Leaked code reveals possible new name for a major Pixel 11 series feature
A feature Google hyped for the Pixel 10 will reportedly have a new name starting this year.
Major feature debuted on Pixel 10 is getting a new name with Pixel 11 launch | Image by PhoneArena
During last year's Made By Google event introducing the Pixel 10 line, the big story was how the new Pixel models would use AI to be proactive rather than reactive. To this end, the Magic Cue was announced. This is an AI-powered feature that goes through apps on your phone to show relevant information you need just when you need it.
The Magic Cue runs on-device keeping your personal data secure
The apps that this feature runs through looking for info include Gmail, Google Messages, and Google Photos. Because this is all done on-device using Gemini Nano, your personal info never leaves the phone. Because the Magic Cue leans heavily on the Tensor G5 processor, Google could not work its usual backporting magic on it, no matter how much I wanted to see this running on my Pixel 6 Pro.
Pixel 10 series users, what has your experience been with the Magic Cue?
For many Pixel 10 series users, the Magic Cue has been MIA
Actually, many Pixel 10 series users haven't seen the Magic Cue appear on their screens either. Several Pixel 10 users I've spoken with have never seen the feature show up. When first launched, some Pixel 10 series users complained that when they did see the Magic Cue, the info they received wasn't relevant to the actions they were taking with their phone. This reportedly led Google to make it harder to trigger the feature.
Magic Cue shows you the info you need based on what you're doing on screen, so you don't have to go find it.
Google from the Magic Cue settings toggle
The feature was also designed to appear only when Gemini felt that the information it was putting on the screen was absolutely, positively necessary. The Magic Cue surfaced as a small card or, on Gboard, as a small pill. It is possible that some Pixel 10 users never saw the Magic Cue in action.
Unearthed settings menus for Pixel 11 series' rumored Proactive Assistance feature. | Image by Android Authority
For those of you unsure exactly how the Magic Cue works, imagine you have your Pixel 10 Pro XL in your hands, and you use it to get the phone number for Puddle Jumper Airlines to change your reservation. The Magic Cue uses the phone number of the airline to trigger a search for flight confirmation emails you might have received on Gmail, and scans your messages and calendar entries. Information like the flight and reservation numbers, your seat number, and data related to the credit card you used are placed inside a small card that appears on your display.
Leaked code strings might reveal a new name for the Magic Cue
With the 2026 Made By Google event officially taking place one month from tomorrow (August 12 at 6 PM EDT to be precise), Google might have decided to give the Magic Cue a new name. Code strings discovered by 9to5Google in Beta version 229 of the Phone by Google app seem to refer to the Magic Cue as "Proactive Assistance."
When we wrote about Proactive Assistance back in April, we told you that the recommendations made during Proactive Assistance come from three places:
- What is on your phone screen.
- Notifications.
- Apps you have selected to connect with the Proactive Assistance feature.
These apps include Contacts, Messages, Gmail, and Calendar. You also will be given the opportunity to get information from other Google Workspace apps such as Google Docs, Google Drive, and Google Keep.
Gemini gets the recognition it deserves with Proactive Assistance
The strings of code found by 9to5Google mention Gemini, something that the Magic Cue does not do today, despite its use of Gemini Nano. Personally, I've been hoping that Google would improve the Magic Cue to make it more visible and push the Pixel agenda of being proactive while other phones remain reactive.
Additionally, the Magic Cue needed a new name since some referred to it as the "Magic Q." However, I'm not sure that Proactive Assistance is a much better choice.
The bottom line is that Google has been known to hype a new Pixel function only to turn it into a "One and done" capability by removing it the next year. Yeah, Motion Sense, I'm talking about you. I guess this also applies to the Face Unlock 3D mapping technology used on the Pixel 4 line that copied Apple's Face ID. Both of these Pixel 4 series features were gone the next year and never discussed again, similar to the disappearance of Chuck Cunningham on Happy Days.
I'm glad that Google made the decision to continue with the Magic Cue, and it apparently will be improved. You might not think so, but having a device in my hand that delivers info that I will need just when I need it is a huge time saver.
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