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Every new feature in Google's March 2024 Pixel Feature Drop
An ongoing changelog of Google's quarterly updates for its devices
Google's quarterly Pixel Feature Drops add new features for Pixel devices, including wearables like the Google Pixel Watch 2. These features are initially exclusive to Pixel devices but occasionally reach other Android devices.
Android loses its emulator edge as Apple trims the hedge on its walled garden in this week's news
This week in Android: Big Tech goes on a killing spree, and the grass IS greener on the other side of the pond
With some of the biggest companies in the world constantly competing for market- and mindshare, there's never a dull week in Android news. This week, a few big names outside the usual Google-Samsung two-step came to dance, as EU regulators and corporate lawyers alike laid down the litigation. Of course, Google itself still made headlines, but not all of them were good. If you haven't been following the space as closely as you'd like, we've got you covered with a rundown of this week's top five headlines below.
Android 14 QPR3 Beta 3 just fixed a bunch of bugs ahead of March's Pixel Feature Drop
Google hit us with the stealth-drop while all eyes were on CES
Google released Android 14 QPR2 Beta 2 in early December, and we quickly discovered that it was packed with tons of hidden features, most of which should make their debut when the March 2024 Pixel Feature Drop is released. The beta program for this Quarterly Platform Release seems to be humming along nicely, as Google just dropped a third build (well, fourth if you're counting the quick 1.1 patch release) while most of us were distracted by CES 2024 in Las Vegas.
Android 14 QPR2 Beta 2 arrives with fixes for biometrics and battery stats
Google's beta for the March Pixel Feature Drop is humming along
Google's beta program for the December Pixel Feature Drop went so well that it started working on the March 2024 drop almost a full month ahead of last year's schedule. That doesn't mean the company is taking things easy with its next big release as we head into the holidays — in fact, it followed up on Android 14 QPR2 Beta 1 with a quick patch release just one week after the first version, and it's already back again with a second major beta release today.
Here's which Pixel gets which features in the 2023 December Feature Drop
All new features aren’t available for all devices
Google’s Pixel range of devices now includes a foldable phone and a dockable tablet launched earlier this year. While those still reek of maiden attempts, the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro brought several new features, backed by the promise of long-term software updates. Thankfully, Google releases feature drops regularly, bringing features from newer phones to older models. The December 2023 Pixel Feature Drop is no different.
December's Pixel Feature Drop is here with Gemini Nano, Watch Unlock, and more
The Pixel 8 Pro gets exclusive access to Google's GPT-4 rival, but there's plenty of AI to go around
Pixel fans are usually in it for the software, and Google knows that, so it has started bundling its more feature-heavy Android updates together for quarterly releases that come packed with fun new functionality. These Pixel Feature Drops touch down in March, June, September, and December. Google has been beta testing the December Pixel Feature Drop as Android 14 QPR1, and now, it appears the update is ready for prime time.
Android 14 QPR2 takes over for QPR1 in Google's beta program
Testers are advised to opt out if they want the stable December Pixel Feature Drop
Android 14 got off to a late start, but Google quickly moved to get things back on schedule with its beta program for Android 14 QPR1, otherwise known as the December 2023 Pixel Feature Drop. Beta testing on this version has moved along quickly — perhaps faster than any of us were expecting, as Google is already done testing this version and has kicked off the beta program for its next Quarterly Platform Release. Android 14 QPR2 Beta 1 is now here with our first glimpse of the March 2024 Pixel Feature Drop.
If you've ever wanted to skip listening to on-hold music and put your phone down while waiting, Google Pixel's exclusive Hold for Me feature is just what the doctor ordered. Hold For Me places your call on hold and notifies you when a representative comes back on the line with a push notification and sound or vibration. Part of a suite of Pixel-exclusive features, Hold For Me makes your calls to businesses more streamlined (and less aggravating).
Android 14 QPR1 Beta 2.2 brings a laundry list of fixes to Pixel devices
Squashing more bugs than Starship Troopers
Android 14 wasn't even officially available when Google launched the beta program for its next major release, the December Pixel Feature Drop, otherwise known as Android 14 Quarterly Platform Release 1. This is the version that's expected to bring a round of features that were advertised with the Pixel 8 series, but not available at the time of launch — things like Video Magic Eraser and an improved Smart Reply. And it should also bring a nice selection of new functionality to older Pixels, so you'll be happy to know that development is churning along nicely.
Android 14 QPR1 Beta 2.1 is here with fingerprint and SIM fixes for Pixel phones
A version for the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro is 'coming soon'
The Pixel 8 and 8 Pro have several advertised features that are yet to launch, such as Zoom Enhance, Video Boost, and the ability to use the temperature sensor to check a human's temperature. We're expecting most of these to come as part of the December Pixel Feature Drop due out in about a month and a half. Testing for this new version is already underway, as Google has opened up the Android 14 Quarterly Platform Release 1 (QPR1) beta program. Today, the next major update for Pixel phones just got one step closer to release.
Google releases Android 14 QPR1 Beta 2 as the next Pixel Feature Drop inches closer
No sign of the Pixel 8 in the beta program yet
Google's on a roll this week, launching the Pixel 8 and Pixel Watch 2 at its hardware event, then releasing the stable version of Android 14 immediately after. The company isn't even taking the time to sit back and admire its work — in fact, it's already looking forward to its next major software release, the December Pixel Feature Drop, also known as Android 14 Quarterly Platform Release 1 (QPR1). Beta testing started for this version in late September, and just over two weeks later, Google is already back at it with Beta 2.
Android 14 QPR1 Beta 1 is here with our first glimpse of December's Pixel Feature Drop
Google's new OS version isn't out yet, but its next quarterly release is already in testing
Most Pixel users expected to be on Android 14 by now, but things don't always work out as we'd like. It seems Google will delay the release of its next major OS upgrade until October, when in past years we've seen the new version by August. But that hasn't stopped the company from pushing forward on its next major beta program, and now, Android 14 QPR1 Beta 1 is here.
Android 13 QPR3 Beta 3.1 is here with plenty of bug fixes for Pixel phones
Only for beta testers who aren’t running Android 14
Google's update schedule has gotten pretty hectic in recent weeks. The May security update was just seeded, and meanwhile, the company is running two simultaneous beta programs to test both Android 14 and the June 2023 Pixel Feature Drop. The latter is in development as Android 13 QPR3, and Google has just released a Beta 3.1 update for this version.
Android 13 QPR3 Beta 3 is rolling out now — for some
Google is juggling two betas right now, and this one’s for the June Pixel Feature Drop
Google is running two separate beta programs for its Pixel phones at the moment, so things are getting a little confusing. But the company has just started rolling out the Beta 3 release of its Android 13 QPR3 build, which will eventually be sent out to the stable channel as the June 2023 Pixel Feature Drop. If you're currently running Android 13 QPR3 Beta 2 or the Beta 2.1 patch release, you should see this new update today.
The March Pixel Feature Drop has finally started rolling out to Pixel 6 phones
New features and security patches arrive 2 weeks later than we expected
If you're rocking a Pixel 6, 6 Pro, or 6a, you're probably sick of mashing that "Check for updates" button after Google twice delayed the release of the March Pixel Feature Drop for its late 2021 and mid 2022 phones. The big quarterly releases usually start rolling out on the first Monday of March, June, September, and December, but this one seems to have been a bit of a bugaboo for Google.
Android 13 QPR3 Beta 1 is out now with our first look at the June Pixel Feature Drop
Only 2 days after QPR2 made it to the stable channel
It's been a whopping two days since Google released the March Pixel Feature Drop, also known as Android 13 QPR2, but development on the next major update is already ramping up. Android 13 QPR3 Beta 1 is now available for members of the Android Beta Program and anyone with a Google Pixel 4a or newer who doesn't mind flashing OTAs or factory images.
Google shares March Android Security Bulletin, but Pixel updates are running mysteriously late
Several critical vulnerabilities in Android System and Qualcomm chips were patched
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Almost like clockwork, Google releases security patches for Android and its Pixel phones shortly after 10 a.m. Pacific on the first Monday of every month. This month’s update has been hotly anticipated by Pixel owners since it contains the QPR2 Pixel Feature Drop where Google seeds fun new features to its devices. The trouble is, 10 a.m. Pacific came and went hours ago and there’s no update in sight — but there has at least been some movement now.
December Pixel Feature Drop has Clear Calling, a free VPN, and new Recorder tools for Google's latest phones
And with spatial audio coming in January, the fun doesn't stop here
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Believe it or not, it's been four months since Android 13 dropped in our laps, bringing increased stability and tons of improvements to phones everywhere. If you've been keeping a close eye on that calendar, though, you know Pixel owners are also due a fresh Feature Drop, the first since the arrival of the Pixel 7 series. If you happened to pick up one of Google's latest smartphones on sale during Black Friday, you're in luck — you're about to get a slate of new features to try out.
Android 13 QPR1 Beta 3 testers report cell reception problems exiting dead zones
Taking too long to search for a signal
When it comes to massive user platforms, development pipelines are crucial to making sure you've got features going out the way you want them to without the cruft and pain of mistakes and bugs that just appear out of nowhere. To this point, Android 13 QPR1 has been in beta for more than two months and through three iterations and it looks like testers have surfaced a problem that will need addressing before the update goes out to all Pixel users next month.
Google Pixel At a Glance widget now includes Air Quality Index (AQI) alerts
That's one more thing the At a Glance widget can do
Since Google introduced the Pixel 6 in 2021, the company's At a Glance widget has also improved by leaps and bounds. Monthly Feature Drops have transformed the unassuming little widget into an indispensable productivity tool that displays flight status, Nest Doorbell alerts, and fitness-related information, among other things. Google said its June Feature Drop would improve the At a Glance widget with Air Quality Index (AQI) data.