It’s that time of the quarter when Google brings good news and cheer to its Pixel users. The Pixel Feature Drop brings several exclusive features for those using Google’s smartphones. This time around, we’re getting new features for the Google Camera, Google Photos, Google Assistant, Google Recorder, and Digital Wellbeing. Individually these features may seem minor for some but announce them and roll them out together makes for a major Pixel Feature Drop that users look forward to every three months or so.
For those who are into astrophotography, Google Camera has a new feature that will help you create videos after your stargazing. When you take photos using the Night Sight mode on your Pixel Camera, the photo and a video will be saved. If you take a longer photo or video on a tripod, it will be able to capture more stars of course. This feature is available on Pixel 4 and newer Pixel phones. Meanwhile, the Locked Folder in Google Photos will now let you save photos and videos and keep it secure with a passcode or your biometrics. Note that the photos will be saved on the device and not on the cloud.
The Car crash detection feature checks on you once it is able to detect you were in an accident. If you do not respond, it will automatically call emergency responders and share your location. It is already available in the U.S, U.K, and Australia but is now expanding to Pixel users in Spain, Ireland, and Singapore. Google is also bringing a Heads Up alert in your Digital Wellbeing settings so it can remind you to look up from your screen when it detects you’re walking and using your phone.
You can also now answer or reject a phone call through Google Assistant if you are not able to do so with your hands at the moment. Just say “Hey Google, answer call” or “Hey Google, reject call” and your Pixel will follow accordingly. The Gboard app will now be able to detect and surface phone numbers, email addresses, or URLs in the clipboard and you can easily drop them in the apps that you need them.
Call Screen which lets Google Assistant pick up calls from unknown numbers is now available in Japan. The Recorder app transcribes to text your calls will soon support more English dialects like Singaporean, Australian, Irish, and British English. Lastly, to celebrate Pride Month, there are new Pride-themed wallpapers, ringtones, and notification sounds on your Pixel device.
