This is Google Apps Updates roundup number 120. In this episode, I will show you more than 35 new features in 13 different Google apps. So, make sure all your apps are up to date and let me show you what's new. Let's start the episode by talking about the YouTube app. And here I'm going to show you four new changes. The first change in the YouTube app is the new AI tools that can help you create shorts. So when you try to create a new short, you will see this new AI button at the top right corner. Tapping on it will give you access to some tools and at the bottom you have a carousel showing you some examples on what you can do with these tools at the top. And the first one is called photo to video.
So for example, I'm going to choose this watch and see what I can do with the phototovideo feature. it will start by generating some suggestions in addition to a text box at the bottom so I can explain exactly what I want to do. So let's wait for the suggestions. I got plenty of suggestions to choose from as shown now on the screen. But I think I will choose this one which says watch glows brighter as time digits rapidly change. And then hit the next button and let's see what's going to happen. Now it's done. And here is the outcome. As you see, the watch is now glowing.
And it added this sound to the background as well. And the hands are moving. As you see here, the hands are moving rapidly. But it's not perfect. You can tap on the try again button or hit continue. And this will add the video to your short. And you can tap on done. And as you see, it will start processing. And then you can add extra videos if you want. Now let's take a look at the other tool which says video clips. This one will allow you to describe whatever you want and create a video clip. So let me try a command prompt. Once I type a command prompt, it gave me multiple styles to choose from at the bottom. As you see here, I have a carousel. So for example, if I want to choose vintage and then hit create, here is what's going to happen.
It gave me four different images to choose from. It says here that I can use the image or I can create a video out of this image. So when I hit create a video, it will take its time and create a video for me. So let's wait for it. Now it's done. And here is the generated video. As you see, the flowers are moving as if there is some wind and there's a car passing by in the background. The next tool we have is called the images. And this one will allow you to create images. So for example, when you try to create an image, it will do exactly the same thing, giving you different styles to choose from. And then we have background.
So if you want to create a background behind you while making the short, you can use the same way as well. And then we have the ability to generate music using AI. So let's see how it works. Here you have the lyrics. Create a track with vocals. You can turn this on or off. And here you have the lyrics. You can type whatever you want or you can choose from the suggestions. Then you have the genre and finally the mood. So I selected some options just to see how it works. I selected the lyrics, the genre, and the mood. So let's hit create and see what's going to happen. Now it's done. And as you see, it created the lyrics at the top and gave me two different tracks to choose from. So, let's take a listen. And here is the second one. I didn't expect the tracks to be that good. I think this feature is a great addition to YouTube shorts.
The second change is the material you colors support in the description. When you expand the description of any video, you will see all the items are now using a color that matches the thumbnail colors. So, let me try another video. Let's say this one. And when I expand the description box in this case, I'm getting a different color. I also got a yellow color in this video. So, let me show you how it looks. So, when I go to the description, as you see, it's now in a yellow color. And when it comes to YouTube shorts, there are two changes. The first one is the ability to see the video stats in the description, which didn't exist before. Plus, it supports the same material you colors I showed you in normal videos.
And the last change is on Google TV. Now, when you open the YouTube app, it will show you the account switcher page every single time. From here, you can choose one of the accounts you already have, add a new account, or open YouTube Kids. And finally, you have the option to watch as a guest. Next, YouTube music. And here I'm going to show you three new changes. The first change is in the home feed. Now, the page header changes based on the recommended section at the top of the page. So, in this case, I have a section called new and now. And as you see, the header looks totally different. But when I refresh the page, when I get something else, the header keeps changing at the top. As you see here, in this case, I only have a gradient color and so on and so forth. So, every time you get a different section at the top, the header now gets updated. The second change is the improved hum to search feature. When you tap on the magnifying glass and then go to hum to search, now you will see a history button at the top left corner that didn't exist before.
Tapping on it will show you the sound search history. From here, here you can play the songs or you can tap on the ellipses to reveal all the options you would expect. And I do really like this feature because it will make your life easier. And by the way, the search history you see right here is not related to the one you have in the Google app or the YouTube app. This one is specific to YouTube music. And the last change is under the explore tab. When you go to the top songs section, you will see redesigned indicators for the trending up and down songs. The arrows look different. And if the rank didn't change, you will see this big dot under the number. So that's it with YouTube music. But before talking about the next Google app, let me introduce you to this amazing Android app called Crew Catcher.
Smartphones today aren't just phones. They are our wallets, memories, and identities. So imagine losing it all because someone stole your phone. The cost isn't just the device. It's your privacy, your photos, your accounts, and everything. Meet Group Catcher, an Android app that's been protecting users for over 10 years, helping countless people recover lost or stolen phones. Here's how it works. If someone tries to unlock your phone with the wrong PIN or pattern, Crew Catcher secretly snaps a photo of them, captures the GPS location, and instantly emails it all to you. You will literally see who's holding your phone and where. Upgrade to Crew Catcher Pro and you get powerful extras that make identifying a thief much easier like video recording including audio. Rear camera support for more evidence, disguised app icon which hides the app so the thief doesn't know that crew catcher is on your phone. Plus these gamechanging security moves. A custom alarm that blasts at full volume the moment a wrong pin is entered.
It draws attention and scares off thieves. a fake home screen that fools the thief into thinking that the phone is unlocked. When they start tapping the screen, Crew Catcher silently takes more photos and records evidence. Even if you don't live in a high theft area, protecting a device that holds your life is a no-brainer. Go ahead and download Crew Catcher today. All the essentials are free and the pro upgrade makes identifying the thief even easier. The next app we have is Google Photos. And here I'm going to show you six new exciting features. The first change is the new remix photos feature. You can find it under the create tab next to photo to video over here or you can access it from the plus menu as well. This feature will give you eight different styles to choose from. And here are all of them. And once you choose the style, you have the option to choose the photo. So I'm going to choose a photo of myself and then hit generate and see what's going to happen.
I got an error message at first, but after tapping the generate button one more time, I got the result. And here is how it looks. From here, you can regenerate a new image. You can give feedback using the thumbs up and down or send feedback by tapping on this link. And here you can give more details. Then you have the ability to share the image or save it to your gallery. This feature uses Gemini's Nano Banana model to generate the images and it's part of November 2025 pixel drop. You should be also able to use it inside Google Messages, but I didn't get this new change.
However, I have some screenshots from a friend showing me how it works. When you open Google Messages for the first time after getting the feature, you should see this banner explaining how it works and an overlay button on top of the images inside the conversation that will allow you to remix the photos immediately from here and share it with the person. And also when you try to share an image, you should see the remix button over here as well. The second feature I want to talk about is the photo to video.
I already covered this feature in episode 116, but back then it didn't work for me. I kept getting an error message which didn't allow me to generate any results. However, now it works perfectly well. So, let me choose one of my wallpapers as an example to show you how it works. At the bottom, you have two options. either subtle movement or I'm feeling lucky. So, let's tap on subtle movement and see what's going to happen. Now, it's done and here's the outcome. It generated a 4 seconds video. Now, the chameleon is moving and I think the result looks stunning. You can do the same thing. You can share it, save it, regenerate or send feedback.
Same as the remix photos feature. The collages also got a couple of new changes that I only got on my Pixel 8 Pro. When you scroll down, you will see more templates added to the list. And this first one specifically will give you a new option that didn't exist before, which is the ability to give it a background different from the images. Not only this, but you will see this new plus and minus buttons that will allow you to add multiple images directly from this screen. But when you compare this to the old version, when I tap on collages, it immediately takes me to the photo picker while now it takes you to the style. And here you can change the count of the images. And when you do this, as you see, it keeps changing the style. So let's say I want to add a background for my collage. So I'm going to tap on the plus button.
And then it shows the main photo. And here is how it looks at the end. When you compare this screen to the previous version, you will see some differences. Now we have a smaller save button, a share button that immediately shares the collage without the need to save it first. The cancel button is now an X. And when you tap on the ellipses, you will see a new getting started option. And this one will take you back to the same tutorial you get when you first use the feature. So that's it with the collages. And the last change I'm going to show you is in the video editor.
Now, when you scroll all the way to the left, you will see a new text option. That will give you far more options than before. First, you need to type the text you want. And then you have multiple options to edit the text. First, you can resize it. And then you have plenty of fonts to choose from. Let's let's pick this one as an example. Here on the left, you have the text alignment. You can make it centered, left aligned, or right aligned. And then you have the ability to change the color. As you see here, I have multiple colors to choose from. Plus, I have the ability to add a background and remove it like this. And once you are happy with the changes, you can tap on the tick button and it will save everything for you.
And by the way, if you like any of my wallpapers, you can go ahead and download the wallpapers by in-depth thick reviews app. It will give you a huge collection of amazing wallpapers that will give your phone a fresh new look. And by the way, you can edit these wallpapers in the app. You can add a blur effect. You can adjust the brightness. You can change the colors and the saturation. Plus, you have the ability to download the edited or unedited wallpaper on the device. So, you can apply the native Android 16 wallpaper effects on them. So, go ahead and download the app. You will find the download link in the description. And now, let's get back to Google Apps. The next app we have is Google Chrome. And here, I'm going to show you five new changes.
The first change in Google Chrome is when you create a new tab, you will get quick access to the AI mode and incognito. Incognito just creates a new tab for you. While AI mode will open a separate page with the text box at the bottom, but there is a slight difference between this version and the one we have inside the Google app. As you see here, the text box looks different and also the options available for you are slightly different. Here you have a plus button instead of the image button. And when you tap on it, you have the ability to upload an image and file. While in the one in Google app, you only have the option to upload an image and all other options are exactly the same. The second change is the material 3 expressive support which you will see in multiple places.
Starting with the tab group manager, the plus button at the top left corner is now surrounded with a container. Same as the two tabs at the top and the animation is slightly better as well. In the tab groups, when you try to change the color, you will see a bigger overlay window and the selected color will turn into a rounded square which matches the design language of the material 3 expressive. And if you have any page open, when you access the more menu, all the buttons at the top are now surrounded with circular containers.
The third change is in the tab groups. When you open any group like this, instead of having the plus button on the far right, now it's closer to the open tabs. And the expand button is now located on the far right instead of showing on the left side like before. And the screenshot on the left shows the old design. I think this one makes a bit more sense. Change number four is a big one. Now you can use the readaloud feature on the desktop version of Google Chrome, not only on your mobile phone. And I've been waiting for this feature for so long. All you need to do is to right click on the web page and choose open in reading mode. Once you do this, you will see all the media controls at the top left corner.
Once you hit the play button, it will start reading the page, giving you two arrows to jump forward or backward sentence by sentence. You can also adjust the playback speed from 0.5x all the way up to 2x. Then we have the voice button that will give you access to multiple English voices to choose from. And you can listen to each one by clicking the play button next to it. And the languages menu item will give you access to even more languages. And you have plenty of them to choose from. Lastly, we have the text highlight menu. And here you have four different choices. You can highlight word by word. You can highlight the whole sentence or choose the adaptive mode that will switch between the two based on the scenario or you can turn off this feature entirely. The last change in Google Chrome is also on desktop.
Now you have the ability to add two cards to your new page which are continue browsing and your tab groups. To access this feature, click on the edit button at the bottom right corner of this page and scroll all the way down. You will see a new section called cards. Here you can choose what cards you want to show or you can turn it off entirely. And when you click on the ellipses of each card, you will get some options like the ability to hide, remove or know more about this card. And the customize option will take you to the same side menu I showed you earlier. Now let's talk about the Google app. And here I'm going to show you four new changes. Let's start with the new changes in the discover feed. The first one is the ability to scroll through images inside some of the articles by using these left and right arrows. And the second change is the ability to autoplay video previews on data and Wi-Fi.
I got this tool tip while browsing the discover feed. And if you want to change this setting, all you need to do is to go to the profile menu, then settings, and then scroll down to other settings, and you will find the autoplay option over here. You can choose between never, only on Wi-Fi or on cellular data and Wi-Fi. Also, under settings, if you are using a Pixel phone, you will see this new menu called customize pixel search box. And when you go inside, you have the ability to turn off the AI mode shortcut. When you turn off the switch, the search box widget, as you see, looks totally different now.
And when I turn on the toggle, here is how it looks with the AI button. And lastly, the delete last 15 minutes option under the profile menu is now called delete last 30 minutes. And the same applies to circle to search. When you tap on the ellipses, you will see the same delete last 30 minutes instead of 15. Now, let's talk about Gemini. And here I'm going to show you three new changes. The first change is the more adaptive and expressive Gemini live voice. For example, you can ask it to speak faster or use different accents.
So let me show you a couple of examples. Tell me the fruits that are rich in magnesium in British accent. Certainly. Some fruits rich in magnesium include bananas, avocados, and dates. Would you like me to list any others? Can you speak faster? Certainly, I can increase my speaking pace. Is there anything else I can assist you with regarding magnesium rich fruits? I also found that when I try to create a video using my paid account, now I have access to Veu 3.1 instead of VU 3. And the last change is on the web. When you activate the deep research tool, now you have the option to include your Gmail, Google Drive and Google chats, not only the web search and uploaded files like before. Next, Gboard. And here I'm going to show you two new changes. The first change will make your typing faster.
As you see, I have the special characters showing on my keys. And with this new feature, now you have the option to pull downward like this to enter the special character instead of tapping and holding like before. And that will make your typing noticeably faster, especially when you type long messages. To activate this feature, just head over to settings, then preferences. First, activate the touch and hold keys for symbols to show the special characters on your keyboard and then activate the flick keys to enter symbols to get the new gesture.
Plus, you have the ability to adjust the flick input sensitivity. You have low, mid, low, normal, mid, high, and high. The second change is a small visual tweak for the AI stickers. And instead of having two buttons at the top, one to create a sticker with AI and one for images, now the AI one got replaced with a text box to immediately start typing. And the image option is now a circular button that will open the photo picker for you. Next, Google contacts. And here I'm going to show you two new changes. The first change is under the highlights tab.
You will notice here that the birthday cards I have got redesigned and the ellipses at the top right corner are now surrounded with a container to match the material 3 expressive design language. And the second change is when you create a new contact. When you scroll all the way down, you will see that the extra fields that you can add to the contact got redesigned as well and they look a lot better than before. Now, let's end this video by talking about the apps that only got one new change. And I will start with Google Maps. You will notice here that the location and layers buttons got updated and now they support the material 3 expressive design language.
In Google Play Store when you go to the search, you will see a new section at the top called what are you looking for with the AI star next to it. Here it will show you some search queries that might help you find or explore more apps. And when you tap on any of them, it will take you to the search results. Here you have a section called organized with AI that will show you the apps related to your search query. And then you will see normal listings as well. Moving to the Pixel Watch app. In my previous video, I showed you the Material 3 expressive redesign in the main pages, but previously the sub menus were exactly the same. Currently when you open any of these pages you will see that the material 3 expressive is now showing finally and it looks so much better. Almost each and every page you will go to it will show you the material 3 expressive design language. The only page that's still missing is the my watch faces but the my tiles or tiles got updated and as you see it supports the material 3 expressive.
So we are very close to the 100% redesign. The next one is the Pixel sounds app. When you go to settings and then sound and vibration and then ringtone. When you try to change your ringtone on any of your Pixel devices, you will see this redesigned look first. Each and every collection got its own background and the app supports the material U color theming. So every time you change your color palette, the colors change. And lastly, clock for where OS got the material 3 expressive redesign and all the icons related to the clock app like the alarms, the stopwatch and timers got these new icons.
Starting with the alarms, you will see here that the button to add a new alarm got updated. And here is how you can set an alarm. It looks much better than before. And then we have the stopwatch which is here. And I do really like the new design of the stopwatch. And you will see here that the reset button got a container around it. And the play and stop button also got redesigned. Then we have the timer. And here is how it looks. The two buttons at the top are now surrounded with containers. So that's pretty much it for today. These are all the new changes I wanted to show you in this episode. And if you spotted any new feature in Google Apps, please reach me out on social media so I can include in my future episodes. But for now, thanks so much for watching and see you in the next