A new update for Google Pixel Phones, like the recently released Pixel 7A, is dropping today and brings new safety and emergency sharing features, as well as more ways to customize your device, the company said in a blog post on Tuesday.
The Google Assistant can now share your status in emergency situations, all while using your voice. This gives people in your emergency contacts list a notification of your safety. Car Crash Detection will also get a feature-expansion, sharing your real-time location and call status.
Google is bringing more than just safety features to this update. The search giant is giving people more options when taking video, like the Macro Focus mode. This will allow you to capture highly detailed close-up video with the Pixel 7 Pro’s Macro lens.
On the personalization front, Google’s Pixel devices will get both emoji wallpapers, allowing you to mix and match over 4,000 emojis with different patters and colors to create unique live wallpapers. Cinematic Wallpapers will use AI to transform 2D wallpapers into “dynamic 3D scenes.” Both of these features were announced at Google I/O last month.
Google’s Pixel-line of devices have grown in popularity ever since the launch of the Pixel 6 in 2021. The Pixel 6 sold more than the Pixels 4 and 5 combined, according to Google. Since the Pixel 7 has only been on the market for eight months, Google has yet to give current sales numbers. But CEO Sundar Pichai did say the Pixel 7 had the highest selling week for a Pixel smartphone to date, with Google reportedly asking suppliers to manufacture 8 million units for its launch back in October of last year. Google also released the Pixel Watch to give Android owners more smartwatch options and will be entering the foldable phone race later this month with the Pixel Fold.
Still, Android has fallen into second place against iPhone in the US for the first time in over a decade. It’ll be up to Google and its hardware partners to make Android a compelling platform to get younger audiences to start looking past iPhones.
Other Pixel phone features are coming to more territories, include multi-device control for smart home devices and Adaptive Charging, which aims to increase your Pixel’s battery life. Magic Compose, which uses AI to suggest responses for text messages, will also be coming to more users around the world.
The Pixel Watch also gets some new features as well, including Auto-pause, which automatically pauses your workouts when you stop running, walking or biking and nighttime blood oxygen tracking. It’ll also now notify you if your heart rate goes too high or too low.
