The Android ecosystem introduces multiple updates, adding new widgets to enable digital car keys, etc.

In the official blog post updated today, Google has introduced a number of new features for the Android ecosystem. Including new widgets for YouTube Music, Google Play Books, and Google Photos, the new Android Auto feature, and updates to Google Assistant and Google Photos.

Digital Car Key

Incompatible cars (only some BMW models at this stage), users can use Pixel 6, Pixel 6 Pro and Samsung Galaxy S21 as car keys. Google announced in May that it is developing a car key function for the Android 12 system, and specifically mentioned that BMW is one of the manufacturers it will cooperate with. Google said that this feature will be used on “all BMW models in 2020 and 2022” and hopes to add more compatible vehicles in the future.

New Android Auto Interface

Other upcoming new features of Android cars include: when the Android phone is connected to the car, you can choose to automatically start the car-friendly interface; there is a new play button on the home screen, you can start playing music through a “single point”; a new The search icon of, you can quickly find music, and the new smart reply option for SMS.

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New Widget

Added widgets for YouTube Music, Google Play Books and Google Photos. The Music widget provides playback control and access to recently played tracks, while the Books widget provides shortcuts to your library. A new Google Photos widget will also be launched next week, which can be set to specifically display photos of specific people and pets in the database. In addition to the new gadgets, the memory function of Google Photos will also begin to display carefully planned photos and videos in the standard photo grid interface, such as New Year’s Eve.

Family Bell

Family Bell helps you and your family follow your daily schedule anywhere. Whether you set up Family Bell on your Android phone, home speaker or smart display, when the important moment of the day comes, ringtones and notifications will remind you and your family–help you go out in the morning, pick up your kids for sports training or follow the planned sleep. Family members can also set up bells on their devices so that they can stay on top of their personal goals.

For holidays, suggested new bells for activities include watering trees, family movie nights, or voluntary support for local causes. Family Bell is always easy to edit, manage and customize from the device of your choice.

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