Google is working with BMW and other automakers to develop a digital key that will let car owners lock, unlock and start a vehicle from their Android smartphone, the company announced Tuesday during its 2021 Google I/O developer event. The digital car keys will become available on select Pixel and Samsung Galaxy phones later this year. 

The digital key uses Ultra Wideband (UWB) technology, a form of radio transmission for which the sensor can tell the direction of the signal, sort of like a tiny radar. This lets the antenna in your phone locate and identify objects equipped with UWB transmitters. Owners of car models that have enabled NFC technology, or near-field communication, will be able to use the digital car key. The phone communicates with an NFC reader in the user’s car, which is typically located within the door handle. Users will also be able to securely and remotely share their car key with friends and family if they need to borrow the car. The Car Connectivity Consortium, which Apple, Google and Samsung along with automakers BMW, GM, Honda, Hyundai and Volkswagen are members of, have spent the past several years creating an underlying agreement to make it easier to work in a seamless way and to standardize a digital key solution.

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Plus Google CEO Sundar Pichai last month hinted at significant product updates and announcements at IO 2021.

There have been rumors around the Pixel 5a, Pixel 6 , Pixel Watch, Pixel Buds A, Android 12 and more. Google is likely to release some of the mentioned products on May 18. The complete schedule of the event has also been released. Google will hold several keynotes to talk about many developments in their product range.

Expected releases at Google IO 2021

Android 12

This new Android version is expected to bring a major UI overhaul and plenty of other functional features.

Pixel 5a

Pixel 5a will look a lot similar like Pixel 4a 5G, will be powered by Qualcomm’s midrange 5G chipset 765G.

Pixel Buds A

Much like Pixel A smartphone series, Pixel Buds A will be a cheaper alternative to Pixel Buds.

Wear OS 

Leaks around the Pixel Watch have been making rounds for quite a while now so it’s likely that the software developers at Google are working to fix the caveats in Wear OS. Google IO is primarily a developer conference, however, it has also been home to many of the brand’s biggest announcements. 

This year it is specially expected to be full of big announcements because the last Google IO was canceled due to the pandemic.

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Google IO 2021 has begun, and Google has already announced a slew of updates to its various services. The most anticipated of these were the updates to Google Android's next version. With the release of its first-ever Beta version, Google has now given us a hint at what to expect from Android 12 as the first note of the IO event.

Google hinted at some of the features that will be available on Android smartphones in future OS updates when it announced the first beta of Android 12. More personalization options for users, simplified interactions, improved accessibility features, and increased privacy features will be included.

Starting today, Android 12 Beta will be available on Pixel and other devices such as those from OnePlus and Xiaomi. Here are the changes we can anticipate on the same - According to Google, Android 12 includes "the most significant design change in Android's history." This was made possible by the company's redesign of the entire experience, "from the colors to the shapes, light, and motion."

Users will be able to completely personalize their phones with a custom color palette and redesigned widgets with Android 12. Using color extraction, the system will automatically determine the dominant colors on the user's set wallpaper and suggest a color palette based on those findings.

These colors will then be applied to the entire operating system, including the notification shade, lock screen, volume controls, new widgets, and other features.

These design changes are being implemented by Google through a collaboration of its software, hardware, and Material Design teams. The Material You project unifies its software and hardware ecosystems under a single design language.

Improved Animations and Usability

'Google has worked on the motion and animations on Android 12 to provide its users with a more fluid experience. These changes will be visible on tap, swipe, and scroll, for example, when users dismiss their notifications on the lock screen, the clock will grow larger to indicate that they are all caught up.

Google has also reimagined important phone spaces such as the notification shade, quick settings, and the power button in Android 12 to make it easier for users to get things done.

For example, the notification shade is more intuitive and playful, with a clear, at-a-glance view of app notifications. Quick Settings, on the other hand, will allow users to control virtually the entire operating system with a swipe and a tap. Google Pay and Home Controls will now be available in these settings.

With a long press on the power button, Android 12 will also be able to summon Google Assistant.

Performance enhancements

Android 12 will also make devices faster and more responsive, as well as improve power efficiency. Google claims that users will be able to use their Android 12 devices for longer periods of time without needing to charge them than previous Android smartphones.

Google accomplished this through some under-the-hood improvements, such as reducing the CPU time required for core system services by up to 22% and reducing the system server's use of large cores by up to 15%.

Increased Privacy Protection

Android 12 introduces new features that provide users with greater transparency into which apps are accessing their data, as well as greater control over this data collection. A new Privacy Dashboard, for example, will provide a unified view of permissions settings as well as what data is accessed, how frequently, and by which apps. From the dashboard, users will also be able to easily revoke app permissions.

When apps access the microphone or camera, a new indicator at the top right of the status bar will notify users. Two new toggles in Quick Settings will also assist in removing app access to these sensors across the entire system.

Android 12 will also include new approximate location permissions, which will allow apps to see only the user's approximate location rather than a precise one. Weather apps, for example, do not require a precise location to provide an accurate forecast.

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Android 12 was released at Google IO 2021 in beta for select devices for now, including phones from Oppo, Nokia, OnePlus, Xiaomi, ZTE, Asus, TCL and iQOO as well of course as plenty of Pixels.

The final version of Android 12 will likely land in September or October based on past releases of the OS, though most likely only on a small number of handsets to begin with, such as the Google Pixel 5 and Google Pixel 4a, along with the upcoming Google Pixel 6, assuming such a phone launches.

Refreshed UI

Google has announced a new Material Design language for Android 12, called Material You, which is a rethink of the whole UI across the operating system.The current beta brings more rounded buttons, more varied colors, smoother motion and animations, and much more.The company calls it color extraction, where you can pick a wallpaper and the system will automatically apply the dominant, complementary and best looking colors from it to the rest of the UI, including the notification shade, the lock screen, and volume controls.

Privacy and Security 

The Android Private Compute Core is the engine behind Android 12's privacy features, making sure that the apps and the phone are following the privacy settings enabled by you. The new privacy dashboard gives you an overall view of apps using the phone's location, camera, contacts, and much more. The notification center also has quick access to disable any features of the phone that an app is using.Android 12 will also ask you for permission from an app to use a feature of the phone. You can select to allow it while running the app, only once, or not at all. You can also opt to only provide an approximate location to some apps, such as weather apps which don't need to know exactly where you are.

With features like Live Caption, Now Playing and Smart Reply, all of the audio and language processing happens on your device, so the data isn't sent elsewhere.

Other Features 

When held down, the power button will now bring up Google Assistant, a much easier method of summoning the service for a query when needed. A new built-in remote is also now standard in Android 12, so if you have a TV that runs on Android, or just a Chromecast, you can use your phone to browse through your favorite shows. Google's password manager is also being redeveloped, with a cross-platform integration across your Google apps and devices.

Photo modes will support a new format – AVIF, which promises similar compression to JPEG but at better quality. Android 12 also promises to make your device faster and more responsive. Google claims that it reduces the CPU time needed for core system services by up to 22% and reduces the use of big cores by the system server by up to 15%, all of which should also mean improved battery life.

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