Google I/O Keynote Recap: Smart Reply on Gmail, Google Photos Sharing Options and More
Just wrapping up in Mountain View, California, the Google I/O keynote saw a number of new announcements for iOS device users. The biggest was the introduction of a standalone Google Assistant app for the iPhone, but here’s a roundup of other news.
Google Photos
Shared Libraries allow users to automatically send and receive photos with one other person.
First up, the popular Google Photos app will soon feature more sharing options.
Sharing suggestions will remind you too share photos and suggest who they should be sent to based on who was in the photo.The suggestions will be available in the Sharing tab rolling out to iOS and the web in the coming weeks.
A new Shared Libraries feature will allow users to automatically send and receive photos with one other person. The other person can have complete access to an entire library or just photos or certain people or from a particular date.
Finally, as previously rumored, Google Photos users can now create physical Photo books with their images. Starting today in the United States on the web and iOS next week, you can purchase a 20-page softcover book for $9.99 and a hardcover edition for $19.99.
Gmail
The Smart Reply feature offers three different responses to a received email.
Coming soon, the iOS Gmail app will be the Smart Reply feature already available in Inbox by Gmail and Allo.
As you could probably tell by the name, Smart Reply suggests three different responses to a received email. After selecting one, users can either send the reply immediately or edit the response.
Smart Reply will first be available in English.
Google Home
The Google Home smart speaker is also adding a number of new features.
In the coming months, the smart speaker can be used to connect to any mobile phone or landline in the United States or Canada for free.
Music lovers will soon be able to use Spotify’s free tier, Soundcloud, and Deezer with the speaker. Added Bluetooth support will also allow users to connect the iOS device to the speaker.
Users can now add appointments and also soon add reminders with their voice.