Google’s Pixel lineup will start learning a few more tricks as the company’s latest Pixel Drop feature updates begin making their way to the company’s line of Android phones and watches.
The most fun features among them may be the new wallpaper options. Emoji Wallpaper, an option shown off as an Android 14 component at Google I/O last month (and which has since begun showing up in Android 14 Beta 3 for some users) lets you create screen wallpaper from the emoji, colors, and patterns of your choice if a picture of your family, pet or favorite vacation spot now seems too basic. Or you can use Cinematic Wallpaper, which Google says requires a Pixel 6 or newer phone, to turn those 2D photos into dynamic 3D scenes.
The least fun, but more important parts of this Pixel Drop would have to be the improvements to Android’s Emergency Sharing feature. Google says you’ll be able to share your location with your emergency contacts or schedule a safety check via a voice command to Google Assistant. And Android’s car-crash detection feature will be able to notify emergency contacts of your location and call status automatically—hopefully without mistaking you being on a roller coaster for something worse.
This Pixel Drop will also upgrade Google’s Recorder app to label speakers in video clips, search for speakers in recordings, and dump transcripts into Google Docs.
Two camera features will be reserved for newer Pixel phones: A macro focus video mode will enhance the Pixel 7 Pro’s video capability, while a Palm Timer option will let you take photos timed for 3 or 10 seconds by raising your palm in front of a Pixel 6 or newer phone.
In the bargain, the Pixel 6a and Pixel 7a will get more polite when resting on a desk by moderating their vibration intensity if they detect that they’re resting on a hard, flat surface.
Google’s Pixel Watch, meanwhile, will be able to pay more attention to your circulatory system with nighttime blood oxygen tracking and notifications if your heart rate falls outside your usual patterns. Google’s post further notes the addition of an automatic pause to workout tracking (something third-party exercise-tracking apps have long offered) and lists a variety of interface tweaks to Fitbit devices.
This drop, the latest in a series, fits into Google’s strategy of competing with other Android vendors not only by avoiding their bloatware habits but by providing features exclusive to Pixel devices. My favorite among them: The Hold For Me feature that listens to hold music and endless “your call is important to us” recordings so you don’t have to—a godsend of a feature that should be in every Google ad for Pixel phones.