Google revealed this morning that Android phones will be getting an update this winter, introducing approximately six new capabilities to devices. These enhancements include improvements to popular applications such as Gboard, Google Play Books, Voice Access, Google Maps, Android Auto, and Nearby Share. This release represents the latest in a series of update packages that now enable Android devices to receive new functionalities outside of the traditional yearly update schedule.

While these bundles may not include Android’s most significant new features, they provide consistent improvements on a more frequent timeline.

A particularly engaging addition within the winter update will be an evolution of “Emoji Kitchen,” the function within the Gboard keyboard application that allows users to merge their preferred emoji to generate novel designs, shareable as personalized stickers. Google reports that users have already created over 3 billion emoji remixes since the feature’s initial launch earlier this year. The feature is now being broadened; instead of offering hundreds of design options, it will present over 14,000. Users will also be able to simply tap two emoji to view suggested combinations, or double-tap a single emoji to discover further possibilities.

This enhanced feature was previously available in the Gboard beta application and will soon be deployed to Android 6.0 and later devices in the coming weeks.

Another update will broaden the availability of audiobooks on Google Play Books. Google will now automatically create narrations for books that currently lack an audio version. The company states that it collaborated with publishers in the United States and the United Kingdom to incorporate these auto-narrated books into Google Play Books. While currently in beta, this feature will be extended to all publishers in early 2021.

The accessibility feature Voice Access, which enables users to control and navigate their phones using voice commands, will also be refined. The feature will soon utilize machine learning to recognize interface labels on devices, allowing users to verbally reference elements like the “back” and “more” buttons, and many others, by their names. (Apple also announced today that iPhones can now automatically identify and label buttons and UI elements for visually impaired users.)

The updated version of Voice Access, presently in beta, will be accessible to all devices running Android 6.0 or higher, globally.

An update to Google Maps will introduce a new feature to one of the most widely used applications.

A new “Go Tab,” potentially inspired by Waze, will allow users to quickly navigate to frequently visited locations – such as a school or grocery store – with a single tap. The application will display directions, current traffic conditions and disruptions along the route, and provide an estimated time of arrival, without requiring manual address input. Commonly visited places – or, for public transit users, specific routes – can be pinned within the Go Tab for convenient access. Public transit users will be able to view accurate departure and arrival times, alerts from their local transit authority, and an up-to-date ETA.

A potentially useful application of this new feature would be to pin both a transit route and a driving route to the same destination, then compare their respective ETAs to determine the quicker option.

This feature is scheduled to arrive on both Google Maps for Android and iOS in the weeks ahead.

Android Auto will become available in additional countries over the next several months. Google initially indicated it would reach 36 countries, but subsequently adjusted the announcement as the rollout timeline was extended. The company is currently not specifying the number of countries that will gain access in the coming months, nor which countries they will be, so further announcements will be necessary.

The final change concerns Nearby Share, the proximity-based sharing feature that allows users to exchange items like links, files, and photos, even without a cellular or Wi-Fi connection. This feature, largely intended for developing markets, will now enable users to share applications from Google Play with nearby individuals.

To accomplish this, users will access a new “Share Apps” menu within “Manage Apps & Games” in the Google Play application. This feature will be released in the coming weeks.

Some of these features will begin deployment today, potentially arriving sooner than the anticipated timeframe of “several weeks,” but the progress of each update will vary.