Google Pixel

It emerged this week that the latest Google Camera app introduces a new, simplified “PXL” file naming scheme. Google Camera 7.5 is also responsible for Pixel Portrait images no longer being stored in individual folders.

The latest version of the Pixel camera app started rolling out in late July and is now widely available for those on Android 11. Google Camera 7.5 is currently light on user-facing features, but does introduce a new “PXL” naming convention for photos and videos.

Google’s long-awaited Pixel 4a starts landing in the hands of customers next week, and by now, you’ve probably heard the narrative. This is all the phone anyone needs, and it has the best camera. Beyond that, though, Pixel 4a has a larger job. With Google’s smartphone lineup flailing at the high end, this mid-ranger can teach the company a thing or two.

As we try to make sense of Google’s 2020 Pixel lineup, an internal Android document reviewed by 9to5Google gives us our first glimpse of what to expect next year. According to the document, Google is developing Android builds for Pixel 5a, a foldable Pixel, and at least two other first-party devices.

The Android 11 Beta is now well underway with a final release set for later in Q3. Until then, the August security patch is rolling out with the next stable update for the Pixel 2, Pixel 3, Pixel 3a, and Pixel 4.

While the Google Pixel 4a is the headline star, there are some more notable software additions that have also come to the fore — the latest being Live Captions in audio and video calls for Pixel devices.

2020 has been a weird year for the Google Pixel lineup, and as we’ve learned more, things have only felt more complicated. Today, a leaked teaser image is giving us a bit more context on Google’s plans, as this “Pixel 5G” teaser hints at two phones packing the connectivity.

Earlier this year, Google lost the Pixel’s chief camera engineer amid criticism about the Pixel 4. Marc Levoy has now landed at Adobe as a “Vice President and Fellow” working on the Photoshop Camera, computational photography, and other research projects.

Smart Displays and Android TV sets double as fantastic picture frames when not actively being used. Both platforms are now in the process of picking up a new “Captured on Pixel” background collection.

Following the first Android 11 Beta last month, the next stable update for the Pixel 2, Pixel 3, Pixel 3a, and Pixel 4 family of devices is rolling out. The July security patch contains the usual set of bug fixes.

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June is Pride Month in the US as well as other parts of the world, and Google is continuing its celebration of the tradition by bringing 16 new “Sounds of Pride” ringtones and notification sounds to their Pixel phones.

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While all eyes were on the Android 11 beta yesterday, Google also made a subtle change to the Pixel series’ catalog of past updates, adding links to the Android Flash Tool for every update.

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Google’s Pixel 4 was far from a success according to some recent reports, but that didn’t take away from Google’s momentum when growing the lineup. Today, IDC reveals that the Google Pixel line had its “best performance ever” in 2019, shipping 7.2 million units.

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Google’s Pixel smartphones are getting a new camera update today with Google Camera 7.4. The update doesn’t change a whole lot on the surface, though, outside of a tweak to video recording.

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The next stable Android 10 update for the Pixel 2, Pixel 3, Pixel 3a, and Pixel 4 family of devices is rolling out. The June security patch contains the usual big fixes and the quarterly Pixel Feature Drop.

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Following the inaugural update last December and sequel in March, Google today is releasing the third Pixel Feature Drop alongside the June security patch. This Android 10 update delivers several new features to the Personal Safety and Recorder app, as well as underlying services like Adaptive Battery.

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Since Digital Wellbeing launched in 2018, Google’s company-wide initiative to help manage device usage has seen a number of updates. The latest for Android is focused on helping you get more sleep through a new “Bedtime” hub in the Google Clock app.

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