June Feature Drop: New features and upgrades for the Pixel portfolio (2024)

Pixel

Jun 11, 2024

[[read-time]] min read

Gemini comes to more Pixel phones, Pixel Watches get Car Crash Detection and upgrades to Wear OS.

Mikaela Kraft

Product Marketing Manager, Pixel

Bullet points

June Feature Drop for Pixel Devices

  • New features and upgrades for Pixel phones, watches, and tablets.

  • Pixel Phones: Gemini Nano, improved transcripts, big screen display, Find My Device upgrade, better camera features, and quick phone number lookup.

  • Pixel Watches: Car Crash Detection, improved Fall Detection, easier payments with PayPal, and enhanced Google Home app.

  • Pixel Tablet: Richer doorbell notifications, new Google Home Favorites widget, and quick access to smart home devices.

Summaries were generated by Google AI. Generative AI is experimental.

Our latest Feature Drop is here, and it’s packed with incredible new capabilities for your device, including Gemini Nano coming to Pixel 8 and Pixel 8a as a developer option, and Car Crash Detection to Pixel Watch 2, plus so much more. These features begin rolling out to devices today and will continue over the next few weeks.

For Pixel Phones

Gemini Nano expands to Pixel 8 and Pixel 8a

Gemini Nano is Google’s most efficient AI model built for on-device tasks,1 and starting today, you can use Pixel 8 and Pixel 8a to access Gemini Nano as a developer option. You can enable developer options in your Pixel’s settings.

Take your transcripts to the next level

Gemini powers Summarize in Recorder to run on-device on Pixel 8 and 8a – and the Recorder app2now delivers more detailed, downloadable summaries3to Pixel 8, Pixel 8 Pro and Pixel 8a. It’s able to detect and include the names of speakers so conversational transcripts are improved. And with the ability to export transcripts into text files or Google Docs,4keeping track of things like interviews and class lectures is made easy.

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Take your entertainment to the big screen

Pixel 8a, Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro can now display content on a larger screen,5like your computer monitor, when you plug it in via USB-C, giving you more space to enjoy your favorite movies, shows and slides.6

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Find your phone, even when the battery dies

Find My Device is getting a helpful upgrade that enables you to locate your phone even when it’s off or the battery is dead,7all while keeping your location data encrypted and private from Google.

Put your best faces forward

The Pixel camera can now automatically identify the best moment from your photo in HDR+ with just a single shutter press, so it’s easier to snap a photo where your face is in focus and smiling.8

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Quickly look up a mystery phone number

Don’t recognize a phone number? With just a few taps, you can now do a reverse phone number search directly from your call log.9

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Save and access your everyday essentials from Google Wallet

Google Wallet recently expanded to India, so even more people can securely store and access everyday items, like boarding passes, loyalty cards, event tickets, public transport tickets, gift cards, and more.

Additional phone improvements

Pixel’s camera now lets you manually pick which camera lens you want to use while taking photos, giving you more control over capturing the perfect shot.10

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For Pixel Watches

Extra peace of mind when you’re on the go

In time for National Safety Month, Car Crash Detection11is launching as a brand new safety feature on Pixel Watch 2 that gives you more ways to stay safe and get help when you might need it most, even when you don’t have your Pixel phone. If you’re in a severe car accident, your watch can now check in to make sure you’re okay. If you need help or don’t respond, it will automatically dial emergency services. Car Crash Detection integrates with Emergency Sharing on your watch,12 so your emergency contacts will be notified and get your real-time location if you’ve been in an accident. We’ve also improved Fall Detection to better detect falls from bicycles.13

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Make life easier with improved app experiences

Now you have more ways to pay from your Pixel Watch when you’re out and about without taking your physical wallet out. You can now link your PayPal account to Google Wallet14on your watch for ease the next time you leave your wallet at home or your hands are full.

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Your Google Home app is getting a revamp and you can now access your smart home devices faster and easier directly from your watch:1516

  • Access your Google Home Favorites with just a swipe on your watch. Tap the device icon to open the Home app and adjust the temperature, dim the lights, and more.
  • You can now access a smart home device from your watch face on Wear OS. Tap the device shortcut and make adjustments, right on your wrist.
  • The Google Home app on Wear OS gives you more ways to control your smart home devices. Adjust the rotation of your blinds or fan speed, all from your watch.

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For Pixel Tablet

See who’s there

Is someone ringing your doorbell? Your Pixel Tablet will now have richer doorbell notifications17when docked in hub mode, giving you a snapshot of who is at your front door. You can talk to them with two-way talk, or send a Quick Response.

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Smart home favorites

The new Google Home Favorites widget18gives you even quicker access to your compatible smart home devices. You’ll get quick, customizable smart home controls on your phone and tablet home screen, so you can access your thermostat or turn on your lights with just a quick tap.

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All of these features team up to make your Pixel devices even better. Whether you’re at home or traveling, your Pixel devices are must-haves for this summer.

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June Feature Drop: New features and upgrades for the Pixel portfolio (2024)

FAQs

June Feature Drop: New features and upgrades for the Pixel portfolio? ›

Google dropped several new updates for Pixel phones, watches, and tablets recently, including AI, smart home improvements, transcription, and external monitor support. As noted in the blog post, Google promises the host of upgrades across its ecosystem will roll out now and over "the next few weeks."

What is Pixel feature drop? ›

Google dropped several new updates for Pixel phones, watches, and tablets recently, including AI, smart home improvements, transcription, and external monitor support. As noted in the blog post, Google promises the host of upgrades across its ecosystem will roll out now and over "the next few weeks."

Will Pixel 8 last 7 years? ›

That means your Pixel 8 Pro and Pixel 8 will be supported all the way into 2030. No major smartphone brand offers this committed level of support and longevity. And because they'll be supported for seven years, these phones are a sustainable smartphone choice.

What cool things can a Google Pixel do? ›

With Motion Mode on Pixel 6, you can get your camera ready to shoot with a simple double-click on the power button. This works regardless of what screen your Pixel is on – and even when it's locked. Only on Pixel, Snapchat can be accessed directly from the lock screen.

What does feature drop mean? ›

When you own a Google Pixel phone, watch, or earbuds, they stay fresh and current, thanks to Feature Drops: software updates that improve your devices, helping them do more and work better together.

What is the latest Android update? ›

What Is The Latest Version of Android? The latest Android update took place in October 2023 with the release of Android 14.0, the newest Android version. It comes a bit over a year after the release of Android 13, which debuted in summer 2022.

What are the disadvantages of Google Pixel 7? ›

Cons:
  • Slow wired and wireless charging speeds.
  • Not the fastest phone in its segment.
  • Display refresh rate capped at 90Hz.
Oct 26, 2022

Will the Pixel 7 get Android 15? ›

Google Pixel phones, then – specifically the Pixel 6, Pixel 6 Pro, Pixel 6a, Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Pro, Pixel 7a, Pixel Fold, Pixel 8, Pixel 8 Pro and Pixel 8a – will likely be the first devices to be made compatible with Android 15 later this year, though Google will no doubt expand Android 15 compatibility to many more ...

Will the Pixel 7a get Android 17? ›

With an additional year of Android update, the Google Pixel 7a, which shipped with Android 13 will be updated till Android 17, which is also the case for the Nothing Phone (2a). However, these devices offer a different software experience.

How many years do Pixel phones last? ›

Your Pixel 8a, Pixel 8, and Pixel 8 Pro comes with 7 years of OS and security updates, and may also include new and upgraded features with Feature Drops. Pixel 6 and later phones, including Fold, will get updates for at least 5 years from when the device first became available on the Google Store in the US.

What is the weakness of Google Pixel? ›

The pixel 6a has 18W charging which is underwhelming to say the least. Some people have had throttling issues with the device. Meaning under load, it will drop performance of the performance will become choppy. Some users have reported that the phone has poor coverage as compared to other similar devices in some areas.

What are the special features of Google Pixel 8? ›

Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro feature powerful, upgraded camera systems for stunning photo and video quality, plus game-changing editing tools. Every camera on the Pixel 8 Pro has been upgraded, starting with the main camera that captures better photos and videos in low-light settings.

What's so special about Google Pixel? ›

Pixel can interpret your face-to-face conversations, transcribe messages back and forth as you chat, and translate menus with the camera. Use your camera to search what you see. With Google Lens, you can point your camera at anything to learn what it is, what it does, and even where to buy your own.

What is the point of pixel shift? ›

Pixel shift is a method in digital cameras for producing a super resolution image. The method works by taking several images, after each such capture moving ("shifting") the sensor to a new position.

What is the purpose of pixel binning? ›

Summary. Binning allows cameras to artificially increase pixel size in order to gather more signal at the cost of resolution, increasing the flexibility of a camera sensor. Due to the manner in which different camera sensors work, it is important to note the differences in binning between CMOS and CCD/EMCCD.

What does the pixel app do? ›

Fixel is an artificial intelligence (AI) powered audience segmentation tool for campaign managers and marketers. The cloud-based platform aids users in segmenting their website visitors based on levels of engagement, and can be used for dynamic remarketing and creating lookalikes based on engaged visitors.

What is the use of lock pixel feature? ›

You can set up a screen lock to help secure your Android phone or tablet. Each time you turn on your device or wake up the screen, you'll be asked to unlock your device, usually with a PIN, pattern, or password.

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