Google Plans New, Smarter Messaging App

Users will be able to text friends or a chatbot that will scour the Web and other sources to answer a question

Google is building a new mobile-messaging service that taps its artificial intelligence know-how and so-called chatbot technology to try to catch up with rivals includingFacebook Inc. in the fast-growing arena, according to people familiar with the matter.

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Google’s new service may incorporate its chatbot technology. PHOTO: MARCIO JOSE SANCHEZ/ASSOCIATED PRESS

Messaging services are among the world’s most popular mobile apps, with more than two billion users, according to Portio Research Ltd. But Google’s two messaging services—Hangouts and Messenger—trail far behind Facebook’s WhatsApp and Messenger and Tencent Holdings Ltd.’s WeChat, the most popular messaging app in China. Some services are adding other capabilities—WeChat, for instance, lets users shop, pay bills and book appointments.

For its new service, Google, a unit of Alphabet Inc., plans to integrate chatbots, software programs that answer questions inside a messaging app, the people familiar with the matter said. Users will be able to text friends or a chatbot, which will scour the Web and other sources for information to answer a question, those people said. It is unclear when Google will launch the service, or what it will be called. Also in doubt is whether the new approach will be more successful than the company’s prior efforts. Users typically join messaging services because they know other users; Google has struggled to create such network effects with both Hangouts and Messenger.

A Google spokeswoman declined to comment.

Google veteran Nick Fox has been leading a team working on the new service for at least a year, according to people familiar with the matter. Tech news website The Information reported his new role as vice president of communications products earlier this year.

In October, Mr. Fox offered to buy 200 Labs Inc., a small startup that builds chatbots, but the firm declined the offer, according to two people familiar with the situation.

200 Labs developed a marketplace and rating service for chatbots on Telegram, a messaging app that offers hundreds of chatbots, devoted to subjects such as the weather, image search, news and dating. 200 Labs is working on technology that will choose the best chatbot to respond to a request.

Google is pursuing a similar goal with its messaging service, the people familiar with the plan said.

Instead of typing a query into Google’s search engine, users will send questions as text messages, to which chatbots will respond. Google likely will allow outside developers to build chatbots to run on the service, one of the people said.

Google would steer users to specific chatbots, much as its search engine directs users to relevant websites. The move is strategic, because messaging apps and chatbots threaten Google’s role as the Internet’s premier discovery engine.

“All users care about is a convenient way to find what they are looking for and if Google isn’t in front of the consumer that is a problem for them,” said Scott Stanford, co-founder of venture-capital firm Sherpa Capital. “Messaging is a subset of the Internet where Google is not strong. They have to win and be the dominant player in messaging.”

Consumers already have many messaging choices. Sherpa Capital has invested in Luka.ai, another startup that is building a messaging service that also answers questions and performs other tasks. Operator, started by Uber Technologies Inc. co-founder Garrett Camp, is another. Slack Technologies Inc., which focuses on workplace communication, offers chatbots to automate tasks like translating text. In August, Facebook launched M, a digital assistant that purchases items, books restaurants, travel and appointments through texts.

Luka.ai uses artificial-intelligence techniques in its answers. When a user asks for a restaurant recommendation, the app responds based on what it knows about a user.

“We show you a steakhouse and you say, ‘No I’m vegetarian,’ and the system remembers and doesn’t recommend meat restaurants” next time, said Zhenya Kuyda, chief executive of Luka.ai.

Google is making a similar service, she added.

The company already has done extensive research into artificial intelligence. In June, its researchers announced that they had built a chatbot that learns how to talk with humans by analyzing dialogue from movies. Google’s Web-based search engine already is capable of basic conversations.

Google is taking these capabilities, currently delivered in the form of a search service, and integrating them into its new messaging service, the people said.

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You May Own Apple’s Phone, but You’re Using Google’s Apps

From the “Things You Knew but It’s Still Helpful to See Them in a Chart” file*: Google has a decent lead over Apple when it comes to the number of people using its phones/operating system. But when it comes to the apps people use on those operating systems, it’s no contest — it’s Google’s world, hands down.

Google owns five of the 10 most popular mobile apps in the U.S., and Facebook has three of them — including Facebook, which is by far the most popular. Apple has just two, Nielsen says.

Here are the charts we promised you two paragraphs ago. The data comes from polls and surveys of U.S. mobile users (for a slightly different view, see Nielsen rival comScore’s survey):

One positive note for Apple is that its Apple Music app, which hasn’t generated the most flattering reviews, seems to be doing quite well: Nielsen says it is the country’s ninth-most popular app, with more than 54 million users.

Nielsen also says that number is up 26 percent in the last year, which is a little confusing since it was a different app a year ago. Additional confusion: In October, Tim Cook said Apple Music had 6.5 million paying subscribers and several million more trying the free trial.

But that one, at least, I can try answer: Nielsen is counting people who’ve opened the app, not those who’ve paid for the service or signed up for the service. I’m pretty sure Nielsen’s numbers also include people who are using the app to play music they already own.

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Google to incubate its robotics and drone divisions under Google X

Google is planning an organizational reshuffle that will see its secretive robotics department and drone business folded into its Google X labs.

Google’s robotics division, and the drone group it created when it acquired Titan Aerospace in 2014, will both fall under the Google X umbrella when the reshuffle takes place some time next year, Re/Code reported.

Google X is the secretive part of Google that develops some of its most futuristic, bleeding edge technologies. These include its famous self-driving cars, Project Loon (Wi-Fi hot air balloons), and its airborne wind turbines. Google X operates as a standalone company under Google’s parent Alphabet Inc., which was created following Google’s corporate restructuring earlier this year.

Google X’s projects are largely experimental and extremely uncertain in terms of a business model. Nevertheless, Google obviously deems it the best place to be for its robotics division, which has been left leaderless ever since Andy Rubin quit the Web giant last year. Previously, there was speculation that the robotics division may become a standalone company under Alphabet, but today’s news would indicate that’s not going to happen any time soon.

A spokesperson for Google told Re/Code that the decision to incubate the two projects under Google X would help them to “address tangible problems”, without offering any clue as to what those “problems” might be.

However, another “person with knowledge of the matter” told Business Insider that the move would help to “refocus the projects” by defining “specific real-world problems” that robotics and drones might be able to solve.

Google’s robotics division is believed to be working on creating robots that mimic human movement for use in factories and other industries. Project Titan meanwhile, is working to deliver Internet connectivity to remote parts of the world via solar-powered drones that can stay airborne for several months at a time. The latter project will be merged with Google’s Project Wing, which is building so-called delivery drones to compete with Amazon’s Prime delivery drones.

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Google's iOS app receives update that adds 3D Touch support and more

Google has updated its iOS app, adding support for 3D Touch. A heavy fingered tap on the app's icon will present an Apple iPhone 6s or Apple iPhone 6s Plus user with a shortcut menu to Google's voice, text or image searches. You also might notice that some new information pops up on your screen when you Google a local business, including restaurants and bars.

Search for a nearby business or eatery, and your Google search result will include a graph showing how busy this particular location is at certain hours. If you're in a rush, this information can be a timesaver. And Google has also updated its search results for iOS users, adding holiday hours for stores and restaurants. 

And with the update, the app will support some of the new features found on the Apple iPad such as Split View and Slide Over. Both will allow you to multitask by viewing the Google app while another app also appears on the screen. This can be very helpful if you're perusing an article, and need to look something up to clarify what you've just read.

The updated version of Google's iOS app is now available in the App Store, and takes Google's iOS app to version 11.0.



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Google is stepping up its war on adware

Scammy programs and browser extensions are a persistent problem on the web, but web companies are starting to take them seriously as a threat to the web. In a post today, Google surveyed the past year's efforts to fight unwanted software, and came away with some impressive statistics. Chrome user complaints about unwanted extensions dropped from 40 percent to 20 percent of total complaints, spurred by an aggressive banning campaign earlier this year. At the same time, more than 14 million Chrome users removed unwanted extensions and the number of unwanted-software-related warnings on Adwords dropped 95 percent.

That's good news, but it's just a dent in the larger adware ecosystem. In May, a study found that as many as 5 million computers visiting Google sites are infected with some form of adware, and Google believes that one in 10 Chrome browsers have some form of hijacked settings. Now that unwanted software warnings have been folded into Chrome's Safe Browsing feature, the browser displays more than 5 million such warnings a day.

5 MILLION CHROME WARNINGS A DAY

To lower that number, Google has launched a number of new initiatives. Earlier this year, Google shifted to a stricter pre-approval process for downloadable content on Adwords, rather than trying to catch unwanted programs after the fact. Google Search also began deprecating sites that serve unwanted software, and added a design element to highlight the canonical source of free programs like Twitter, Firefox, and Slack, making it harder for third parties to distribute adware-bundled versions of the software.

Still, Google's powers are limited, particularly for non-Chrome users. "We only cover parts of the web," said Moheeb Rajab, an engineer on the Google security team. "It's an open platform, and effective protection for users will take wider participation from the industry."

In the past, adware manufacturers have looked to Adwords as a way to distribute software, but recent changes have made the platform much less hospitable. Google's own data estimates that less than 1 percent of unwanted software is served through Adwords. Still, the company's critics aren't entirely mollified by the shift. "These efforts are all going in the right direction, but one might reasonably wish that Google had done more earlier," said Harvard Business School professor Ben Edelman, a longtime Google critic who has also consulted for Microsoft. "Indeed, it’s not hard to find Google’s systems still supporting deceptive software. In my work testing adware forensically, I still see this often. Still, I’m glad Google has engaged with these issues with renewed vigor."

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Google Wants To Text Message You With Holiday Shopping Deals

A number of startups emerged this year to offer consumers an easier way to shop: instead of immersive, e-commerce experiences, companies like Magic, Operator, Fetch, GoButler, and others, including Facebook, are testing out messaging-based virtual assistants that help you buy nearly anything from airline tickets to dinner reservations, to great gifts, and more. Now Google is getting in on that action, too. The company is currently trialing its own SMS-based alerting service, this time focused on helping holiday shoppers find the best deals.

The service was spotted in the wild earlier today by the unofficial Google-watching blog,Google Operating System, which saw the option to “subscribe” to Black Friday phone deals pop up on their mobile phone after a related search query.

However, the new deals service was quietly announced by Google earlier this month, by way of a Google+ post. It received a little press coverage at the time, but largely on blogs that only cover Google, search engines or SEO, as opposed to more mainstream attention. That may change as consumers turn to their phones to find Black Friday deals in the days ahead.

While framed as something Google is testing during the “holidays,” the move indicates that even the search giant acknowledges that the way consumers will shop, browse, and transact on mobile devices in the future may end up being radically different from on the desktop web.

With our phones, (and now our watches, too), our devices are turning into alerting platforms that deliver us the information we need, when we need it. And instead of searching and comparing dozens of options, we may simply communicate with an assistant – part human, part AI – who helps narrow down our options, present us with the best choices, then fulfill the request. This is what’s called the “invisible app” market, as we’ve referred to it here on TechCrunch, and it makes sense given the rise of mobile messaging, combined with the ability to integrate a virtual assistant-powered experience over familiar communication channels like SMS.

Google’s service today falls far short of a personalized assistant, but the company has already proven with its virtual assistant Google Now that it could expand in this direction, if it choose.

But for now, the idea behind the new deal alerting service is to translate the shift in how consumers shop into a new ad format. These “deal alerts” are actually an AdWords option that’s being trialed with a limited number of advertisers, the company explains.

Google declined to provide information related to ad pricing, or a list of participating advertisers, given the service is considered to be only a “test” at this time.

However, what we do know is that the alerts are  only available on mobile, only in the U.S., and the text messages returned are powered by Google. In fact, Google is creating customized text for those who sign up directly, the company says.

Here’s how it works:

If you search for a general term like “black friday deals” from your mobile phone, you may see an option that prompts you to subscribe to alerts from a Google ad at the top of your search results. If you choose to do so, your phone number will be kept private, says Google, and you’ll be able to opt out of the text messages at any time.

However, while choosing to use the new alerts service, you’ll be sent relevant offers from participating retailers across a number of popular holiday shopping categories, like computers, phones, and gaming consoles.

The Google Operating System blog happened to spot the text-messaging deal subscription service when they searched for “moto x play” – indicating that the ads aren’t only tied to “black friday” or “cyber monday” search queries, but to any matching products from participating advertisers.

You don’t have to wait to see an ad to try out the new service. Google says you can text the word “JOIN” to the following numbers, depending on what deals you want to see:

For Black Friday – 847-904-0608
For Cyber Monday – 847-906-8958
For Holiday deals – 847-904-0596

We did experience a few bugs when doing so, though. For example, a link to “learn more” that’s texted back after sign-up redirects you to a broken web page.

Google says the ads began rolling out earlier this month, following the initial AdWords announcement, but it’s likely that they were still few and far between until Black Friday neared.

If the test is successful, there’s potential for Google to expand this service beyond just tracking holiday deals. If consumers opted in, the service could serve as an app-less counterpart to the “Google Now” virtual assistant, pinging you about other relevant e-commerce opportunities based on search history (if you could get past the creepy factor of something like that), or you could track product categories or brand names, then be alerted to sales.

But it’s unclear at this time what Google will consider a successful test, or if it has any further plans, if that’s the case. It’s also unclear if consumers are even interested in a this sort of deals alerting service.

After all, the benefit to the other messaging-based commerce startups is that human touch. Even when primarily automated, there’s a conversational aspect to using the rival services, and most will also adapt to your preferences over time. Google’s service, for now at least, feels more like opting in to advertisements – as it is – and less like personal assistance.

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Auto upload photos from your computer to Google Photos

If you have been getting started with Google Photos, then you have probably checked out Google Photos on the Web and the mobile device of your choice. That's what I did last week. I am an old Picasa user and struggled through the awkward Photos-as-part-of-Google+ years before blossoming with Google Photos. I love its navigation, cross-platform functionality and search capability, in addition to the fact that Photos is again its own application. I set it up to back up the photos on my iPhone but soon got to wondering how to sync it with the photos I have on my Mac.

I don't take as many photos with my dSLR as I did before I began carrying an iPhone with me everywhere I go, but I do occasionally take my Nikon out and dump its photos on my Mac. How do I get those photos to Google Photos without engaging in the two-step process or downloading them to the Photos app on my Mac and then dragging them to the Google Photos Web app?

I didn't have to look far before I found the Desktop Uploader app for Google Photos. You can find the Desktop Uploader here or by opening the sidebar on Google Photos in your browser and clicking App downloads. There are versions for OS X and Windows.

After installing the app and logging into your Google account, you can select which folders Google Photos will automatically back up. I installed the Mac app; the Desktop and Pictures folders were checked, along with Cameras & Storage Cards. This last option means that no matter where I put the photos from my camera's SD card, Google Photos will get them. You can also uncheck the default options listed and add other folders as auto backup sources.

During setup, you must also choose a photo size. You are given the same two options as you encountered on the Web or Google Photos mobile app: High quality or Original. The former caps photos at 16 megapixels and videos at 1080p but provides unlimited storage space, while the latter lets you upload full-resolution photos and videos but will almost undoubtedly force you into one of Google's paid storage plans.

With your options set, click the Start backup button. I found that the Desktop Uploader did not begin backing up my entire photo library contained in the Mac Photos app but only a handful of photos and screenshots outside of my library that I had scattered on my desktop and in a folder on my desktop. Even though I left the Pictures folder selected as a backup source, Google Photos did not touch the library database file that packages my entire photo library in the Pictures folder. You will need to export any existing photos from the Photos app in order to back up them up to Google Photos.

When I tested the ability to back up photos from a camera, I connected my Nikon to my Mac and got this message:

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Google wants to count the calories in your Instagram food shots

One problem: calorie-counting doesn’t actually work all that well.

Google is working on an app to help you lose weight. But too bad it’s based on bogus science.

The app, unveiled at this week at a tech conference in Boston, uses algorithms to analyze photos of food uploaded to Instagram and estimate the number of calories in it, according to Popular Science. The underlying technology comes from DeepMind, a company Google acquired last year for $400 million.

Given the number of people who post images of every meal they eat to Instagram, it’s not surprising a team is working on helping those photographers to track their calorie intakes. But as well-meaning as the project, called Im2Calories may be, there’s one major problem: calorie counting doesn’t actually work.

Food labels, where the app gets its data, have been shown to be inaccurate, raising serious questions about the app’s accuracy. Moreover, Im2Calorie’s leader, Kevin Murphy, acknowledged to Popular Science that the system still has trouble identifying food in photos, although users have the ultimate say by approving or disproving the estimate.

In any case, Google has already filed a patent application for the project’s technology.

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Google's Project Vault is a security system disguised as a microSD card

The search giant's new project aims to make phones more secure by loading a microSD card that serves as a security powerhouse.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Google wants to make your phone more secure, without having to change the way manufacturers make smartphones.

The company on Friday announced Project Vault, which packs a digital security system into a microSD card, which phones and computers usually recognize as a storage device. The company unveiled the service during Google's I/O developer conference here.

"Project Vault is your digital mobile safe," said Regina Dugan, who leads Google's Advanced Technology and Projects group, or ATAP, which oversees the project. "Big security, small package."

The Vault card is essentially a secure computer that protects the personal information of a phone's owner. For example, it can encrypt, or scramble, chat messages from an app and provide extra levels of authentication, so your device knows that you are you. The card itself has a near-field communication, or NFC, chip for communicating with nearby devices and has 4 gigabytes of storage. It can be recognized by any OS -- including Google's Android software, Windows, and Apple's OS X -- but all the software is being run off the microSD card.

Google will first develop the technology for enterprise companies. The idea is that if it meets the high bar of big companies, it will meet the standards of consumers as well.

Both Web and mobile security are becoming increasingly vulnerable at a time when more and more consumers' financial and other sensitive data is being stored in smartphone apps and online services. Hackers have conducted high-profile attacks on retailers like Target and have pilfered databases in the health care and financial industries, gleaning medical records, Social Security numbers and credit and bank info. And thanks to the leaks from whistleblower Edward Snowden, we now know the extent to which communications and online activity are activity monitored and stored by way of government surveillance.

The development of secure ways to communicate and store data is a priority for Google as more users flock to its free services like the Gmail email service, Chrome Web browser and Google Maps, all of which share data with Google to better inform its advertising products.

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Live From Google I/O: A New Android, Mobile Payments, Photos And Ads

As Google GOOGL -0.06% opens its annual I/O software developer conference this morning in San Francisco, it will be looking to extend its reach even further beyond the computer and the smartphone.

Under fire as always by everyone from Apple AAPL -0.2% and Facebook to innumerable oversized startups, Google is expected to outline the ways it will reach consumers on all manner of new devices, including smartwatches, home and personal devices from its Nest acquisition, and televisions.

The search giant will kick off its always closely watched keynote address, likely led by Sundar Pichai, the fast-rising senior vice-president in charge of Google’s core products Android, Chrome, and Google Apps. Rumors and reports have the company potentially introducing everything from a new version of the Android mobile operating software for the workplace, whatever that means (very likely) and for virtual reality applications, and a new mobile payment system called Android Pay (virtually certain) to a revamped photos service (a good bet) and a new version of the ill-fated face-mounted computer Google Glass (don’t count on it).

The festivities get underway starting at 9:30 a.m. Pacific. You can watch them via Google’s livestream or a gazillion other liveblogs. I’ll provide a running commentary here on the highlights of the two-hour-plus keynote, which usually includes some surprises.

Update: You can get the details on the liveblog below, but here’s the post-keynote gist. Google announced pretty much what people expected:

* A new Android that melds apps and the Web more seamlessly, allows fingerprint recognition, improves battery life, and more.

* A new Google Now, including a feature that lets you search while you’re still in an app or call up information from another app.

* A new Google Photos that’s easier to navigate, along with free unlimited high-quality photo and video storage.

* Android Pay for mobile payments in stores and in apps.

* New ways for developers to promote their apps using app install ads.

* A new Cardboard VR viewer for smartphones, along with a promise that GoPro will start selling cameras this summer that can create VR videos.

7 a.m.: Lines are already forming outside Moscone West, waiting for to enter around 8:30. As we press filed in, we could see a lot of playhouse-style structures with various products on display. A 3-year-old would love it.

8:13 a.m.: The pounding music begins in the keynote hall. Won’t be long now (actually it will be about 75 minutes).

8:30 a.m.: The press files in and the rest of the several thousand attendees are about to descend.

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Google offers free storage of photos, videos

Google is willing to store and organise all of the world's digital photos and videos for free.

The online photo service announced on Thursday is the latest example of Google's desire to wrap its tentacles around virtually every part of people's lives.

Google will provide unlimited storage of all photos up to 16 megapixels and high-definition video up to 1080p.

The service, called Google Photos, will be available as an app on Android and Apple devices, and on a website, http://photos.google.com. It's a variation of the photo-management tool on Google Plus, a social networking service that has struggled to compete against Facebook since its 2011 debut.

"There has been a renaissance in the thinking of what Google Plus is for," said Bradley Horowitz, Google's vice president of photos and streams. Google Plus will stick around, Horowitz said, although it is likely to focus on bringing together people who share common interests and hobbies instead of trying to connect friends and family.

Horowitz predicted Google Photos will free people from the hassles of managing their picture and video libraries, much like Google's Gmail service eased the burden of sifting through email boxes by offering larger storage capacities and a powerful search engine.

Google Photos is importing technology from Google Plus to automatically sort images into common bundles tied together by a vacation destination, activity, or even species of animal. Other tools will automatically create slideshows and albums accompanied by music.

One of the biggest challenges facing Google is whether it will be able to lure people away from other services that have been around for years.

Apple has a photo service that offers up to five gigabytes of storage for free and then charges 99 cents per month for an additional 20 gigabytes. Yahoo's Flickr service offers one terabyte of storage for free " enough to accommodate about five photos per day for the next 60 years.

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