Android smartphone user? These 6 new Google features just made your handset smarter - know benefits

Literally, billions of people have Android smartphones. Many of them are old and slow and their owners were wishing for some Google Android update that would make them - smarter. Well, if you are one of those Android phone users, here is some good news for you. Google has released a bunch of new features for its whopping 3 billion active Android users, which are aimed at making smartphones a tad bit smarter. Android has rolled out six new features that will keep users safe and help them communicate better.

Google Android Earthquake Alerts System

The first of these Google features is called Android Earthquake Alerts System. This feature will give people in affected areas alerts seconds before an earthquake hits, which in turn will enable them to seek safety. Google recently introduced its Android Earthquake Alerts System in New Zealand and Greece. Today, the company announced that it was launching this feature in Turkey, the Philippines, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Google said that it will launch this feature in more countries over the coming year.

Star - Messages app

The second Google Android feature is called 'star' in the Messages app. Google said that now users can star a message on their Messages app to keep track of what’s important. Users can star a message by tapping and holding the message that they want to star. Google said that starred messages will start to roll out more broadly over the coming weeks.

Contextual Emoji Kitchen stickers

The third feature is called Contextual Emoji Kitchen stickers. Google said that soon users will start seeing contextual suggestions in Emoji Kitchen once they have typed a message. Google said that this will help users discover the perfect emoji combination at the exact moment they need it. Contextual Emoji Kitchen suggestions are available in Gboard beta today and they will be available to all Gboard users this summer for messages written in English, Spanish and Portuguese on devices running Android 6.0 and above.

Google Assistant: Voice Commands

In addition to these features, Google Assistant will now enable users more apps using voice commands. “Ask Google to open or search many of your favourite apps using just your voice — you can say things like, “Hey Google, pay my Capital One bill” to jump right into the app and complete the task or “Hey Google, check my miles on Strava” to quickly see your weekly progress right on the lock screen,” Google wrote in a blog post.

Google Voice Access and Gaze Detection

Google is also rolling out Improved Password Input and gaze detection on Voice Access on Android smartphones. “With gaze detection, now in beta, you can ask Voice Access to work only when you are looking at the screen — so you can naturally move between talking to friends and using your phone,” Google added. Google said that Voice Access now has enhanced password input. When it recognizes a password field, it will let users input letters, numbers and symbols.

Android Auto

Lastly, Google is rolling out new app experiences on Android Auto. Google said that now users can customize their Android Auto experience better. With this update, users will also be able to browse content with new tabs in their media apps, a “back to top” option and an A to Z button in the scroll bar. “We’ve also added new app experiences to help enhance your drive. EV charging, parking and navigation apps are now available to use in Android Auto. Plus, we’ve improved the messaging experience, so you can access your favourite messaging apps from the launcher screen,” Google added. These Android Auto features are available on phones running Android 6.0 or above.