During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, “Exposure Notifications” were added to Android and iOS to help users know if they were exposed to the virus. But now, that feature is fading away.
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In a relatively quiet move, Google Maps has removed a layer from its app that showed COVID-19 hotspots.
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As COVID-19 has become something we’re learning to live with, Google is announcing new changes to how it handles information about the pandemic in Search. These adjustments include easier results for at-home COVID tests.
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At the end of June 2021, Google Pay gained the ability to save and display COVID-19 vaccination cards on Android. More countries and states are letting people add this “COVID Card” to their Android phones.
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Back in December, Google postponed its early 2022 return to office plans and held out on providing a new date amid the Omicron wave. Google informed US employees today that they have to return to offices at the start of April.
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Following many other tech companies in recent days, Waymo and Google announced today that it’s no longer having an in-person presence at CES 2022 due to the “quickly evolving COVID infection rates.”
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Google previously announced its policy of mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations for employees, and now the company is preparing to put those who have not complied on unpaid leave in accordance with that policy.
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At the end of August, Google delayed its wide-scale office return to early 2022. That is now being pushed back again and a new date will be determined at the start of next year.
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Misinformation can have harmful effects on everyone, especially when the world is fighting off a pandemic. YouTube has been working to stop the spread of misinformation around COVID-19 and its vaccines, but today the platform has announced a sweeping ban on all anti-vaccine content that spreads misinformation.
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Joining a slew of other companies amid the Delta variant of COVID-19, Google today announced that the vast majority of staff won’t have to return to offices until January 10, 2022.
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As COVID-19 rages on, the best way to stay protected is by getting vaccinated, and now, more places in the US and abroad are making vaccines a requirement for entry. To help you bring your card around, Samsung Pay will soon be able to house your COVID-19 vaccine information.
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While its formal debut has yet to be scheduled, we already know the Pixel 6 is coming this fall, thanks to Google’s early reveal. Behind the scenes, though, it seems production is facing a pandemic-caused hurdle that will see the Pixel 6 made in China.
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Google has launched a fantastic animated homepage Doodle featuring the letters of “Google” practicing COVID-19 prevention methods, including wearing masks, staying socially distant, and getting vaccinated.
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Sundar Pichai kicked off yesterday’s Alphabet Q2 2021 earnings call by encouraging “everyone to get the vaccine when it’s available to you.” In an internal memo today, the Google CEO announced that vaccinations will be required for employees working at offices.
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Google has announced today that Google Pay is now capable of saving and displaying COVID-19 vaccination cards on Android, starting with select providers in the United States.
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According to many user reports over the past day, MassNotify — the Massachusetts exposure notifications app — was automatically installed on Android phones without warning. It’s unclear if this was an intentional decision or a bug, but exposure notifications did not also get enabled with the install.
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Over the past year, Google has leveraged its large platforms to display useful, pandemic-related information. The latest is a simple encouragement in Google Maps about finding COVID-19 vaccines near you.
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Back in March, Google kicked off a “Get back to what you love” Search campaign. The latest iteration of that message to encourage people to get the COVID-19 vaccine comes from Made by Google and was captured by a Nest Hello.
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Despite being one of the first to embrace remote work, Google is adamant about getting its employees back in the office. This hybrid, “flexible workweek” is part of the company’s belief that in-person — and often unplanned — interactions spur new ideas and solutions. Google today shared its plan for post-pandemic offices.
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The last year has seen many more people turn to the internet for work, learning, shopping, socializing, and entertainment. Google Fiber reports that its networks nationwide saw an approximately 32% increase in demand.
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If you’re like me, the vaccine shot in your arm means you’re looking into finally taking a trip after staying locked down for a year. To help you travel safely and in line with local guidelines, Google will now send you alerts regarding pandemic-related restrictions at your destination along with other handy travel tools for the COVID era.
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While it didn’t scale in the way it really needed to, contact tracing was a big deal as tech was utilized in an effort to curb the spread of COVID-19. An issue on the Android side of the Google/Apple COVID-19 contact-tracing API, though, may have allowed other apps access to the logs stored on your device.
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Google products have a large reach, and YouTube wants to use its platform to “encourage people to get informed about the vaccine.” YouTube’s COVID-19 vaccine info PSA is starting in the US and will expand to other countries.
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As the COVID-19 vaccination rollout continues, Google today announced a number of additional efforts to help achieve distribution equity worldwide, like surfacing locations in Maps and Search. The Google.org philanthropic arm is making several donations to increase access in the US and abroad.
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