Google and its new features for Android devices.

4 min readSep 24, 2021

On 23/Sep/2021 Google announced several new features which are coming to Android devices later this year. Some of these features are already available on the latest Pixel devices, which Google is now bringing to the broader Android market.

See the new features of Android:

Accessibility is the most important feature for everyone:

Camera Switches:

Camera Switches is a new Android accessibility feature in Switch Access that can help those with speech and motor impairments to navigate their phone using eye movements and facial gestures. It turns the phone’s front-facing camera into a switch, so you can choose one movement to scan, and another to select. Pick a combination of gestures that works for you, and customize them to your range of movement. By choosing just two simple gestures, Android is now more accessible to more people. Watch the tutorial to get started.

Camera Switches will be made widely available on September 30th.
Download the app

Camera Switches and Project Activate will allow you to use your phone by making facial gestures.

Camera Switches is a feature within Android Accessibility Suite that turns your front-facing camera into a switch (an adaptive tool that replaces a keyboard, mouse, or touching the phone screen) so that you can navigate your phone.
Project Activate is a new app that makes it easier to communicate and express yourself at the moment. You can use facial gestures and eye movements to activate preset actions like speaking a phrase (like “Wait!”), playing audio (like a laugh) or sending a text message (like “Please come here”).
Handwriting recognition coming to Lookout, an app that uses your phone’s camera to assist people with low vision or blindness get things done faster and more easily. In Documents mode, Lookout will now read out both handwritten and printed text for Latin-based languages. Lookout now gets Euro and Indian Rupee recognition within Currency mode.

Google has built remote-control features directly into Android so you can power on your Google TV, navigate through your recommendations or even start up your favorite show right from your phone.
You can also use your phone’s keyboard to quickly type complicated passwords, movie names, or search terms.

Google Assistant:

You can now manage all your reminders in one place by saying, “Hey Google, open my reminders” where you’ll also see helpful suggestions for recurring reminders that you can activate with a tap.

Android Auto:

Personalized content recommendations from Google Assistant.
GameSnacks while you’re parked waiting for a to-go order or charging your car.
Support for your work profile.
If you’re a dual-SIM Android phone user, you can now choose which SIM card to use when making calls through Android Auto.
Waze on Android Auto is also getting a refresh to create a more streamlined navigation experience.
These Android Auto features will be available soon on Android phones when connected to a compatible car.

Photos app:

Locked Folder in Google Photos gives you a passcode-protected space to save photos and videos separately.

GBoard:

1,500 stickers coming this fall, you’ll be able to create even more combinations of your favorite emoji.
When you copy text that includes multiple information like phone numbers, email addresses, and URLs, Gboard will automatically extract and separate them into multiple pasting options.
When you open a messaging app right after taking a screenshot, Gboard will now show that screenshot as a suggestion to share.
You can quickly complete your sentences with just a swipe with Smart Compose.

With improved visibility settings in Nearby Share, you can choose between everyone, your contacts, or no one, and you can easily change your preference through your phone’s Quick Settings space anytime.
With the Heads Up feature, you can get reminders to look up and stay alert when you’re walking and using your phone. Launched first on Pixel earlier this year, Heads Up is now available through the Digital Wellbeing setting on devices running Android 9 and newer.

Devesh Raj
Cloud Engineer & Map Analyst Google