Here in the US, Google has had its own mail-in repair center set up for Pixel phones for around eight months. In the rest of the world, though, Google offers nothing of the sort, instead pointing customers to recommended walk-in and mail-in service centers via a support page. These support pages have just been updated, indicating that official mail-in services will soon be offered in a number of European countries.
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In his review of the Pixel 3a yesterday, David mentioned a new Timelapse mode for taking pictures at an interval and creating a video of them. The mode is now rolling out to existing Pixels via an update to the Google Camera app. We've verified that it's there on the Pixel 3 XL, Pixel 2XL, and Pixel 1 and will update with more devices once we test this further.
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Following our previous expectations and just in time for developers in attendance at the ongoing I/O developer conference, Google has just pushed out downloads for Android Q Beta 3. OTAs don't seem to be pushing out via the traditional means just yet, but you can start sideloading the update on your Pixel now. Beta 3 also adds support for 15 other partner devices from 12 OEMs.
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It's that time again—Google has dropped the latest Android Pie builds for your Pixel devices. You can get the OTA the old-fashioned way on your phone, but the files are available for direct, immediate download right now.
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When Google introduced Top Shot to the Pixel 3 and 3 XL, it was viewed as a lifesaver for blurry shots, jittery shots, friends who've had too many shots (you know who they are), or just bad happenstance. Owners of other Pixel phones were a little jealous and wondered if the feature would ever make it back to their model. Well, the official answer is "no," but if Pixel 2 and 2 XL owners happen to receive a Motion Photo taken on a Pixel 3, they should be able to see and save those Top Shots.
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It's the first Monday of the month, and Google's monthly security patches are rolling out, as expected. Downloads for all Pixel phones are up now. Functional patches this month include a fix for the Pixel 3 screen flashing on wake (finally), Bluetooth improvements for the OG, and improved "voice-unlocking performance for Google Assistant."
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Although the Pixel 2 came out in 2017, it's still a very relevant device today. In fact, several of our staff use it as their everyday phone and are quite happy with it. Owners can also get an early view at Android Q, so it makes a lot of sense people would still want to buy one, especially when you can get it for $300 off. Google, however, thinks it's time for buyers to consider purchasing the newer Pixel 3 and is taking the older version off its store's shelves.
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Phone deals sure are common these days, but this one is one of the better ones, I think. Best Buy is currently offering a brand new 64GB Pixel 2 XL for $399.99, a price that we'd usually only see on refurbs. This being Best Buy, however, the model in question is the Verizon variant, which means a locked bootloader.
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Android Ice Cream Sandwich was the first version of the operating system to introduce virtual navigation keys to phones, allowing manufacturers to dismiss physical ones. Although some decided to wait much longer to implement these, — I'm looking at you, Samsung — almost all Android devices nowadays have finally abandoned traditional buttons in favor of on-screen input. With the introduction of the iPhone X, Apple wanted to maximize screen space and therefore designed an ingenious swiping-based navigation system, that didn't require the need for buttons. With Pie, Google took its stab at it, but didn't quite make up its mind between using keys or gestures and instead went for a combination of both.
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Announced along with the Pixel 3, Call Screen lets you screen phone calls before you answer them, using Google's Assistant AI to ask who the caller is and what they want. It's excellent for avoiding those pesky spam callers and interruptions from unknown numbers. Call Screen has been available on all generations of Pixels in the US for a couple of months, recently added volume controls to hear the caller and saved transcripts, and now the feature is launching in beta in Canada.
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