New accessibility and sharing features are coming to Android devices

Android introduces a number of new features to improve accessibility, personalization and productivity across devices. One of the major announcements is that Nearby Share – Google’s AirDrop competitor – is getting a much-needed update that will allow users to easily send files between their own devices.

After you sign up to use the new feature on your Android phone or tablet, all transfers between those devices will be automatically accepted, even if your display is off.

This self-share feature has been anticipated for a few months, and while we’re happy to see file transfers getting easier, it’s still disappointing (though not surprising) that the feature is limited to Android-to-Android interactions . An official release date for Self-Share hasn’t been announced, but Google says the feature will be coming to devices “in the next few weeks.” (It’s not clear when exactly the other features mentioned in this update will go live.)

The new updates will also improve accessibility for various Google services. Google Drive and Keep get redesigned widgets for devices with larger screens, giving Android tablet users one-touch access to Docs, Slides, and Sheets files within the Google Drive widget, while the Keep widget resizes and font size will increase and improve Notes for the visually impaired.

There’s also an upgrade to Android’s sound notifications – a little-known feature found in your device’s accessibility settings.

These audio notifications were originally intended to help people with hearing impairments. Turn them on and your Android device will listen for sounds like fire alarms and knocks on your front door, and create a notification when it hears them. Now users can create custom Alerts by recording specific sounds. For example, you can record the jingle that your washing machine plays when a wash cycle is finished, and when your Android phone, watch, or tablet hears that sound, you’ll get a notification.

For those who use Google TV, the service also now has a curated content library with audio descriptions, which you can find either by manually searching the service or by using the voice-enabled Google Assistant (it’s not clear when exactly this feature will launch became).

Google Meet users also have access to multi-pinning during calls, allowing you to focus your attention on multiple specific people in larger group meetings – like the keynote speaker and an ASL interpreter.

Google Meet is also introducing live shared experiences like gaming and co-watching on Android mobile and tablet devices. This feature can be used to play classics like Uno, Kahoot! and to play Heads up!and watch YouTube content with up to 100 people at the same time.

Text messages on Android devices are also getting an update for “smart emoji suggestions” in Gboard, and Android will increase the available emojis for this feature by releasing new seasonal emoji mashups for Emoji Kitchen, which will be available as stickers.

Finally, if you happen to have a smartwatch running Wear OS then some extra features and fun are coming your way as well. A Keep tile can now be added to your watch for taking notes on the go, and your Bitmoji can be added to your watch face. This cartoon avatar changes facial expressions depending on what you’re doing, the time of day, and even the weather. So if you get caught in the rain while running, your watch will look as miserable as you feel.