Google Cloud Platform News

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  Better password protections in Chrome
  • sorangutan  

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  Many of us have encountered malware, heard of data breaches, or even been a victim of phishing, where a site tries to scam you into entering your passwords and other sensitive information. With all this considered, data security has become a top concern for many people worldwide. Chrome has safety protections built in, and now we're expanding those protections further. 

  Chrome warns when your password has been stolen

  When you type your credentials into a website, Chrome will now warn you if your username and password have been compromised in a data breach on some site or app. It will suggest that you change them everywhere they were used.

  

  If your credentials were compromised, we recommend to change them immediately.

  Google first introduced this technology early this year as the Password Checkup extension. In October it became a part of the Password Checkup in your Google Account, where you can conduct a scan of your saved passwords anytime. And now it has evolved to offer warnings as you browse the web in Chrome. 

  You can control it in Chrome Settings under Sync and Google Services. For now, we’re gradually rolling this out for everyone signed in to Chrome as a part of our Safe Browsing protections.

  Phishing protection in real time

  Google’s Safe Browsing maintains an ever-growing list of unsafe sites on the web and shares this information with webmasters, or other browsers, to make the web more secure. The list refreshes every 30 minutes, protecting 4 billion devices every day against all kinds of security threats, including phishing.

  

  Safe Browsing list has been capturing an increasing number of phishing sites.

  However, some phishing sites slip through that 30-minute window, either by quickly switching domains or by hiding from our crawlers. Chrome now offers real-time phishing protections on desktop, which warn you when visiting malicious sites in 30 percent more cases. Initially we will roll out this protection to everyone with the “Make searches and browsing better” setting enabled in Chrome. 

  Expanding predictive phishing protections

  If you're signed in to Chrome and have Sync enabled, predictive phishing protection warns you if you enter your Google Account password into a site that we suspect of phishing. This protection has been in place since 2017, and today we’re expanding the feature further.

  Now we'll be protecting your Google Account password when you sign in to Chrome, even if Sync is not enabled. In addition, this feature will now work for all the passwords you store in Chrome’s password manager. Hundreds of millions more users will now benefit from the new warnings.

  

  Chrome will show this warning when a user enters their Google Account password into a phishing page.

  Sharing your device? Now it’s easier to tell whose Chrome profile you’re using 

  We realize that many people share their computers or use multiple profiles. To make sure you always know which profile you’re currently using—for example, when creating and saving passwords with Chrome’s password manager—we’ve improved the way your profile is featured.

  On desktop, you’ll see a new visual representation of the profile you’re currently using, so you can be sure you are saving your passwords to the right profile. This is a visual update and won’t change your current Sync settings. We’ve also updated the look of the profile menu itself: it now allows for easier switching and clearly shows if you are signed in to Chrome or not.

  

  The new sign-in indicator.

  From Munich with love

  Many of these technologies were developed at the Google Safety Engineering Center (GSEC), a hub of privacy and security product experts and engineers based in Munich, which opened last May. GSEC is home to the engineering teams who build many of the safety features into the Chrome browser. We’ll continue to invest in our teams worldwide to deliver the safest personal browser experience to everyone, and we look forward to bringing more new features to strengthen the privacy and security of Chrome in 2020. 

  All these features will be rolled out gradually over the next few weeks. Interested in how they work? You can learn more on Google Security blog.

  
  
  
  https://www.blog.google/products/chrome/better-password-protections/
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  New Google Assistant features to customize your alarm clock
  • sorangutan  

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  The Lenovo Smart Clock with the Google Assistant makes for a good gift this holiday season. Its compact size fits neatly on your nightstand, offers alarm suggestions based on your calendar, and gently wakes you up with a sunrise alarm that mimics the rising sun.

  And with the latest software update rolling out globally today, your device can be customized to your environment. “Impromptu” is a new alarm option that gives you a ringtone that fits your situation, based on things like the time of day or weather. It’s powered by machine learning technology from our Magenta open source project. For example, if your alarm goes off early in the morning and the weather is less than 50 degrees, you may hear this ringtone.

  Thanks to your continued feedback, you’ll also notice other improvements on your Smart Clock. We’ve fine-tuned the automatic brightness, added a music recommendation card to help you get to your playlists faster, and provided more granular control over how long your alarm lasts (now up to 60 minutes). 

  And just in time for the holidays, you can find the Lenovo Smart Clock at a great deal from popular retailers like Best Buy, The Home Depot,Sam’s Club and Lenovo.com. 

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/products/assistant/new-google-assistant-features-customize-your-alarm-clock/
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  What’s new in App + Web properties
  • sorangutan  

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  This July we announceda new property type in Google Analytics that helps you measure across both your app and website in one place. The new App + Web property helps you better understand your customers’ journeys across platforms so you can deliver more unified experiences.

  Recently, we’ve introduced enhancements that allow you to measure multiple websites, do even more custom analysis, and get faster insights from your data.
  

  Measure multiple web streams in a single property

  App + Web properties now support multiple web streams, including Firebase web apps, in a single property—up to 50 data streams across your apps, websites, and web apps. This allows you to see metrics aggregated across all your related apps and websites, or apply filters to compare them individually. For example, if you were an online retailer with multiple regional stores, you could see your total global sales for the month or compare the sales of each of your regional sites and apps. 

  More options for custom analysis

  In July we introduced the Analysis module in App + Web properties with five techniques to do cross-platform analysis with more flexibility. Now, we’ve added two more techniques to the mix: cohort analysis and user lifetime, as well as an update to the existing pathing technique and a larger window for historical data.

  Cohort analysis helps you compare engagement between groups of similar users with more metric and dimension breakdowns.  For example, you can compare revenue between cohorts of users that were acquired at different times to understand the results of a change in your marketing strategy. 
  

  User lifetime gives you insight into the lifetime activity of a group of users, based on custom dimensions you choose. For example, see how many lifetime in-app purchases were made by users acquired from a holiday promotion you ran.
  

  • App + Web 1 v5.png

         The cohort analysis technique helps you identify like-users and conduct analysis between cohorts

  • App + Web 2 v5.png

    See the lifetime activity of groups of users based on different variables

  • App + Web 1 v5.png

    The cohort analysis technique helps you identify like-users and conduct analysis between cohorts

  • App + Web 2 v5.png

    See the lifetime activity of groups of users based on different variables

  Backward pathing allows you to work backwards from a conversion or other key event and analyze the differences, trends, or patterns users took to get there. For example, you can start from a purchase event to see how many users that made a purchase entered the funnel from an email campaign to your website, compared to a search ad that deep-links to your app.

  Data retention has now expanded to up to 14 months across all techniques within the Analysis module so you can conduct longer term analyses, like year-over-year. Go to data settings in your property admin to increase data retention.
  

  App and web insights at your fingertips

  Automated and custom insights, previously available only for web, are now in App + Web properties. 

  Automated insights use machine learning to identify key trends and anomalies in your data. For example, if there was an unusual spike in sales yesterday, you will get an alert of the change which you can then investigate. Automated insights get smarter and more relevant to your business over time. 
  

  Custom insights give you the control to tell Analytics what metrics you’d like to be alerted about. For example, if you are a retailer and you’ve just released a new product, you may want to track sales specifically for that SKU.  You can set up a custom insight to alert you if the product’s sales increased by more than 10% week-over-week. These alerts can now be set up to run hourly, and you can receive email notifications within 5 minutes of a triggered alert.
  

  • App + Web 4 v5.png

    The Insights dashboard displays all your automated and custom insights in one place

  • App + Web 3 v5.png

    Create custom insights based on the most important metrics for your business

  • App + Web 4 v5.png

    The Insights dashboard displays all your automated and custom insights in one place

  • App + Web 3 v5.png

    Create custom insights based on the most important metrics for your business

  Instant answers with search

  When looking for specific insights in your Web properties you can simply ask a question in the search bar and get a quick answer. Today, we are extending this to App + Web properties, so you can ask questions and get holistic answers across your app and web data. 

  Ask questions using keywords, such as “users from organic channel last week,” and a relevant answer will appear in the search dropdown. Be specific about the metric, dimension, and time frame to get the best results.
  

  • App + Web 5 v5.png

    Type a question into the search bar in natural language and get quick answers in the dropdown
    

  • App + Web 6 v5.png

    Type a query into the search bar and get instant answers

  • App + Web 7 v5.png

    Click on the result to see it in the Insights panel

  • App + Web 8 v5.png

    See the insight in more detail

  Automated and custom insights, as well as instant answers from the search dropdown, are available in App + Web properties today in English and will soon be available in all languages supported by Google Analytics. 

  Next steps for App + Web properties

  Businesses already see the benefits of bringing more of the customer journey into view. TUI group, a leading integrated tourism group based in Europe, is using App + Web properties to close the gap between their app and web data. 

  Previously we had been manually stitching together app and web sessions in order to generate customer behaviour insight and value our marketing investments; this release unifies that data to show the full path to conversion. Dan Truman
  Global Head of Digital Analytics, TUI Group

  If you’re not already using the beta and your business is looking for a more complete view of how your customers engage across app and web, you can get started today by setting up a new property and linking your app and website.

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/products/marketingplatform/analytics/whats-new-in-app-web-properties/
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  A new commitment to local journalism in Oakland
  • sorangutan  

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  Editor’s note: Today’s guest post comes from Tracey Taylor, co-founder of Berkeleyside, a news outlet in California that is partnering with the Google News Initiative on their Local Experiments Project. 

  For 10 years, Berkeleyside has focused on providing independent, award-winning journalism in Berkeley, California. In that time, we've seen a steady diminishing of reporting resources devoted to covering our neighboring city, Oakland. We want to address this problem and at the same time, help tackle the local news crisis more broadly. Today we’re announcing a new local journalism venture focused entirely on Oakland.

  The Google News Initiative’s Local Experiments Project is providing initial funding for the new platform and will offer technical and product expertise. The Oakland team will collaborate with the GNI team to develop and share with the wider journalism industry what we learn about business and operations. Google will not have involvement or influence on any aspect of our editorial work. This is the GNI’s third Local Experiments Project and follows McClatchy’s Compass Experiment and Archant’s Project Neon to build all-digital news platforms in communities currently underserved by local news.

  Alongside today’s announcement, Berkeleyside is creating a new nonprofit organization that will serve as an umbrella for the two East Bay sites and, in the future, build more new journalism platforms to serve local information needs. The nonprofit will own 100 percent of the Oakland platform and will have complete editorial control. 

  We plan to launch in Oakland in spring 2020 with Tasneem Raja at the helm as Editor-in-Chief. Raja co-founded local nonprofit journalism outlet The Tyler Loop, led theCode Switch team at NPR and was senior editor of data journalism at Mother Jones. She was on the founding staff of The Bay Citizen and Oakland North, and lived in Oakland and Berkeley for the better part of a decade. 

  The Oakland newsroom will have the resources to offer a depth of coverage that has been missing since declining revenue forced local news organizations to cut staff or close, and will partner with others who serve the information needs of people and communities across Oakland.

  Listening is the foundation of our newsroom in order to develop a responsive, inclusive and equitable approach to local news. We’re connecting with people across the city to learn more about the core issues we should focus on, the stories we need to elevate and how we can best serve people with our reporting.  

  We’ll be sharing regular updates as we build this new platform and invite you to sign up to stay informed and learn about opportunities to get involved at: berkeleyside.com/oakland.

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/outreach-initiatives/google-news-initiative/new-commitment-local-journalism-oakland/
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  Google Shopping 100: This season’s top trending gifts
  • sorangutan  

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  ‘Tis the season for hot chocolate, gathering by the fire … and presents. There’s still time to find the perfect gift, and Google Shopping 100—a list of trending products on Google search—can help. You might find inspiration for last-minute gifting, or you might want to do a little shopping for yourself.

  Google Shopping 100 showcases products with a recent increase in U.S. searches. While classics are still sought-after—for example, search data still ranks Monopoly as a popular present—Google Shopping 100 highlights items that are rising in popularity to give you fresh ideas and keep you up to speed on the latest.

  

  Spanning ages and interests, we’ve highlighted some of the top categories for holiday gifts, like tech, kitchen gear, and toys and games. We see a lot of warm, furry boots in accessories and apparel, while high tech vacuums are big in home goods.

  

  If these trends inspire some good ideas, Google can also help you find the best prices and places to buy. It’s easy to search thousands of online stores and compare prices, so you know you’re getting a great deal no matter where you shop. And if you missed the shipping deadline you can also find out if it’s available in nearby stores: just search on Google and click on the Shopping tab to check if the item is in stock nearby. 

  We hope this helps you get inspired and find something for everyone on your list—with a little help from Google. 

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/products/shopping/100-top-trending-gifts/
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  Making our products more helpful in Arabic
  • sorangutan  

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  Today, we’re announcing new products in the Middle East and North Africa, a region connected by a common language, Arabic. The Arabic language, beautiful yet complex, is written from right-to-left, has a range of dialects, and one word can mean many different things depending on the context. For our products to be helpful, they need to understand the nuances of the language. 

  Visual Search in Arabic

  Cinema, music and sports are three of the things people search for the most in Arabic. We’re now showing answers to popular questions in a simple box, so that you can get information faster. For example, if you’re looking to watch a movie, you will find in one box all the movie theaters on the map, the list of movies being aired, showtimes and sometimes a link to book your ticket. Similarly, if you’re searching for Mo Salah, the Egyption football star, you will see his biography, his past goals with Liverpool and the Egyptian National team, and also videos of games and tournaments he played in. 

  Celebrities are another topic that people search for a lot. So we’re launching Cameos, a feature on Google Search where celebrities can post videos on the Search homepage answering popular questions about them. For example, if you search for Egyptian actress Yosra El Lozy, you can scroll through videos where she answers many questions like what is a cause she cares about and what is the best advice she got as an actress.   

  

  Cameo feature on Search in Arabic

  Google Assistant: “Okay Google, speak to me in Arabic.”

  Talking to your phone to get information from Google or to get things done is becoming more popular. In Arabic too, people use it to navigate traffic, search the web, or play music. Earlier this year, we launched the Assistant in Egypt and Saudi Arabia, and people have been asking it to make calls, sing lullabies for children and listen to music (“Okay Google, play Fayruz” is one of the most popular commands.) 

  Today, the Assistant will be available in an additional 15 countries in the region—United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Iraq, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine and Mauritania.

  Google Maps: navigate the world, get things done, and stay safe

  Whether you’re driving or a passenger, everyone wants to feel safe on the road. We’re introducing a feature that gives you an “off-route alert” when your driver has deviated from the suggested route by more than 500 meters. You can also choose to share your live trip with friends and family directly from that screen so they know where you are.

  

  Stay Safer feature on Maps

  Helping motorcyclists get through traffic with Google Maps in Egypt

  There are more than four million motorbikes in Egypt and the heavy Cairo traffic can affect their journey times. Motorcycle mode on Maps helps motorcyclists avoid congestion on Egypt’s busiest highways by following shortcuts and local roads and have an accurate expected arrival time. This feature is coming next to Algeria and Tunisia, and more countries soon. 

  

  Image of motorcycle mode on Maps in Egypt

  Investing in digital skills: Unlocking opportunities for young Arabs 

  
  

  By next year, one in five jobs in the Arab world will require digital skills. In 2018, we launched our Arabic digital skills program, “Maharat min Google,” which has reached more than 500,000 young people, women and underprivileged students. 130,000 of those were able to find jobs, grow their careers and their businesses. We want to continue that effort. So today, Google.org is giving a $ 1 million grant to Injaz, an NGO that specializes in youth training, to scale their digital skills program to reach a further 100,000 people in 2020.

  Every day, people in the Middle East and North Africa turn to Google for help. We hope that the products and updates we're announcing today will make Google even more helpful for finding things out and getting things done. And we’re excited to play our part in unlocking this region’s digital opportunity.

  
  
  
  https://www.blog.google/around-the-globe/google-middle-east/making-our-products-more-helpful-arabic/
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  How we power climate insights and action
  • sorangutan  

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  This week, governments and NGOs from across the globe are convening at COP25, the United Nations climate conference in Madrid, to discuss the latest efforts to fight climate change. Addressing this pressing issue on a global scale requires urgent action from countries, communities and businesses. At COP25 we shared how Google is focused on building sustainability into everything that we do and making it possible for everyone to build a more sustainable world.

  As cities now account for more than 70 percent of global emissions, we believe that empowering city governments with comprehensive, climate-relevant data and technology can play a critical role in igniting action. 

  One way we are doing this is with partners like the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy. We’ve brought our online tool, the Environmental Insights Explorer (EIE),to cities across the world, providing high-resolution data to measure greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) and take informed action to reduce CO2 emissions.  As of today, EIE has now expanded to more than 100 cities worldwide.

  

  Empowering local action in cities worldwide

  As we look beyond our latest efforts to equip cities with more comprehensive data, we’re also exploring how we can help communities turn these insights into action at the local level.

  To further accelerate climate action, Google.org is launching a new $4 million fund in collaboration with ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability.Grants from the fund will support nonprofits and academic institutions in Europe and Latin America that are leading data-driven climate action efforts.

  The first grantee is Iniciativa Climática de México (ICM), a Mexico-based nonprofit organization that catalyzes international climate policy at the national and city levels to reduce emissions of GHGs and promotes low carbon growth in Mexico. Grant funds will be allocated to their “Hogar Solar” program. This program channels government spending on electricity towards the installation of solar panels to help increase access to power for those facing energy poverty, provide cleaner energy sources and reduce overall electricity costs. 

  Data-driven initiatives like this are essential to addressing climate change and are needed at a global scale. As we fund more grantees, we will share what we learn on how to best engage in data-backed sustainability planning and action.

  
  

  Translating global insights

  EIE relies on anonymous, highly aggregated mapping data and standard GHG emission factors to estimate city building and transportation carbon emissions, as well as solar energy potential. We’re already seeing the early impacts of cities putting the power of EIE data behind climate plans, from bike-friendly initiatives to solar programs.

  While EIE has officially published data for 100 cities, the EIE team has processed climate-relevant data across an initial sample of 3,000 cities to produce emission insights from approximately 95 million buildings and nearly 3 trillion kilometers traveled. 

  Our analysis found that cities can have a huge impact in protecting our climate:

  • City solar potential

    If each of the 3,000 cities maximize their solar potential, they could generate more than 1 terawatt of renewable solar energy. That’s about 3 billion solar panels installed on rooftops.

  • EIE transportation findings.jpg

    Cities can be instrumental in helping shift the distance traveled from carbon to carbon-free.

  • EIE data visualizations

    EIE data helps map and quantify the largest contributing sources of GHG emissions and solar energy potential at hyperlocal levels, providing cities with insights that can build healthier and more sustainable communities.
    

  Making environmental information available will continue to be critical as cities, communities and companies worldwide band together to address climate change. We’re committed to doing our part, and want to extend our thanks to the forward-looking city officials and climate leaders collaborating with us on this project.

  If you’d like to request EIE data for your city, let us know. And learn more about Google’s other sustainable efforts at sustainability.google.
  

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/products/earth/powering-climate-insights-and-action/
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  Happy CSEdWeek! I’m feeling inspired.
  • sorangutan  

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  Editor’s note: It’s the first day of Computer Science Education Week—an annual event for organizations and educators to encourage students to try computer science—and we’ve got a special guest author to mark the occasion. Chance the Rapper is joining us to celebrate student coders in Chicago.

  Today is a perfect example of why we started SocialWorks almost four years ago—to empower Chicago youth with art and education.

  In 2017, with CS4All, Scratch, and a little help from Google, we told hundreds of kids from the South Side of Chicago they could do anything with code. Since then, we’ve been busy with teacher training, hosting family creative coding nights, and getting the whole community excited about what’s possible with code.

  Now the kids are coding. Seven elementary schools spent a bunch of time creating a game and drawing themselves as superheroes—that can fly! That can teleport! That collect hearts. All using code.

  A few weeks ago, I saw their incredible work and am so proud of them that I decided their projects should be seen by the entire world … 

  So today, the first day of Computer Science Education Week, I present you with—SuperMe, the official video game for “I Love You So Much” (because anyone can make a music video).

  

  I’m also excited to announce that we’re going to continue this work with even more students next year with an additional $250,000 Google.org grant to support SocialWorks and CS4All. 

  A huge thank you to everyone involved—we’re giving the youth in Chicago what they really deserve: more opportunity. 

  Feeling inspired? Let a teacher in your life know they can help kids code their own heroes in their classroom for CSEdWeek. Time to get coding, y’all.
  
  https://www.blog.google/outreach-initiatives/education/chance-the-rapper-super-me/
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  Updates to Incognito mode and your Timeline in Maps
  • sorangutan  

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  People turn to Google Maps to make their lives easier—whether it's getting tips and recommendations tailored to your daily commute, or knowing when your favorite restaurants, grocery stores and places may be the most crowded so you can avoid a long wait in line. Handy tools like this are improved by Location History–when you turn it on, this optional setting helps make Maps more useful for everyone, as well as personalized to your needs.

  
  

  Throughout this year, we've focused on making it easier to control, manage and delete your Location History information. Location History is off by default, and you can choose to delete all or part of your history automatically when you turn it on. We introduced auto-delete controls so you can choose to keep only three or 18 months’ worth of data—anything older than that will be automatically deleted. Your Data in Maps lets you quickly access your Location History and other privacy controls with just a few taps. And on Android, Incognito mode on Google Maps stops searches or places you navigate to within Maps from being saved to your Google Account.

  
  

  Today, we have two updates: Incognito mode is rolling out on Google Maps for iOS today, and bulk delete in Timeline will arrive on Android next month.

  
  

  Incognito mode

  Incognito mode on iOS works the same way it does on Android. While in Incognito mode, the places you search for or navigate to won’t be saved to your Google Account and you won’t see personalized features within Maps, like restaurant recommendations based on dining spots you’ve been to previously. Using Incognito mode on your phone will not update your Location History, so the places you go won’t be saved to your Timeline.

  
  

  

  Bulk delete in Timeline 

  Your Timeline is a tool that uses your Location History to help you easily remember places and routes you’ve visited–and on Android, share them with friends. With bulk delete, you can quickly find and delete multiple places from your Timeline and Location History all at once. You’ll still have the ability to delete all or part of your Timeline by date range from your Location History settings. 

  
  

  

  How Location History improves Google Maps

  We’re committed to providing simple, easy-to-use tools to manage your Location History—as well as clearly explaining how it makes products more useful. Scroll through the images below to learn more about Google Maps features made more helpful by Location History.

  
  

  • popular_times

    Google Maps can help you avoid the crowds by using aggregated and anonymized Location History information to show you wait times for restaurants and grocery stores, and when places tend to be the most crowded.

  • parking_difficulty

     In cities around the world, Google Maps can show you how difficult it is to park in a certain area so you know what to expect before you start your drive.

  • time_to_leave

    Time-to-leave notifications help you get to frequently visited places on time. If you typically leave for work at 7:30 a.m., you’ll receive an alert with information about the traffic along your route so you're prepared for your ride.

  • your_match

     If you’re having trouble deciding on a restaurant, “Your Match” can tell you how likely you are to enjoy a place based on restaurants you’ve starred, reviewed or visited previously.

    
    

  • explore_tab

     The Explore tab uses places you've visited in the past to show you personalized recommendations for nearby restaurants, coffee shops, parks and more.

  Stay up to date on your Location History settings

  It’s our goal to help you stay informed about your Location History. If you’ve chosen to turn Location History on, you’ll receive periodic email reminders that let you know what data you’re saving, and ways you can manage it. 

  
  

  To learn more about Location History and how location works across Google, visit ourpolicy page. 

  
  

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/products/maps/updates-incognito-mode-and-your-timeline-maps/
• 

  Google Fi brings spam warnings and Wi-Fi calling to more phones
  • sorangutan  

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  No matter what phone you use with Google Fi, our phone plan in the U.S., you’ll get great features—like reliable coverage, easy group plans and high speed international data coverage for the same rates you pay at home. 

  
  

  We’ve been working to bring the Google Fi experience to more people across the U.S., and last year we expanded Fi plans to the majority of Android devices and iPhones. Today, we’re bringing some favorite Fi features to these devices.  

  
  Spam call warnings and the ability to block specific numbers are now available on all phones compatible with Fi—including iPhone—so you don’t have to worry about unwanted calls.

  Plus, we are extending our enhanced VPN network and WiFi calling to all Android phones on Fi. When you use our enhanced VPN network, all of your cellular and WiFi traffic are encrypted so you have peace of mind, knowing nobody else can see your online activity. And with WiFi calling, you can make and receive calls as long as you have a WiFi connection, even when you don’t have cellular coverage. 

  To use these features, download the Google Fi app and then look for Phone Settings in the app.

  
  

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/products/google-fi/google-fi-brings-spam-warnings-and-wi-fi-calling-more-phones/
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  Using the web to help young people find work
  • sorangutan  

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  South Africa has the world’s highest recorded youth unemployment rate. Many young people are unable to access job opportunities due to a lack of financial resources and necessary work experience. Allan van der Muelen, the co-founder of start-up Zlto, is changing this. 

  Zlto is a web-based digital rewards platform that incentivizes young people to gain work experience by volunteering in the community. Users build a digital resume by uploading completed work assignments, showing both their impact on the project and the skills they gained while completing the task. For each project they also earn Zlto, a digital currency that can be spent on a range of items, like food, clothing, mobile data and transportation, thanks to collaborations with national retail partners. 

  “I work with young people to show them that they do have choices and the Web is giving them access to even more,” he says. In 2018, Zlto won the Google Impact Challenge and more recently started working with Chrome engineers to streamline their web app. 

  

  Zlto’s user dashboard is the portal to volunteer opportunities and provides a progress summary.

  People access Zlto through devices with limited capabilities and with limited data and connections. So providing them with instant access to the platform is critical to the company’s success. By building on the web, the Zlto team was able to make the app widely accessible. A typical Zlto user accesses their web app three times a day, so it’s critical that their experience is reliable. The Zlto team uses modern web technologies to ensure the app is responsive and reliable, and they use tools including Google’s Lighthouse to monitor the app’s performance and make instant fixes.

  Zlto is having a notable impact in the Cape Town Flats, securing permanent work for more than 2,300 young people in the last 12 months; there are 36,000 volunteers working with more than 1.2 million people in the community. The team is now piloting the launch of Zlto in Tanzania as well as the United Kingdom, working with the Newbigin House charity in support of asylum seekers and other individuals.

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/technology/developers/using-web-help-young-people-find-work/
• 

  How Play works
  • sorangutan  

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  There are more than 2.5 billion active Android devices worldwide—and that number is growing. A major force behind that growth is Google Play, the global online content store that brings incredible apps, games and digital content to Android users everywhere.

  Today we are publishing the “How Google Play Works” report, a comprehensive look under the hood at how the Play Store operates, focusing on how we keep users safe and how we support developers and help them build sustainable global businesses. 

  At Android Dev Summit 2019, we announced that there were over 116 billion downloads from Google Play in the last 12 months. With such scale comes an enormous responsibility to respect and protect everyone involved—both the people downloading the apps, and the developers creating them.

  This is why we continually review our Google Play developer policies, which cover topics ranging from bullying and harassment to malware. It’s why we try to scan all apps being installed with Play Protect, even apps that don’t come from Play. It’s also why we invest heavily in helping to make developers successful in sustainable ways that respect our users and their devices.

  Creating a global platform for everyone and providing useful tools for developers has been our goal since we launched the very first Android device. 

  As content and devices evolve, so will the Google Play Store, and we look forward to bringing developers and users the very best digital discovery and store experience. 

  Please visit our How Google Play Works report site at android.com/play/how-google-play-works.
  
  https://www.blog.google/how-play-works/
• 

  Making Pixel more helpful with the first Pixel feature drop
  • sorangutan  

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  Your phone should get better over time. Your Pixel automatically updates regularly with fixes and improvements. Now, your Pixel will also get bigger updates in new Pixel feature drops.  Our first one, coming this month, includes a new way to capture portraits, easier Duo calls and automatic call screening. 

  More photo controls

  Now, you can turn a photo into a portrait on Pixel by blurring the background post-snap. So whether you took the photo years ago, or you forgot to turn on portrait mode, you can easily give each picture an artistic look with Portrait Blur in Google Photos. 

  
  

  

  Put an end to robocalls

  With our latest update to Call Screen on Pixel 4 in the US, the Google Assistant now helps you automatically screen unknown callers and filter out detected robocalls before your phone ever rings, so you’re not interrupted by them. And when it’s not a robocall, your phone rings a few moments later with helpful context about who is calling and why. Call Screen works on your device and does not use Wi-Fi or data, which makes the screening fast and the content private to you.

  
  

  

  Improved video calls on Duo 

  Video calls are better on Pixel 4 with new Duo features that let you focus on conversations instead of logistics. Auto-framing keeps your face centered during your Duo video calls, even as you move around, thanks to Pixel 4’s wide-angle lens. And if another person joins you in the shot, the camera automatically adjusts to keep both of you in the frame.

  
  

  

  Now, the playback on your Duo calls is even smoother, too. When a bad connection leads to spotty audio, a machine learning model on your Pixel 4 predicts the likely next sound and helps you to keep the conversation going with minimum disruptions. Pixel 4’s Smooth Display also reduces choppiness on your video feed, refreshing up to 90 times a second.
  

  When you make Duo video calls on Pixel 2, 3 and 4, you can now apply a portrait filter as well. You’ll look sharper against the gentle blur of your background, while the busy office or messy bedroom behind you goes out of focus.

  
  

  

  With the latest update to Pixel 4, you'll also get amazingly fast accuracy in Google Maps with improved on-device computing for much better location quality. 

  More helpful features for more Pixels

  In addition to new features for Pixel 4, we’re also bringing new apps and features to Pixel 2, 3 and 3a:

  • The Recorder app is now available on older generations of Pixel.
  • Pixel 3 and 3a users will get Live Caption. 
  • Digital Wellbeing is getting updates too. Focus mode is rolling out to help you stay productive and minimize distractions by pausing apps you've selected in a single tap. You can now set an automatic schedule, take a short break or end Focus mode early without disrupting your schedule.
  • Flip to Shhh will also join the Digital Wellbeing features on Pixel 2 and 2XL.
  • If you use a Pixel 4 in the UK, Canada, Ireland, Singapore and Australia, you’ll soon get the new Google Assistant (English only), which is even faster and more helpful.

  A more efficient phone

  In addition to these new experiences, all Pixel devices will also receive an update to its memory management in the feature drop. With this new enhancement, your phone proactively compresses cached applications so that users can run multiple applications at the same time -- like games, streaming content and more.

  
  

  Pixel phones have always received monthly updates to improve performance and make your device safe. Now, feature drops will bring more helpful and fun features to users on a regular basis to continue to make your Pixel better than ever. 

  
  

  These features are already rolling out, and will hit Pixel devices in the coming weeks. To get the new features, update to the latest version of Android and go to the Play Store to start downloading your updated apps.

  
  

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/products/pixel/more-helpful-pixel-features/
• 

  Keep your audience engaged post holidays
  • sorangutan  

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  Congrats on completing the marathon. What happens now? 

  You might notice a drop in your RPMs and impressions. Don’t panic, it’s ok. You didn’t do anything wrong it’s the January blues. Remember that RPMs and internet traffic drive spikes but can also drive drops. As internet traffic decreases after the holiday, it is common to experience a drop in January. This is your RPMs returning to normal. This represents a new opportunity for you to focus on retaining the audience you gained and experiment with your AdSense account. 

  
  

  How to retain your audience? 

  Top trending January 

  Users are still online in January but their searches are different. This could be the time of a year for a perfect match between their searches and your content. Users have many topics on their radar, such as lifestyle, health and travel.

  
  

  

  Check Google Trends to find out what search queries were trending in your audience’s location last January.

  
  

  What about the next few months?

  January isn’t the right time of the year that matches with your content? Good news, there’s a lot of seasonal holidays to watch out for in the following months. Here’s a list of seasonal peaks in 2020. Let’s find yours.

  
  

  

  New year - new ideas 

  If you are thinking of starting a new site, make sure to take a look at these AMP-first tips. Creating an AMP-first site gives you a high performance - faster page load time, better user experience on mobile and more overall traffic. Review the WordPress themes that make creating an AMP site easy. Create the site, install theme and install the AMP plugin. 

  Learn more about themes.

  
  

  Experiment with your AdSense account

  It’s time to have some fun and try out some changes. Is there a feature you wanted to test before the holiday but didn’t get a chance to implement it? Why not try it now? Visit the Optimization tab in your AdSense account. It provides you with bespoke recommendations that could improve performance, and A/B experiments to help you make more informed decisions for your site. 

  Learn more about opportunities and experiments.

  
  

  End of quarter tip

  

  Take note of each end of quarter in your region. Why? Advertisers tend to spend more at the end of each quarter when they have budget leftover. Remember, an increase in advertiser spent also means potential increase of RPMs.

  
  

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/products/adsense/keep-your-audience-engaged-post-holidays/
• 

  ¡Buenas! A multiplayer Doodle celebrating Lotería
  • sorangutan  

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  A smile instantly comes to my face when I think of Lotería. I think of being with my extended family in Mexico for the holidays, scattering around my Tia Cruz’s house, anxiously waiting for a round to start. I think of us trying to distract each other from our boards by tossing beans. Mostly, I think of the laughter and the excitement; I think about how all the worries of the world melted away, even if just for a few hours. 

  So when our team was trying to come up with new concepts for interactive Doodles this year, I immediately thought of Lotería. The game itself is so simple and magical, and I wanted to see how it could come to life in the digital space and tap into that sense of connection. And so the Lotería Doodle was born.

  Originating in Italy in the 15th century, Lotería first moved to Spain before reaching Mexico in 1769. The rules are similar to Bingo: Players mark spots on a tabla, or board, with a token (traditionally a raw bean) and attempt to fill it before all other players. A designated card announcer randomly pulls colorfully illustrated cards like La Luna or El Arbol. A shout of “¡lotería!” or “¡buenas!” declares victory for one lucky player, ending the round. 

  Today’s interactive Doodle celebrates this iconic game on the anniversary of the day it was first copyrighted in Mexico. It’s also our second-ever multiplayer experience in a Doodle: Play the game with friends in a private match, or match with others around the globe at random.

  We collaborated with five Mexican and Mexican-American illustrators to reimagine most of the iconic Lotería game art for the Doodle—and even added new cards for a fun sorpresa. Popular Mexican YouTuber Luisito Comunica also serves as the game card announcer for the Doodle.

  YouTube video featuring behind the scenes footage of Mexican-American artists playing Loteria and creating card art.

  Check out some behind-the-scenes footage of our guest artists at work.

  Today, Lotería’s iconic imagery and the experience it fosters across generations remains a source of pride and celebration for Mexican culture. Whether you play today with your familia or with a new amig@ from the other side of the world, we hope today’s Doodle inspires fun, curiosity and a healthy dose of competencia.

  • Lotería_1.jpg

    Sketches of the Doodle card art by guest artist Luis Pinto.

  • Lotería_2.jpg

    Sketches of the Doodle card art by guest artist Luis Pinto.

  • Lotería_3.jpg

    Sketches of the Doodle card art by guest artist Luis Pinto.

  • Lotería_4.gif

    Some of the final card art used in the Lotería Google Doodle by Mexican and Mexican-American guest artists.

  • Lotería_5.gif

    Some of the cards we created for the Doodle don’t appear in the traditional version of the game. Here’s a look at some of those “bonus” cards.

  • Lotería_6.gif

    Here's a glimpse into the Lotería Google Doodle experience.

  • Lotería_7.gif

    Sketches of the Doodle card art by guest artist Chabaski.

  • Lotería_8.jpg

    Sketches of the Doodle card art by guest artist Cecilia Ruiz.

    
    

   ¡Feliz Aniversario, Lotería!

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/inside-google/doodles/loteria/
• 

  5 ways to beat holiday stress with the Google Assistant
  • sorangutan  

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  Five more gifts to buy, three projects to wrap up before the holiday break and one big family dinner to host. Anyone else have an end-of-the-year list like this? Here's how the Google Assistant is helping me get through it all:

  1. Stay organized with notes and lists

  If you’re like me, inspiration strikes when you’re busy, like while cooking, commuting or playing with the kids. Starting to roll out today, you can use your Assistant to create and manage your notes and lists in Google Keep, Any.do, AnyList, or Bring! across Assistant-enabled phones and smart speakers. Lists are also available on Smart Displays. 

  
  

  To get started, simply connect the Assistant with the app you use to create notes or lists. Select the “Services” tab in your Google Assistant settings and then choose your preferred provider name from the “Notes and Lists” section. Once connected, new notes and lists created from supported Assistant surfaces will appear in your chosen provider. You can also ask the Assistant for your historical notes and lists that were createdbefore you connected the Assistant with your chosen provider, but these will not be visible in the provider’s app.

  
  

  Here are a few things to try, starting with “Hey Google…”:

  • “Create a holiday gift list.”

  • “Add Stadia for Jake to my holiday gift list.”

  • “Add cranberries to my grocery list.”

  • “Take a note.”

  • “Show me my notes.”

  2. Assign reminders to your housemates and family members 

  Assignable reminders help families and housemates collaborate and stay organized all year around. You can create reminders for your partner or roommate to pick up eggnog from the store, order gift wrapping paper or mail your holiday cards. To assign a reminder, ask your Assistant, “Hey Google, remind Nick to pick up Mom from the airport tonight.”  

  3. Find and share photos using just your voice

  It’s now easier than ever to find and share your favorite holiday memories, simply by using your voice. On your Android phone, just say, “Hey Google, look up photos from this weekend," tap your favorite pictures and then say, "Hey Google, share these photos with Lizzie.” Your Assistant helps you search through your photos, pick your favorites, and send them to your friends or family. 

  4. Listen to podcasts by topic

  Heading to a potluck and tasked with bringing an entree? Turn to your Assistant for some cooking inspiration. When you ask the Assistant for podcasts about a certain topic—“Hey Google, find a podcast about holiday cooking”—it’ll suggest relevant episodes for you. Or if you’re looking to get a head start on productivity and self improvement, just ask, “Hey Google, show me podcasts about New Year's resolutions.” The feature is available now in English on all Assistant-enabled devices globally. 

  5. Enjoy a pick-me-up while running errands 

  And, while you’re getting your last minute holiday shopping done, the Assistant can help you get a sweet treat or or a pick-me-up from Dunkin’. If you have the Dunkin’ App installed on your Android phone, just say “Hey Google, order a latte from Dunkin,” to quickly start your order.

  
  

  I hope these features will make your holiday season just a little bit easier, so you can focus on spending time with family.

  
  
  
  https://www.blog.google/products/assistant/5-ways-beat-holiday-stress-google-assistant/
• 

  Our annual pay equity review
  • sorangutan  

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  Compensation should be based on what you do, not who you are. We design compensation to be fair and equitable from the outset—but because these are human processes, it’s important to double-check them. 

  Each year we run a rigorous statistical analysis to make sure all new salaries, bonuses and equity awards are fair. We take into account things that should impact pay, such as role, level, location and performance. If we find any differences in proposed pay between men and women globally or by race and ethnicity or age in the U.S., we make upward adjustments.

  Each year, we continue to improve our analytical approach. This year we included a higher percentage of Googlers in our analysis than before (now 93 percent worldwide), and for the first time we analyzed Googlers age 40 and over in the U.S. After thorough review, we increased compensation for 2 percent of employees to ensure that there were no inconsistencies for any demographic group. Increases totalled $5.1 million, and Googlers that received adjustments fell into every demographic category.

  Ensuring fairness is a never-ending process, and our pay equity analysis is just one part of a larger effort to improve our practices. We know that employees’ level, performance ratings, and promotion history also impact pay, which is why we’re continuing to focus on all of our people processes to ensure that Google is a great place to work for everyone. 

  You can read more about our pay equity analysis methodology on our re:Work site.
  

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/inside-google/working-google/our-annual-pay-equity-review/
• 

  Europe and Africa code weeks: 136,000 students learn to code
  • sorangutan  

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  Within the next 10 to 15 years, 90 percent of all jobs in Europe will require some level of technology education, and now is the time for the future workforce to start acquiring these skills. Computer Science (CS) programs all over the world are helping prepare students for the new global economy and helping them channel their excitement and passion into real world creations.

  This October, we supported Europe Code Week,a movement started by the European Commission,for the sixth consecutive year, and Africa Code Week for the fourth consecutive year. In total, Google funded 88 education organizations in 41 countries, reaching a grand total of 136,000 students. 

  This is part of our commitment to help one million Europeans grow their careers by the end of 2020 and to train 10 million Africans in digital skills by 2022 as part of Grow with Google. 

  As our work with Europe Code Week shows, this support is making a difference. Here are just a few stories from among the 33 organizations we funded in 23 countries and through which 21,291 students learned CS.

  Europe Code Week

  • VHTO.jpg

    The Netherlands: Stichting VHTO  taught 240 young women how to code during several events throughout the country. Women in tech volunteered to work with the students—they shared their skills and gave the students motivation to work hard and pursue their passion.  

  • LOOP.png

    Israel: More than 700 students took part in a one week programming workshop offered by our grant recipient, Loop. An 11-year-old student named Majd even used his skills to launch a “life simulator’ startup,” where people make important decisions via their virtual self and see the outcomes of their choices.

    
    

  • Fundaja Girls.jpg

    Poland: 570 students took part in Micro:bit, Makey Makey and Arduinoworkshops organized by Girls Code Fun in Warsaw. Some of the schools ordered their own Micro:bit sets so students can continue learning.

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    Italy: Due to high interest in programming workshops, our partner in Italy, Associazione DSchola, hosted activities in the cities of Torino and Cuneo for a total of 750 students. Students from both locations used video chat to work together on their projects. 

  • Croatia.JPG

    Croatia: The Croatian Robotic Association helped 300 students complete their first programming experience.

  Africa Code Week 

  In Africa, we joined forces with SAP and Africa Code Week to fund 55 organizations and grassroots groups across 18 countries. Over 115,000 students were able to explore CS through a variety of fun and interactive workshops. See some of their stories below.

  • Benin

    Benin: AISEC taught 695 students to create game applications using Scratch. 

  • SOS Childrens Village School Eldoret 12.JPG

    Kenya: During Africa Code Week, youth coding bootcamp Eldohub organized three-hour workshops for 490 students across the North Rift, Western Region of Kenya. Students were introduced to Google’s CS First andScratch, among other coding languages.

  • Cameroon

    Cameroon: 490 students participated in hands-on CS workshops organized by the Institut Salomon.

  • South African girls

    South Africa: 1,000 young women participated in coding workshops organized by GirlCode.

  • Nigeria

    Nigeria: 1,300 students were trained in Scratch and CS First by Techquest STEM Academy.

  We’re thrilled to help these students and teachers gain coding experience in Europe and Africa and look forward to inspiring even more students in 2020.

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/outreach-initiatives/grow-with-google/europe-africa-code-weeks/
• 

  Cloud Covered: What was new in November on Google Cloud
  • sorangutan  

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  November was a cornucopia of Google Cloud news and tips, with new ways for companies to start using the cloud and improve the way they work. We’re thankful this season for all the ways cloud can make everyday work easier, and for all the cool technology that just keeps evolving.  

  Take this easy path to cloud.

  In November, we announced the acquisition of CloudSimple, a company that provides a secure, dedicated environment to run VMware workloads in the cloud. VMware is the company that invented virtualization, a way to use physical computer servers much more efficiently (find a full explanation here). This acquisition will make it easier for businesses running all kinds of applications on VMware, like their finance or HR software, to easily migrate those workloads to Google Cloud.

  Try a do-it-yourself cloud kit.

  OK, so it’s a bit more complicated than putting together something from IKEA. But our Bare Metal Solution became available at the Next UK conference. When businesses are starting to run applications based in the cloud, there can be some stragglers that are harder to move than others. That may be because of their underlying code, or the fact that they were built before cloud existed. This Bare Metal Solution brings all the tools and network connections that a business needs to start using native Google Cloud services.

  We get by with a little help from our … work tools.

  At the same conference, we announced new, AI-powered features to help you get through your work day more efficiently. First, fresh updates to Google Docs help you produce error-free work. And second, we announced expanded integrations between the Google Assistant and G Suite. These new features continue G Suite’s mission to help businesses become more productive and to streamline work. Check out details in this post.

  Thanks for calling. How can cloud help you?

  Our Contact Center AI platform became generally available last month, so companies can personalize their customer support. This is the kind of technology that powers the good experiences you have when you call customer support and are directed through options using your voice. Two features of Contact Center AI, Virtual Agent and Agent Assist (which is now generally available), both improve the customer experience while adding efficiency for the business. Virtual Agent helps provide 24/7 access to immediate, conversational self-service, while Agent Assist helps customer service agents through their work with continuous support in real time.

  A networking control center helps IT take charge.

  The newly introduced Network Intelligence Center can help those IT teams in charge of a company’s network (yes, that’s a very important job!) monitor across the cloud and in the company’s data centers. Networks involve a lot of moving pieces, and they all have to work together to make sure everything runs smoothly, from delivering emails immediately for employees to providing fast, uninterrupted experiences for customers. The Network Intelligence Center anticipates some of the common challenges that IT teams deal with and helps them do testing and see performance easily.

  That’s a wrap for November! Till next time, stay tuned to the cloud blog.
  
  https://www.blog.google/products/google-cloud/cloud-covered-what-was-new-in-november-2019-on-google-cloud/
• 

  International Volunteer Day: a spotlight on GoVolunteer
  • sorangutan  

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  In 2015, more than 1 million people sought asylum in Germany. Faced with this overwhelming humanitarian crisis, many Germans wanted to help but didn’t know how. Inspired by his fellow citizens’ willingness to lend a hand, Malte Bedürftig founded GoVolunteer, an online platform connecting people and corporations to volunteering opportunities and social initiatives. After GoVolunteer joined the Google for Nonprofits program, they gained more online visibility through Ad Grants and more team structure and efficiency through G Suite for Nonprofits. 

  “We were a group of people who wanted to help others, inspired by the dream of changing things,” says Malte. Since then, Malte and his friends have built GoVolunteer into a full-fledged nonprofit, connecting 250,000 people to more than 3,500 volunteer opportunities in 250 cities across Germany. 

  Today, in honor of the UN’s International Volunteer Day, we’re recognizing GoVolunteer and everyone else who makes time to help others. Watch the video to learn more about GoVolunteer’s journey and how Google for Nonprofits has supported their growth.

  Share your own volunteer story with #IVD2019 and #InternationalVolunteerDay.

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/outreach-initiatives/nonprofits/international-volunteer-day-spotlight-govolunteer/