Category: App Update

A new update to Microsoft Cortana for Android is rolling out today and it brings the ability to send a voice activated call or text from your phone.  The feature isn’t necessarily earth shattering as other assistants can do this too.  But it does give a clear indicator that Microsoft is continuing to develop and push Cortana feature-wise for their customer base.

The update in question is version 2.10.2.2135 for those keeping score at home and it is already in the Play Store.  If you have Microsoft Cortana installed on your phone, you likely already have the update – but double-check.

Microsoft has released a new update of Bing for Android that brings a handful of new features and improvements.  The new build is version 8.2.26177804 for those keeping score at home.  If you have Bing installed on your phone, you should get the OTA update over the course of the next few days.

Among the new features is the ability to sync your search history across devices on which you use Bing.  The most vivid example of this would be your Android phone and your Windows 10 PC.  If you search for something in the Bing for Android app, you can go to Bing on your PC browser and get that search history there too.

The Chrome for Android beta app has been updated today in the Play Store, upping the base code to Chrome 66 for the mobile browser.  The new version is build 66.0.3359.30 and represents the first Chrome 66 beta for Android.

Unlike other beta programs in the Play Store, there is no sign up to get the Chrome beta for Android.  You can download it here and install it on your compatible devices.  Like all beta software however, its not recommended to run it as your daily browser or deploy it into production as there are likely still bugs to be found and there could be performance issues.

The Google Camera app for the Google Pixel lineup of phones has a new update rolling out that brings some UI changes as well as some new features.  The update is version 5.2 for those keeping score at home and has been released to the Play Store.  You should see the update over the course of the next few days.

From a UI perspective, the top menu bar has been cleaned up with the grid control settings moved to the menu in the app as a setting.  Given that the grid view is normally something you set and forget, this makes sense and makes the upper bar in the app a bit less cluttered.

A new update to Pocket for Android is rolling out in the Play Store and it brings a long requested feature to the read it later app.  Now when you look at your list of articles you have saved, you will see an estimated reading or viewing time for that article.

For those who aren’t familiar with Pocket, it is an app that allows you to save content to read later.  It is aimed to simplified your life by having one repository for your content so you are not having to create a bunch of bookmarks.

The Microsoft To-Do app has a new update rolling out that brings support for hashtags and improved readability of reminders in tasks.  The update is version 1.26.58 for those keeping score at home and has rolled out to the Play Store.  If you have it installed, you should get the OTA update over the course of the next few days.

The big new feature is hashtag support.  Now you can use them in your notes for tasks and can search for those hashtags later.  Think of it as tagging of notes, something that other apps have done for a while now.