Google Announces 9 New Android and Wear OS Features at MWC 2023

This year’s Mobile World Congress is in full action, and Google took the stage to announce many new Android and Wear OS features. Some of these functions are already available, while some will make their way to your device soon. 

New Android Features (Available) 

Starting February 27, you can expect the following features to appear on your Android device:

• Google Chrome page zoon for Android: You can now pinch-to-zoom and increase only the size of text, image, and controls while still preserving the page layout. Previously, doing the same would zoom the entire page instead, like zooming in on a static image. It works up to 300%, and you can also set a preferred default zooming level. 
• Google Meet gets a Noise Cancellation feature: While it is already available on some selected phones, Google is bringing it to the masses. It eliminates background noise while you talk in a Google meeting. 
• Annotate PDFs using a stylus or touching the screen: You can now scribble notes on PDFs via styles or by just touching the screen within the Google Drive app. There’s an option to highlight text, too.
• New emoji combinations: The Emjoi Kitchen already allows you to combine two different emoji to create a new one for Gboard, and now, Google has added some new combos to the mix. 

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More Features Coming Soon to Android and Wear OS

The big G is yet to set a date for some of these new features, but it ensures they are on the way. 

• Fast Pair on Google Chromebooks: Pixel earbuds owners will soon be able to connect the gear to their Chromebook with a single tap. If you’ve already set up the earbuds with your phone, they’ll automatically be available on your Chromebook. 
• Google Keep widget for Android and WearOS: Google is bringing a new Keep widget to manage notes and to-do-list from your home screen. Similarly, you’ll be able to quickly access Google Keep notes from your smartwatch running on Wear OS 3+.
• New tap-to-pay animations in Google Wallet: You’ll soon witness new animations confirming the transaction when you successfully tap-to-pay via Google Wallet on your Android phone. 
• New audio and display modes for WearOS: Google will add mono audio instead of stereo alongside color correction and grayscale display modes to Wear OS 3+.