Pixel Launcher ‘At a Glance’ widget gains doorbell camera previews, more

Damien Wilde | Jan 10 2022 - 3:53 am PT

At a glance widget on Pixel Launcher in Android 12 Beta 5

The Pixel Launcher’s popular “At a Glance” widget was overhauled with the Android 12 update, but it’s now gaining even more new features including doorbell camera previews, while a potential settings redesign hints at the addition of flashlight activation reminders and more.

For those out of the loop, with the Android 12 update, you’re able to customize the At a Glance widget somewhat. You can select a number of passive on-screen reminders that will appear under the time and date with this now being tied to your Pixel lockscreen clock.

As spotted by Mishaal Rahman through tipster Nick Cipriani (h/t Android Police), a server-side update along with beta version 13.0.6.29 of the Google app brings a number of new options for the At a Glance widget including doorbell video previews, more reminder options, and what seems to be a brand-new settings menu layout:

Arguably the most notable addition here is the ability to see direct camera previews from any compatible smart home security accessories without needing to open the Google Home app. As you can see from the screenshots above, a small notification will appear in the At a Glance widget, while on the lockscreen, you’ll get a small live preview image allowing you to see just who is at your front door when someone has activated your doorbell.

The improved settings menu redesigns the At a Glance options to fit in with the rest of the Android 12 aesthetic with Dynamic Color and Material You tweaks. It also brings more toggles for other plugin options such as Flashlight, Connected Devices, and Safety Check reminders within the At a Glance widget — alongside the Doorbell previews. Rahman noted in a follow-up tweet that he was unable to get these added options working on his devices having manually enabled the updated look on his devices.

We have been unable to test these added features for ourselves as this enhancement appears to be part of a server-side switch. If you are seeing any of the added options on your devices, be sure to let us know down in the comments section below.