Everything New in the June Pixel Feature Drop
The June Pixel Feature Drop update has officially begun rolling out to Pixel users around the world. This month’s Feature Drop includes a slew of new updates for the Pixel 8 series—from the 8 Pro to the cheaper 8a—as well as updates for the Pixel Watch 2 and even some older Pixel devices. Here’s what you can expect from this month’s big update.
First of all, it’s time to talk about Gemini. While Google has continually discussed Gemini’s availability on the Pixel 8 in the past, the company’s latest claims that it will actually come to the base Pixel 8 and the even cheaper Pixel 8a have finally come to fruition. We’ve already shown you how to enable Gemini on the Pixel 8 and 8a —it’s enabled by default on the 8 Pro, so you don’t need to do anything extra. With the June feature release, some Gemini Nano features are finally launching, starting with the “Summary in Recorder” feature, which can now detect and export transcripts of recordings to text files or even Google Docs.
Google has also added DisplayPort support to all three Pixel 8s, allowing users to connect their phones to a second display via a USB-C cable. This means you can now show off your favorite movies or videos on the big screen, and some are speculating that this could mean a desktop mode is also in the works, which could be reminiscent of Samsung’s DeX, which lets you turn your phone or tablet into a desktop one a computer in some way.
Another important feature that I hope we see on more phones in the future is reverse phone number lookup. Now, when an unknown number lands in your recent call log, you can simply tap on it a couple of times and Google will automatically do a Google search to find the number and try to give you more information about it. It’s not foolproof by any means, but I’m surprised we haven’t seen this in phones yet.
We already knew that Google was making big changes to its Find My Device network, including making the Pixel 8, Pixel 8 Pro , and Pixel 8a discoverable even when the power is off. Now Google has officially made the feature available, and that may be enough to justify downloading the update yourself.
On the camera front, Pixel devices from Pixel 6 to Pixel Tablet will now be able to automatically detect the best moment to capture your HDR+ photo with just one press of the shutter. This is another way Google continues to differentiate its camera from other smartphone cameras.
The tech giant has also added manual lens selection on the Pixel 6 Pro, Pixel 7 Pro, Pixel 8 Pro, and Pixel Fold, allowing you to manually select which camera you want to use at any given time. This should make it easier for photo-savvy users to customize their shots, rather than relying on Google to determine which camera is best.
Finally, Google has introduced a new Google Home Favorites widget that gives you the ability to customize your smart home controls right on your smartphone or tablet. The company has also brought doorbell notifications to your Pixel tablet when it’s connected in Hub mode, giving you a better idea of who’s at your door.
These are all the big changes coming to tablets and phones, but there’s more to come. There are also new features for the Pixel Watch and Pixel Watch 2. Perhaps the biggest innovations are Car Accident Detection and Bike Drop Detection on the Pixel Watch 2. These will allow the watch to detect if you’ve fallen or been in a car accident, and then before rather than calling emergency services or contacts, will ask if you are okay.
Google Wallet has also received a minor update to the Pixel Watch as Paypal has officially launched for it. It’s not just the Pixel, of course: Google announced last month that the online payment service would be joining Google Wallet in Wear OS.
The latest major feature coming to the Pixel Watch is a new update for Google Home. As a result, the watch features a new watch face complication and Wear OS tile. This should give you more control over various smart home items. Again, this isn’t exclusive to the Pixel, as this feature was previously available on other Wear OS devices. However, this is the first time it will appear on the Pixel Watch.