Google has just unveiled a brand new mint colorway for the Pixel 8 series, and aside from that, the company has also launched the latest Pixel Feature Drop for January. The latest feature drop is not a massive one, but it brings several useful features to the Pixel and, naturally, will improve your experience.
A boat-load of new and exciting features are coming to Pixel phones with the latest Pixel Feature Drop
One of the biggest changes made in the Pixel Feature Drop is the fact that the update finally supports the body temperature reading via the thermometer app on the Pixel 8 Pro. You can measure the temperature of anyone you would like to, and the readings can be saved and deleted from the Fitbit app.
Google has made the measuring process a lot easier; you only have to move the Camera Bar close to the center of the forehead and tap the screen. Users will notice a vibration, signaling that they can move the phone across the forehead to their table. However, this will need to be done in a few seconds. Once the measurement is complete, another vibration feedback will confirm that the measurement has been taken.
With the new Pixel Feature Drop, the Pixel 8 series is also getting the famous Circle to Search feature that Samsung was showing off during the launch of the Galaxy S24 series. In order to use the feature, long press the home button or the gesture navigation bar; this will bring up the Google Search bar and a blue animation that will tell you that you can now draw a circle over anything, and that will bring up information for you.
The new Pixel Feature Drop also adds some new goodness to Google Messages in the form of Photomoji as well as Magic Compose. These features are finally coming out of beta, so more features will get the chance to be used. It is worth noting that Magic Compose is going to leverage the on-device Gemini Nano model present on the Pixel 8 Pro, and it will allow you to compose the messages the way you want to.
The new Pixel Feature Drop also finally rebrands the Nearby Share to Quick Share. Once you get the update, you will start seeing this change. In addition to that, the update also brings Seamless Audio Switching for the Pixel Watch and Pixel Watch 2.
It is safe to say Google is ensuring that all the supported devices are getting the love with the latest Pixel Feature Drop. You should start receiving the update pretty soon on your supported Pixel devices. Some features, like the Circle to Search and temperature measurement, will only be limited to the Pixel 8 series, while other features that do not require the use of AI will be arriving on older devices, as well.
Google has once again shown the consumers that the company does care about the user, and slowly but surely, we are getting better features coming out to all supported devices. The latest Pixel Feature Drop is a testament to the company’s commitment to ensure that every Pixel user has something to look forward to.