Google releases Feature Drop updates for Pixel phones/watches

Google pushed a new round of Feature Drop for Pixel phones and Pixel Watch on Tuesday. This new update comes with a couple of upgrades that users may find interesting. Google usually releases Feature Drop updates on a quarterly basis. For the first time, the Feature Drop updates now include the Pixel Watch. Being the first Pixel Watch updates, the Pixel phones still have more updates than the Watch. Nevertheless, it is cool to see that the Pixel Watch has now been added to the Feature Drop updates.

Google Pixel phone updates

1. Cinematic Wallpapers

Google’s Pixel June Feature Drop includes the addition of cinematic wallpapers, which can be created on demand using AI to transform 2D wallpaper photos into dynamic 3D scenes for a parallax effect. To enable the cinematic effect, users can tap on the top right corner of the screen and find a new sparkle button.

2. Enhanced Google Assistant

Google Voice Assistant has added a Safety Check function, which allows users to set a 15-minute/8-hour safety confirmation reminder. After the user’s reservation time is over, Google Assistant will issue a Safety Check reminder to ask the user if it is safe. Users can choose to mark it safe. If there is no answer for a long time, they will automatically contact the previously preset contacts, or call the emergency hotline.

3. Improved crash detection

Google has also improved the Pixel’s car crash detection feature. It not only alerts first responders when an accident is detected but can now also send your location to your emergency contacts.

4. Enhanced Recorder application

Google Recorder is a Pixel-exclusive app that allows users to record and save audio, turn speech into searchable words on the screen, and search through recorded audio files. According to ChromeUnboxed, the app has received several updates in the past. This includes a new version that brought Material You tweaks and a Quick Settings tile. The latest update to the app is the enhancement which allows Pixel users to search for specific sounds in the Recorder app, or export transcriptions to Google Docs.

5. Pixel 7 Pro Camera app

The Pixel 7 Pro camera app co-integrates a macro focus video feature that enables close-up videos.

Pixel Watch improvements

1. Optimizing Fitness Data

Pixel Watch can now automatically pause activity counts like runs, walks, or bike rides when it detects that you’ve stopped. In addition, the Watch can resume when the user starts moving again.

2. Better monitoring

Pixel Watch will start tracking your blood oxygen (Sp02) levels while you sleep. You’ll start getting high and low heart rate notifications from the watch and it will let you know if your heart rate is above or below your typical heart rate scope.

3. Fall Detection

The Pixel Watch now has a fall detection feature that can contact emergency services when a hard fall is detected. To get more details, click here.

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About Feature Drop Updates

For those who do not know about Google Feature Drop updates, here is a brief history of the update. Google has been releasing regular updates for its Pixel devices since 2019, with new features added every three months. These updates are called Feature Drops and are exclusive to Pixel phones and the Pixel Watch. While they are not technically Android releases, they add important usability enhancements and new features to Pixel devices, making them stand out from other Android phones.

Pixel Feature Drops are different every time, and unexpected features are often added to Pixel devices. According to Androidpolice, they often include details promised in previous months, like fall detection for the Pixel Watch, which was added in the latest Feature Update.

The March Feature Drop update, based on the Android 12L release, brought Live Caption functionality to voice calls, Live Translate to Spanish, expanded the dynamic notifications displayed by the At a Glance widget, and added the long-awaited and much-teased battery widget for connected devices, among other changes.

Regular updates

Pixel phones receive regular software updates that include security enhancements, new features, operating system updates, bug fixes, and more. If you bought your device from the Google Store, updates will typically reach your device within two weeks. If you bought your device elsewhere, updates can take longer. Pixel phones get updates for security issues documented in Google’s Public Android Security Bulletins

Pixel 6 and later phones will get updates for at least five years from when the device first became available on the Google Store in the US. These updates include security, software, and may also include feature drops.

The first Feature Drop for the Google Pixel 7 was released in December 2022, bringing three important security and audio features. The update included improved security and privacy settings, a new unified hub for reviewing security and privacy settings, risk levels, and other information all in one place, and new wallpapers celebrating people with disabilities.

The latest Pixel Feature Drop is one of the biggest to date and the first for the Pixel Watch. It includes new features to make life easier, such as safer web surfing, and a new bedtime mode. It also adds a new feature that lets you control your phone with your voice while driving.

Final Words

Google’s regular Feature Drops for Pixel devices have been adding important usability enhancements and new features to Pixel phones since 2019 and most recently, to the Pixel Watch. These updates are exclusive to Pixel devices and set them apart from other Android phones. Pixel phones receive regular software updates that include security enhancements, new features, operating system updates, bug fixes, and more. The latest Pixel Feature Drop is one of the biggest to date and the first for the Pixel Watch.

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