Google Unveils Great New AI Features For Android And More Pixel Exclusives

Anyone with an Android phone in their pocket is in for a big day—doubly so if that phone is a Pixel. Google has announced a few raft of features, some of which are coming to Android phones generally. Google's Pixel lineup, however, gets a huge number of new capabilities in the latest Feature Drop. But even if you're not a Pixel person, there's still plenty to be excited about.

New AI for Android

Unsurprisingly, many of the new features come under the heading of AI, with a particular focus on the company's Gemini models. For instance, you can now feed images into the Google Lookout app to have Gemini generate a description and read it aloud. This could be a boon for those with visual impairment. Google promises the updated Gemini 1.5 Pro model will be better at creating accurate captions than previous versions.

Gemini is also worming its way into more apps on your phone, and they're not all Google products. Gemini's new extensions include Spotify, allowing you to access and play songs from Gemini prompts. Gemini is also gaining the ability to send messages and place calls. It will gain the ability to control some device settings and the camera, too. Google also promises Gemini will soon have smart home control features. Currently, Gemini hands smart home commands off to Assistant.
Google also confirmed that Gemini "saved info" is rolling out. With this feature, Gemini will have the ability to remember details about you to better shape its outputs. While Google listed this as a Pixel Drop feature, it noted this feature will be available for all Gemini Advanced subscribers on phones and desktop.

Google's Live Captions feature is getting an upgrade with "Expressive Captions." The system can now understand the emotions behind words from volume and tone. So, you may see captions with tags like "[whispering]" and "[groaning]" included with the transcribed words. Captions could also utilize all caps to emphasize higher volume speaking. Emoji Kitchen, the mix and match sticker generator in Gboard, is also getting new pizza-themed combos.

Sharing content from Android will get a bit easier, as well. Quick Share will no longer require you to add people as contacts or change your sharing settings. Instead, you can generate a QR code when sharing content, allowing the recipient to simply scan the code to connect. If you're sharing a scanned document, it might look better, too. Google says document scans in Drive will be automatically enhanced for better sharpness and color accuracy.

Google hasn't discussed how it will deliver these features, but it looks like a combination of app updates, server-side changes, and updates to Google Play services. In any case, you should see these features arrive in the coming days and weeks, no system update required.

A Beefy Pixel Feature Drop

Pixel phones will get all of the above goodies, as well as a huge number of optimizations specific to Google's phones. For starters, Gemini Live will expand to new languages, but oddly, Google hasn't specified which ones yet. Pixels will also intelligently verify your identity when you attempt to modify sensitive settings in a new location. If you need a little more help from your phone, Google is adding a new Simple View mode that increases font sizes and touch sensitivity, making the phone easier to use and read. 

Google's latest Pixel phones are the first to run the Gemini Nano model natively. This model helps with features like Pixel Screenshots and Gboard suggestions, but now it's also coming to Call Screen. The model will be able to offer more relevant reply suggestions by listening to call audio, and this all happens on-device for improved privacy. While Call Screen is available on all Pixel phones, the Gemini Nano extras are only for the Pixel 9 series. Similarly, Google is upgrading the Screenshots app on Pixel 9 phones with the ability to include Circle to Search images. The app will also gain the ability to automatically categorize screenshots. Content from those screens will feed into Gboard as suggestions, as well.


Pixel phones emphasize photography, so naturally, this massive Pixel Drop has plenty of camera tweaks. For starters, the "Made You Look" feature that debuted on the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is coming to the original Pixel Fold. Made You Look adds an animation to the outer screen when shooting photos to get the attention of hyper kids. You can also shoot portrait mode photos with dual-screen active, allowing you and the subject to preview the results. Google's HDR photos will play nice with Instagram, too, displaying the full color gamut when shared in the app. Snapchat gets some love, too. The new update will connect the app to your Google Photos library, making it easier to add previously uploaded images.

The Pixel Drop doesn't ignore Google's other products. The Pixel Watch 2 is joining the Pixel Watch 3 with support for Nest camera streaming. Google's loss of pulse feature, which checks to see if you're dead, is expanding to two new countries: Germany and Portugal. It's now available in a dozen countries throughout Europe but still not in the US. Finally, all of Google's watches (even the Fitbits) will get enhanced cardio load and target load features, helping you to better plan workouts.

Even the Pixel Tablet, which may or may not be a lame duck, is getting access to Google's VPN like other Pixel devices. Google will also add support for lock screen widgets, a feature enabled in Android 15. Simply swipe right on the lock screen to access a customizable widget panel.

The Pixel Drop update will start rolling out today along with the latest security patches. It should reach all phones in the coming days, but you can also grab the latest OTA files from Google's support page to sideload it yourself.