Gear News of the Week: Android Gets Emergency Live Video, and the Pixel Watch 4 Supports Gestures Leave a comment

Neglect simply calling 911; when you have an Android telephone, now you can share reside video immediately with the dispatcher. It is a new function Google introduced this week referred to as Android Emergency Dwell Video, and it is rolling out to people within the US, together with choose areas in Germany and Mexico, for telephones operating Android 8 and newer with Google Play Companies.

This functionality turns into obtainable throughout an emergency name or textual content, as a dispatcher can ship a request to your telephone to share reside video. You could faucet to simply accept the request, and your telephone’s digital camera will begin streaming footage, whether or not that is to evaluate a fallen tree on the street or to information you thru CPR till an ambulance arrives. Google says the function is encrypted, and you may cease sharing the reside video feed at any time. There’s nothing that you must do to set the function up.

You Can Now Double Pinch on Your Pixel Watch

That is the bougiest factor about me, however I really like with the ability to management my smartwatch or health tracker with out having to poke or faucet on the display. Apple launched Double Faucet on the Apple Watch in 2023, which took learnings from Apple’s accessibility software program, referred to as AssistiveTouch. It helped Apple Watch wearers with accessibility points use gesture-based controls. This 12 months, Apple launched Wrist Flick to dismiss calls or silence timers with WatchOS 26.

Now Google is introducing gesture controls on the Pixel Watch 4. These options are named (with no obvious disgrace by any means) Double Pinch and Wrist Flip. Like Double Faucet, you should use Double Pinch to reply or finish calls or pause timers. The Pixel Watch will provide you with hints as to when Double Pinch could be useful.

These options be part of Increase to Speak, which is a wrist-based gesture that Pixel Watch wearers can use to speak to Gemini. The sensible replies on the watch have additionally been improved. Again when Put on OS was referred to as Android Put on, Google had a number of gestures that allow you to flick your wrist away or towards your physique to scroll by way of notifications and tiles. What goes round comes round. —Adrienne So

Apple Health+ Expands to New Markets

Apple’s Health+ is an uncommon case. It’s one of many firm’s weakest choices financially, as reported by Bloomberg. Administration of the division lately rolled over to Apple Well being head Sumbul Desai after explosive allegations that Jay Blahnik, the vice chairman of health applied sciences, had created a poisonous work surroundings. (Previous to the administration shuffle, Apple had stated it was launching an inside investigation into the alleged conduct.) Personally, I’m ready for Health+ to get rolled into 2026’s rumored new Well being+ app. I’m getting uninterested in being so confused about the place all my well being information is on my iPhone!