A little later than usual – it typically sends updates on the first Monday of every month – today Google finally released the June update for the Pixels. But this is no ordinary monthly update, it’s the latest Feature Drop. These come out every three months, and while the rest of the company’s monthly updates focus solely on fixing security vulnerabilities and fixing bugs, these Feature Drops also bring along new features, just like the name suggests.
This time around, there’s a lot of news prepared by Google, both for the Pixel phones it still supports, and for the Pixel Watch.
Let’s start with the phone side. First, you can ask the Google Assistant to start emergency sharing or schedule a safety check “for some extra peace of mind,” says the official release, giving the example of a night run and scheduling the check for security for 30 minutes. Then, if you don’t respond to the check within the set duration, your emergency contacts will be notified and your real-time location shared with them. Speaking of Google Assistant, it has two new voices, now totaling 12 in US English.
Accident detection has been available on Pixels since 2019, keeping drivers safe by automatically calling emergency services. Now, the feature will also share your real-time location and call status with your emergency contacts, essentially informing your loved ones that you’ve been in a car accident.
Next, the Pixel 7 Pro gets Macro Focus for video, so “you can create larger-than-life videos of the smallest details, like butterflies fluttering or flowers swaying in the wind,” says Google. On Pixel 6 and newer models, you can also take self-timer photos by simply raising your palm to activate the timer for 3 or 10 seconds, depending on how you set it up. This is a feature that many competing devices have had for a while, so it’s good to see that Google has added it as well.
Plus, on Pixel 6 and newer phones, you can turn your 2D wallpaper photos into “dynamic 3D scenes” for “a truly magical look,” and with the new emoji wallpapers, you can create combinations of over 4,000 patterned emojis and different colors. animated wallpaper.
The Recorder app will allow you to export transcripts to Google Docs “starting next week” and generate speaker-tagged video clips, as well as search for speakers within the recordings. This will be available for, you guessed it, Pixel 6 and newer devices.
Using the Google Home app, you can now quickly access your favorite smart home devices from the lock screen, using the redesigned Home panel.
Pixel 6a and Pixel 7a will reduce the intensity of the vibration when they detect that they are on a hard, flat surface like a desk or table, so they don’t scare you when they start to vibrate, or at least not as much.
Finally, another feature we’ve seen elsewhere has arrived on the Pixel. Adaptive charging now uses ‘Google AI’ to predict a long charging session based on your past habits and will slowly charge up to 100% one hour before you’re due to disconnect. This way the battery life will be extended.
Pixel Watch can now monitor your oxygen saturation (SpO2) and help you identify changes in blood oxygen level while you sleep. And, of course, you can track your SpO2 trends over time.
The smartwatch has also gained the ability to notify you when your heart rate is unusually high or low. Both of these features have been staples of competing smartwatches for a long time now, and it’s great to see them finally arrive on Google’s device.
Google Assistant is now available on Wear OS in Italian, Portuguese, Swedish, Polish and Spanish, while Spotify gets three new tiles: one for kicking off a DJ session, another for listening to podcasts, and one that lets you to check what’s in your heavy rotation.
Pixel Watch will automatically pause your running, walking or cycling exercise when you take a break and will automatically resume tracking once you restart your workout.
That’s it for the software, but Google also has some new hardware to announce. It will offer new Metal Links bands for the Pixel Watch, with “smooth curves and crisp lines to elevate your style.” Get a bundled sizing tool to help you add or remove links easily. These will be available on June 16 in Google’s retail stores and Google’s online store, and you’ll be able to choose between two colors: brushed silver and matte black.
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