The December feature drop for Pixel phones is here, and it’s bringing some exciting additions. Naturally, a lot of these features are AI-powered.
First up, Pixel phones are getting some nice accessibility upgrades that provide more information and context to videos – in the form of more descriptive captions and in improved image descriptions. In addition, you’ll soon see Gemini compatibility across more apps and Gemini is getting the ability to learn your personality and tailor its responses just for you.
Also: 7 Android accessibility features that can make your life easier
Here’s what’s new for Pixel phones in December:
Expressive captions: AI-powered “expressive captions” capture the intensity of emotion of what someone is saying. If you’re watching with captions on, you’ll now see descriptions like [whispering] for a hushed secret, [groaning] for a bad joke, and [cheers and applause] for an excited crowd. These will appear on everything from live content to social media content.
Gemini recall: With “Gemini Saved Info,” you can ask Gemini to remember your interests and preferences to provide more helpful and relevant responses. For example, Google says, tell Gemini you’re a vegetarian, and it will remember and provide you vegetarian-friendly recipes without needing reminders next time. You can easily view, edit or delete any information you’ve shared as well as see when Gemini uses it.
Improved image descriptions: People in blind and low-vision communities often utilize image descriptions or alternative text to get a text description of an image, ensuring they don’t miss out on any information. Image Q&A in Lookout will now use Gemini 1.5 Pro to provide richer, more helpful image descriptions than before. You just take, upload, or open a photo in the app to hear the caption read aloud in a natural-sounding voice. You can even ask follow-up questions to understand more.
Quick Share with QR: If you want to share a photo, video, or document, you can now quickly send it to someone via QR code. Just choose your media from the Quick Share menu (swipe down on the top of your screen to access it), tap the QR code, and have the recipient scan it.
Clearer scans: Scans with Google Drive are now crisper and clearer, Google says, thanks to auto-enhancements that optimize contrast and white balance while removing shadows and blurring. Just snap an image of a document and save the clear digital version in the format you need.
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Gemini everywhere: Gemini is now available across more Google apps and services. With the new Spotify extension, for example, you can play your favorite songs and podcasts and discover playlists for any mood. You can also ask Gemini to call personal contacts or businesses and draft and send messages with your default phone and messaging apps. You can even set alarms, control your device settings and open your camera to take a quick selfie, plus control smart home devices that your Google Account can access, and get more information about places on Maps.
Smarter screenshots: You can now use Pixel Screenshots to save things when you’re using Circle to Search with just a tap, making it easier to find later. If you screenshot tickets or credit cards, you can add those to your wallet. In addition, Pixel Screenshots now automatically categorizes your screenshots for you, making it easier to find exactly what you need with search filters.
Smarter call screening: If you use your Pixel phone’s call screening feature, you’ll notice new contextual easy-to-tap replies appearing soon. For example, if you’re getting an important delivery, you can respond to the delivery person by answering their yes or no questions or by asking relevant follow-up questions – all with Gemini Nano.
Google says this software update will be available for all currently supported Pixel phone, tablet and smartwatch devices and will begin rolling out on December 5.
