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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.
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.
I may be one of a small minority of Android and Pixel enthusiasts who really love the Pixel 5. In my opinion, it was the perfect Google phone for 2020, excellent without being too expensive. But putting aside the processor, camera, display, and software, the one factor that made me properly love the Pixel 5 was its size. It's just right, and I'm feeling reluctant to move back to a larger phone.
Google extends Pixel 4 XL warranty past 1 year in some countries for specific issues
If you run into one of a handful of power-related problems a uBreakiFix tech tells us are pretty widespread
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Google is extending the warranty for the Pixel 4 XL by an extra year. Before you get too excited, the extension only covers a handful of specific power-related issues, including charging, faster-than-expected drain, random restarts, and being unable to power on the phone. It's only valid for Pixel 4 XL's purchased in available markets previously limited to a single year of warranty support — specifically, in the US, Singapore, Canada, Japan, and Taiwan. Warranty eligibility for these issues as part of the extension can be verified online or in person at uBreakiFix.
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."
How to use your Pixel to capture gratuitously beautiful photos of cathedrals (and other stuff too)
...and other challenging light situations
Ever since the Nokia N95, my phone has always been my main camera. I've bought point and shoots, mirrorless/DSLRs, several 360 cams, but nothing beats the simplicity of pulling out the device that's already in my pocket, tapping a few on-screen buttons, and snapping the photo I want. On big occasions, I'll make the effort to take my Olympus mirrorless with me, but smartphones — especially Pixels — have gotten so good that I still revert to them when I'm in an especially challenging situation. This often happens in cathedrals and other half-dark half-brightly lit places where capturing the image that's in my head would require a level of cam-manipulation and post-processing knowledge that I don't have. In these circumstances, I've discovered that the Pixels' Night Sight is a godsend, even mid-day.
When the wireless charging Pixel Stand was released back in 2018, people were excited about the Pixel 3's new wireless charging capability, and the way the stand turned Pixel phones into tiny digital photo frames. What people weren't so thrilled about was the price: at eighty bucks, it was several times more expensive than a standard Qi charging pad. Woot is selling the Stand for just $38, a match for the lowest price we've ever seen, and maybe even worth actually buying.
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.
The complete list of phones that can get the Android 12 beta today
Available for Pixels, as well as devices from eleven other OEMs
For the last few years, the Android Beta Program has been one of the biggest highlights of Google I/O, which continues to be the case this year. Now that Google has announced the exciting changes coming to Android 12, many of us will be eager to try it for ourselves. Naturally, the Beta will only be available on select devices, so find out if your phone is eligible below:
Google's May Android security update for Pixels is ready to go
We're not seeing a Widevine fix just yet
Pixel device owners, start your Wi-Fi radios. The monthly security update for Pixel phones has been posted by Google. The updates are available as both direct download of the firmware and OTA files, but it should be showing up on at least a few phones starting today.
There's nowhere Google Lens won't follow you — it's coming to the Pixel Launcher search bar next
Every move you make, every breath you take ...
Google Lens is an incredibly powerful tool that probably gets used way too little — you need to know how to access it in the first place, and even though Google isn't shy about adding it almost anywhere you could think of, it might still not be as discoverable as the company would like it to be. That's probably why it's experimenting with adding it to the homescreen search bar on Pixel phones.
7 killer tricks for your Pixel phone's camera
Hey, Pixel owners: These are the camera tricks you've been missing
Got a Pixel? Then you've got one of the best damn cameras in all the Android land. But hold the phone: Your kickass camera can do even more than you realize.
Google is working on a fix for poor Netflix quality on Pixel phones caused by Widevine bug
The issue may also affect other manufacturers
Some Pixel owners have noticed over the last couple of monthly updates that their phones have lost Widevine L1 status, falling to L3 and rendering them incapable of playing back some DRM-protected content at high quality. More simply, that means they can't play HD content in apps and services like Netflix. By far the majority of devices are not affected and the cause isn't immediately clear. Google tells us it's aware of these reports and working on a fix, and devices from other manufactures may also be affected.
The latest patch for the Pixel 5, Pixel 4a, and more is out now — here's what's new
April's Pixel security update is here, with some added extras in tow
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- Now that folks have had a chance to dig into the update, the GPU improvements in the Pixel 4a 5G and Pixel 5 are pretty major — in some cases, benchmarks have doubled. Our coverage has been updated.
Google's Pixel updates for April are here. This isn't one of the big feature drop updates (that was last month), but device owners can look forward to the latest security patches and a handful of fixes and improvements. This time around, Google specifically calls out improved photo quality in some third-party apps and even GPU performance improvements for on the Pixel 4a 5G and Pixel 5, plus a handful of fixes addressing issues on several Pixel models, including a problem that dates back to a missing December Feature Drop feature.
Out with the old, in with the new: LineageOS cut support for Android 9 Pie earlier this year, and to make up for the loss, the open-source project has just released version 18.1 based on Android 11. It comes with official support for about 60 phones and tablets.