Google Product Helping Blog

Hi, I�m Momo, a student at the illustrious Magic Cat Academy. Heading to class this morning, I thought it would be just like any other day: learn a few new spells, drink some milk, and hang out with my awesome animal and vegetable pals. To my Halloween horror, hundreds of angry ghosts have invaded the halls of my beloved school � fur real! And now, I ask you to join me to try your hand (or paw!) at fending off these ghastly ghosts with today�s Halloween Google Doodle. With a swipe of your paw (or should I say wave of your wand), you can help turn these Halloween tricks into a real treat. But be warned, your spell casting must be quick and precise. To send these ghouls into a tailspin, you must draw the symbols that appear above the ghosts� heads on your screen. Wow! Meow! That�s not all: show your friends who�s the real expurrrrrt at casting spells by sharing your score after your sorcery is complete. After all, Halloween festivities are always more fun with your full litter! Posted b...

Mind Control . Demogorgons . Barb . This Halloween, there�s no question we�ll see people out in costume as characters from this summer�s addictive Netflix original series, � Stranger Things .� To help bring you back into the �80s supernatural mindset, we�re partnering with Netflix to bring the Upside Down right to your chats in Google Allo , our smart messaging app for Android and iOS . A new �Stranger Things� sticker pack is now available for download in Google Allo, featuring exclusive artwork inspired by the show. So whether you�re researching how to create a DIY Eleven costume with friends or debating whether Barb will reappear in season two, we got you covered. These stickers aren�t the only new thing in Google Allo this week. You can now reply to messages directly from your notifications on Android and iOS. So if you�re cooking up a French Onion Barb , you don�t have to stop what you�re doing to reply back to friends. We�ve also added support for Android N so you can take adva...

Mexican poet Octavio Paz once wrote, "Our cult of death is also our cult of life." Those words capture the spirit with which Mexicans celebrate D�a de Muertos. On November 1 and 2, families in Mexico honor those who have departed, setting up colorful altars at home and in public places with the images of loved ones. These ancestors are greeted with their favorite foods, drinks, sugar skulls, colored paper, marigold flowers, candles and incense. It�s a true celebration of culture and family � and has even been declared �Intangible Cultural Heritage� by UNESCO . Today, we want to invite everyone to experience Mexico�s tradition of paying tribute to life, through the Day of the Dead exhibition on Google Arts & Culture. The content is curated by 10 cultural organizations from Mexico, Peru and the United States and explores the Pre-Columbian roots of this festivity, its many transformations through history and its contemporary manifestations as told by pieces of archaeology, f...

The 2016 Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing (GHC) begins today, and we�re thrilled to join the 15,000 women and allies convening in Houston for three days of learning, inspiration and community building. Thousands of women at Google are building tools and products that organize the world�s information, help businesses get online and prosper, and forge connections across a growing digital community of 3.5 billion people. So it only makes sense that Google would be part of the world's largest gathering of women technologists. We see GHC as a critical way to connect women in tech and help clear hurdles to their professional development. We know that there�s much more work to do to help level the playing field � and that�s why the mission of the Grace Hopper Celebration is so important. Just yesterday we reported new U.S. research from Gallup and Google that suggests girls are less likely than boys to be told by parents and teachers that they would be good at computer scien...

Whether you�re heading home for the holidays or escaping to some exotic destination, one of the most time-consuming and stressful parts of travel planning is finding the right flight and hotel. Sixty-nine percent of U.S. leisure travelers worry that they're not finding the best price or making the best decision while booking a trip � making this kind of purchase more worrisome than financial investments, home improvements or electronics purchases.* This holiday season we�re making travel planning less stressful by updating you when flights are likely to increase in price, helping you find good hotel deals, and making travel planning easier on mobile. Making it easier than ever to choose the right flight Google Flights can now help you be more confident that you�re booking your flight at the right time to get the best price. We now show you when prices are expected to increase for some specific flights and routes you�re interested in. After selecting a specific flight, a notificati...

As the daughter of a Mexican immigrant, sharing Latino culture with my wider community is a daily part of life. From practicing Mexican folk dances with classmates to introducing neighbors to our favorite traditional foods, my family is always grateful to share our experiences as Latinos in the U.S. That's why I've been excited to help with Google's celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month � a time to reflect on and celebrate the contributions Latinos make to our company and our country. Latino Heritage and Cultures collection To kick off Hispanic Heritage Month, Google Arts & Culture published a dedicated collection of artifacts, archives and stories of Latino Heritage and Cultures from across the Americas. You can explore influences of Latino art and expression from ancient civilizations like the Aztec and the Inca from today�s modern street art in Puerto Rico, Argentina, and the United States. In total, the collection includes 55 institutions from 11 countries, 14K a...

Voting matters � and history proves it. In 1839, the Massachusetts gubernatorial election was decided by just two votes out of 102,066. The same was the case in a 1974 New Hampshire Senate race � out of 233,363 votes, only two made the difference. And in 2008, an Alaskan State House race was decided by a single vote. With Election Day just 25 days away, it�s time to make your vote count. Throughout the summer, we�ve helped voters find information about how to register and how to vote , in both English and Spanish . Now, as you prepare to head to the polls, we want to make sure you know where to vote and who�s on your ballot when you get there. From President and Vice President, to Congressperson and County Commissioner, a simple search for � who�s on my ballot � will help you find info on the candidates, as well as detailed information on your state�s referenda. You can tap on a candidate�s name from your ballot to find information about them, including their party and website. The...

When Google was founded, there were about 300 million people using the Internet. The vast majority of them were sitting at desktop computers and looking for answers that came in the form of blue links. Today, the Internet community is closer to 3 billion people, and you�re searching for all kinds of help everywhere � from your cars and your classrooms, to your homes, to the phones in your pockets. Across all these contexts and devices, there are even more questions to be asked, and more that we can do to help you get the answers you need. From mobile first to AI-first When I look at where computing is heading, I see how machine learning and artificial intelligence are unlocking capabilities that were unthinkable only a few years ago. This means that the power of the software � the �smarts� � really matter for hardware more than ever before. The last 10 years have been about building a world that is mobile-first, turning our phones into remote controls for our lives. But in the next 10 ...

There�s never a dull moment at home. Wouldn�t it be great to get some extra help there? You could start up your favorite song while you�re washing dishes, turn off the lights without getting out of bed, or check the traffic when you�re running out the door. Today we�re unveiling a new product that helps you in the place you need it most: your home. With Google Home, it�s as simple as using your voice to turn up the music, get answers to a myriad of questions, manage tasks around the house, and even adjust the thermostat or lights. It allows you to bring the Google Assistant into your kitchen, living room or anywhere else around the house. Your voice speaks volumes With a simple �Ok Google� you can play songs, artists, radio stations, your favorite playlists and more from Google Play Music, Pandora, Spotify, TuneIn and YouTube Music with additional services like iHeartRadio coming soon. You can also play a podcast while making pasta or listen to today�s news while tying your shoes. And...

We love virtual reality. Unlike any other technology or screen, VR can make you feel like you're somewhere else. Without a ticket, you can get front row seats at Coachella and visit a world-renowned museum to see extinct animals come back to life . You can take field trips to almost anywhere and capture vivid moments you can revisit anytime. It�s transporting. At I/O this May, we announced Daydream , our platform for high-quality mobile VR. Our goal for Daydream is to simplify the complexity behind virtual reality. It should be mobile so you can easily carry it with you, and it should be friendly and accessible so everyone can enjoy using it. We�ve been working with developers, smartphone companies and content creators to make the dream a reality � and now, we�re excited to share updates across the three key elements of Daydream: smartphones, headsets and VR experiences. Pixel, the first Daydream-ready phones With Daydream, you simply pop a Daydream-ready phone in the headset to...

Today, we announced for the first time a family of products that brings people the best of Google through hardware and software made by Google. We're excited that the lineup features the first phone made by Google inside and out � Pixel. For those of you who have followed Google closely, that name may sound familiar to you because we've used the Pixel name in the past for consumer hardware products that represented an overall premium Google experience. Many of you may also be familiar with the Nexus program. Since 2010, we�ve partnered closely with mobile handset partners around the world to bring you the best of Android. Through Nexus, the goal was to work with these various partners to push the boundaries of what�s possible with a smartphone. We�ve now decided to take the next step and provide our take on the best Google experience, by bringing hardware and software design together under one roof. Pixel, Phone by Google With Pixel, we obsessed over every detail, from the indu...

What do The Upside Down , Jason Bourne and cliff jumping videos have in common? They all come in stunning 4K picture (which basically means the picture is suuuuuper crisp). And with the newly introduced Chromecast Ultra, now you can stream all of these 4K titles and more to your 4K TV. Chromecast Ultra includes everything you love about Chromecast. Plus, it comes with advanced features like 4K and High Dynamic Range (HDR) support, faster speed and Wi-Fi improvements. Stunning picture, deeper colors Chromecast Ultra supports 4K, HDR and Dolby Vision, so you�ll get a crisper picture with higher resolution and more vibrant colors. At first, you'll be able to stream 4K content from Netflix, YouTube and Vudu, and we�re working to bring more 4K and HDR content on board. Later this year, Google Play Movies & TV will be rolling out 4K content. Even if your TV isn�t 4K-ready, Chromecast Ultra automatically optimizes your TV�s picture. Faster than ever, with optional Ethernet port Chr...

We count on Wi-Fi at home more than ever. Whether you�re video chatting with mom, binge-watching the latest series, or simply getting work done, strong and reliable Wi-Fi is key to staying connected. Today, we�re excited to introduce Google Wifi, a new connected Wi-Fi system designed to give you a fast signal in every room, on every device. Most of us get Wi-Fi in our homes through a centralized router, but using a single router to spread signal throughout your whole home is like expecting one light bulb to light up every room. Walls and distance make it difficult for a single device to send a strong signal to every corner of your home, resulting in slow Wi-Fi and dead zones. Last year, we introduced OnHub with partners TP-LINK and ASUS to create a better Wi-Fi experience, focusing on design and simplicity. Google Wifi, built on the strengths of OnHub, is our next step towards ensuring that our homes can have great Wi-Fi everywhere we need it. Fast Wi-Fi throughout your home Google W...