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The Pixel 4a is three years old and past its guaranteed software and security update period. So you are bound to wonder whether it's time to upgrade to Google's newest A-series offering – the Pixel 7a – and enjoy a more powerful and arguably better smartphone. Or can the Pixel 4a serve you for another year or maybe a couple more? Let's find out.
It's the first Monday of the month, and if you're a Pixel owner, you know exactly what that means. April's security patch for Google's lineup of phones is here, and while it's not quite as exciting as a fully-fledged Feature Drop, there is a hint of good news for fans. This month's update includes the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro, marking only the second on-time patch since last year's launch.
New Feature Drop update leaves out Pixel 6, improves Live Caption & Live Translate
Plus the long-awaited battery widget
The March Feature Drop update, based on the brand new Android 12L release, is here for Pixels — excluding the Pixel 6, anyway. The new update brings Live Caption functionality to voice calls, brings Live Translate to Spanish, expands the dynamic notifications displayed by the At a Glance widget, and adds the long-awaited and much-teased battery widget for connected devices, among other changes. As for the Pixel 6, Google tells us it needs some extra time to test and validate fixes for a few bugs. The update is expected to land for the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro later this month.
Pixel 6 and 6 Pro get their first on-time update with Google's February patch
Now available for Pixel 3a and newer
We're only a week into February, but we've already seen this month's patch hit a handful of Samsung phones. If you're rocking a Pixel, there's no need to feel left out any longer. Google's ready to join the party with a new update for its current devices, including, most notably, the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro.
Google launched the excellent Pixel 4a in August 2020 after a slight delay. Despite its mid-range specs, the phone offered a notably superior value proposition than the more expensive Pixel 4, which had crummy battery life and whose much-hyped Soli radar module turned out to be a gimmick. As spotted by 9to5Google, Google has now removed the Pixel 4a's listing from its online store, confirming that it is no longer selling the phone.
Google Pixels get the January update with MS Teams 911 call fix — excluding the Pixel 6
The Pixel 6 and 6 Pro won't get it until later this month
Google has started rolling out the January update for Pixels. I know, it's a Tuesday, and they usually land on Monday, but that sometimes happens on holiday weekends. There's one other big kink, though: The Pixel 6 and 6 Pro aren't in on the party just yet. Google notes that the update for its latest phones will be delayed until later in January.
Google details the Pixel 6's recent update while the Pixel 3 is left behind
We've got a changelog for Pixel 6 and 6 Pro's day-one update, but it's the end of the line for the Pixel 3 series
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Google has released the November update for its Pixels — which the Pixel 6 series got a bit early last week. Changes included in that update are finally documented, though, including a few specific fixes for the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro. Unfortunately for Pixel 3 owners, that phone has just reached end of life, and though Google tells us a final wrap-up update is planned for next year, it isn't included in this month's updates.
Google’s Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro phones have been winning over users with a feature set that includes large screens, strong performance, and impressive cameras (now utilizing Google’s Real Tone technology). But there’s one omission that has irritated Pixel owners for a long time: the lack of a status or notification LED. Pixel 6 phones aren’t the first to go without one, and they likely won’t be the last. But fortunately, there’s now a solution for a whole range of Pixels: the aodNotifiy app.
Google's camera magic always comes to the latest Pixel devices in the form of software. This year, we got the new Magic Eraser tool to help remove unwanted objects from the background of pictures. This was pitched as an exclusive feature for the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro, but only a day after the first customers are holding the new phone in their hands, Magic Eraser is already available on other Pixel devices running Android 12.
Your Pixel 4a has been a good phone, right? Its unflashy exterior may not be much to write home about, but for the price and pocketability — which is a real selling point given today’s expensively gigantic devices — it’s an undeniably endearing handset, even in 2021. If you’re looking to hold onto your Pixel 4a for another year or so, you should really consider wrapping it in one of our favorite cases below.
Google's working on letting you mirror your phone screen to Chromebooks
A teardown reveals that Pixel users might soon be able to interact with their phone from their Chromebook
Google has been working on integrating Chrome OS and Android more tightly for a while now with features like Phone Hub, Nearby Share, and Smart Lock. But the company already teased during its 2021 I/O developer conference that there was a lot more coming. We've long tracked one of these potentially upcoming features, codenamed "Eche," which we understand to be a service that will allow you to mirror your Pixel's screen right on your Chromebook, and now, more details have emerged.
The Pixel September security update is here, including the first round for the Pixel 5a
A few critical security patches, but nothing user-facing
It's that time again, every* Pixel owner's favorite day of the month: security patch day! Updates for the Pixel 3, 3 XL, 3a, 3a XL, 4, 4 XL, 4a, 5a 5G, and the Pixel 5 should all be heading out via over-the-air update over the next few days. And since there's a (sort of) new Pixel on the block, let's all welcome the Pixel 5a to its first monthly security patch.
Google Assistant acting up on your Pixel? There's a fix in the August update
Get your Pixels out for their latest security patch
Google being Google, the company has pre-announced the Pixel 6 and the Pixel 6 Pro that will be available later this fall. But if that wasn't enough Pixel news for the day (it's the first Monday of the month, remember), Google is also delivering its August security update for supported Pixel phones.
Watch out for these FBI honeypot phones if you like to do crimes
This modified Pixel 4a is a narc phone. An Android policeman, you might say
Criminals use cell phones. And because police agencies know this, they tend to be a little more cautious about said phones than regular users. Cautious enough to, say, buy a special fully-encrypted phone that purports to be 100% untraceable, and use the completely hack-proof messaging app contained within. Some of those criminals came to regret it as they discovered their super-secret phones and messaging service were, in fact, provided by the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation and other police forces around the world.
How Google Photos can make your casual sky photos look professional in seconds
Google Photos' Sky edit is awesome, but it's not available for all
You just landed in that beautiful city or town you've been dreaming about for months, but it's cloudy, dreary, and you know every single photo you'll take will look very depressing. So you go about your day, enjoy your time, but whenever you snap a pic to keep the memories, you end up a little disappointed. If only there was a way to quickly boost those images so they look just a little bit more attractive... or at least as attractive as you see them in your mind's eye. Well, the solution is in Google Photos but it's not available for everyone.
Pixels get July's updates a few days late and a few changes light
Blame the holiday for the delay, but some networks are picking up Pixel VoLTE support
July's updates for Google's Pixels are now rolling out, and functional patch notes for this (holiday-delayed) release are very light. In addition to the regular security patches, Pixel owners can look forward to precisely two extra changes: added VoLTE support for "certain" unspecified networks and a fix for "continued device reboots under certain conditions."
The Pixel Launcher is getting some subtle design tweaks in Android 12 Beta 2
New outlines do a better job at showing exactly what space an app icon will occupy
Android 12 Beta 2 finally introduced some of the more enticing changes like wallpaper-based theming and the privacy dashboard, but Google has also tweaked some other parts of the latest release while it was at it. Among these is the Pixel Launcher, which now more clearly shows you the grid when moving app icons and widgets around.
Your Google Pixel is about to get a big June update
June 2021 security patches are rolling out soon with four functional fixes and Feature Drop changes
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Google's June 2021 update is now rolling out for Pixels. This is one of those big every-three-month Feature Drop updates with a whole pile of changes — you can read more about that here. But on top of new changes like astrovideography and a market expansion of existing features, there's also a handful of fixes for specific problems certain Pixel devices may have run into.
June's Pixel Feature Drop is here, and there's more new stuff than we expected
Video astrophotography (astrovideography?), Locked Folders for Google Photos, Heads Up for Digital Wellbeing, and market/language expansions for existing features, plus lots more
It's June, and that means a few things: Nice weather, Pride Month, gardening, donut day, and the latest Pixel Feature Drop update. This month we're getting several new features: previously leaked long-exposure Night Sight videos for animated astrophotography, the debut of the Locked Folder feature for Google Photos, a new Heads Up feature for Digital Wellbeing that leaked last year to help pedestrians, Assistant-based voice controls for answering or rejecting calls, a new Gboard feature to pull details like phone numbers or URLs from bigger chunks of text in your clipboard, and an expansion of car crash detection. Recorder and Call Screen are also coming to more markets and languages, plus a set of new Pride-themed ringtones and backgrounds.
Your Pixel could soon take time-lapses of the Milky Way
The next fancy camera trick up Google's sleeve
If you're not the one to tinker with camera settings, Google's Pixel phones are your best bet to get breathtaking shots of starry nights. Taking a photo like the one above is as simple as placing the phone on a tripod and letting it do its thing for a few minutes. Pixels can't take astro time-lapses currently, but this could soon change with the next Pixel Drop.