Google rolled out the June 2024 Pixel Feature Drop with several new features, including (unsurprisingly) some AI goodies.
As detailed by Android expert Mishaal Rahman on Android Faithful, there are seven new features hitting Pixel phones and a handful of new features coming to the Pixel Watch and Pixel Tablet.
Starting with Pixel phones, the Pixel 8 and 8a are getting Gemini Nano. Gemini is Google’s large language model (LLM), not to be confused with Gemini, a chatbot and digital assistant powered by the LLM. Gemini Nano is a version of the LLM designed to run on smartphones, which should bring faster processing for some queries since they can happen on-device instead of getting sent up to the cloud for processing. Notably, Google previously wasn’t going to bring Gemini Nano to the Pixel 8 over memory issues, but backlash from Pixel 8 customers caused Google to walk back the decision.
To access Gemini Nano on the Pixel 8 or 8a, users need to head into Settings > System > Developer options > AICore and toggle on the option to “Enable on-device GenAI Features.” However, Gemini Nano doesn’t actually power many features so far. Limited features include the Recorder app’s summarization feature, Gboard’s smart reply (limited to some messaging apps like WhatsApp) and on-device Magic Compose in Google Messages. That will likely change going forward, but for now, Gemini Nano doesn’t offer a ton.
External displays, phone number lookup and more
Other new Pixel phone features include support for display output, though that’s limited to the Pixel 8 series. Unfortunately, plugging your phone into an external display just mirrors the screen, though Google is reportedly working on a revamped desktop mode.
Google’s Phone app is getting a handy new feature: reverse phone number lookup. Pixel users can now tap a ‘Lookup’ button in the app’s call log to quickly lookup a phone number. The Recorder app’s summaries feature is also getting a little better and can now include the names of speakers. And, the previously reported ability to locate the Pixel 8 series even when the phone is off or the battery is dead is also now live with the latest feature drop.
The Pixel’s Camera app is also getting a couple of improvements, including improved frame selection, which should reduce the number of photos you snap where someone is blinking or not looking at the camera. Additionally, manual camera controls are finally expanding to other Pro Pixels, including the Pixel 7 Pro, 6 Pro and Pixel Fold.
Everything else
The Pixel Watch and Pixel Tablet are also getting a few features. The Pixel Watch can now detect when people have fallen off a bike thanks to an improved Fall Detection feature. Additionally, users can now pay with PayPal through Google Wallet and there’s an improved Google Home experience on the watch. These were previously launched with a recent Android feature drop, however.
As for the Pixel Tablet, it now supports showing doorbell notifications, but only from the Nest Doorbell. Additionally, the Pixel Tablet needs to be docked on the charging speaker.
Source: Android Faithful
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