Google Product Helping Blog

�Tis the night before Christmas, at our northernmost pole And all through Santa�s Village it�s almost time to roll. The elves have been working hard for this night Santa�s village is abuzz� tonight�s the big flight ! Google�s Santa Tracker launches today� And it�s time to follow the jolly man's sleigh. He�s off on his trip �round the world Delivering toys to all good boys and girls. You�ve got a front-row seat to the show Just fire up Google Maps to see where he goes. Thanks to the elves� precisely coded route Santa and his reindeer will fly swiftly�look out! Now the sleigh tuning�s done, Tales of global traditions spun, Every gift in the sleigh gently placed , Wrapped with care, without haste. The reindeer are prancing and eager to fly, Ready for Santa�s trip through the sky. With so little time to get their job done� They may need your help on this gift-giving run. So keep the translation tool handy; Geography trivia would also be dandy. There�s no telling what Santa might ne...

No need for fussing or fighting, my friend. Now you can live on a Yellow Submarine, march in Sgt. Pepper�s Lonely Hearts Band or go to Strawberry Fields Forever. Starting on December 24, all 13 of The Beatles� iconic original albums, plus four essential Beatles collections, will be available to stream on Google Play Music�enough music to fill up eight days a week. The best-selling band in history, with 20 number one Billboard Hot 100 hits, The Beatles continue to be one of the world�s most beloved bands decades after their last original album. So, what lyrics take a sad song and make it better? What albums get you through a hard day�s night? Come together, right now, to take a look at some of the top Beatles searches, according to Google Trends. Bonus: If you open up the Google app on your Android phone and say �Ok Google, play the Beatles,� There will be an answer. Let it stream. In the words of Ed Sullivan: �Ladies and Gentlemen, The Beatles!� Posted by Gwen Shen, Music Partnerships,...

A humble caretaker is surprised when a mysterious stranger causes mischief on the roof. He investigates, but can�t seem to catch even a glimpse of the troublemaker. And so the chase goes... room to room� up and down� The stranger remains just out of sight, leaving behind only a trail of gifts� Meanwhile, you�re following the action at your own pace, from whatever angle you please�behind you, to your left, to your right, or in front of you. All on your mobile phone. Today we�re bringing Google Spotlight Stories to YouTube with � Special Delivery ,� an original short film made by Academy Award-winning animation studio Aardman Animations (Wallace and Gromit fans, take note), viewable on the YouTube app on many Android devices . �Special Delivery� is the latest of several Spotlight Stories to come out of Google ATAP (our Advanced Technology and Projects group). With Google Spotlight Stories, your phone becomes a window to a story happening all around you. The sensors on your phone allow...

Between last-minute gift shopping, airport pickups, cookie baking, and ugly-sweater parties, there�s a lot to do this season. So you may have missed a few updates from around Google that can actually make your holiday season a little brighter (or at least make your to-do list go a little faster. Won�t make your sweater any less ugly, though). Here�s a look at what we�ve unwrapped recently: Add this one to your to-do list: Reminders in Google Calendar Whether it�s �send holiday cards� or �use up FSA,� you can now add Reminders to Google Calendar to help you complete your to-do list. These aren�t like those calendar entries you create yourself that you plain-old ignore completely and that then disappear. With Reminders, if you don�t complete the task and dismiss the Reminder, it�ll pop up on your calendar again the next day. And the next. And the � until you can�t take it anymore and just send those holiday cards already. You�ll thank us when your list is checked off. Twice. Now on Tap ...

From presidential candidates launching their campaigns , to YouTube creators discussing issues that matter to their communities , to light-hearted moments along the campaign trail, you�ve already been following the 2016 U.S. election from multiple angles on YouTube. Now you can watch the candidates debate on YouTube, too. Next month, we�ll join together with NBC News to present the final DNC sanctioned Democratic presidential debate before the first caucus and primary votes are cast�with the action live streamed on YouTube. The NBC News-YouTube Democratic Candidates Debate, hosted by the Congressional Black Caucus Institute and moderated by Lester Holt, will take place on Sunday, January 17, 2016, in Charleston, S.C., airing on NBC from 9-11 p.m. ET and streamed live on the NBC News YouTube channel . With so many YouTube fans following this election closely, of course there will be an opportunity for you to get involved. Along with Google Trends data, the debate will feature questions...

From devastation to empowerment and tragedy to hope, our 15th annual Year in Search uncovers the moments that captured the world�s hearts�and questions that revealed who we are. From �How can I help Nepal� to �How can the world find peace?� here�s a look back at 2015, through the lens of Google search. Searching for ways to help Within two minutes of the deadly attack on Paris in November, the French capital was searching for information on the assault underway in their city. Less than 10 minutes later, the rest of the world started searching. As of today, we�ve seen more than 897 million searches about the city as the world came together to �Pray for Paris.� Global showings of support and offerings of help were a key topic in search this year. Following the Nepal earthquake , �how can I help Nepal?� was a top global search. From Somerville, Mass. to Ludwigsberg, Germany, people asked how to volunteer and what to donate. Searching for perspective While questions around Nepal were sim...

Sharing photos and videos between friends and family after your birthday bash or holiday gathering shouldn�t be difficult. But between the great shots your brother has buried on his iPhone and that friend who keeps forgetting to email you her pics, you're often left reliving the event through just the photos and videos you took yourself. Today we�re introducing shared albums in Google Photos�a fast and simple way to pool your photos and videos that makes it easier to bring everyone�s memories together. With the launch of Google Photos in May, we made it simpler to share images and albums by sending links over SMS, email, or messaging apps. With today�s launch, you can now make the albums you send collaborative. People receiving the shared album can join to add their own photos and videos, and also get notifications when new pics are added. You can even save photos and videos from a shared album to your Google Photos library, so that you can hold onto them even if you weren�t the on...