More Than Searches

About Google Accounts and Services

This document explains a bit about different account types but does not show which products are available to standard users. 

       i.e. which G Suite features are made available to normal Gmail / Account users. 

This Google support page has an expandable section at the bottom that you can open up to show all of the products standard users can use.

This article from HowToGeek explains further just what G-Suite is about and what non-G-Suite users get.

       N.B. What to do if you lose or mislay your phone ?

It can happen to anyone - be prepared !

This CNET support page can help both Android, or iPhone, users to recover if the worse happens.

Also this Express article guides users through a number of different recovery options.

About Google's Blog

Visit this page regularly to keep an eye on interesting news items

About Google's Products

It's definitely worth spending some time learning about everything Google makes available to you - click here for their latest list.

About Google's Privacy Settings

If you are security conscious [and who isn't these days ?] then you should take a look at this Google Privacy Checkup in this TechRepublic article and your Google account's settings.

Learn about protecting the different bits of information Google has stored about you - it's worth knowing about !

You can also click here for a CNET article that teaches you how to manage and / or delete your activity.

About Google's Fuchsia OS

Following the 2019 Google IO this article by theverge ‘lifts the lid’ a little on what Google see as being the rationale of their new OS. Apparently it is viewed more as a testing ground for new OS concepts [across a diverse hardware spectrum] than the previously speculated merging of Android and ChromeOS.

This TechRadar document is updated whenever their team come across regarding what is seen as [but as yet not confirmed] Google's planned cross platform operating system that takes the best from Android and Chrome OS to provide a consistent user experience regardless of what physical hardware is being used.

These rumours are further supported by this Wikipedia entry that is also updated as more information becomes available.

About Your Devices

See Google's "Find My Device" page for details of your Android devices

Accessibility Features For Impaired Hearing

See AndroidPit page for details of Google's products

Back Ups : Protect data on your Smartphone - now includes iPhones.

Click here to see “Google Makes Automatic Phone Backup Free for Everyone” so if you’ve not done it yet - get cracking ! 

Calendar : Cheat Sheet for Keyboard Shortcuts

See this HowToGeek page for details

Calendar : Features

See this AndroidPit page for handy features

Calendar : Rescue

If you ever delete a Google Calendar event by mistake you might panic and wonder if you can recover it. Well it turns out Google have you covered as you can easily get any event entry back provided you look for it within 30 days.

Recovery Method: 

• • • When viewing a Calendar page you will see a ‘Settings’ icon [the cog wheel near the top right corner] that you click for options. 

    • Now choose ‘Bin’ and it will display all events that have been deleted [on purpose or accidentally] over the last 30 days. 

    • At the right hand end of each event is a ‘Deletion Date’ - if you hover over the date two icons appear. 

    • The first icon is a wee circular Back Arrow that you use to Restore that event.

N.B. If you really wish to permanently delete the event use the second icon of a Bin and it's gone for good.

Calendar : Rescue

If you ever delete a Google Calendar event by mistake you might panic and wonder if you can recover it. Well it turns out Google have you covered as you can easily get any event entry back provided you look for it within 30 days.

Recovery Method: 

• • • When viewing a Calendar page you will see a ‘Settings’ icon [the cog wheel near the top right corner] that you click for options. 

    • Now choose ‘Bin’ and it will display all events that have been deleted [on purpose or accidentally] over the last 30 days. 

    • At the right hand end of each event is a ‘Deletion Date’ - if you hover over the date two icons appear. 

    • The first icon is a wee circular Back Arrow that you use to Restore that event.

N.B. If you really wish to permanently delete the event use the second icon of a Bin and it's gone for good.

Camera : Quick Video

Your next on-the-go moment could make use of video, whether it's just snagging a quick clip of a key moment somewhere or capturing something more significant.

Whatever the case may be, your Pixel phone has a super-fast shortcut for capturing videos on the fly without having to poke around on your screen or mess with any time-wasting mode changing. You can even save still photos from your video clip — win-win !

The trick is to simply open your camera and then press and hold the big shutter button — the same button you'd press to take a picture — and your phone will immediately start recording a video and then keep recording until you let go.

Once your video's recorded, you can open it by tapping the small circular preview right there in the Camera app or by finding its thumbnail in Google Photos. Once open, swipe up on the screen to see every available still shot that you can extract from the video and save as a regular photo.

On the Pixel 3 and higher, you'll also see an option for "recommended shots". These are the specific stills that Google's algorithms identify as being the best of the bunch. You can pick any of those (or pick whatever still you prefer) and then export it from that same area.

Chrome Browser Extensions : Customise Away

There are many extensions available for the Chrome browser, from the Chrome Web Store, that extend the functionality available - you can browse what is available and download anything you fancy to try it out. If you do not like what you see the extensions are easily removed. As a starter you could check out two old favourites for making Gmail better - these are called Gmail Tabs and Simplify Gmail.

Chrome Browser Extensions : PIP {Picture In Picture} Feature

The Chrome Extension for 'Picture In Picture' mode when looking at videos etc. can be downloaded and installed from here.

Contacts List : Manage your entries better

Click here for a short video that shows you how to get the most out of using your Contacts List

Contacts List : Retrieve deleted Gmail contacts

1. Open Google Contacts in your browser.

2. Tap or click on the Settings (gear) icon in the upper right corner.

3. Tap or click Undo changes.

4. Choose the timeframe you'd like to restore from, anywhere from 10 minutes to 30 days ago, then tap or click Undo.

5. Gmail will confirm by saying, "Your contacts list will be restored back to how it was on [date you chose @ timeframe]. It may take some time for these changes to show up on your device."

Drive Documents : A comprehensive list of key features

Click here for a Youtube video by Kevin Stratvert which provides a step-by-step tutorial where you can learn how you can use Google Drive to backup files, to access your files anywhere, to share and collaborate with others, and to get back to your files fast. 

See how to get Google Drive and how to use Drive across PC, web, and phone.

Drive Documents : Default Format Settings

Click here for a HowToGeek guide that shows you how to change the default font and line spacing so you’re not manually changing things for something better all the time. 

Drive Documents : Clear Up Space

Click here for a TechAdvisor article that gives useful recommendations for tidying up the contents of your Drive if your storage allocation is getting full.

Drive Documents : How to Assign Tasks

Click here to learn how to assign tasks in documents etc. to others for them to collaborate.

Drive Documents : How to Assign Tasks

Click here to learn how to assign tasks in documents etc. to others for them to collaborate.

Drive Documents : Task Tips

Click here to watch the entire video for all tips on using Google Tasks, or optionally jump to topic of interest using links provided below the video panel .....

00:00 Adding Tasks and Due Dates

03:27 Sorting Tasks by Due Date or Custom Order

05:02 Adding and Managing Multiple Lists

07:45 Creating Repeating Tasks

09:25 Completing and Reviving Tasks

11:23 Adding and Managing Sub-Tasks

13:45 Using Tasks within Google Calendar

15:47 Using Tasks on Desktop Computer

Drive Documents : 7 Useful Tips

Click here to read a HowToGeek article caslled "7 Awesome Google Drive Features You May Not Know About" that contains these links.

• Find Files With the Advanced Search

• Link Directly to Files

• Work With Microsoft Office Files

• Manage File Versions

• View a File's Activity, Details, and Description

• Add Comments to Files

• Upload Files With Your Mobile Device Camera

  • • On Android

    • On iPhone

Drive Documents : How to Change Ownership Of Files

Click here to learn how to transfer ownership of files to another user. Note the bit about changing ownership at 'folder' level where any files held in the folder are not affected.

Drive Documents : How You Can Learn More

Reading helps, but sometimes a video can help more. For example if you need to replace a door knob, and the manufacturer's written instructions look complicated, try searching YouTube for "how to replace door knob". 

You will probably get several videos showing the entire process that will help you get the job done in a few minutes without a load of stress.

Google also offers documentation in a variety of places for you can learn more.

- standard support pages at https://support.google.com/docs

- illustrated tips at https://apps.google.com/learning-center/products/docs/

- videos on the Google for Work YouTube channel

Drive Documents : How You Can Use Your Voice

Ensure your microphone is working then open a Google Doc in your web browser.

Choose Tools > Voice Typing (or press Ctrl+Shift+S) to enable Voice Typing. 

Now you simply talk clearly and Google Docs uses voice typing to display your words on screen.

Voice typing also understands many editing instructions. With voice commands, you can move the cursor within the document; select, cut, copy, paste, format, and delete text. 

For the complete list of options, say "See all voice commands" while voice typing is active.

Drive Documents : Managing Storage Space

In the days of desktop computing when you saved a document it took up space on your system's hard drive. 

But files in Google formats, such as a Google Doc, Sheet, Slide, or Drawing, don't count toward your storage quota on Google Drive. You can create as many Google-native files as you like. In other words a Google Doc won't use up your storage space.

When you store a Microsoft Office document, PDF, or video to Google Drive, the file counts against your storage limit.

To save space, you can convert Office files into native Google formats when you upload your files to Google Drive. 

That way, these files won't count against your total available Google Drive storage space.

Drive Documents : Merging two, or more, accounts

It is possible to own more than one Google Account, and for various reasons this can be convenient for keeping your information separate.

However if you find that you have data stored across accounts then you may decide that you want to combine some, or all, of it into just one of your accounts. Unfortunately Google does not provide a 'merge' option, but it is possible to effect a 'merge' with a little effort.

Click here to read this HowToGeek article that explains what you need to do.

Drive Documents : Recovering Deleted Files

When you remove a file from Google Drive, it moves into Trash — where it will stay until you empty the trash.

You can restore these files — so long as you haven't emptied the trash. 

To move a file out of trash, go to drive.google.com, then choose Trash from the left menu. Locate the file (or folder) you want to recover, select it, then choose "Restore".

Drive Documents : Sharing Your Work

Google gives you control over the Share settings for each document you create. 

When viewing the document on the web, select the Share button, and then choose "Advanced". You can then add individual access (i.e. add a person's email address, including non-Gmail accounts) or adjust link sharing settings (i.e. choose "Change..." under the document's "Who has access" settings). 

You can choose options that range from "Public on the web" to "Specific people" to entirely private.

Drive Documents : Working Smarter

Click here for a Simpleivity video that demonstrates these five tips ...

• • • • • • • • • Create a new file from the browser address

                • Add text to your docs with voice control

                • Find and insert links without leaving the file

                • Organise folders with colours

                • Send large files via Gmail without size limit

Click here for another Simpleivity video that demonstrates these five tips ...

• • • • • • • • • Using OCR capabilities to grab text you can copy / manipulate

                • Using "Explore" to research the content of your document to find associated text and images

                • Using Chrome browser extension "Save to Google Drive"

                • Setting expiry dates for any file in Drive that you share with others

                • Access Shortcuts menu with key combination Ctrl + = + /

Drive Documents : Working With Documents

Click here to learn "5 must-try" tips for creating and editing your work.

Click here for another video with even more tips for using OCR recognition of text, and pictures [from a text description], using your smartphone to scan information to PDF format in Google Drive, sharing  options for files where the viewer only gets access to a PDF format, use of Shift+z in combination with selected files and folders to make special links to other locations. Note care should be taken with the latter as it makes it appear that a file exists in two locations at the same time when in fact there is only a single instance of the file, meaning that if it is deleted at either location it will be removed from both at the same time.

Drive Documents : Working With Sheets

Click here to see examples of using COUNTIF & COUNTIFS to analyse data in your spreadsheets.

Click here see examples of using CONCAT, CONCATENATE, and JOIN to string together the values from multiple cells in your spreadsheet.

Click here for a short video for more tips [about Sparkline, Comments & Assigning to email, email validation, QRcodes, Cleaned name] that you might find useful.

Click here to see an article "How to Apply a Colour Scale Based on Values in Google Sheets" to make your data easier to read.

Drive : Accessing With A Desktop Browser

This Download.Com article has all you need to know about getting the most out of the online office suite on your computer.

Drive : Using The App On Your Smartphone

This Download.Com article may contain a lot of stuff you already know but you might find a couple of new useful tips.

This TechRepublic tells you how to add Drive shortcuts to your smartphone's home screen.

Drive : Video Storage And Playback

This support page explains your options for storing your videos in Drive and playing them on any device.

Gmail : Security

Click here for "4 steps you should take to secure your Gmail account right away"

Gmail : Send large attachments via Google Drive

There's a little Drive icon at the bottom of Gmail's compose window that lets you attach files you have stored in Drive or to simply send a link. 

For Google Drive formats -- Docs, Sheets, Slides and so on -- your only option is to send a link to the file. 

For other file types -- PDFs, Word docs, images -- you have the option of sending them as an attachment or a Drive link, which lets you share files larger than Gmail's 25MB size limit for attachments

Gmail : Tips

Click here for "15 Gmail shortcuts you didn't know you needed"

Gmail : Tricks

Click here for "6 clever Gmail tricks to minimise regret, frustration and spam"

Google Canvas

See this article from AndroidPit that tells you all you need to know to become a budding Picasso using this multi-platform tool to express your talents.

Google Lens & Pixel Smartphones

Some of these features work on non-Pixel phones as, and if, Google decides to open them up to other devices.

• Copy text from a physical paper and paste it into an email or Google Keep

• Grab information from a business card and save it into your contacts, or use it to pick up an address from a sign or a pamphlet and then start navigating to that location on your phone.

• Scan QR codes — and since you're using a Pixel phone, all of those powers are built right into your device and never more than a couple taps away.

Using your Pixel phone you can get to Lens right from your device's camera. Just press your phone's power button twice to open the camera, then aim your phone at whatever it is you want Lens to process. Non Pixel users can download Google Lens here.

Sometimes, Lens and the Camera app may even get a step ahead of you and preemptively offer a link to a website, email address, or physical address listed on the item before you do a thing.

To get the full Lens experience, though, what you'll do is touch and hold your finger to the viewfinder area [the big, open space where the image appears] and you'll see a coloured circle appear. After a second or so you'll be taken to an interactive Lens analysis of the image's contents.

Depending on what's present Lens might offer to help you add the information as a contact, email an address mentioned on the material, or open a website listed on the document. It'll also give you some other single-tap options for related content.

If you want to take manual actions on some of the text just press and hold your finger to the words within your image. This will pull up a standard Android text selector for you to select text from the physical object as if it were just regular text on your phone. You can then copy the text, search Google for it, or take other available actions.

Google Lens & Translate Tools

See this article from AndroidPit "How to use Google Translate offline using your phone's camera" [gets updated periodically] and usesg two Apps available from the Play Store via these links Google Lens & Google Translate

See this article from AndroidPit "How to use Google Lens to copy and paste handwritten notes"

See this article from ComputerWorld "12 ways Google Lens can make you more productive on Android" 

See this article from LifeHacker "How to Scan and Import Text Into Google Chrome With Google Lens" to work with hand written notes

See this article from TechRepublic "Google Lens: how to master Google's super-useful AI camera App"

Google Meet

Get the Google Meet cheat sheet in pdf format, or bookmark the linked page for quick access later. You can also check out the Google Support Page and this TechRepublic Product Comparison.

Google Now 

How to make the most of Google Now {with top 100 commands}

Google Photos 

Click here to see a video clip by Jeff Su from July 2021 with some pretty useful tips for features you may not already know about.

Click here to see an AndroidPit article form July 2017 called "Google Photos update brings suggestions and shared libraries".

Google Play Music

You can store your favourite albums and tracks in Google Play Music  and as  they are "in the cloud" you can listen to them from anywhere, at any time, all secure in your account.  

Google Voice & Audio 

How to locate and manage Google Voice & Audio

Hangouts 

How to get the best out of Google Hangouts

Live Transcribe App [in development]

The "Live Transcribe" App can be set to English UK and works fine.

Making Card Payments With Google Pay 

See this page for details

My Maps

How to get the best out of Google My Maps

Printing For Android

How to print from Android using Google Cloud Print

Sound Amplifier App

The "Sound Amplifier" App requires headphones to be plugged in for it to work.

Youtube : 9 tips you may not have heard about

This CNET page explains how you can get Youtube to do a lot more than just show videos.

11/03/2021 "A bit of history and speculation"

Click here to see an article at medium.com that I’d highly recommend you spend 10 minutes or so to read through. 

N.B. You may have to register at the site to get access but this is easily done by simply authorising use via your Google Account.

The narrative goes through the history of ChromeOS, Android, Fuschia etc. and hints at where Google may be heading. 

Once you’ve read it I challenge you to have a wee think about your own needs and assess your own opinion. 

If you are anything like me you’ll be thinking “I can’t wait to get into all of this new stuff” - “bring it on” !