9to5Google

With the Pixel 9 series, Google released three new Pixel apps: Screenshots, Studio, and Weather. They join a family of other applications exclusive to Pixel: Camera, Recorder, Thermometer, and Tips. It’s also worth noting the Pixel Buds and Watch companion apps, while Personal Safety has since expanded to other devices. Another honorable mention is the Magnifier app exclusive to Pixel but not pre-installed. 

After debuting on Google TV Streamer and extending to Chromecast more recently, the new Home Panel has also since rolled out to Google TV sets from TCL, Hisense, and other brands.

Welcome to episode 28 of Pixelated, a podcast by 9to5Google. This week, we talk all about the launch of Android 15 and the October 2024 Pixel (Feature) Drop.

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With the October 2024 (Feature) Drop, Google is rolling out Pixel Camera 9.6 to all supported devices. The Pixel 9 series is currently on version 9.5, but anything older remains on 9.4.

Google will no longer have to make a series of Play Store changes by November 1 in response to losing the Epic lawsuit after the original judge granted a “temporary administrative stay.” 

The Google app is not the company’s nicest looking application, but a small carousel redesign on Android makes it a tiny bit more cohesive.

Google introduced a system photo picker in Android a while back, allowing for better privacy of the photos, videos, and files on your device. Now, Google is pushing for more Android apps to use the new photo picker.

OnePlus is preparing to launch its next flagship soon, and ahead of that launch, an image leak has hit the web that allegedly shows off the OnePlus 13 and its updated design.

With Android 15 now rolling out to the Pixel 6, 7, 8, and 9 series, we’re wondering if you area seeing smoother performance after updating.

Google only officially announced Chrome’s “Listen to this page” capability last month as part of the latest Android features for the fall season, and an update this week adds support for background playback.

Google Photos on the web is getting an interesting new backup capability that can upload a folder “from your computer automatically.”

After months being exclusive to Google Pixel and Samsung Galaxy devices, Circle to Search is expanding, and now Google has confirmed a list of devices that are ready to support the feature.

As announced in September, Google Wallet is starting to test the ability to make digital IDs with US passports. It can be used as some TSA checkpoints.

As the floodgates for Android 15 are opening, OnePlus and Oppo are preparing to show off their Android 15 updates to OxygenOS and ColorOS.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai announced a big reorganization across Gemini, Assistant, and Search.

Truly wireless earbuds are everywhere in 2024, but finding the one that’s right for you can be tough. Over the past few months, the standout choices for me have been the Nothing Ear, the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro, and most recently, the Pixel Buds Pro 2. In my book, there’s a clear winner of the three.

Google is continuing to build on the viral success of NotebookLM with a handful of updates today. With millions of users to date, Google’s NotebookLM is losing the “experimental” status/badge in the top-left corner.

Google Chrome’s tab groups have been around since 2020 and have become one of the better features of Google’s browser. A recent change to the design of tab groups makes it easier to store and save them in Chrome for later.

Android 15 has arrived for Pixel devices, with more phones expected to be updated in the coming months. Here are some features that we think you should enable or change right away to improve, secure, and enhance your Android 15 experience.