October Pixel Drop Brings New Features and Updates to Pixel Phones, Tablet and Watch

Users can now converse with Gemini Live on all Pixel Buds models

Written by Sheldon Pinto, Edited by Siddharth Suvarna | Updated: 16 October 2024 17:05 IST

October Pixel Drop Brings New Features and Updates to Pixel Phones, Tablet and Watch

Photo Credit: Google

Night Sight for Instagram will let Pixel users shoot low-light images right from the Instagram app

Highlights

The new Pixel Drop brings updates for Pixel phones, watches and tablets
October Pixel Drop and Android 15 roll out begins today
Some new features are only reserved for the Pixel 9 series

Pixel device owners will definitely be busy discovering several new features thanks to the release of Android 15. However, Google's latest October Pixel Drop brings even more features to new and recent devices. As usual, this quarterly update applies to several devices ranging from the Pixel 6 to latest Pixel 9 Pro Fold along with Google's ecosystem products like the Pixel Watch and Buds series TWS earphones as well. It's wise to keep in mind that while Google has added several features for older devices across the Pixel range, features like Gemini Live are only available on select devices, languages and countries.

Google's October Pixel Drop) begins rollout today in a phased manner. If you don't see it yet, don't panic, it should show up soon.

Gemini Updates

For starters, Gemini Live is now more accessible if you own a pair of Pixel Buds. Google Pixel Buds Pro or A-series owners can now simply say “Hey Google, let's talk” to start a conversation with the AI assistant via their earphones, which was recently made available for all Pixel users, free of charge. The regular Gemini assistant now also works with the Pixel Screenshots app letting you find things in your screenshots at the press of a button.

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Updates for Pixel Phones

The Audio Magic Eraser tool that debuted with the Pixel 8 Pro last year and arrived in an “improved” form with the Pixel 9 series is now rolling out to Pixel 8 series smartphones. Pixel 9 series owners (except for the 9 Pro Fold of course) will now see improved photography and video recording with richer and more accurate colours.

Google claims to have added some major improvements to Astrophotography in Night Sight mode and it's available for users from the Pixel 6 onwards. Night Sight also makes its way to Instagram letting Pixel owners snap Night Sight captures directly from the Instagram app.

The Temperature app available on the Pixel 8 Pro, 9 Pro, and 9 Pro XL models will now let you use the viewfinder as a guide to see what exactly you are pointing it at. Google also added themed recommendations for widgets in the form of widget categories (Social, Entertainment and more).

Updates for Pixel Watch and Tablets

All Pixel Watch owners can now set a new individual contact tile with quick actions to call, message or open a contact. Users can also send or react with emojis (for the Gmail app) directly from their Pixel Watch. Google's Loss of Pulse Detection feature, which is available only on the Pixel Watch 3, is now available for users in Belgium, Italy and Spain.

It's now easier to seamlessly transfer media (instead of using the cast icon) from Pixel Tablet or a Pixel 9 Pro Fold to a Pixel phone. A new feature will be arriving in the coming weeks, but it basically lets users cast media from one device to another by simply bringing a Pixel phone closer to a Pixel tablet. Pixel tablet users will also be happy to know that notifications will sync across their Pixel phone and tablet meaning that they simply need to dismiss a notification on one device and not two devices separately.

Google Pixel 6

KEY SPECS
NEWS

Display 6.40-inch

Processor Google Tensor

Front Camera 8-megapixel

Rear Camera 50-megapixel + 12-megapixel

RAM 8GB

Storage 128GB, 256GB

Battery Capacity 4614mAh

OS Android 12

Resolution 1080x2400 pixels

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Google Pixel 8 Pro

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery Life
Camera
Value for Money

Good
Premium design, IP68 rating
Fun AI-infused software experience
Good quality cameras
Quality video recording
Impressive image editing software
Long-term commitment to software updates

Bad
Gets warm under load
Buggy camera app
Not made for gaming
Average battery life
Relatively slow wired charging

Read detailed Google Pixel 8 Pro review

Display 6.70-inch

Processor Google Tensor G3

Front Camera 11-megapixel

Rear Camera 50-megapixel + 64-megapixel + 48-megapixel

RAM 12GB

Storage 128GB, 256GB

Battery Capacity 5050mAh

OS Android 14

Resolution 1344x2992 pixels

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Google Pixel Watch 3

KEY SPECS
NEWS

Display Size 41mm

Dial Shape Round

Ideal For Unisex

More Google Smartwatches

Google Pixel Tablet

KEY SPECS
NEWS

Display 10.95-inch

Processor Google Tensor G2, Titan M2 security coprocessor

Front Camera 8-megapixel

Resolution 2560x1600 pixels

RAM 8GB

OS Android 13

Storage 128GB

Rear Camera 8-megapixel

More Google Tablets

Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery Life
Camera
Value for Money

Good
Slim and premium IPX8-rated design
Bloatware-free software
7 years of software and security updates
Tons of AI features to fiddle with
Secure face unlock

Bad
A bit heavy even for a foldable
UI stutters randomly
Average cameras
Only 256GB storage variant

Read detailed Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold review

Display (Primary) 8.00-inch

Processor Google Tensor G4

Front Camera 10-megapixel + 10-megapixel

Rear Camera 48-megapixel + 10.5-megapixel + 10.8-megapixel

RAM 16GB

Storage 256GB

Battery Capacity 4650mAh

OS Android 14

Resolution 2152x2076 pixels

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Further reading: Google, October Pixel Feature Drop, October Pixel Drop, Pixel Drop, Android 15, Gemini, Gemini Live, Pixel Buds, Pixel Buds Pro, Audio Magic Eraser, Astrophotography, Night Sight, Instagram, Pixel Watch 3, Loss of Pulse Detection, Pixel Tablet

Sheldon Pinto

Email Sheldon Pinto

Sheldon Pinto is based in Mumbai, and has several years of experience in reviewing smartphones and gadgets. As a Senior Reviewer at Gadgets 360, you will always find him deeply immersed in his reviews, switching from one phone to another. When the battery dies out, Sheldon is always browsing the web for a good sci-fi movie or reading up on cars and bikes. He also loves creating lists of interesting places to eat and travel. Sheldon is available on Twitter at @shellshocd, and you can mail him at ...More