![Nova Launcher brings Google Now to older Androids [APK Download]](https://c.slashgear.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/googlehomenow.jpg)
The latest version of Nova Launcher for Android devices bring futuristic elements of Google's main operating system to older smartphones. While not too long ago we had an encounter with the early release version of this app, the latest version enacts additional feature upgrades. This version no longer requires that the user be on Android 6.0 Marshmallow, but the Android Lollipop OS that came before it.
![Google Now cards in Nova Launcher for Android [APK download]](https://c.slashgear.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/android.jpg)
This week the folks responsible for updating Nova Launcher for Android have brought on a giant advance. This week the Beta version of the app officially has the ability to work with Google Now cards. Users will need to be brave in their downloading and loading of software - more than usual - because one part of the instructions to attain the cards requires a download and loading of an APK outside the Google Play app store.
With the launch of Google Assistant, Google Now may have been upstaged. Not everyone, however, will have access to Google’s spanking new AI assistant, so Google Now is still in need of much loving. As if to prove that it still has a place for it in its heart, Google has just rolled out an update to its Google Search app that makes Now’s contextual information more prominent while also decluttering the app by separating that into a tab of its own.
Let the conspiracy theories roll. In an investigation done on the still rolling update to the Google Search Android app, Android Police discovered that almost all but one publicly visible reference to Google Now has been removed, replaced instead by descriptions of their corresponding functionality. Given how heated the personal digital assistant competition has been, it is probably not the case that Google is bowing out. Instead, it could simply be paving the way for a “re-launch” under the upcoming Google Assistant heading.
Google Translate has long been a handy tool for those who need a quick translation job and don't mind if it's a little rough around the edges. Today, Translate got even better on Android phones, with Google adding a "translate this page" card to Now on Tap. Now, when users are presented with a page in a language they don't understand, they only need to hold the home button on their phone and hit the translate card to have the page converted into a words they can actually read.
Ultimate Ears has announced that two of its popular Bluetooth portable speakers are getting the ability to be controlled with your voice. Both the Boom 2 and the Megaboom portable speakers now have the ability to be voice controlled using Siri and Google Now voice integration. The speakers have a push-to-talk function to active the voice control.
Android just got a whole lot smarter. This afternoon Google released new abilities for Now On Tap, a system built in to Android Marshmallow. Users can now use their smartphone's camera to find out information about whatever is in front of them. This functionality is not strictly new to Android - we've seen it before in an infamous and sorely under-used app by the name of Google Goggles. Remember Google Goggles? They're back.
At Google I/O last week, Google dumped some rather big news, at least one of them expected. Android apps are come full force to Chrome OS, with Google Play Store even. Instant Apps were quite the unexpected surprise, but in retrospect Google had already sown the seeds as far back as 2013. But in the midst of the applause and hopeful cheers, there were also some murmuring and the raising of eyebrows. Is all of these just a subtle, cunning ploy by the Web search giant to make Android tablets obsolete, or, in the long run, even phase out native Android apps?
Android users who frequently tap on stories they find via Google Now cards only to find that those stories are clickbait will be thrilled to hear this. According to a post on Reddit, Google Now has a new feature that allows you to remove stories from certain sources so you never have to see them again. Users now have multiple options for customizing their feeds.
You've probably come across one or two sci-fi films, or maybe even a few YouTube videos, that make you want to believe in ubiquitous displays of the future, where even the mirrors in your bathroom can tell you today's headlines. Hopefully without snooping in on your private, closed door activities. Tired of waiting for the future to arrive, Google engineer Max Braun decided to take matters into his own hands. And by that, we mean building a bathroom mirror display with his own hands, complete with Google Now's ever so helpful cards.
Google’s newest politics-centric Search tweak brings information on issues, live results, delegate counts, and voting reminds for users interested in following the 2016 election season. This follows Google’s recent partnership with Fox News to help cover the recent Republican debate, and will result in relevant data being delivered in Google Now.
Just so long as you have Google Now activated on your Android device, you'll be seeing "G" notifications soon. The notifications you're getting might not end up being all that different from what you've been seeing before today, but they will LOOK a little different. The biggest change is the branding. Instead of just a circle with an icon in it, your notifications from Google Now will also have the newest version of Google's "G" logo.
