Google has announced a November software update for Pixel smartphones called Pixel Drop. This is a quarterly feature release that brings new features to existing devices, including features like Notifications Overview, Power Saving Mode in the Maps app, prompt-based editing for photos, and photo editing with Gemini Nano in Messages.
Apple introduced notification summaries in its Apple Intelligence feature suite last year. Google now creates its own notification summaries for long chats and conversations on Pixel 9 and newer devices. The company announced that it will roll out a feature in December that will silence low-priority notifications. In comparison, Apple has a Priority Notifications feature that highlights important notifications.
Google is introducing a new low-power mode to its Maps app that dims the screen and only shows important information like navigation routes and details of next turns. The company says this feature, available to Pixel 10 series users, can save up to four hours of battery life.
The company previously introduced call fraud detection using Gemini Nano and on-device voice detection for users in the US with Pixel 9 and newer models. We are currently expanding this feature to users in the UK, Ireland, India, Australia, and Canada.
Google is also adding a way to indicate that a message may be a scam by including a “may be a scam” button in the message notification. It builds on the company’s existing capabilities to analyze message content to detect spam and fraud.
The company’s Nano Banana image model is also very popular with users. Now, a feature called Remix, powered by that model and Gemini, has been added to the Messages app, allowing you to reimagine it using photos and prompts. This feature is rolling out to users in the US, UK, Australia, Canada, India, Ireland, and New Zealand where RCS is enabled and English is supported.
Google added Pixel VIP features in June. This feature allows you to designate eight of your closest contacts to receive updates through a home screen widget. In November, Pixel Drop will prioritize notifications from these contacts. Additionally, if there is an incident such as a flood in their area, a crisis badge will appear in their contact widget.
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The company also plans to add new AI-powered editing features to Google Photos. Users can tap “Help Edit” and ask the photo to “take off Riley’s sunglasses and open his eyes, make Engel smile and open his eyes.” This feature uses Google Photos’ Face Groups feature to recognize people and apply edits.
The November retirement also extends support for a call transcription feature called Call Notes to Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Japan. There’s also a Wicked: For Good theme pack for Pixel 6 and newer devices that includes new wallpapers, icons, system sounds, and GIFs based on the movie.
