the power of Night Sight into Portrait Mode to capture beautifully blurred backgrounds in Portraits even in extremely low light. 
Night Sight in Portrait Mode, captured on Pixel 
  • Portrait Light: Portrait Mode on the Pixel 4a with 5G and Pixel 5 lets you capture beautiful portraits that focus on your subject as the background fades into an artful blur. If the lighting isn’t right, your Pixel can drop in extra light to illuminate your subjects. 
  • Ultrawide lens for ultra awesome shots: With an ultrawide lens alongside the standard rear camera, you’ll be able to capture the whole scene. And thanks to Google’s software magic, the latest Pixels still get our Super Res Zoom. So whether you’re zooming in or zooming out, you get sharp details and breathtaking images. 
Ultrawide, captured on Pixel 
  • New editor in Google Photos: Even after you’ve captured your portrait, Google Photos can help you add studio-quality light to your portraits of people with Portrait Light, in the new, more helpful Google Photos editor. 
Stay connected and entertained with Duo 
To make it easier and more enjoyable to stay connected to the most important people in your life, the new HD screen sharing in Duo video calls lets you and a friend watch the same video, cheer on sports with a friend and even plan activities – no matter how far apart you are.3 And with features like Duo Family mode, you will be able to keep kids entertained and engaged with new interactive tools, like colouring over backgrounds, while you video chat. 

A smarter way to record and share audio 
Last year, Recorder made audio recording smarter, with real-time transcriptions and the power of search.4 Now, Recorder makes it even easier to share your favourite audio moments. Since Recorder automatically transcribes every recording, now you can use those transcripts to edit the audio too. Just highlight a sentence to crop or remove its corresponding audio. Once you have something you want others to hear—say a quote from an interview or a new song idea—you can generate a video clip to make sharing your audio easier and more visual than ever. 
Editing in Recorder is easy

To improve searching through your transcripts, smart scrolling will automatically mark important words in longer transcripts so you can quickly jump to the sections you’re looking for as you scroll. But most helpful of all? Recorder still works without an internet connection, so you can transcribe, search and edit from anywhere, anytime. 

The biggest Pixel batteries ever 
Pixel 4a with 5G and Pixel 5 also have all-day batteries that can last up to 48 hours with Extreme Battery Saver.5 This mode automatically limits active apps to just the essentials and lets you choose additional apps you want to keep on. 

And now, the specs 
Like all Pixel devices, security and safety are paramount in Pixel 4a with 5G and Pixel 5. Both devices come with our TitanTM M security chip to help keep your on-device data safe and secure, and both phones will get three years of software and security updates. Your Pixel also has built-in safety features like car crash detection6 and Safety Check.7
Plus, Pixel 5 is designed with the environment in mind; we used 100% recycled aluminium in the back housing enclosure to reduce its carbon footprint. You can charge your Pixel 5 wirelessly8 and even use it to wirelessly charge other Qi-certified devices using Battery Share.9 Pixel 5 also doesn’t mind a little water or dust. The metal unibody can handle being submerged in 1.5 metres of fresh water for 30 minutes.10
When you buy the Google phone, you get more from Google. Pixel 5 and Pixel 4a with 5G come with trial subscriptions to Google’s entertainment, security and storage services for new users.11 If you’re a new user you’ll get a YouTube Premium trial for 3 months, 100 GB of storage with Google One for 3 months and 3 months of Google Play Pass and Gold/Silver Status on Play Points. See g.co/pixel/4a5Goffers or g.co/pixel/5offers, as applicable, for more details.11 
In Australia, Pixel 5 will range in two colours, Just Black and Sorta Sage (selected retailers). It will retail for $999 and can be pre-ordered today from Google Store, Telstra, Optus, Vodafone, JB Hi-Fi, Officeworks and Harvey Norman, and will be available starting October 15. Pixel 4a with 5G will retail for $799 and can be pre-ordered today from JB Hi-Fi, Officeworks and Harvey Norman, and will be available from these retailers in addition to Google Store and Telstra in November ranging in Just Black. 


Looking for the Pixel’s that’s right for you? Head to the Google Store now. 

1 Requires a 5G data plan (sold separately). 5G service and roaming not available on all carrier networks or in all areas. Contact carrier for details about current 5G network performance, compatibility, and availability. Phone connects to 5G networks but, 5G service, speed and performance depend on many factors including, but not limited to, carrier network capabilities, device configuration and capabilities, network traffic, location, signal strength and signal obstruction. Actual results may vary. Some features not available in all areas. Data rates may apply. See g.co/pixel/networkinfo for info. 
2 Download speed claims based on testing videos from three streaming platforms. Average download time was less than sixty seconds. File sizes varied between 449MB and 1.3GB. Download speed depends upon many factors, such as file size, content provider and network connection. Testing conducted in an internal 5G network lab and on pre-production hardware in California in July/August 2020. Actual download speeds may be slower. Australian results may vary. 
3 Screen sharing not available on group calls. Requires Wi-Fi or 5G internet connection. Not available on all apps and content. Data rates may apply. 5G service, speed and performance depend on many factors including, but not limited to, carrier network capabilities, device configuration and capabilities, network traffic, location, signal strength, and signal obstruction. 
4 Transcription and search are available in English only. 
5 For “all day”: Maximum battery life based on testing using a mix of talk, data, standby, and use of other features. Testing conducted on two major US carrier networks using Sub-6 GHz non-standalone 5G (ENDC) connectivity. For “Up to 48 hours”: Maximum battery life based on testing using a mix of talk, data, standby, and use of limited other features that are default in Extreme Battery Saver mode (which disables various features including 5G connectivity). Testing conducted on two major US carrier networks. For both claims: Pixel 4a (5G) and Pixel 5 battery testing conducted by a third party in California in mid 2020 on pre-production hardware and software using default settings, except that, for the “up to 48 hour claim” only, Extreme Battery Saver mode was enabled. Battery life depends upon many factors and usage of certain features will decrease battery life. Actual battery life may be lower.
6 Not available in all languages or countries. Car crash detection may not detect all accidents. High-impact activities may trigger calls to emergency services. This feature is dependent upon network connectivity and other factors and may not be reliable for emergency communications or available in all areas. For country and language availability and more information see g.co/pixel/carcrashdetection. 
7 Personal Safety app features are dependent upon network connectivity and other factors and may not be reliable for emergency communications or available in all areas. For more information, see g.co/pixel/personalsafety. 
8 Qi-compatible. Wireless charger sold separately. 
9 Designed to charge Qi-certified devices. Use of Battery Share significantly reduces Pixel battery life. Cases may interfere with charging and will reduce charging speed. Charge speeds may vary. See g.co/pixel/wirelesscharging for more information. 
10 Pixel 5 has a dust and water protection rating of IP68 under IEC standard 60529. Charger and accessories are not water-resistant or dust-resistant. Water and dust resistance are not permanent conditions and may be compromised due to normal wear and tear, repair, disassembly or damage. 
11 The Google One, Google Play Pass, Google Play Points, and YouTube Premium offers are available to eligible new users with the purchase of Pixel 4a (5G) or Pixel 5. Offer expires April 30, 2021 at 11:59pm PT. See g.co/pixel/4a5Goffers or g.co/pixel/5offers, as applicable, for more details.


Posted by Matt Gaskell, Director, Devices & Services Business Organisation, Google Australia and New Zealand

Boost your bass and share your sounds, with Pixel Buds

Today, we’re dropping new features for Pixel Buds to help you customise your sound experience, find your earbuds more easily if you misplace them and get more done with your earbuds—including an experimental feature that alerts you to what's going on around you even when you have your Pixel Buds in. 


Personalise your audio experience 
When Pixel Buds launched earlier this year, we heard people wanted more control and customisation over their audio experience. So today, we’re introducing bass boost1 and sharing detection1 to give you more options to use Pixel Buds in a way that’s unique to you. You can enhance your bass directly in the Pixel Buds settings, and if you decide to share one of your earbuds with someone, you no longer have to sacrifice your volume preferences thanks to sharing detection. When on, sharing detection automatically detects when you're sharing an earbud with someone and you can both individually swipe on your respective earbud to control your own volume. So whether you’re listening to music or watching a movie with a friend, you can seamlessly share your Pixel Buds. 
Translate, transcribe and transform your conversations 
Building on the helpfulness of Pixel Buds’ conversation mode translate feature, which helps when you’re talking back and forth with another person, the new transcribe mode lets you follow along by reading the translated speech directly into your ear, helping you understand the gist of what’s being said during longer listening experiences. Launching initially for French, German, Italian and Spanish speakers to translate English speech, transcribe mode can help you stay present in the moment and focus on the person speaking. Transcribe mode works best in a quiet environment where one person is speaking at a time. For example, simply say “Hey Google, aiutami a capire l’inglese”2 to start listening, and optionally follow along on your phone screen to see the translated transcript. 


More helpful features 
If your dog barks, baby cries or an emergency vehicle drives by with sirens ringing, Attention Alerts3—an experimental feature that notifies you of important things happening around you—lowers the volume of your content momentarily to alert you to what’s going on. 
We launched ring my earbuds earlier this year so you can hear where your Pixel Buds are if you’ve misplaced them. Now, you can see them too. We’ve added an update to Find My Device4 that will show you the last known location of your Pixel Buds on a map even when they’re no longer connected to your Android phone. 
Ask Google Assistant 
Google Assistant on Pixel Buds is becoming even more helpful by allowing you to do more with your earbuds while on the go. Now, you can ask Google to turn touch controls on and off, so you don’t have to worry about accidentally triggering them. Just say, “Hey Google, turn off touch controls”5 or adjust settings in the Pixel Buds app. And you can now ask Google Assistant to help check your battery life by saying "Hey Google, what's the battery level on my earbuds?”5 
All of this begins rolling out today to Pixel Buds users. To learn more, head to the help center. 



1 Requires a device running Android 6.0 or newer.
2 Requires an Assistant-enabled Android 6.0+ device, a Google Account and an Internet connection. Data rates may apply. Transcribe mode translates from English to Spanish, German, French and Italian. Translation is not instantaneous. For available languages and minimum requirements, go to g.co/pixelbuds/help. 
3 Requires a device running Android 6.0 or newer. Attention Alerts may not detect all instances of supported alerts, and similar sounds may be mistaken for alerts. Attention Alerts should not be relied upon in circumstances that have potentially serious consequences, such as when personal injury or property damage may result.
4 Requires Google Pixel Buds paired with Fast Pair to a phone running Android 6.0 or newer, with location history enabled. 
5 Requires an Assistant-enabled Android 6.0+ device, a Google Account and an Internet connection. Data rates may apply. For available languages and minimum requirements, go to g.co/pixelbuds/help.


Posted by Tricia Fu, Product Manager, Google

Canada, meet Google Wifi

Nothing is more annoying than losing your Wi-Fi connection when binge watching your favourite TV show or video chatting in a business meeting. From spotty connections to dropped signals, leave your Wi-Fi troubles behind with the help of Google Wifi, launching today in Canada. Google Wifi is a new kind of home Wi-Fi system that works with your modem and internet provider to give you strong, reliable coverage, in every room.
Traditional Wi-Fi routers aren’t always built to support the increasing number of devices we use or high bandwidth activities like gaming or watching videos. Google Wifi is different. It’s a connected system that replaces your current router and brings everything you love about Google -- smarts, security and simplicity -- to home Wi-Fi.

Strong, reliable coverage
Google Wifi uses a technology called mesh Wi-Fi. Within our mesh network, each Google Wifi point creates a high-powered connection, and the different Wifi points work together to determine the best path for your data. The result is Wi-Fi coverage even in hard-to reach areas, not just right next to the router.*

Keeps itself fast 
Most of us don’t want to spend time tweaking complex settings or managing our Wi-Fi network. Google Wifi is smart and automatically places your devices on the clearest channel and optimal Wi-Fi band, so the entire family can keep doing what they love without missing a beat. And as you roam around your house, our built-in Network Assist software will seamlessly transition your device between the Google Wifi system points in real time, to help you avoid dead spots and delays. Google Wifi is an expandable system, so if you have a larger home, you can simply add Google Wifi points.* They connect to one another to spread a strong network signal to every room.

A simple way to control your network
To make sure you’re always in control, Google Wifi comes with an app, available on Android and iOS*, that lets you do things like pause Wi-Fi on kids’ devices (or create recurring pauses for dinnertime or homework) and is built to help keep your network safe and secure. It also shows you which devices are connected and how much bandwidth they’re using and lets you prioritize devices within your network so you can stream that latest episode uninterrupted.

Google Wifi will be available in Canada on April 28th as a 1-pack for $179 and a 3-pack for $439 from the Google Store, Best Buy Canada, Staples Canada and Walmart Canada, with more retailers coming soon.

Find out more about Google Wifi here.

Posted by Ben Brown, Senior Product Manager 
*Home materials and layout can affect how Wi-Fi signal travels. Homes with thicker walls or long, narrow layouts may need extra Wifi points for full coverage. Google Wifi requires broadband Internet. Strength and speed of signal will depend on your Internet provider. Each Wifi point requires a nearby electrical outlet. The app requires a mobile device with Android 4 and up or iOS 8 and up.