Hit the road: Google is officially ending support for Trips on August 5

By Christian de Looper June 4, 2019

Google Trips has long been a great way to plan a trip and do research for things to do in your destination, but unfortunately, the app looks to be on the way out. Google has announced that it will be shutting down Google Trips, and is encouraging users to instead look for the features in Google Trips in other apps.

It’s not all that surprising that Google would shut down Google Trips, especially considering the fact that the company recently launched another travel service at google.com/travel. Not only that, but the company has also been updating Google Maps with great travel and discovery features, so users will be able to turn to Maps to find things to do. Still, having to use the Trips website isn’t the same as using a native app, so hopefully Google will release an app for the new Trips website at some point in the near future.

Google has announced August 5 as the official date for the shutdown of Trips, noting that until then you’ll still be able to access trip reservations and notes as you normally would. Between now and then, however, it’s worth finding another app and making sure there’s no important data in the app that you don’t want to lose. That said, Google says that the notes from Google Trips will be available at google.com/travel, and that you’ll be able to find your saved attractions, flights, and hotels in Search. You’ll also be able to find saved locations in Maps by heading to the menu and tapping the “Your Places” button, then tapping “Saved.”

Of course, there are plenty of other travel services out there that can help you plan trips and travel. Apps like Kayak, Hipmunk, and Packpoint can all be helpful in planning a trip — and are all featured in our guide of the best travel apps. Perhaps the most similar app to Google Trips is Kayak, which allows users to book flights, hotels, and more.

We’ll have to wait and see if the new Trips web service ends up getting another app, but considering the fact that Google wants to build out Trips’ features into other Google services, we’re betting that there won’t be one.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Tech News

Christian de Looper

Contributor

Christian’s interest in technology began as a child in Australia, when he stumbled upon a computer at a garage sale that he…

News

Calls for Google Fi users on Android are now end-to-end encrypted

google fi call encryption android users end to jpg on

Google Fi is getting a nice security and privacy boost today, as the rollout of end-to-end encryption for Google’s mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) officially begins. The search giant announced the new initiative in late October, but at the time only said that it would be bringing end-to-end encryption to Android users in the coming weeks. Today, Google finally turned the key, revealing on Twitter it was now automatically securing all Fi calls on Android devices with end-to-end encryption.

End-to-end encryption means that your phone calls on Google Fi will be secure and private from the moment they leave your smartphone to the time that they arrive at the other end. Best of all, there’s nothing you need to do to turn it on — if you’re a Google Fi user on an Android device, it just works automatically in the background. Google Fi will let you know right away when your calls are eligible for end-to-end encryption with a unique ringing tone as soon you place the call. Once the other party answers, you should both see a lock symbol to confirm end-to-end encryption is in place.

Mobile

The Google Pixel 6 and 6 Pro barely charge any faster than the Pixel 5

App screen on the Google Pixel 6 Pro.

With the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro, Google appeared to have outdone the battery longevity of the already long-lasting Pixel 5 by offering bigger batteries and faster charging speeds to compensate. But an analysis done this weekend by android-focused tech blog Android Authority has found Google's Pixel charging speeds to be much more in line with older Pixels than the company would have you believe.

A test carried out by the tech publication showed that the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro could only reach 22 watts at peak changing speeds -- just a little bit over the 18W you'll find on older Pixels. This means that the Pixel 6's charging time is also slower than the older Pixel 5 due to a combination of its bigger battery and its similar charging speeds. It takes the Pixel 6 just under two hours to reach a full charge, whereas the Pixel 5 would charge in a little over an hour and a half. The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra with a 25W charger outpaces both. You can read the reasoning in the Android Authority piece, but the short version is Google's Pixel 6 drops wired charging speeds after 50%, whereas Samsung keeps a fast charging pace up to around 85%.

Mobile

Google’s rumored Pixel Fold could have same camera hardware as the Pixel 5

Google has reportedly been working on a foldable Pixel for next year, and new hints from Google's Camera app, spotted by 9t05Google, could have just revealed some of the details of the camera hardware.

Going off of details hidden in the Google camera app, the Pixel Fold is now said to be code-named Pipit instead of Passport. This kind of change has happened before, including when Google swapped out the development platform of the Pixel Slate from Cannon Lake to Kaby Lake, so it is possible that a similar hardware change has happened here.