What you need to know
- Google Essentials is a new app that gathers all its services in one spot on Windows PCs.
- It’ll be preinstalled on HP laptops, including Envy, Pavilion, and Omen models, with plans to expand to other brands soon.
- You can access Google Photos, Messages, Sheets, Drive, and other tools right from your start menu.
Google is rolling out a new Windows app called Essentials, which bundles its services into one handy spot. It also offers quick access to a full range of other Google services that you can download whenever you need them.
Google’s new app is basically a way of getting all its services into one place. It’s part of the search giant's plan to win over more Windows users and spread its reach.
The company revealed in a blog post that the Essentials app will come preloaded on a bunch of upcoming Windows laptops, starting with HP.
HP is set to roll out Google Essentials on its lineup of computers, including Envy, Pavilion, and Omen models. Google highlights how handy Essentials will be but also makes it clear that you can uninstall any of its services or the whole app if you want.
The Essentials app will act as a hub, letting you access various Google services right from your PC’s start menu. For example, you’ll be able to browse Google Photos and chat through Google Messages without leaving the app.
Google hasn’t revealed all the apps that Essentials will support yet, but its promo shows icons for Google Sheets, Drive, Quick Share, and Google One.
Essentials will also give you quick web shortcuts to Google’s productivity tools, like Docs, Drive, and Calendar. Plus, eligible Google One users will get a free two-month trial of 100GB of cloud storage.
Essentials also includes Google Play Games, letting you download and play popular Android games like Clash of Clans right on your PC. You can access these games through Essentials or the HP Omen Gaming Hub and sync your game progress with your Android devices.
Although the Essentials app will initially be exclusively available for HP devices, Google plans to roll it out to more brands in the coming months.
