The Pixel 2 and Pixel 3 both have a feature called Now Playing that automatically identifies music playing from nearby sources. It's a neat trick that's currently significantly better on the Pixel 3, which provides a history of identified songs. That functionality gap will be closing in the near future, though, when Now Playing History makes its way to the Pixel 2.
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It's a well-known fact that software updates permeate the Android market at a crawl in comparison with iOS, but Google's own Pixel devices are an entirely different question. The Pixels are an opportunity for Google to brag that when it makes its own devices, it's able to surpass Apple in the updates arena — and that's exactly what Google's senior vice-president of hardware, Rick Osterloh, attempted to do in a recent tweet. However, the feedback may not have been what Osterloh was expecting.
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Google's Pixel 3 and 3 XL didn't pack a whole lot of hardware surprises, considering the unceasing deluge of leaks over recent months, but the software was another story. There were plenty of new camera features shown off at the Made by Google 2018 event, with oodles of machine learning magic to go around. Unfortunately for owners of older Pixel phones, not all of these new features will be coming to older handsets. For your convenience, we put together a list of all the major software changes that will (and won't) be coming to previous models.
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During the course of the big Google hardware event on October 9th we heard about a number of new features, most relating to the three main products being unveiled — Pixel 3, Pixel Slate, and Home Hub. As the dust has mostly settled, Google thought it might be a good time to run us through some of the new features coming to Assistant on Pixel phones, new and old.
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When touchscreen controls don’t cut it for games, you’re left with two options: switch to a dedicated gaming machine or add your own hardware controls. For the past few years, Wikipad has sold its Gamevice detachable controllers which work with several Samsung Galaxy models and iPhones. The Google devices were sadly left out of the fray, until now as the company released a version that supports the Pixel 2, 3, and their XL variants.
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As is customary when a new Pixel phone debuts, Google has dropped the price of the older model on the Google Store. The Pixel 2 XL now costs $699, a $150 discount when compared to its original MSRP of $849. Oddly, the Pixel 2 hasn't been discounted at all, meaning it's now just $50 less than its larger brother.
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Not everything got leaked before Google's event today. One surprise announcement that wowed was Call Screen, a new feature that lets the Google Assistant answer your incoming calls and politely ask what the caller wants. A real-time transcript will appear on your screen, allowing you to decide whether or not you want to pick up.
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One of the most impressive (and unsettling) I/O moments happened earlier this year when Google showed off Duplex, an AI chatbot that can place calls for you like a robotic personal assistant. Google wouldn't confirm its plans for Duplex at the time, but it's almost ready for the general public. Duplex is hitting Pixel phones starting next month, but it won't be available everywhere.
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Google rolled out Smart Compose in Gmail earlier this year, but it was only on the web. Now, it's coming to mobile, but not everywhere on mobile. At Google's hardware event, Rick Osterloh noted that Smart Compose would arrive in Gmail for Android as a Pixel exclusive.
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Promptly on time, Google has released October's OTA files and factory images for the Pixels, as well as its general Android security bulletin for the month. At the same time, Verizon is pushing out the set of patches to Pixel users now. It's the second update to Android 9 Pie, and this time around there are no Pixel security patches — just a few functional patches including, most notably, what might finally be a fix for the 2016 Pixel fast charging bug.
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