Google Pixel 2 XL

The Google Pixel 6 and 6 Pro could very well be the best Pixel devices to date, but we’re still waiting to see them unveiled — and then get our greasy mitts on the duo when they launch (hopefully) soon.

As of December 2020, the Pixel 2 series is no longer officially supported by Google, which rounds off three full years of software support for the former flagship smartphone. But what kind of mark has it left on the Android space?

Issues with the Google Camera on Pixel hardware appear to be spreading according to reports, but the problems are potentially due to hardware failures rather than buggy software.

One of the biggest perks of early Google Pixel smartphones, outside of the camera itself, was the ability to back up every photo and video from the phone to Google Photos in original quality completely for free. Now, though, Pixel 2 owners are losing their unlimited Google Photos backup.

The Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL officially reached end of life status in October after three years of updates. Google promised one last release, but it did not come yesterday alongside the Pixel Feature Drop. The final Pixel 2 update is now rolling out.

Even though the Google Pixel 2 series is now starting to get a little long in the tooth, both devices are still impressive pieces of hardware — especially when it comes the camera. However, it looks like the camera issues faced by Pixel 2 owners are still causing some major problems — and it looks like the issue might be spreading.

Last year, Google set a strong precedent for their Pixel phones by extending a third major update, Android 10, to the original Pixel and Pixel XL. Today, we’ve confirmed that Android 11 will be the last update for the Pixel 2.

For those experiencing an odd bug that is causing Pixel 2 devices to constantly crash when using certain images as wallpaper, we have good news. Google has confirmed it will fix the problem.

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The Google Camera app is receiving a real beating on the Play Store at the minute due to some issues with the Pixel 2, with hundreds of negative reviews now being posted on the official app store listing.

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Thanks to the Android 11 DP1 and the recent Google Pixel Feature Drop, there was room for an automatic dark theme for Pixel owners. While it has been welcomed, it appears that this automatic dark theme doesn’t play nicely with every app.

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Google’s Pixel smartphones are very smart and, as Google likes to call them, helpful. Now, the device is picking up another handy trick. With the latest Pixel Launcher update, folder names will automatically be suggested based on apps.

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Last year, Google debuted a powerful new feature by the name of Live Caption. That debuted on Pixel 4 and later on Pixel 3 and 3a devices. In January, Live Caption also started arriving on Pixel 2 devices, but was pulled in the March security update.

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Based on how often they’re seen in the wild and praised by users online, Google’s Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL might just be the best devices to come out of the lineup, but Android 10 had some negative side effects for these devices. One unfortunate casualty was the collection of sound effects for things like unlocking the Pixel 2, but they’re back with the latest update.

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Android’s sharing menu is pretty solid, but one update we’ve been pretty excited about in Android 11 is the ability to pin apps to the share menu to ensure they always show at the top. If you have a Google Pixel smartphone, though, you won’t have to wait until Android 11 to pin apps to the share menu.

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It’s here! Three months after the first, Google has just released another Feature Drop for its Pixel smartphones, once again delivering a bunch of awesome new features. Every feature is going to be more useful for one person than another, though, so we’re curious — what’s your favorite?

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One of my favorite features of Google’s Pixel smartphones for the past couple of generations has been “Now Playing.” The effortless feature identifies music playing in the background, and, now, it’s fixing one source of frustration. Now Playing will no longer show songs you’re casting from Pixel.

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One of the neatest new features of Android 10 on the Pixel 4 was the audio subtitling Live Caption feature. Live Caption support was adding to the Pixel 3 and 3a series shortly afterward but is now very quietly coming to the Google Pixel 2.

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One long-requested feature for Android finally popped up in Android 10’s beta releases, but it didn’t end up in the final release, unfortunately. However, there is a trick to bring it back. Here’s how to enable Android’s built-in screen recorder on Google Pixel devices.

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