Using Google Messages, those on Android will be able to text 911 using Rich Communication Services. This will let you see read receipts and typing indicators from emergency responders, thus eliminating the “uncertainty of waiting to see if your messages went through.”

Compared to SMS, RCS will allow you to send pictures and videos. Google says high-resolution media could “aid a faster and more effective response from emergency service providers.”

The last benefit is the ability to “share your precise location and additional information automatically through Android Emergency Location Service.” This can include your “language settings and opt-in Medical Information, so emergency responders know exactly where to go and can get helpful details from you even if you’re unable to reply.”

So Epic Games have 10 demans from Google. One of this demands is to allow third party stores to access applications that are hosted on Google Play Store:

If a Third-Party App Store's User wishes to download and install an app not then available on that Third-Party App Store, Google shall have the Google Play Store download and install that app on the Third-Party App Store User's device through a background process similar to the Alley Oop integration offered by Google to certain third-party Developers.

And the judge ordered Google to calculate the costs of developing such mechanism which will basically allow third party stores to list applications from Google Play Store in their own stores.

Google will file by June 24, 2024, a proffer stating in detail the tech work required and economic costs, if any, to provide “Catalog Access” and “Library Porting” to competing app stores for a period of up to 6 years. See MDL Dkt. No. 952 at 7. The proffer may also address tech work and economic costs for the distribution of third-party app stores through the Google Play Store.

In 2022 it was first reported that Google would move up to 20% of Pixel production to India. Later, in 2023, Google confirmed plans to start Pixel production in India with plans to start in 2024, with a report from earlier this year reiterating that.

According to The Economic Times, Google has selected Tamil Nadu, the latest state in India, as the location where it will produce devices.

With the help of Foxconn, Google will set up new production lines in Tamil Nadu for Pixel phones. Wing, a part of Google’s parent Alphabet, will also be producing drones from the region. There’s no word on when production will start, but Google previously said devices made in India would ship before the end of 2024.

Following the US depreciation in April, Google Podcasts is shutting down for international users this June.

According to the updated support article, Google Podcasts will be available for “users outside of the United States” until “mid-to-late June 2024.” The YouTube Music migration and OPML file export will be available until July 29, 2024 for a month-long grace period.

Google has announced a major internal reorganization which forms the “Platform and Devices” team that, under Rick Osterloh, will oversee Pixel, Nest, Android, Chrome, and more.

Announced via The Verge, Google will reorganize its Android, Chrome, ChromeOS, Photos, and other teams to be under the same roof as Pixel, Nest, and other hardware efforts. Rick Osterloh will lead the new “Platform and Devices” team.

• After suing Google years ago for its alleged monopolistic practices regarding Android and the Google Play Store, Epic won in a surprise jury verdict last year.
• As part of the decision, Epic has been tasked with submitting a proposed injunction to the court for consideration. In simpler terms, the court wants to know what changes Epic wants to see on the Google Play Store and Android.
• The court filing comes a few weeks after Epic announced that it will bring the Epic Games Store to iOS and Android as an alternative app marketplace "later this year."

• WhatsApp is apparently enhancing its search functionality with Meta AI, initially rolling out to English-speaking users worldwide.
• Despite the AI upgrade, users can still navigate WhatsApp traditionally, ensuring continuity and ease of use for finding messages, groups, and contacts.
• Meta is also extending Meta AI testing beyond WhatsApp to Instagram and Messenger users in specific regions.

According to the IDC, though, Android is set to grow considerably faster than iOS over the course of 2024.

Speaking to CNN, IDC’s research director Nabila Popal says that Android will grow at “twice the pace of iOS” this year. Apple’s sales already dropped down 10% in Q1 2024, giving Samsung back the top slot, largely due to shrinking sales in China.

In 2023, for the first time, Apple managed to ship more smartphones than Samsung had on a global scale. It wasn’t exactly a crushing defect, with Apple taking the edge by just 4%, but it was certainly notable. It also came on the back of Q4 performance where Apple had much better sales compared to Samsung.

According to data from Counterpoint Research shared by The Korea Times, Samsung beat out Apple by a narrow margin to kick off 2024. The company shipped 19.69 million smartphones in the first quarter of the year (presumably only looking at certain regions), beating Apple’s 17.41 million. Samsung, according to the report, currently holds 20% of the global smartphone market, while Apple has dropped down to 18%.

• Spotify is testing video-based learning courses in the UK.
• The courses cover four main topics: music, creativity, business, and healthy living.
• The streamer has partnered with BBC Maestro, PLAYvirtuoso, Skillshare, and Thinkific.
• Free and Premium subscribers in the UK can trial at least two lessons per course for free before purchasing additional lessons.

• The European Commission is investigating Alphabet, Apple and Meta for potential non-compliance with the Digital Markets Act.
• The DMA requires gatekeepers to allow developers to alert consumers to offers outside their app stores, for free.
• Meta is being investigated over its “pay or consent” model, which may breach rules on personal data gathering.

• Android 15 is expected to introduce a Powered Off Finder API.
• This API will enable compatible devices to be tracked even when switched off.
• The feature is expected to be available on the Google Pixel 9 series, and the Pixel 8 series.