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—all the way 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 and foremost, it’s time to talk about Gemini. While Google has gone back and forth about Gemini’s availability on Pixel 8 in the past, the company’s latest claims that it would indeed 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 Pixel 8 and 8a—it’s enabled by default on the 8 Pro, so you don’t have to do anything extra. With the June Feature Drop, some Gemini Nano features are finally launching, starting with Summarize in Recorder—which can now detect and export transcripts of recordings into text files or even Google Docs.
Google has also added support for DisplayPort on all three Pixel 8s, allowing users to connect their phones to a second display via USB-C cable. This means you can now showcase your favorite movies or videos on the big screen, and some have speculated it could mean a desktop mode is in the works, too, which could resemble Samsung DeX, which allows you to turn your phone or tablet into a desktop computer in a way.
Another big feature—and one that I hope we’ll see added to other phones in the future—is Reverse Phone Number Lookup. Now, whenever an unknown number hits your recent call log, you can simply tap on it a couple of times, and Google will automatically perform a Google Search to look up the number and try to provide you with more information about it. It isn’t foolproof by any means, but it’s something I’m surprised we haven’t seen in phones already.
We already knew Google was making big changes to its Find My Device network, including making the Pixel 8, Pixel 8 Pro, and Pixel 8a detectable even when powered off. Now, Google has officially made the feature available, which could be enough to justify downloading the update on its own.
On the camera side of things, Pixel devices from the Pixel 6 up to the Pixel Tablet will now be able to automatically identify the best moment for your photo to be captured in HDR+ just with a single shutter press. This is just another way that Google continues to set its camera apart from other smartphone cameras.
The tech giant has also added manual lens picking on the Pixel 6 Pro, Pixel 7 Pro, Pixel 8 Pro, and Pixel Fold, allowing you to manually touch which camera you want to use at any given time. This should make it easier for photo-savvy users to customize their shots, instead of relying on Google to determine which camera is best.
Finally, Google has rolled out a new Google Home Favorites widget, giving you customizable smart home controls directly on your smartphone or tablet. Additionally, the company has brought Doorbell notifications to the Pixel Tablet when it's docked in hub mode, giving you a better view of who is at your door.
That's all the big changes coming to tablets and phones, but it's not everything. There's also new features for Pixel Watch and Pixel Watch 2. Perhaps the biggest additions are Car Crash Detection and Bicycle Fall Detection on the Pixel Watch 2. These will allow the watch to detect if you’ve fallen or been in a car crash and then will ask if you’re okay before calling emergency services or contacts.
Google Wallet has also received a minor upgrade on Pixel Watch, as Paypal has officially arrived for it. This, of course, isn’t just a Pixel-only thing, as Google announced the online payment service would be joining Google Wallet across Wear OS last month.
The last big feature coming to Pixel Watch is a new update for Google Home. This brings a new watch face complication and Wear OS tile to the watch. This should give you more control over your various smart home items. Again, this isn’t a Pixel-only thing, as the feature was previously available on other Wear OS devices. This is, however, the first time it’ll appear on Pixel Watch.