- To keep your accounts secure, you can run a password checkup, right in your Google Password Manager. That will find passwords that have been compromised in a third party breach, passwords used on multiple sites, and weak passwords.
- Incognito mode is now available in Google Maps. That means places you search for and other maps activity won’t be saved to your Google account and won’t be used to personalize your Maps experience.
- Soon you will be able to delete your Google Assistant activity using Google Assistant commands.
- You can now set your account to auto-delete your YouTube History after 3 months or 18 months. If you don’t want your YouTube history saved at all, you can always just turn it off. If your YouTube channel is on a Brand Account, just remember to switch to your Brand Account identity before changing you setting.
- Soon YouTube will be rolling out the new desktop upload experience to everyone. You’ll still be able to go back to the classic uploader, at least for a while. The new uploader is much simpler than the classic version, and does not include the option to import videos from Google Photos.
- YouTube is running an experiment where - if you have midroll ads enabled - the ads may be auto-placed, rather than use the manually added ad insertion points.
- If you are wondering what’s happening with YouTube Studio Beta, and are concerned about classic Studio going away, this video from Creator Insider may (or may not) be comforting.
- Twitter’s live streaming platform Periscope no longer supports 360 and GoPro cameras. Other external cameras are still supported.
- AdSense is launching “new and improved” Auto Ads. You can now more easily manage your site’s Auto Ads from your AdSense account’s Ads Overview page, and there’s a preview of how the ads will be placed on your site. That’s important, because AdSense will now be able to display Auto Ads on any page with AdSense code, even if it’s not specifically Auto Ad code. Check your ad settings!
- Google Photos is rolling out a new “Photo Frames” option on Android devices. This lets you pick which albums to display on the Nest Hub, Chromecast on your TV, or Android TV. Google says “this feature is not available in all countries”, but doesn’t provide any details. I have it in my app
- If you have a website, there are two changes to prepare for: Google will be updating the user agent of the Googlebot in December. While most sites should not be affected, you can test your site now. And Chrome will start ensuring that HTTPS pages will only load HTTPS sub-resources, eventually blocking all “mixed content” by default. Google offers tools to find and fix any mixed content on your site.
- Google Shopping in the US got a major update. There’s now a personalized homepage, you can track prices, and either buy online or find items in local stores. Check it out.
- Sometimes you just need some inspiration. Point Google Lens at an item of clothing, and if you are in the US it will show you “style ideas”. And you can dress “smart” with the updated Levi’s Jacquard by Google jackets, available in Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, UK and US .
- Facebook introduced a new messaging app “Threads from Instagram”. The stand-alone app lets you privately message and share with your Instagram “Close Friends”. It lets you use “Auto Status” to automatically let your friends know where you are, like “At Home”, “At the Beach”, “At a Cafe” or “On the move”. I can’t imagine wanting to share my location automatically with Instagram friends, and fortunately that’s opt-in. I don’t really see the need for this separate app at all, but I’m not a heavy Instagram user, and I already have private communication channels with my actual close friends and family.
Read on for more news, updates and tips for YouTubers, business owners, webmasters and more.
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Image: Dietmar Rabich / Wikimedia Commons / “Paris, Pont de l’Archevêché -- 2014 -- 1509” / CC BY-SA 4.0 (Original image cropped and text overlaid)
Upcoming
- October 10: Update to downloading videos in Google Takeout
- October 15: Google Hardware Event- Pixel 4 and more?
- October 15: Project Strobe Chrome Extensions Policy goes into effect
YouTube and Video Creation
- YouTube TV is now supported on Amazon Fire TV devices (YouTube TV)
- Mid Roll Ad Experiment, Google Search Finds Key Moments in Videos, and Desktop Uploads! (Creator Insider)
- What's Up with Studio Beta?! (Creator Insider)
- Verification Program, New Comment Filters, Live Control Room and More | September 2019 Roundup (TeamYouTube)
- What can you do about Content ID claims? - Copyright on YouTube (YouTube Creators)
- Google’s Looking To Take On TikTok With Acquisition Of Competitor Firework (Report) (Tubefilter)
- Nerd City Calls On YouTube For More Demonetization Transparency Amid New Study About LGBTQ+ Video Titles (Tubefilter)
- YouTube NextUp for Artists, Class of 2019 (YouTube India)
Go Live
- At TwitchCon, CEO Addresses Controversial Policy Enforcement, Reveals Sweeping Ad System Overhaul (Tubefilter)
- Periscope no longer supports 360 and GoPro cameras (Periscope Help)
Social Media: Facebook and Instagram
- Introducing Threads from Instagram (Facebook)
- Privacy Matters: Threads (Facebook)
- Instagram Now Lets You Control Your Bully's Comments by “Restricting” the user (NPR)
Other Social Media
- Kickstarter To Workers and Project Creators: Drop Dead (Current Affairs)
- TikTok explains its ban on political advertising (TechCrunch)
- Zuckerberg misunderstands the huge threat of TikTok (TechCrunch)
- Introducing dark mode on Pinterest (Pinterest Newsroom)
Google Photos and Photo Sharing
- Google Photos now lets you manage your smart display with 'Photo frames' (Android Central)
- Adobe Unveils Photoshop Elements 2020 with AI-Powered Photo Effects, Auto Colorize and More (PetaPixel)
Google for Businesses
- What is Yelp’s Actual Impact in the Real World? (Gather Up)
- You can now post animated GIFs to Google My Business from mobile (Andy Simpson)
- My Business Is Closing for Renovations – What Do I Do? (Sterling Sky)
- You Can Now Edit Google Maps Business Listings When Unverified (SEO Roundtable)
- Google My Business To Remove SMS Messaging (SEO Roundtable)
Bloggers and Webmasters
- Updating the user agent of Googlebot (Google Webmasters)
- No More Mixed Messages About HTTPS (Chromium Blog)
- Chrome UI for Deprecating Legacy TLS Versions (Google Online Security)
- Build security into your next website (Google Developers)
- English Google Webmaster Central office-hours from October 1, 2019 (Google Webmasters)
- English Google Webmaster Central office-hours from October 4, 2019 (Google Webmasters)
- WordPress 5.3 Adopts Rel UGC Nofollow Link Attribute (Search Engine Journal)
- The Month in WordPress: September 2019 (WordPress)
AdSense and Advertising
- AdSense launching "new and improved" Auto Ads that work through any ad code
- Manage tags easily and safely with the new Community Template Gallery (Google Marketing Platform)
Hangouts, Meetings and Messaging
- Dark theme now available for Google Voice on Android (G Suite Updates)
- You can now voice call your Google Home speakers with Duo (9to5Google)
- Google Duo's new filters and effects let you become a purple cat (Android Police)
Made by Google and Android
- Action Blocks: one tap to make technology more accessible (Google)
- Attackers exploit 0-day vulnerability that gives full control of Android phones (Ars Technica)
Productivity
- 9 things to know about Google's maps data: Beyond the Map (Google)
- Find the best prices and places to buy with Google Shopping (Google)
- Get outfit inspiration with style ideas in Google Lens (Google)
Privacy and Security
- Keeping privacy and security simple, for you (Google)
- To stay secure online, Password Checkup has your back (Google)
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Spam and personal attacks are not allowed. Any comment may be removed at my own discretion ~ Peggy