The December Security Patch is rolling out to Pixel handsets, but Google is also pushing out another Pixel Feature Drop which brings a host of new features such as Adaptive Sound, Extreme Battery Saver, and Google Photos Suggestions. We’ve got the details for you after the break.
Hold for Me is a new feature that saves you time when you are put on hold by a business where the Google Assistant waits in the line for you and lets you know when it’s your turn. Rolling out to Pixel 3 and newer handsets in the US, Hold for Me is said to save eight minutes per call on average.
Next up is Extreme Battery Saver that lets your Pixel handset automatically limit selected apps, allowing only the essential apps to run, similar to the Ultra-Power-Saving feature seen on other brands. Staying on the battery theme, Adaptive Battery brings additional improvements to the Pixel 4a (5G) and Pixel 5, saving power automatically if a user is predicted to miss their next charge. It will also dynamically control how quickly the Pixel charges, so as to preserve battery health.
With much of the world still in lockdown to some degree, video calling has taken on increased importance which makes the new ability to share your screen in group calls on WiFi or 5G connections will be a great addition.
Google Photos is gaining new suggestions that gives you machine-learning powered suggestions when you are editing your images. The new suggestions, including Dynamic that enhances brightness, contrast and color, as well as new sky suggestions to help with creating stunning sunset and sunrise images with a single tap.
Adaptive Sound improves the sound of your phone speaker according to your surroundings. Using the microphone to assess the acoustics near you, Adaptive Sound adjusts the equalizer settings in certain apps.
Your Pixel can also now detect if you’re viewing a website or app in a different language and translate it using Google Lens. Just take a screenshot or swipe into App Overview, and tap the Lens chip to see the translation.
Finally, Adaptive Connectivity aims to make the most of the Pixel’s battery life by automatically switching from 5G to 4G depending on the app you are using, moving to 4G when browsing or sending texts and 5G when streaming content of downloading files.
That’s a lot of new features coming to Pixel 3, Pixel 4, and Pixel 5 handsets courtesy of the update, so be certain to head over to settings to check if the Pixel Feature Drop is ready to download and install on your handset.
