Author Archives: A Googler

More options to help websites preview their content on Google Search


Google uses content previews, including text snippets and other media, to help people decide whether a result is relevant to their query. The type of preview shown depends on many factors, including the type of content a person is looking for and the kind of device they're viewing it on. 

For instance, if you look for recipe results on Google, you may see thumbnail images and user ratings--things that may be more helpful than text snippets when it comes to deciding what you want to eat. Alternately, or perhaps you're looking for a concert nearby, and are able to check out the events directly in the search results. These are made possible by publishers marking up their pages with structured data.

Google automatically generates previews in a way intended to help a user understand why the results shown are relevant to their search and why the user would want to visit the linked pages. However, we recognize that site owners may wish to independently adjust the extent of their preview content in search results. To make it easier for individual websites to define how much or which text should be available for snippeting and the extent to which other media should be included in their previews, we're now introducing several new settings for webmasters. 


Letting Google know about your snippet and content preview preferences


Previously, it was only possible to allow a textual snippet or to not allow one. We're now introducing a set of methods that allow more fine-grained configuration of the preview content shown for your pages. This is done through two types of new settings: a set of robots meta tags and an HTML attribute. 


Using robots meta tags


The robots meta tag is added to an HTML page's , or specified via the x-robots-tag HTTP header. The robots meta tags addressing the preview content for a page are:


  • "nosnippet" - This is an existing option to specify that you don't want any textual snippet shown for this page.
  • "max-snippet:[number]" - New! Specify a maximum text-length, in characters, of a snippet for your page.
  • "max-video-preview:[number]" - New! Specify a maximum duration in seconds of an animated video preview
  • "max-image-preview:[setting]" - New! Specify a maximum size of image preview to be shown for images on this page, using either "none", "standard", or "large".

They can be combined, for example:
Preview settings from these meta tags will become effective in mid-to-late October 2019 and may take about a week for the global rollout to complete.


Using the new data-nosnippet HTML attribute


A new way to help limit which part of a page is eligible to be shown as a snippet is the "data-nosnippet" HTML attribute on “span”,”div”, and ”section“ elements. With this, you can prevent that part of an HTML page from being shown within the textual snippet on the page.

The ”data-nosnippet“ HTML attribute will start affecting presentation on Google products later this year. Learn more in our developer documentation for the robots meta tag, x-robots-tag, and data-nosnippet.


A note about rich results and featured snippets


Content in structured data is eligible for display as rich results in search. These kinds of results do not conform to limits declared in the above meta robots settings, but rather, can be addressed with much greater specificity by limiting or modifying the content provided in the structured data itself. For example, if a recipe is included in structured data, the contents of that structured data may be presented in a recipe carousel in the search results. Similarly, if an event is marked up with structured data, it may be presented as such in the search results. To limit that presentation, a publisher can limit the amount and type of content in the structured data. 

Some special features on Search depend on the availability of preview content, so limiting your previews may prevent your content from appearing in these areas. Featured snippets, for example, requires a certain minimum number of characters to be displayed. This can vary by language, which is why there is no exact max-snippets length we can provide to ensure appearing in this feature. Those who do not wish to have content appear as featured snippets can experiment with lower max-snippet lengths. Those who want a guaranteed way to opt-out of featured snippets should use nosnippet.


The AMP Format


The AMP format comes with certain benefits, including eligibility for more prominent presentation of thumbnail images in search results and in the Google Discover feed. These characteristics have been shown to drive more traffic to publishers’ articles. However, publishers who do not want Google to use larger thumbnail images when their AMP pages are presented in search and Discover can use the above meta robots settings to specify max-image-preview of “standard” or “none.”

These new options are available to content owners worldwide and will operate the same for results we display globally. We hope they make it easier for you to optimize the value you get from Search and achieve your business goals. For more information, check out our developer documentation on meta tags. Should you have any questions, feel free to reach out to us, or drop by our webmaster help forums. 

Posted by John Mueller, Webmaster Trends Analyst, Google Switzerland

Powering the digital economy; building a helpful Google for everyone in India

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/7PF9Z_lsZaA0NfVE9maR6zSQ2WEZNVoHKXU1umvXPlUT2TVfVo_efcCRpG-SVSAP5rZswUcsovaWlHa5bD1yGl2w67gHP3UfjzD3OJo5Q11yuheYH6qcqs6WPy6G0zkGJSn6NV8o Caesar Sen Gupta VP NBU



Rama Devi has taught more than a thousand women how to use the internet in her role as a Saathi—now she’s helping farmers become more productive. Amita Raghu has used digital tools to grow Krishne Tassels, her traditional saree tassel business, and trained 700 women in the art of tassel-making. Rajesh Jain, winner of Google’s AI Impact Challenge, has created an app that helps cotton farmers identify pests just by snapping a photo.


They are among the 460 million Indians who are using the internet to search, create, solve problems, build businesses—and help others. They show how technology isn’t just driving economic growth in India, but creating a ripple effect of opportunity across communities. 


Continuing that momentum was the focus of this year’s Google for India event, where we shared announcements aimed at making the internet more accessible, inclusive and empowering for Indians.   


Expanding access in rural India


Four years ago, we launched Google Station: a partnership with Railtel and Indian Railways to bring fast, reliable and secure WiFi to 400 train stations. We hit that milestone last May, and we’ve also expanded the program beyond train stations to include thousands of public buildings and spaces around the country.  And today we’re announcing the next step: a partnership with BSNL to bring high-speed public WiFi to villages in Gujarat, Bihar and Maharashtra —places that haven’t had a WiFi connection before. 


We’re also launching an initiative to help the hundreds of millions of Indians who use 2G phones get the information they need, without requiring data or an internet connection. The Vodafone-Idea Phone Line—supported by the Google Assistant—enables Vodafone-Idea users to call a single number free of charge (000 800 9191000), at any time, and ask for everything -- from sports scores, traffic conditions and weather forecasts or get help with homework.   Starting today, we’re delighted to be expanding the service to all English- and Hindi-speaking Vodafone-Idea customers across India.


Speaking India’s language(s) 


As we improve access to the internet, we also need to make it relevant and helpful, with information Indians need in the languages they speak.  


For many Indians, voice is increasingly becoming their preferred way to search. Two years ago we introduced the Google Assistant, and have since expanded it to nine Indian languages. Hindi is now the second-most used Assistant language globally (after English). And :


We’re also adding more Indian languages to other Google products.  


We’re expanding Discover, the news feed app we launched at Google for India last year, with Tamil, Telugu, Bengali, Gujarati, Marathi, Kannada, Malayalam. Oriya, Urdu and Punjabi will follow soon. 


In Google Lens--which allows people to search for information, ask questions and translate text by pointing their phone’s camera at things they’re interested in--we’re now adding Tamil, Telugu and Marathi.

Last year we launched Bolo, a speech-based app that helps children learn how to read -- today we’re adding Bangla, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu to it, and expanding our content pool by partnering with publishers like Chotta Bheem and Katha Kids.  Bolo has already helped 800,000 young Indians read stories more than three million times and speak half a billion words. We are working with partners like Saajha, the Kaivalya Education Foundation, Pratham Education Foundation and Room to Read-- and looking forward to making it available to even more Indian families. 


Together with the introduction of interpreter mode in the Assistant on Android and Android Go phones in the coming months, which will help translate from one language to another, we’re confident that these initiatives will help unlock more relevant information and content for even more users across India.  


Building platforms for economic opportunity


The biggest story in India’s booming internet economy has been the rise of digital payments.  BHIM UPI has transformed how India makes payments. From 17 million payments in August 2017, to crossing 900 million payments last month, India is setting the global standard on how to digitise payments. 


We launched Google Pay to support this growth, giving Indians a simple, safe and reliable way of making and receiving payments. In the last 12 months alone, we’ve grown more than three times to 67 million monthly active users, driving transactions worth over $110Bn on an annualized basis, with hundreds of thousands of offline and online merchants. But we think there’s an even bigger role for Google Pay to support businesses.  


Starting  today, we’re introducing the Spot Platform which enables merchants to create branded commercial experiences that bridge the offline and online worlds.  Popular services like UrbanClap, Goibibo, MakeMyTrip, RedBus, Eat.Fit and Oven Story are already on board through our early access program.  
We’re excited to see how other organizations use Spot to create new experiences, reach new customers and make life easier and more convenient for the Indians who rely on them.   


Spot is one of a number of new Google Pay initiatives we’re announcing today.  We’re also making payments available to debit and credit card holders through ‘tokenized’ cards--a secure way of paying for things using a digital token on your phone rather than your actual card number.  Tokenized cards on Google Pay will be rolling out in the next few weeks with Visa cards for HDFC, Axis, Kotak and Standard Chartered banks. And we will roll out support to cover Mastercard and Rupay and more banks in the coming months.


We’re also deepening our support for small businesses through a new app called Google Pay for Business: a free and easy way for small and medium-sized merchants to enable digital payments without the hassle of time-consuming onboarding and verification process.  
The reality is that despite the massive growth of digital payments, the vast majority of India’s over 60 million small businesses are still not benefiting from the growing digital economy.  We hope these initiatives will help merchants adopt digital payments with more confidence and help contribute to the long term growth of online financial services for the benefit of every Indian.  


A new Jobs effort:


Enabling economic opportunities for every Indian also means helping people prepare for jobs and connecting them with the right opportunities. Today, we are excited to announce a new Jobs effort focusing on entry-level jobs, that are not easily discoverable online. Jobs will be available as a Spot on Google Pay to help job seekers find and prepare for entry-level positions that fit their needs. It uses machine learning to recommend jobs and training content to help these users prepare for interviews and learn new skills. Jobs also makes it easy for them to apply, schedule interviews and engage directly with potential employers.
We’re partnering with the National Skills Development Corporation for their Skill India program.  As part of this collaboration, Skill India students will be offered a seamless way to get started with Jobs and find better employment.  We’re introducing Job Spot with 24 early partners in retail like 24Seven and Healthkart, delivery and logistics partners like Swiggy, Zomato and Dunzo and hospitality providers like Fabhotels. We will be expanding this to more sectors and partners in the coming weeks.


We’re incredibly inspired by India.  With its world class engineering talent, strong computer science programs and entrepreneurial drive, India has the potential to contribute to advancements in AI and its application to tackle big challenges. We want to support and contribute to this with Google Research India—an AI lab we’re starting in Bangalore. The team will focus on two pillars: first, advancing fundamental computer science and AI research by building a strong team and partnering with the research community across the country. Second, applying this research to tackle big problems in fields like healthcare, agriculture, and education while also using it to make apps and services used by billions of people, more helpful. 


From digital skills training to investing in AI research—we’re looking forward to continuing to contribute to India’s extraordinary progress and growth.  

By Caesar Sengupta, Vice-President, Next Billion Users Initiative and Payments 

Launching the Spot Platform powered by Google Pay

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/lD-f59fu4TpMVk3lHdVncFhmB72XwWUsy1uvjzOBuLPAR7h9pu55fsYNALSIsvU5JiQt6RE9AM2bxExJSLRQV2t4s5zg0Ka1bhmrHoXXTsTXqCtM8w5MNQnr7YDZjVq5_K5oYUm4 Ambarish Kenghe Director Google Pay
Enables merchants to create branded commercial experiences that bridge the offline and online worlds.


We launched Google Pay two years ago with the mission of making payments Simple, Secure and universally Accessible for every Indian - whether it’s a tenant paying rent to their landlord or a brother buying gold for his sister on Raksha Bandhan or an entrepreneur selling locally. Google Pay with its conversational UI and machine-learning based fraud protection made it easier and safer for individuals and businesses to connect. Today, there are millions of people who use Google Pay for their daily needs. 
Google Pay’s conversational UI makes it easy                     Fraud detection keeps it safe

But we’re just getting started. One area we have been focusing on is enabling businesses to grow. Say, someone like Parul who owns a chain of sweet shops in Delhi. Parul has a business website but would love to both sell her sweets beyond her neighbourhood and deepen her relationship with her existing walk-in customers. Her customers keep forgetting that she has a website, and building an app which customers would download and keep on their phones, is hard. This challenge isn’t unique to Parul’s business, think of an electronics chain that wants to let you know that the latest phone you’ve been waiting for is back in stock, or an online travel service that wants to send you the itinerary of an upcoming trip. Each of them want to build customized and branded experiences, where customers can discover, buy and engage directly with a business without having to install an app, create new accounts or share payment details with every business they use. 

That’s why, today, we’re launching the Spot Platform powered by Google Pay that enables merchants to create branded commercial experiences that bridge the offline and online worlds. 

A Spot is a digital front for a business that is created, branded and hosted by them, and powered by Google Pay. Users can discover a Spot online or at a physical location, and transact with the merchant easily and securely within the Google Pay app. The Google Pay app also surfaces the relevant Spot to the user when they need it, directly on the homescreen. This means that someone’s favourite restaurant Spot might show up around lunchtime, or the cab booking Spot might show up before your morning commute. Users can also easily share a Spot on the Google Pay app or on their favorite messaging app.
Search, select, pay and track your order right within Google Pay

Offline-Online and everything in between
But, what is unique to the Spot Platform is how it brings the online to the physical world. Businesses with a physical presence can place a ‘Spot Code’ at specific locations. Customers can scan this Spot Code or tap (for NFC enabled phones) on it to go straight into the business’s Spot on Google Pay. This works because Spot Codes are a combination of a custom visual code and an NFC tag. Just scan or tap and you’re in the Spot. Yep, it’s that simple! 
Discover Google Pay Spot Codes offline to be taken online

Quick, easy, light. Made with love for HTML and Javascript
A Spot is built using HTML & Javascript so developers can leverage their existing investments into mobile websites or progressive web apps (PWA) and transform it into a Spot,  by just adding a few lines of Javascript. This makes it possible for a merchant to have a truly scalable solution while keeping their digital experience consistent.

Enabling connections, not just transactions
We understand that discovery is where it starts, but building deep connections is what matters the most - a connection that doesn’t just end with a payment, but extends to effective post sale engagement. The Spot Platform helps merchants own this relationship by providing a conversational framework, so that order updates, offers, and recommendations can easily be surfaced to the customer. This is powered by our Order API which is specialised to provide real time tracking for delivery orders, and the Messaging API which can surface relevant messages post checkout to the user. 

Primitives done right
The Spot Platform provides APIs for things like identity and payment management that have been developed based on user and partner feedback and learnings from the last two years of developing Google Pay in India (originally called Tez). They provide frictionless UX for key actions like sign in, payments and sharing. For the merchant, this makes the development process faster, and helps reduce customer dropoff at these critical moments, leading to higher conversion. 

We respect privacy
Privacy and security are core to the Spot Platform. No device permissions or data provided by the user to Google Pay is passed on without explicit user consent to the merchant Spot. Users can grant, review or modify these permissions at any time, for each Spot individually.  

We’re thrilled about all the new possibilities the Spot Platform brings for both individuals and businesses. Many of our users have already experienced the underlying technology when they bought Train Tickets or Gold on Google Pay or played the Tez Shots game we built for the Cricket World Cup. The Spot Platform has been rolled out to all Google Pay users, and some of our early access partners who have created a ‘Spot’ include:
Today, we are broadening this early access program, and inviting developers and businesses to sign up to create their Spot and build engaging relationships with millions of users on Google Pay. Start here. 

By Ambarish Kenghe, Director, Product Management, Google Pay

Google Research India: an AI lab in Bangalore

People have been using technology to solve problems and improve their quality of life for centuries, from sharing knowledge with the printing press to going online to build a small business. These days, artificial intelligence is opening up the next phase of technological advances. And with its world-class engineering talent, strong computer science programs and entrepreneurial drive, India has the potential to lead the way in using AI to tackle big challenges. In fact, there are already many examples of this happening in India today: from detecting diabetic eye disease to improving flood forecasting and teaching kids to read. 


To take this to the next level we created Google Research India––an AI lab we’re starting in Bangalore. This team will focus on two pillars: First, advancing fundamental computer science and AI research by building a strong team and partnering with the research community across the country. Second, applying this research to tackle big problems in fields like healthcare, agriculture, and education while also using it to make apps and services used by billions of people more helpful. 


Google Research India will be led by Manish Gupta, a renowned computer scientist and ACM Fellow with a background in deep learning across video analysis and education, compilers and computer systems. We’re also excited to have Professor Milind Tambe join us on a joint appointment from Harvard University as Director of AI for Social Good. Professor Tambe will build a research program around applying AI to tackle big problems in areas like healthcare, agriculture, or education. 


The lab in Bangalore will be part of and support Google’s global network of researchers: participating in conferences, publishing research in scientific papers, and collaborating closely with each other. We’re also exploring the potential for partnering with India’s scientific research community and academic institutions to help train top talent and support collaborative programs, tools and resources. 


Starting Google Research India is an important step for us, and for me personally, too. As someone who grew up in India, studied at the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore, and learned so much from the community there, I’m grateful that we now have the opportunity to help advance research and play a part in building the AI community in India. 

If you’re a scientist or researcher interested in learning more about Google Research India, click here.     

By Jay Yagnik, Vice President and Google Fellow, Google AI

Watch up to 3x more with Data Saver on Android TV

Smart TVs running Android TV are quickly gaining popularity in India: there are millions of monthly active Android TV users across the country. Unfortunately, not everyone has Wi-Fi at home, which can make it difficult to connect the TVs to the internet. Instead, many smart TV owners decide to connect their devices by using their mobile hotspot. But that presents problems: watching HD TV on a mobile data connection can quickly drain your daily data plan.


Today, we're proud to introduce a set of 4 new features for India that help users get the most out of their smart TV with limited mobile data (and it works great with Google’s Files app). 


  • Data Saver reduces your data usage on mobile connections, increasing watch time by up to 3x
  • Data Alerts help you monitor your data usage while watching TV
  • Hotspot Guide helps you set up your TV with your mobile hotspot


You can easily set up Data Saver (left) and see Data Alerts (right) while watching TV using your mobile hotspot


  • Cast in Files lets you view downloaded media from your phone on your TV without using data


    Files allows you to cast offline media to your TV without using data


    These improvements will make it easy to watch streaming video on TV without draining your data. We’ll be rolling out these features to Android TV devices in India over the coming weeks, starting with Xiaomi, TCL and MarQ by Flipkart, with a global rollout following after. Cast in Google’s Files app is available today in the Beta program and will roll out to all users in the coming weeks.

    By Joris van Mens, Product Manager, Next Billion Users

    YouTube Charts Launch in India Showcasing The Hottest Artists, Songs and Music Videos



    At YouTube, we understand the importance of showcasing and celebrating the hottest artists, songs and music videos from around the world. Today, we’re closing a critical gap by rolling out the Music Charts experience in India. India has long been one of the most unique and vibrant music markets in the world. Nowhere is that more visible than on YouTube. We look forward to celebrating the success of the artists, songs and music videos that are resonating with Indian music fans. This week, the India Chart is topped by Arijit Singh’s Pachtaoge, followed by Psycho Saiyaan and Jass Manak’s Lehanga.


    Over the last year, many Indian artists including Guru Randhawa, Badshah, Arijit Singh and Neha Kakkar have each reached the YouTube music country charts in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and Canada, along with the global chart. This week, Ranu Maria Mondal’s song ‘Teri Meri Kahani’ for Himesh Reshammiya’s upcoming film is topping the Global Charts on YouTube.com/charts, with over 138M views and counting. Ranu comes from a humble background and recently became a global sensation  for her singing video. 


    With more than 2 billion global users and 265 million users every month in India, YouTube charts is the go-to destination to see what’s popular, what’s rising and trending both locally in India and globally. The YouTube charts are a reflection of the success achieved by artists on the world's most expansive music platform. 


    The YouTube Music Charts include:


    Trending: What’s new and hot in music right now
    The new Trending chart is updated multiple times a day to provide a unique, real time view of the hottest new music fans are enjoying. The Trending chart is YouTube’s first dedicated external signal highlighting videos which were instantly popular upon release based on the total of organic views. 


    Top Songs: The most played songs on YouTube
    The Top Songs chart highlights the number of organic views of a song on YouTube. Calculated by combining all official versions of a song (including the official music video, official song used in user generated content and lyric videos), the Top Songs chart reflects how users are consuming music on the platform and the multiple ways artists are using YouTube to share their music. The Top Songs chart is updated weekly on Monday at 12.30 IST. 


    Top Artists: The biggest artists on YouTube
    The Top Artists chart highlights the most popular artists on YouTube, based on the total organic views of their entire discography - official music videos, official song used in user generated content, lyric videos, and more. Top Artists is updated weekly on Monday at 12.30 IST.


    Top Music Videos: The most viewed music videos
    The Top Music Videos chart celebrates the music video experience on YouTube, highlighting the most viewed official music videos on the platform. Top Videos is updated weekly on Monday at 12.30 IST based on the total of organic views. 


    YouTube Charts are also available within YouTube Music, including Top 100 most played songs and top 100 music videos globally and locally and top 30 Trending chart.


    Full details about how the YouTube charts are calculated can be found here. Check out what’s hot and trending in India this week on charts.youtube.com

    By Chris Clark, Product Manager, YouTube Music

    Elevating original reporting in Search

    Google Search was built to provide everyone access to information on the web — and with tens of thousands of web pages, hundreds of hours of video, thousands of tweets and news stories published every minute of the day, our job is to sift through that content and find the most helpful results possible. With news in particular, we always aim to show a diversity of articles and sources to give users as much context and insight as possible.   


    An important element of the coverage we want to provide is original reporting, an endeavor which requires significant time, effort and resources by the publisher. Some stories can also be both critically important in the impact they can have on our world and difficult to put together, requiring reporters to engage in deep investigative pursuits to dig up facts and sources. These are among the reasons why we aim to support these industry efforts and help people get access to the most authoritative reporting.


    Recently, we’ve made ranking updates and published changes to our search rater guidelines to help us better recognize original reporting, surface it more prominently in Search and ensure it stays there longer. This means readers interested in the latest news can find the story that started it all, and publishers can benefit from having their original reporting more widely seen.


    Ranking changes to support original reporting 


    In today’s fast-paced world of news, the original reporting on a subject doesn’t always stay in the spotlight for long. Many news articles, investigations, exclusive interviews or other work can be so notable that they generate interest and follow-up coverage from other publications. And in other cases, many stories cover a single news development, with all of them published around the same time. This can make it difficult for users to find the story that kicked everything off.


    While we typically show the latest and most comprehensive version of a story in news results, we've made changes to our products globally to highlight articles that we identify as significant original reporting. Such articles may stay in a highly visible position longer. This prominence allows users to view the original reporting while also looking at more recent articles alongside it.


    There is no absolute definition of original reporting, nor is there an absolute standard for establishing how original a given article is. It can mean different things to different newsrooms and publishers at different times, so our efforts will constantly evolve as we work to understand the life cycle of a story.


    Changing our rater guidelines


    We use algorithms to sort through everything we find on the web and organize this content in a way that is helpful. Those algorithms are composed of hundreds of different signals that are constantly updated and improved. To tune and validate our algorithms and help our systems understand the authoritativeness of individual pages, we have more than 10,000 raters around the world evaluating our work - their feedback doesn't change the ranking of the specific results they're reviewing; instead it is used to evaluate and improve algorithms in a way that applies to all results. The principles that guide how they operate are mapped out in our search rater guidelines, a public document that allows raters to better understand and assess the unique characteristics of content that appears in Search results. 


    In short: these guidelines are the clear description of what we value in content when ranking.  And we’ve just introduced a change to help us gather new feedback so that our automated ranking systems can better surface original content. 


    To illustrate the update, in section 5.1 of the guidelines, we instruct raters to use the highest rating, “very high quality,” for original news reporting “that provides information that would not otherwise have been known had the article not revealed it. Original, in-depth, and investigative reporting requires a high degree of skill, time, and effort.”


    In addition to recognizing individual instances of original reporting at the page level, we also ask raters to consider the publisher’s overall reputation for original reporting. That update in section 2.6.1 reads: “Many other kinds of websites have reputations as well. For example, you might find that a newspaper (with an associated website) has won journalistic awards. Prestigious awards, such as the Pulitzer Prize award, or a history of high quality original reporting are strong evidence of positive reputation.”


    We hope these updates to elevate original reporting will provide people with a deeper understanding of their changing communities and the conversations going on around them. Giving everyone better access to original journalism across all types of stories—ranging from movies, sports, music and celebrity scoops to the serious journalism behind #MeToo, the Panama Papers and the opioid crisis—is all about helping people stay informed about the news that matters to them. 


    Posted by Richard Gingras, VP, News

    We are excited to announce India’s first-ever NextUp Women to Watch Class of 2019!

    At the very heart of the special edition contests that we announced for YouTube NextUp India 2019, is the aim to amplify voices of diverse groups and promote inclusivity. NextUp Women to Watch is one such contest that we are hosting to spotlight and support women on YouTube. 


    Over the years, NextUp has supported many female creators on their journey to success. on YouTube. For instance Sejal Kumar (Class of 2016), one of the most loved lifestyle creators today, reaches 1 million people, and continues to mentor and support the new batches. Another example is Archy J (Class of 2017) who brought bagpipe music to the mainstage in India, and was honoured by the President of India for it. To continue the momentum, the #WomentoWatch edition hopes to create and inspire the next generation of women creators! 


    For our very first edition of Women to Watch, we received a humbling response from women creators. Hundreds of channels from across the country country sent in their entries, in multiple languages, and covering a diverse mix of genres. Be it breaking gender stereotypes or leading the charge on education; entertaining motovlogging or fitness expertise; uncovering new fashion trends or creating minimalist lifestyle formats -- the entries were a glimpse into the rising power of women on the platform! 


    Our 12 winners will attend a five-day Creator Camp at the Pop-Up Space in Delhi, at the end of this month. Over the course of the Camp, they will go through sessions on content strategy best practices, well-being and masterclasses on camera work, lighting, editing and production design to help them refine their craft. We will also be hosting past winners as Alumni Mentors to share their journey with the winners. Each winner will also receive a voucher worth INR 1,40,000 for production equipment, to take their channel to the next level! 


    So here is a sneak peak into what these Women to Watch are all about.


    Vitamin Stree: Aims to create a community to facilitate fun educational conversations for women on the web. 


    Ramsha Sultan: Through her beauty tutorials & talk series, she inspires her viewers to be positive inside out. 


    Pooja Sachdeva: Pooja weaves stories through poetry and shayari, on important social issues. 


    Nidhi Mohan Kamal: Confused about fitness, yoga or lifestyle? Here is a professional nutritionist and trainer, sharing her secrets on her channel. 


    Tech for Luddites: The tech-savvy Sira breaks down all things technology, news, science on her channel. 


    Unmasked: This dynamic duo (Prerna and Parul) from Uttar Pradesh will help you put your dancing shoes on through their unique choreographies! 


    Arati’s life: An avid motovlogger and traveller who leaves us enthralled with her zest and vigor! 


    Shalini Mandal: Skincare, selfcare, fashion and travel go hand-in-hand on Shalini’s channel, all the way from Bhopal! 


    Golgappa Girl: Food & travel lovers unite, because Pooja believes that food connects you with everyone. 


    Veronica Awungshi: A girl who wears many hats - makeup, everyday life, dance - and vlogs about them all! 


    CA Rachana Phadke Ranade: Rachana helps make financial literacy and knowledge simple and practical. 


    Sangeetha’s Lifestyle: Organisation, DIY, Indian Decor, with a healthy dose of minimalism, & all in Tamil, is what Sangeetha’s channel offers. 


    A huge congratulations to these wonderful creators! Some of them were also panelists at the recent YouTube EduCon 2019 in Delhi and we can’t wait to see the heights they all scale from here. See you at Creator Camp! You can follow along on Twitter at @YTCreatorsIndia for all the exciting updates from our winners on-ground at Camp. 

    Posted by Marc Lefkowitz, Head of YouTube Creator and Artist Development, APAC

    A new way to pay on Google Play Store — via UPI

    https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/TZq0nw_gxo1FS4-m6aMq4PhbuyTbFeM2C_cyfSuW7TuTsNOsKdB34yWPf8VbJFabCgKTo176WkYLXACl174goOK77s4SPH5do3GSiyAsy2xVrchg5npdklmrbL4Zy82fjWEal-3X Saurabh Agarwal Head of Google Play Retail & Payments Activation - India, Vietnam & New Zealand author_team
    The Google Play Store helps people find their favorite apps, games, movies, TV shows, music, books and more, on the device of their choice. With more than 2 billion active users in 190+ countries around the world, Play is also an important distribution platform for developers to build a global audience.


    Indian app developers are already building successful businesses on the Google Play Store, offering a range of great apps across categories, and we are committed to helping them grow. One way to make this happen is to make it even easier for people to pay for apps and in-app content, which is why we are pleased to add Unified Payment Interface (UPI) as a new payment method to the existing roster of credit or debit card, net banking, direct carrier billing, and gift cards options.
    UPI has grown over 50 times since its launch in August 2017, clocking 918 million transactions in August 2019 alone. A payment system that enables transfers, directly from one bank account to another, its ease and convenience has helped it outpace all other forms of digital payment in India. Users across the country are now choosing UPI for everything from utility bill payments, mobile recharges, in-store transactions and much more, and we’re pleased to bring its convenience to millions of users on Google Play.


    Over the next few weeks on the Play Store in India, UPI will show up as a new payment option for purchasing apps, games, and in-app content using your preferred UPI app including BHIM, Google Pay, Paytm and PhonePe. Simply link your UPI ID (VPA or Virtual Payment Address) in Google Play Store Billing, and use your bank account to conveniently make app and in-app purchases.


    The addition of UPI as a payment option on the Google Play Store allows even more people to enjoy premium apps, games, and in-app content, while helping developers and creators reach a wider audience for their apps and content.

    Posted by Saurabh Agarwal, Head of Google Play Retail & Payments Activation - India, Vietnam & New Zealand

    10 things to know about Android 10

    https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1m5fpSI-6n8/XW9U2K1ZmUI/AAAAAAAAA4Y/jJ-kRw1JXkoEgFeJyE5ZidZqAp_bulAjwCLcBGAs/s1600/Screenshot%2B2019-09-04%2Bat%2B11.36.25%2BAM.png Dave Burke VP Engineering


    Android 10 is here! With this release, we focused on making your everyday life easier with features powered by on-device machine learning, as well as supporting new technologies like Foldables and 5G. At the same time, with almost 50 changes related to privacy and security, Android 10 gives you greater protection, transparency, and control over your data. This builds on top of our ongoing commitment to provide industry-leading security and privacy protections on Android. We also built new tools that empower people of all abilities, and help you find the right balance with technology.

    Here are the 10 things you should know, centered on innovation, security and privacy and digital wellbeing: 

    Simpler, smarter, and more helpful



    1. Smart Reply now suggests actions. So when someone sends you a message with an address or a YouTube video, you can open and navigate in Google Maps or open up the video in YouTube—no copying and pasting required. And Smart Reply now works across all your favorite messaging apps.
    2. Come to the dark side… with Dark Theme. You can enable Dark Theme for your entire phone or for specific apps like Photos and Calendar. It’s easier on your eyes, and your phone battery too. 
    3. Take advantage of larger, edge-to-edge screens with the new gesture navigation. With simple swipes, you can go backwards, pull up the homescreen, and fluidly move between tasks. After switching, you won’t want to go back to visible buttons. 
    4. With a single tap, Live Caption will automatically caption videos, podcasts and audio messages across any app—even stuff you record yourself. Live Caption will become available this fall, starting with Pixel.

    New privacy and security features put you in control

    5. You can choose to only share location data with apps while you’re using them. You’ll also receive reminders when an app that you are not actively using is accessing your location, so you can decide whether or not to continue sharing. 
    6. In a new Privacy section under Settings, you’ll find important controls like Web & App Activity and Ad Settings in one place. 
    7. With Google Play system updates, important security and privacy fixes can now be sent to your phone from Google Play, in the same way your apps update. So you get these fixes as soon as they’re available, without having to wait for a full OS update. 

    Find the right balance with technology for you and your family

    8. You have greater control over where and when notifications will alert you. Mark notifications as “Silent” and they won’t make noise or appear on your lockscreen, so you're only alerted by notifications when you want to be.
    9. Now Family Link is part of every device running Android 9 or 10, right in settings under Digital Wellbeing. Parents can use these tools to set digital ground rules like daily screen time limits, device bedtime, time limits on specific apps, and more. They can also review the apps children install on their devices, as well as their usage.
    10. Want to be in the zone but not off the grid? Digital Wellbeing now brings you Focus mode. Select the apps you find distracting—such as email or the news—and silence them until you come out of Focus mode. Sign up for the Beta to try it.
    There’s lots more in Android 10, including a new enterprise feature that lets you use different keyboards for your personal and work profiles, app timers for specific websites so you can balance your time on the web, new gender-inclusive emoji, and support for direct audio streaming to hearing aid devices. 
    Android 10 begins rolling out to Pixel phones today, and we’re working with our partners to launch and upgrade devices to Android 10 this year. Learn more at android.com/10.


    Posted by Dave Burke, VP of Engineering