Google Opens Up Maps Platform to Make Every User an Editor

The search giant, Google, has realised the potential of crowd sourcing and intends to further tap into power of the crowd. According to an announcement, Google will be using its users to improve its Google Maps platform.

The company is introducing a number of new features which will allow users to share their location details much more easily. Users can even confirm other people’s suggested edits. Many users have already seen this feature as it was being slowly rolled out. However, the feature has now been made official, a sign that it will be globally rolled out soon.

Google claims that they make millions of edits and updates to Google Maps everyday but still it is still not enough to ensure that every place on this earth and every location has the most accurate and detailed info. Google previously tried to employ user assistance but the process was much more lengthy. Now it is turning to all of its users to help make Google Maps better.

With the new update, user can now add missing places to maps and even correct business information of all places. All of this can be done via Google Maps app on both, iOS and Android. Even Google Search can be used for this purpose. You might have already noticed buttons for “Suggest an Edit” and “Add a Missing Place” which allow you to make contributions to the Google Maps.

Any edits you make don’t go live immediately in order to make sure the edit is accurate. Some other user has to corroborate the edit or make the same one. Google Maps also pops a notification asking users to confirm a pending edit. It says “Someone suggested new info.” And you can verify the edit by tapping it. Edits immediately show up on the map after verification. However, this notification feature is limited to Android phones for now.

Google is also working on adding businesses which go beyond stores, addresses or working hours. Google Maps can already be used to discover places to visit. It even competes with Yelp and other platforms which inform users about dining places based on time, locations, menu and occasion. Maps app will now allow user to even add additional information about places which can be used for this recommendation feature.

The company already offers Google Drive storage incentives for regular contributors on the Maps app. Since then, the scope of contributions has expanded. With new features being regularly handed over to its one billion users, it won’t be long before Google Maps can be called the most accurate mapping app in the world.

Android Instant Apps

Back when the desktop was king, Google used to be all about the Web and the browser. As mobile devices got more popular, browsers were no longer the most important application for many users. Specialized apps for music, video, photos, messaging, maps were much more popular because they were better suited for mobile. 

Google pushed the boundaries of the mobile web with Chrome, but a few years ago it started to move on. New services like Inbox no longer have mobile web apps, Google Play Music no longer works from a mobile browser, the Google Docs mobile app no longer lets you edit documents etc. Google started to index mobile apps and link to the apps directly from Google Search. More and more sites push users to install their mobile apps, some of them display limited content and force users to install the apps to read the entire content (example: TripAdvisor).

Now Google announces a new Android feature that will make apps even more powerful. Android Instant Apps will let you launch apps without even installing them: your device will only download the required modules for displaying the content.

"With Instant Apps, a tap on a URL can open right in an Android app, even if the user doesn't have that app installed. As a developer, you won't need to build a new, separate app. (...) You modularize your app, and Google Play downloads only the parts that are needed, on the fly. And when you do upgrade, your app will be available to more than a billion users on Android devices going back to Jelly Bean,"informs Google.

Right now, Google works with a small number of developers from BuzzFeed, B&H Photo, Medium, Hotel Tonight, Zumper and Disney to refine the experience. Instant Apps will be available later this year as part of a Google Play Services update.

Instant Apps will be limited to the content you want to display (a Medium article, a B&H camera), but you'll be able to install the full app if you like. It's like launching a personalized trial version of the app.

While the new feature is impressive and has many potential uses, I think it will make the mobile web even less important. If Apple launches a similar feature, developers will start to close their mobile sites and the mobile web will disappear. That's quite dangerous, since it will limit the mobile OS choice to Android and iOS. It's much easier to create a site than an app and many apps are completely unnecessary, not to mention that web apps use open standards, while mobile apps use proprietary APIs and have to rely on closed app stores. The open web ecosystem made Google what it is today.

Background Buffer in YouTube's Android App

I paused a video in YouTube's app for Android and got this message: "paused videos keep buffering if you leave the app". There's a background buffering feature and YouTube shows the how much data has been buffered. For example, "buffering 11.8/39 MB". YouTube videos are actually cached, so that's the reason why YouTube's cache can become huge.

When YouTube caches the entire video, you'll receive a notification which shows that the video is "ready to watch".

This is useful if you have a slow Internet connection: play a YouTube video, pause it, leave the app and wait until the video is cached. Then you can watch it.

An article from Indian Express mentioned in December that "Google will introduce pause buffer feature soon allowing users to pause video, leave it to buffer, even leave the app or site and let it continue buffering". Google CEO Sundar Pichai delivered a keynote speech at a Google India event in New Delhi and announced a lot of interesting features: "tap to translate" will be released this year, "Google will crowd source the data for its translate feature", "1.4 billion Android users in the world", "free WiFi at 100 railway stations in India by December 2016", "Internet access to Indians in their own language is the focus for Google in India".

Android Police reported in December that YouTube was testing background buffering.

Podcasts in Google Play Music

Google Play Music is no longer only about music, now it also lets you listen to podcasts. The podcasts section is already available in the web interface and it's rolling out to the Android app in the US and Canada.

"We'll connect you with podcasts based on what you're doing, how you're feeling and what you're interested in. Similar to our contextual playlists for music, we want to make it easy to find the right podcast - whether you're a podcast aficionado or listening for the first time," informs Google.

Here are some podcasts that are available: "Freakonomics Radio", "The Nerdist", "Radiolab", "Stuff You Should Know", "TED Radio Hour", "This Week in Tech", "WTF with Marc Maron", "Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!".

When you subscribe to a podcast, the Android app will automatically download the most recent episodes or notify you when there's a new episode.

How To Set Android Like Pattern Lock On Windows

Learn How To Set Android Like Pattern Lock On Windows: Do you love android pattern lock unlock feature? I am sure many of you will say yes! You can actually install pattern lock on your computer that will eventually make your OS fashionable and reduce hacking attempts. Therefore, today we are going to share a useful trick for applying pattern lock feature on your windows operating system. Go through the post to know about it. Also Read How To Disallow Websites

Today there are billions of users who are using an android device because android provides lots of features for their users and talking about one of the essential features that are pattern lock, it is very helpful to defend the android device. Similarly, in windows OS there is password protection, but what if your windows opens with a pattern, seems impossible, but actually it was not. Yes, you can set pattern lock in your windows operating system. Therefore, we are going to share a method To Set Android Like Pattern Lock On Your Windows XP/Vista/7/8.1 PC. With the help of this, you can actually lock your windows access with a pattern lock by following the simple method below. Also Read Top 10 Best Tech Gadgets 

How To Set Android Like Pattern Lock On Windows

This method is very simple and straight and you can easily implement it in any version of windows. You just have to follow some steps discussed below To Set Android Like Pattern Lock On Your Windows.

Steps To Set Android Like Pattern Lock On PC:

Step 1. First of all, you need to download Maze Lock For Windows from HERE.  Now launch this application on your desktop and you will see the screen like below.

Step 2. Here Z is default pattern that you have to reset by clicking reset pattern button there. Also Read How To Add Guest Mode Feature

Step 3. Now make a pattern that you want to set and it will ask you to remember the password and then make the backup of your pattern that you should do.

Step 4. Now click on the general tab above and there you will see the first option Autolock at windows startup turn it on. Now see all the options and edit according to your wish and then click on ok. Also Read How To Add Guest Mode Feature

Step 5. If you want to lock your screen with pattern lock then you need to head over to your notifications area in your taskbar and click on Maze Lock to lock your computer.

That’s it! you are done now you can lock your computer anytime with this pattern lock feature.

So above is all about How To Set Android Like Pattern Lock On PC. By this, you can easily customize your windows by applying this cool pattern lock in your windows OS and also shock your friends with this. We hope that you would like this trick. Don’t forget to share it with your friends and leave a comment below if you still have any questions regarding this. Also Read How to Run Linux Bash

How To Add Guest Mode Feature In Any Android

Learn How To Add Guest Mode Feature In Any Android: If you frequently hand your android to someone else without keeping an eye on your privacy then you are at the right place. You can now add Guest mode feature on any android device. Therefore, we are going to share two easy methods that will help you add Guest Mode feature on any android smartphone.

Android is a very smart device which provides many feature to its user, that’s why this operating system is most widely used in the world. And there are numbers of apps that are being developed to run on this OS making it more user-friendly. And talking about one of the coolest features that usually comes on some latest android version is Guest Mode, the excellent way to ensure your privacy. In this mode, you can set menu options according to your wish and you can create a different account with limited access for other users who want to access your android. Hence, we are here with How To Add Guest Mode Feature In Any Android. Just read out the below method to proceed.
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How To Add Guest Mode Feature In Any Android

This feature is presently coming to almost all new android devices, but older android doesn’t have this feature so they can use the method below to enable guest mode in any android. There are two different methods for it which you can use for this purpose. Read out the below methods to proceed.

Must Read: Method Of Rooting Android

Add Guest Mode Feature In Any Android Using Guest Mode App

Step 1. First of all download and install the app Guest Mode on your android device.

Step 2. Now you need to choose your app that guests can open in limited time. Click on the (+) sign to proceed.

Step 3. Now you will see all your apps that are currently installed on your device, select the one you want to protect and click on apply

Step 4. Now you need to click on next arrow which is located in the lower right of your screen.

Step 5. Now you need to set the timer .

Step 6. Now you will be given a password, it’s repeated time. Now click onstart.

Step 7. Now you will see Guest mode is running on your device and in its notification bar with a given time limit.

Step 8. If you want to close Guest mode simply tap on the running guest mode on your notification bar you need to enter the given password in the 6th step to close.

With the help of this app, you can easily get into a guest mode and can ensure your privacy.

Must Read: Method Of Rooting Android

Guest Mode In Android Using Switchme App

Step 1. First of all, you need a rooted android, for rooting your android click here. After rooting download and install the app Switchme on your android device.

Step 2. Now launch the app and grant it super user access. There you create a primary profile first then the other profile according to your wish.

Step 3. In all other secondary profiles, you can set the limited apps that you want to set.

That’s it! you are done now you can easily switch between these accounts.

So above is all about How To Add Guest Mode Feature In Any Android. The above two methods are simple and straight and easily adds guest mode feature in your android. Hope you like the post, don’t forget to share it with others too. Leave a comment if you have any related query.

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