Google conference

Google held a developer conference on Tuesday, showcasing Android OS updates and its software innovations.

Google's "for developers 2021 conference kicked off on 18 May, with Alphabet subsidiary (GOOG, GOOGL) hosting it online, streaming on YouTube. The event will continue on 19 and 20 May. Last year, this annual conference was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Android updates

Google has demonstrated a customisable interface in terms of colours and transitions between different applications that can be individually selected by each user. The software is expected to be faster and more energy efficient than Android 11. Users will now get better information about when and how installed apps use their personal information and will have the option to disable these tracking features.

The Android 12 software will also tell you when your smartphone's camera and microphone are active, and even allow you to turn them off right in your notification panel.

This strengthens Android's competitive position over Apple's iOS, which for years has positioned its iPhones and other gadgets as more secure than Android devices.

New OS for smart watches

In November 2019, Google struck a deal to acquire smartwatch maker Fitbit. Google needed to bring in developers to compete more with market leader Apple Watch.

This is now possible as Google is launching its own smartwatch operating system, Wear OS, on products from Fitbit and Samsung Electronics Co, which have been using their systems for years.

Also, Google has unveiled a series of updates for Workspace, its collaboration software suite.

Its users will now be able to integrate Google Meet video calls directly into other tools such as Docs and Tables.

Car features in Android

Google is launching the Car Key feature on Google Pixel and Samsung phones, it will allow the user to unlock the car and start it from the phone. It's worth noting that the company has announced new search settings on Google Maps, based on a machine learning system known as MUM, which allows you to query a route with caveats such as: "good views", a safer route, a route with less fuel consumption, etc.