See the new features that Google Pixels are receiving today
Google dropped the latest quarterly features update for its Pixel phonestoday starting with 2017's Pixel 2 line. For those who are disappointed with the Pixel's battery life, improvements to the Adaptive Battery feature will predict when the battery on your phone is about to run out and will reduce the number of apps open in the background to extend the handset's battery life. The Adaptive Battery feature also learns which apps you don't use often and reduces the amount of power that these apps can access.
The Pixel feature drop adds a new feature to help you get to sleep
In the Clock app, a new feature will allow users to listen to soothing sounds to help them fall asleep with limited interruptions from their phones. If you stay up on your phone past the bedtime you set, you'll get a look at how much time you're awake past that bedtime and the names of the apps that kept you up. In the morning, the Sunrise Alarm will wake you up by gradually brightening the screen while your favorite tune plays on the phone.
The Recorder app now allows users to start and stop recordings by talking to Google Assistant and saying, "Hey Google, start recording my meeting," or "Hey Google, show me recordings about the Pixel 5." In addition, the Personal Safety app found on the Pixel 4 models will be available on all Pixel models. Units older than the Pixel 4 will have to have the app installed. It can be found in the Google Play Store as the Personal Safety app. And Car Crash detection, already offered on the Pixel 4 line, will now be available on the Pixel 3. With this feature, motion sensors will pick up a crash as will the phone's microphones which will listen for certain sounds.
New safety features for the app include one where the app checks-in at a scheduled time. Let's say that you're going for a run and set the check-in for 90 minutes. If you don't respond to the check-in, the app will assume that you're about to be the focus of the next episode of "Missing" and alerts your emergency contacts while sharing your location via Google Maps. And if you enable crisis alerts in the Personal Safety app, you will be notified of natural disasters and other public emergencies.
The Pixels today also received functional updates that are designed to fix bugs discovered on certain models. For example, audio will be improved when recording video using the Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL. An update for the Pixel 4 line improves the accuracy of the devices' GPS feature. Another functional patch exterminates a bug that causes the wallpaper to be reset to default automatically on all Pixel 2 and newer models. All models from the Pixel 2 through Pixel 4 lines are receiving a functional patch that returns the network indicator to the lock screen. And the Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL are getting a patch that will improve the battery life of the phones under certain conditions when in standby and connected to a network.
Check out the chart below to see what functional patches your Pixel handset will receive.
Functional patches for the Pixel 2 through Pixel 4 families
To download and install the latest update, which includes the June Security update, go to Settings > System > Advanced > System update. The next quarterly feature drop for the Pixels will arrive in September. That is the same month when Google is expected to drop the final version of Android 11. The first beta version of the next Android build was supposed to be released this week but has been delayed because of the unrest in the U.S.
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