Google has unveiled a slew of new Android 12 features and updates.
The digital car key function, which was announced at Google I/O in May, is now available in select countries on the Pixel 6, Pixel 6 Pro, and Samsung Galaxy S21 for compatible BMW vehicles. You can lock and unlock the doors as well as start the engine using your phone. Google has been working with other, unnamed automakers on support for digital car keys, so it is likely that the feature will be added to other vehicles in the future.
When you connect your device to a compatible car, you can now choose to open Android Auto automatically. Furthermore, the home screen will include an always-on play button, allowing you to listen to your favorite music with a single tap.
Smart reply options (which will be available in the coming months) will provide additional ways to respond to text messages while driving. With the assistance of Google Assistant, you can tap to reply or create a custom message. A faster way to search for music in your media apps will also be available soon. Simply press the search button and type in the name of your favorite artist or song.
Other media-focused options are making their way to the Android 12 home screen. A YouTube Music widget, for example, includes playback controls as well as a list of recently played songs. Two more widgets will be available next week. One for Google Play Books gives you access to your book library and may help you keep track of where you are in audiobooks.
Google is bringing Family Bell to mobile devices from smart home products. You can configure the feature to notify you and your family with bells and notifications when it’s time to do certain things, such as picking up your children from school or going to bed at a reasonable hour. To stay on track, family members can set or customize as many bells as they want on their own devices. Google will also suggest bells, such as volunteering for a local cause or watering the tree, for the holidays.
Thousands more emoji mashups can be found in Gboard’s Emoji Kitchen. They will be available to Gboard Beta users today, and then to everyone in the coming weeks.
Finally, Google announced another Android security measure. To help protect your privacy, your device will turn off runtime permissions (which allow apps to access data or perform actions on your behalf) in apps you haven’t used in a while. You can reactivate these permissions in the app or the device settings. Initially, the feature will be available on Android 12. Google intends to begin rolling it out next month to devices equipped with Google Play services and running Android 6.0 or later.
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