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Google backports Pixel 10 feature upgrade to Pixel 6 and newer models

An update made to a Pixel feature in the Phone by Google app is backported to the Pixel 6 and later models.

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By Alan Friedman

Published: Apr 11, 2026, 3:56 PM

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Rear panel of the Pixel 10 Pro is held up to the camera.

Google backports Pixel 10 feature upgrade to Pixel 6. | Image by PhoneArena

Originally launched on the Pixel 10 series, "Take a Message" is a new take on voicemail. The feature allows you to handle your voicemail as though it were a live conversation.

Pixel models from the 6 series to the Pixel 10 Series have Take a Message with Custom Greetings.

AI handles your end of this conversation at first, which you get to view as it is taking place in real-time on your Pixel's screen. This process starts when you decline a call, or fail to pick it up. The real-time transcription, as noted, appears on the display and AI asks who the caller is and why he is calling.

While you can view the transcription of the call as it takes place, you can also listen in to the other person as he answers the questions. If you deem that the call is important from what you hear, pressing the "Answer" button allows you to join the conversation right away.

You can now record your own custom greetings

This feature uses the same engine as the "Call Screen" feature to identify and mark spam calls. As a result, your inbox is protected from getting filled up with such calls.

Originally, "Take a Message" launched with a message to the caller that used the voice of the Google Assistant. However, this week Google pushed out "Custom Greetings" to the feature allowing you to record your own personalized greetings message, up to 60 seconds, instead of the digital voice. You can record multiple custom messages and pick the one you want used as the default greeting.

How to record Custom Greetings with the Take a Message feature. | Images by PhoneArena

While we Pixel users love to criticize Google's Quality Control because of the number of Pixel bugs, we can praise Google for its backporting prowess. There have been several times that a new feature started off on the latest Pixel model and was subsequently added to my older Pixel handset.

Google tried to add the feature to the non-Tensor powered Pixel 4 and Pixel 5.

Google is now adding "Custom Greetings" to the Take a Message feature on older models, going as far back as the Pixel 6 series. The first time you open the Phone app since the completion of the backport, you will see a notification near the top of the screen that says, "A personal touch on your missed calls," and a button that reads, "Try it out."

Pressing that button takes you to a page where you can hear the standard greeting. To record your own, tap the circular button with the microphone icon inside. You will get a 3-2-1 countdown.

Do you appreciate Google's backporting prowess?

If you don't get the notification when you open the phone app, or need to change the recording in the future, you can access this page quickly and easily. Open the Phone app and tap the three-line hamburger icon at the left of the search bar at the top of the screen and go to Settings > Take a Message > Manage greetings.

Interestingly, Google originally backported Take a Message to the Pixel 4 and Pixel 5, two non Tensor-powered lines. However, a privacy issue developed with those two models as the on-device AI failed to mute the user's microphone while the user was talking to a caller.

The Pixel models that now have Take a Message with Custom Greetings include:

Pixel 10
Pixel 10 Pro
Pixel 10 Pro XL
Pixel 10 Pro Fold

What is absolutely amazing is that the backporting of Take a Message brings the same AI-powered feature that uses the Tensor G5 application processor (AP) with the Pixel 10 line to the Pixel 6 series. The latter is powered by the original Tensor AP.

I'd love to see Google backport the Magic Cue to the Pixel 6 line

If possible, I would love to see Google backport the "Magic Cue" feature to the Pixel 6 line. This is the feature that uses AI to figure out what you are looking at on your screen and sends relevant information to you before you ask for it. The goal is to make your phone proactive instead of reactive.

For example, let's say you need to change your flight for an upcoming trip. The AI sees what is on the screen, figures out what you are trying to accomplish, and sends a "pill" containing pertinent information such as your flight number, date of travel, credit card data, and any other information you'll need to change your flight.

While I'd love to see this on my Pixel 6 Pro, it is unlikely due to the OG Tensor's hardware limitations, increasing the likelihood that I will be upgrading to the Pixel 11 Pro XL this summer.

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Alan, an ardent smartphone enthusiast and a veteran writer at PhoneArena since 2009, has witnessed and chronicled the transformative years of mobile technology. Owning iconic phones from the original iPhone to the iPhone 15 Pro Max, he has seen smartphones evolve into a global phenomenon. Beyond smartphones, Alan has covered the emergence of tablets, smartwatches, and smart speakers.

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