Google Pixel

Back in November, we previewed a big “At a Glance” upgrade that started rolling out on Pixel phones last month. Before this take, Google reportedly planned a fuller At a Glance experience that would reside on the lockscreen.

Google this afternoon reported its Q4 2021 and fiscal year earnings. Right off the bat, CEO Sundar Pichai touted a “quarterly sales record for [its] Pixel phones, despite supply constraints.”

The Pixel 4a will certainly go down as a beloved Google phone. With stock running low for months, the writing has been on the wall for this affordable Pixel from 2020. The Google Store today delisted the Pixel 4a. 

QR codes have been around for years, but they were underused in the time when they required a separate app to be installed in order to use them. Now, just about every phone, including Google’s Pixel lineup, has a QR scanner built-in, but according to a recent report, Google’s phones have been misreading some codes.

With the launch of the Pixel 6 and Android 12, At a Glance saw a big redesign. In November, we detailed how the visual revamp was a prelude to Google adding even more capabilities. That At a Glance upgrade, with interesting changes to the backend, is now beginning to roll out. 

Made by Google is continuing its monthly drop of new “Curated Culture” Pixel wallpapers in 2022, though January’s additions do not coincide with a specific event/month/day.

Last week, Google unintentionally showed a storm warning meant for the Philippines worldwide. Following that incident, severe weather alerts in the Pixel Launcher’s At a Glance widget appear to have been disabled entirely.

The January 2022 update for Pixel phones fixes Android 12’s inability to use your phone’s volume rocker to adjust Chromecast volume, at least for most apps.

While the next Pixel 6 update is not arriving until later this month, Google today detailed what the January security patch addresses.

Following last month’s big update, the Android 12 January security patch is rolling out today for the Pixel 3a, Pixel 4, Pixel 4a, Pixel 4a 5G, Pixel 5, and Pixel 5a. This update is not yet available for the Pixel 6 or 6 Pro.

One of the biggest selling points of Google’s Pixel device is that they get quick and timely updates, but the past few months have seemingly put a break in that streak. This month, it seems like a lot of Pixel 6 owners have yet to see the December 2021 update which includes the latest Feature Drop. Do you have it yet?

The latest update of 2021 is rolling out today with the Android 12 December security patch for the Pixel 3a, Pixel 4, Pixel 4a, Pixel 4a 5G, Pixel 5, Pixel 5a, Pixel 6, and Pixel 6 Pro.

The Pixel 6 ushered in the final iteration of Material You on Android 12, as well as a redesigned Google Translate app that could take advantage of the Tensor chip. Now, that redesigned Google Translate app is heading to more Pixel phones.

One of the best features of the new Assistant is Continued Conversation, where your Pixel’s microphone briefly stays open after a response has been given to allow follow-ups. For the past week or so, Continued Conversation on all Google phones, including the Pixel 6, has been broken.

At the end of October, Google announced a mid-cycle update to Android 12 focused on foldables, tablets, and Chrome OS. Beta 1 of Android 12L is now available as the first release for Pixel phones enrolled in the Beta Program.

Google has been under scrutiny this week as multiple reports of mail-in Pixel repairs resulted in compromised accounts and leaked photographs. Now, the company is saying that this breach of privacy wasn’t at the hands of Google employees, and the company will apparently update instructions for mail-in Pixel repairs and help customers lock down their data.