Notification summaries, a power-saving mode for the Maps app, prompt-based edits for Photos, and Gemini Nano-powered photo edits in Messages are just a few of the features included in Google’s November software update for Pixel phones, Pixel Drop, a quarterly feature release that adds new capabilities to existing devices.
Last year, Apple added notification summaries to its Apple Intelligence feature set. For longer chats and conversations on Pixel 9 and later devices, Google is now catching up with its own notification summaries. According to the corporation, a function that will turn off low-priority alerts would be released in December. Apple, in contrast, offers a Priority Notification option that draws attention to critical notifications.
For its Maps app, Google is launching a new low-power mode that will darken the screen and only display pertinent data, such as the navigation path and the specifics of the upcoming turn. According to the business, owners of the Pixel 10 series will be able to save up to four hours of battery life with this function.
The business previously enabled on-device speech detection for users in the United States with Pixel 9 and subsequent models, as well as scam identification for phone conversations utilizing Gemini Nano. This feature is currently being extended to users in Australia, Canada, India, Ireland, and the United Kingdom.
Additionally, Google is incorporating a “Likely a scam” button in the message notice as a means of identifying when a communication might be a hoax. This expands upon the company’s current feature that evaluates the content of a communication to identify spam or scams.
Users have taken a liking to the company’s Nano Banana picture model. With the help of Gemini and that model, it is now introducing a feature in the Messages app called Remix that allows you to take a picture and utilize prompts to reimagine it. With RCS enabled and English language support, the feature is being made available to users in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, India, Ireland, and New Zealand.
In June, Google introduced the Pixel VIPs feature, which allows you to identify eight of your closest contacts and receive updates from them via a widget on your home screen. Notifications from these contacts will be given priority with the November Pixel Drop. Additionally, you would see a crisis badge on the contacts widget if something like a flood had happened in their neighborhood.
Additionally, a new AI-powered editing capability for Google Photos is being added by the business. By selecting “Help me edit,” users can request that Photos “remove Riley’s sunglasses, open my eyes, make Engel smile and open her eyes.” The functionality will identify people and make changes using Google Photo’s face groups feature.
Additionally, the November drop adds support for Call Notes, a call transcribing tool, to Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Japan. Additionally, it offers a “Wicked: For Good” theme pack for Pixel 6 and later devices that includes new wallpapers, icons, system sounds, and GIFs inspired by the film.