TL;DR
- Starting later this month, Maps will show them helpful summaries about the place they’re looking for.
- While Google Lens currently allows users to search the web with a picture or a screenshot, it will soon be able to search with a video.
- Google has released an enhanced fraud protection initiative in India, wherein Google Play Protect warns users about unsafe downloads from the internet.
Strengthening its position as an AI-driven company, Google has announced new features for some of its most popular products. For instance, users will soon be able to use Lens to search with a video and get more information about the things in motion. Google Maps is getting a new feature that allows users to search for specific items or experiences with AI-powered image recognition.
Along with the product updates, the company has also announced several new features for Indian users. To begin with, the Gemini mobile app is now available in nine Indian languages with Gemini Live, and so is AI Overviews. In addition, the company has added new AI tools in Product Studio in Google Merchant Center, which will help businesses showcase products more creatively.
ALSO SEE: Vivo Mobile Phones Price List in India (Aug 2024)
AI-Powered Google Maps Is Here
Google is using artificial intelligence to improve how users explore places of interest, and starting later this month, Maps will show them helpful summaries about the place they’re looking for. To achieve this, Gemini will go through billions of reviews on the platform and summarize them in the most meaningful way possible.
Google Maps now allows users to search for specific items or experiences. If you’re looking for birthday cakes or unique picnic spots, Gemini will go through the user-uploaded pictures shared by the community and deliver photo-first results (along with a map). The app also gets two new weather-related alerts for low visibility areas and flooded roads.
Google Lens To Let Users Search With Video
While Google Lens currently allows users to search the web with a picture or a screenshot, it will soon be able to search with a video. Hence, if users want to know more about something in motion, like an F1 car or a player hitting a football, they can simply record a video of it using the Lens in the Google app and ask their query by saying it out loud. Then, Gemini will recognize the contents of the video and provide AI Overviews with links to learn more about the query.
If you wish to use the feature, you should be enrolled in the “AI Overviews and more” experiment in Google Search Labs. Initially, the feature will support English queries.
ALSO SEE: Scooters Under ₹80,000
Gemini Mobile App Is Now Available In 9 Indian Languages
Starting October 3, 2024, Gemini Live will be available in nine Indian languages, including Hindi, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Telegu, Tamil, and Urdu. While the AI-infused chatbot will be available in Hindi first, it will be available in other languages later. While AI Overviews are currently available in Hindi and English, they will soon be available in Marathi, Bengali, Tamil, and Telegu.
In addition to these features, Google has added some features to the Product Studio for small businesses. Now, users can create image-to-video animation, along with visuals that match their brand style (by uploading a sample image). Restaurants will now be able to convert pictures of their menus into formatted digital menus. Last but not least, businesses can now provide chat options (SMS or WhatsApp) directly from the Search listings.
Enhanced Fraud Protection Pilot Is Now Live In India
Google has released an enhanced fraud protection initiative in India, wherein Google Play Protect warns users about unsafe downloads from the internet. The system analyzes and blocks the installation of apps that could use sensitive permissions that are often abused for financial fraud. As mentioned in the official blog post, the system will look for permission requests that are used to obtain one-time passwords via notifications or SMS, along with spy-on-screen content.
When the program kicks off, Indian users who attempt to sideload an app will get a prompt if the app has declared any of the following permissions.
- RECEIVE_SMS
- READ_SMS
- BIND_Notifications
- Accessibility
ALSO SEE: Sports Bikes Under ₹1.50 Lakh
You can follow Smartprix on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Google News. Visit smartprix.com for the latest tech and auto news, reviews, and guides.
