Google is expanding its personalized text stickers to Android users who use the Gboard keyboard in US English. Only Google Pixel users previously had access to the function, which allows you to create and send personalized stickers by typing in your own text and selecting a readymade design.
Google is also adding over 1,600 new Pride Month and summer-themed mashups to Gboard’s Emoji Kitchen, in addition to extending custom stickers. Simply type one emoji (or two) into a message to see what kind of mashups you can translate into stickers. The result is amusing and sometimes unusual emoji pairings, such as a soccer ball constructed of watermelon.
Apart from Gboard, Google is updating two of its accessibility-focused apps: Sound Amplifier and Lookout. Sound Amplifier, which is designed to enhance specific sounds for those with hearing impairments, is getting a new user interface, greater background noise reduction, and “faster and more accurate” sound. Google is introducing an offline mode to Lookout, an app designed to assist visually impaired individuals, as well as the ability for users to hear a description of a picture from “just about any” app or browser.
Finally, Google will soon allow you to redeem all (or just a portion) of your Google Play Points while playing a game or using an app. This should make redeeming any earned points easier since you won’t have to go through the extra steps of converting your Play Points into a coupon before completing a purchase. Google claims the feature will be available “in the coming weeks.”
