Google added features to its Android mobile operating system (OS) that let users set custom caller screens and share real-time location in messages. It introduced features already used on Apple iPhone.
Google said on the 3rd (local time) via its official blog that users can now share their location on a real-time map while exchanging texts. A feature was also applied that lets users customize the caller screen shown to the other party when they place a call by setting desired photos, fonts, and colors.
In addition, Google is launching a feature that can share information from baggage-tracking tags with airlines. According to Google, more than 10 airlines, including Air India, Lufthansa Group, and Turkish Airlines, plan to use the tracking information in their lost-baggage handling process.
The features Google newly introduced this time have already been provided by Apple on iOS for more than a year.
The software update comes as smartphone prices have risen due to a global memory chip shortage, lengthening consumers' smartphone replacement cycles. The industry expects rapid, large-scale adoption because the new features are being applied to the Android platform, which runs on more than 3 billion devices worldwide.