Tag: google

  • Enable Google Assis­tant Ambi­ent Mode

    Enable Google Assis­tant Ambi­ent Mode

    If you are using Google Assistant on your Android phone, you can add interactive features to the lock screen by activating the Ambient mode function.

    This is a smart sorts screen that turns on while your phone is charging and replaces the lock screen. Without opening the lock screen, you can view alerts, weather forecasts, play music, display pictures and perform a host of other functions. This article shows how to allow Ambient Mode in Google Assistant.

    Activating Ambient Mode

    First of all, if you haven’t already, you will need to download and install the Google Assistant app on your phone.

    Once Google Assistant is installed, start the app and go to the main page.

    Here you will notice the explorer option (the compass icon) near the bottom corner of the page. Tap on the icon.

    This will take you to the Explore section of the app – the part where you can configure settings like alarms, the weather forecast, etc.

    For now, ignore all the other functions on the Explore page and tap on your profile picture in the top corner.

    A new list of options will drop down. Scroll down the list and select the Settings option.

    A new page that shows your Google Account profile page will appear.

    Scroll left from the page to the Assistant section. Once again, scroll down past the list of options presented to you. Near the bottom, you will find a section entitled “Assistant Devices.” There is a phone option under that section which you need to select.

    On the new page that opens, scroll down the options available until you see the one titled “Ambient Mode.” Toggle on this option by tapping on the gray button next to it so that it turns blue.

  • 4K 60fps video capture mode will be available on Pixel

    4K 60fps video capture mode will be available on Pixel

    Google’s Pixel portfolio has raised the bar when it comes to mobile image manipulation the past few years, but the company has struggled to offer a comparable experience when it comes to filming images. The 2018 Pixel 3 suffered from a bad audio recording problem and last year’s Pixel 4 entered the market with 4 K video capture which was limited at 30fps while most other 2019 flagship smartphones were capable of 4 K video capture at 60fps.

    google camera pixel 4

    Once the Pixel 4 was introduced, Google said that the feature was not incorporated solely because 4 K video capturing on smartphones wasn’t nearly as commonplace as 1080p. This may certainly be accurate, but a later study showed that the Pixel 4 actually didn’t have enough bandwidth to handle simultaneous 4 K 60fps feeds from the phone’s two rear cameras. Other manufacturers have gotten around this issue by limiting 4K/60 video capture to just one camera or reducing the bit rate slightly.

    Since the Pixel 4 just receive a feature drop this past week, if Google doesn’t figure out a way to implement 4K/60 video capture on the Pixel 4, don’t expect it to show up until later this spring. If the feature is only made available on the Pixel 4a, Google will have some explaining to do.