Google is breaking tradition by releasing an unexpected January Feature Drop update for Pixel devices. The update brings highly anticipated features like Circle to Search, Photomoji, and Magic Compose to enhance the Pixel experience.
Circle to Search Enables AI-Powered Image Lookups
One of the most exciting additions is Circle to Search, which lets Pixel 8 owners search for any item on their screen by circling it.
After long-pressing the home button, users can simply draw a circle around subjects like products, landmarks, plants, and more. Google then utilizes advanced AI to instantly identify the encircled item and pull up relevant information from the web.
Circle to Search also recently debuted on Samsung’s brand new Galaxy S24 lineup during their Unpacked event. But for now, the intuitive feature remains exclusive to those devices and the Pixel 8 series.
Bard-Powered Magic Compose Text Suggestions Now Widely Available
After months of beta testing, Magic Compose is graduating and rolling out to all Pixel 8 phones. The feature leverages the Google Bard conversational AI to suggest full text responses with the appropriate tone for any situation.
Users can accept or edit Magic Compose’s contextually relevant and emotionally intelligent text recommendations to save time messaging.
Currently, Magic Compose supports seamless suggestions in English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, and Korean. The Bard integration offers Pixel owners an easily accessible preview into Google’s promising AI advancements.
Photomoji Sticker Creator: Expanding to More Pixels
Alongside the major headliners, Photomoji is expanding beyond the Pixel 8 line to Pixel devices as old as the Pixel 5a.
Photomoji lets you create customized stickers starring the subjects of your photos to express yourself more visually in messaging apps. The playful feature finally gives more Pixel owners access to the clever sticker-making capabilities.
Additional Enhancements Like Quick Share Rebrand
The January update also renames Nearby Share to Quick Share, allowing swift wireless file transfers between Android devices. Additionally, the Pixel 8 Pro can now utilize the body temperature sensor after earning FDA clearance.
Finally, the Pixel Watch benefits from the Feature Drop with seamless audio switching between the watch, phones, and tablets in the Pixel ecosystem when using Pixel Buds Pro.
With substantial updates like Circle to Search plus Bard integration, the surprise January Feature Drop upgrades the Pixel ecosystem with helpful AI functionalities while previewing Google’s ambitious AI roadmap.
The feature-packed update starts rolling out January 25th, 2024.
