Skip to main content

Google Glass update to bring SMS for iPhone feature and Calendar Glassware

google glass
Image used with permission by copyright holder

A week after offering Glass to the masses in a one-day sale and bringing Android KitKat to its head-mounted gadget, Google on Monday announced the imminent arrival of another software update, bringing with it new functionality for its growing army of Explorers to get their teeth into.

The first of the two new features, set to land later this week, allows iPhone users to receive notifications of incoming text messages, a feature which owners of Android handsets have been able to make use of for some time.

To enable the feature, Explorers just need to jump into their iPhone’s Bluetooth settings and hit “show notifications” for their paired Glass. Once that’s done, all incoming messages will appear as notifications on the high-tech specs. Google adds, however, that “due to some limitations with iOS,” iPhone-owning Glass users will be unable to reply to messages directly from the wearable computing device.

Next up is a new Calendar Glassware feature that’ll let users view their schedule and appointments, while also allowing for title, time, date, and location modification. Users can dismiss an event from their timeline, too, or simply delete it.

With the recent upgrade of Glass to Android KitKat, the Mountain View company is promising “faster updates” for the $1500 device. Up to now such updates have been rolling out pretty much on a monthly basis.

In a bid to find out more about people’s experiences using Glass, the company last week boosted the number of Explorers on its books by launching a special one-day Glass sale for the public. Since starting the Explorer program over a year ago, Google’s been using feedback from users and developers to tweak the design of the gadget in preparation for its full-scale commercial release, which many expect to take place in the latter half of this year.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
iOS 17.5 just launched with a huge security feature for your iPhone
Apple iPhone 15 Plus and Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max seen from the back.

Apple iPhone 15 Plus (left) and Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Apple has just released the iOS 17.5 update for iPhones, which brings a host of new features. For European Union residents, it enables Web Distribution, which means you can sideload apps from the internet and won’t be limited to the App Store.

Read more
Android phones are about to get a major iMessage feature
Google Messages app on a Pixel 8 Pro, showing an RCS Chat message thread.

Being able to edit sent messages is a popular feature on messaging apps like iMessage and WhatsApp. However, it has yet to arrive to the masses via the Google Messages app on Android phones. Thankfully, that could change very soon.

On X (formerly Twitter), Jhow_kira has shared two screenshots demonstrating how the Google Messages editing feature will work in an upcoming software version. Some Android users, including the X poster, are currently testing this new feature.

Read more
The Google Pixel 8a is the Pixel phone I’ve been waiting for
A render of the Bay blue Google Pixel 8a.

It's that time of year once again -- time for a new Google Pixel phone. Google officially announced the Pixel 8a this week, and the phone is exactly as the rumors predicted. It has a slightly refined design, a new chipset, and an improved display.

At first glance, the Google Pixel 8a might come off as a bit boring. It's a budget smartphone that's technically inferior to its Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro siblings from 2023, and compared to the Pixel 7a, it's not all that different. It can be easy to dismiss the Pixel 8a, but when you consider all of its specs, features, and unchanged price, I don't think there's anything boring about it. In fact, I think it's pretty damn exciting.
Subtle (but important) upgrades

Read more