Google has released some updates for Google Drive. For example, new transcoding technology will now be used to play videos faster. The company also makes it easier to set filter options when searching in mobile apps.
All new videos uploaded to Google Drive will start being used Dynamic adaptive streaming over HTTP, says the tech giant. This is a transcoding technology where the bit rate is automatically adjusted based on the user’s Internet connection. Therefore, the video quality may be higher or lower than before, depending on the quality of the Internet. According to Google, this should ensure that videos start playing faster and need less buffering in between.
The company is also introducing a tweak to the search functionality in the Drive mobile apps. When users click on the search bar, they can now set filters more easily. For example, by clicking the Type button, they will see a list of file types they can filter on. There will be similar buttons for “Modify” and “People,” which will allow users to see only files that have been modified within a certain period of time and uploaded by a specific user, respectively.
Previously, users could also filter by these three categories, but they were all displayed as separate options below the search bar. Now they’re collected under one button for each category, making filtering even clearer. After users complete a search query, it is now also possible to adjust a filter directly from the search results page. The feature has been made available immediately in the iOS app, and according to Google, it is also scheduled to be released for Android devices “soon.”
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