Google Pixel replace provides battery-saving maps mode, AI picture remixing, and smarter notifications

Google introduced its November software program replace for Pixel telephones, known as Pixel Drop — a quarterly characteristic launch that brings new capabilities to present units — with options together with notification summaries, a power-saving mode for the Maps app, prompt-based edits for Pictures, and Gemini Nano-powered picture edits in Messages.

Apple launched notification summaries with its Apple Intelligence suite of options final yr. Now, Google is catching up with its personal notification summaries for longer chats and conversations on Pixel 9 and later units. The corporate stated that in December, it can roll out a characteristic that may silence low-priority notifications. By comparability, Apple has a Precedence Notification characteristic that highlights vital notifications.

Google is introducing a brand new low-power mode for its Maps app that may darken the display and solely present vital data, together with the navigation route and particulars of the subsequent flip. The corporate stated that with this characteristic, which shall be accessible to Pixel 10 collection customers, it can save you as much as 4 hours of battery life.

The corporate beforehand launched rip-off detection for telephone calls utilizing Gemini Nano and on-device speech detection for customers within the U.S. with Pixel 9 and later fashions. It’s now increasing this characteristic to customers within the U.Ok., Eire, India, Australia, and Canada.

Google can also be including a solution to point out when a message is doubtlessly a rip-off, by together with a “Probably a rip-off” button within the notification for the message. This builds on the corporate’s present characteristic that analyzes a message’s content material and detects spam or rip-off.

The corporate’s Nano Banana picture mannequin has been fashionable amongst customers. It’s now including a characteristic known as Remix, powered by that mannequin together with Gemini within the Messages app, which helps you to use a photograph and reimagine it utilizing prompts. The characteristic is being rolled out to customers within the U.S., U.Ok., Australia, Canada, India, Eire, and New Zealand with RCS enabled and assist for the English language.

Google added a Pixel VIPs characteristic in June that permit’s you designate eight of your closest contacts and get updates from them by means of a house display widget. With the November Pixel Drop, notifications from these contacts shall be prioritized. Plus, if an incident like a flood has occurred in space they reside in, you’ll see a disaster badge within the contacts widget.

The corporate can also be including a brand new AI-powered modifying characteristic for Google Pictures. Customers can faucet on “Assist me edit” and ask Pictures to “Take away Riley’s sun shades, open my eyes, make Engel smile and open her eyes.” The characteristic will use Google Photograph’s face teams characteristic to acknowledge individuals and apply edits.

The November drop additionally expands assist for a name transcription characteristic, known as Name Notes, to Australia, Canada, the U.Ok., Eire, and Japan. And it brings a “Depraved: For Good” theme pack with new wallpapers, icons, system sounds, and GIFs primarily based on the film for Pixel 6 and later units.