Google gives Android the AI ​​treatment at MWC

Image credits: Sean Gallup/Getty Images

Google's Gemini AI image creation app is facing a lot of criticism. But this does not prevent the search and mobile giant from riding the wave of artificial intelligence and spreading it to more of its services. Google today announced a new set of features for phones, cars and wearables – using Gemini to craft messages, AI-generated photo captions, and text summarization through Android Auto's AI, along with access to Passes on Wear OS.

The new features were unveiled at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona – an event where Google, as the company behind Android, has featured strongly for years.

Starting this week, Google Messages will get a feature that lets you access Gemini in the app, the company said. The feature is currently in beta and supports English only.

Google is also rolling out a feature for Android Auto that reads summaries of long text messages and sets context for group conversations. The feature, which was first announced last month, also offers quick suggestions for replies.

The search giant is also launching some accessibility-related features at MWC. First, the company's Lookout app, which helps visually impaired people with things like food labels and documents, will generate AI-powered captions for images that contain missing or inaccurate captions or alternative text. The feature is now rolling out to all users worldwide with English language support. Last year, Google updated the Lookout app with an AI assistant, which allowed users to ask questions about photos.

Google is also rolling out improved screen reader support for Lens in Maps. Users can point their phone's camera around and TalkBack will read out information about places and signals.

On the productivity front, Google is expanding support for handwritten notes to documents on Android phones or tablets using a finger or stylus. You can choose from different pen styles and colors to highlight specific points in the document.

Additionally, the company is launching support for Spotify through the output adapter on the Android home screen. This means you can resume listening to a song or podcast from one source to another using Spotify. Previously, this feature only supported YouTube Music.

Google is also updating the Fitbit app with support for getting data from different sources like AllTrails, Oura Ring, and MyFitnessPal. The company redesigned the app with a new three-tab design last year. The Today tab shows you data such as exercise, steps, calories burned, and floors climbed. The You tab shows you data from different apps as well as your own Fitbit data.

There are a few Wear OS-related updates as part of this announcement as well. You can now access Google Wallet cards, such as boarding passes, event tickets, gym memberships, and loyalty cards directly from the watch. Additionally, you can get transportation directions using voice. Moreover, there is an option to reverse directions from the phone or get compass-guided navigation directions.