Pixel device owners will definitely be busy discovering several new features thanks to the release of Android 15. However, Google’s latest October Pixel Drop brings even more features to new and recent devices. As usual, this quarterly update applies to several devices ranging from the Pixel 6 to latest Pixel 9 Pro Fold along with Google’s ecosystem products like the Pixel Watch and Buds series TWS earphones as well. It’s wise to keep in mind that while Google has added several features for older devices across the Pixel range, features like Gemini Live are only available on select devices, languages and countries.

Google’s October Pixel Drop) begins rollout today in a phased manner. If you don’t see it yet, don’t panic, it should show up soon.

Gemini Updates

For starters, Gemini Live is now more accessible if you own a pair of Pixel Buds. Google Pixel Buds Pro or A-series owners can now simply say “Hey Google, let’s talk” to start a conversation with the AI assistant via their earphones, which was recently made available for all Pixel users, free of charge. The regular Gemini assistant now also works with the Pixel Screenshots app letting you find things in your screenshots at the press of a button.

Updates for Pixel Phones

The Audio Magic Eraser tool that debuted with the Pixel 8 Pro last year and arrived in an “improved” form with the Pixel 9 series is now rolling out to Pixel 8 series smartphones. Pixel 9 series owners (except for the 9 Pro Fold of course) will now see improved photography and video recording with richer and more accurate colours.

Google claims to have added some major improvements to Astrophotography in Night Sight mode and it’s available for users from the Pixel 6 onwards. Night Sight also makes its way to Instagram letting Pixel owners snap Night Sight captures directly from the Instagram app.

The Temperature app available on the Pixel 8 Pro, 9 Pro, and 9 Pro XL models will now let you use the viewfinder as a guide to see what exactly you are pointing it at. Google also added themed recommendations for widgets in the form of widget categories (Social, Entertainment and more).

Updates for Pixel Watch and Tablets

All Pixel Watch owners can now set a new individual contact tile with quick actions to call, message or open a contact. Users can also send or react with emojis (for the Gmail app) directly from their Pixel Watch. Google’s Loss of Pulse Detection feature, which is available only on the Pixel Watch 3, is now available for users in Belgium, Italy and Spain.

It’s now easier to seamlessly transfer media (instead of using the cast icon) from Pixel Tablet or a Pixel 9 Pro Fold to a Pixel phone. A new feature will be arriving in the coming weeks, but it basically lets users cast media from one device to another by simply bringing a Pixel phone closer to a Pixel tablet. Pixel tablet users will also be happy to know that notifications will sync across their Pixel phone and tablet meaning that they simply need to dismiss a notification on one device and not two devices separately.

Pixel device owners will definitely be busy discovering several new features thanks to the release of Android 15. However, Google’s latest October Pixel Drop brings even more features to new and recent devices. As usual, this quarterly update applies to several devices ranging from the Pixel 6 to latest Pixel 9 Pro Fold along with Google’s ecosystem products like the Pixel Watch and Buds series TWS earphones as well. It’s wise to keep in mind that while Google has added several features for older devices across the Pixel range, features like Gemini Live are only available on select devices, languages and countries.

Google’s October Pixel Drop) begins rollout today in a phased manner. If you don’t see it yet, don’t panic, it should show up soon.

Gemini Updates

For starters, Gemini Live is now more accessible if you own a pair of Pixel Buds. Google Pixel Buds Pro or A-series owners can now simply say “Hey Google, let’s talk” to start a conversation with the AI assistant via their earphones, which was recently made available for all Pixel users, free of charge. The regular Gemini assistant now also works with the Pixel Screenshots app letting you find things in your screenshots at the press of a button.

Updates for Pixel Phones

The Audio Magic Eraser tool that debuted with the Pixel 8 Pro last year and arrived in an “improved” form with the Pixel 9 series is now rolling out to Pixel 8 series smartphones. Pixel 9 series owners (except for the 9 Pro Fold of course) will now see improved photography and video recording with richer and more accurate colours.

Google claims to have added some major improvements to Astrophotography in Night Sight mode and it’s available for users from the Pixel 6 onwards. Night Sight also makes its way to Instagram letting Pixel owners snap Night Sight captures directly from the Instagram app.

The Temperature app available on the Pixel 8 Pro, 9 Pro, and 9 Pro XL models will now let you use the viewfinder as a guide to see what exactly you are pointing it at. Google also added themed recommendations for widgets in the form of widget categories (Social, Entertainment and more).

Updates for Pixel Watch and Tablets

All Pixel Watch owners can now set a new individual contact tile with quick actions to call, message or open a contact. Users can also send or react with emojis (for the Gmail app) directly from their Pixel Watch. Google’s Loss of Pulse Detection feature, which is available only on the Pixel Watch 3, is now available for users in Belgium, Italy and Spain.

It’s now easier to seamlessly transfer media (instead of using the cast icon) from Pixel Tablet or a Pixel 9 Pro Fold to a Pixel phone. A new feature will be arriving in the coming weeks, but it basically lets users cast media from one device to another by simply bringing a Pixel phone closer to a Pixel tablet. Pixel tablet users will also be happy to know that notifications will sync across their Pixel phone and tablet meaning that they simply need to dismiss a notification on one device and not two devices separately.

Pixel device owners will definitely be busy discovering several new features thanks to the release of Android 15. However, Google’s latest October Pixel Drop brings even more features to new and recent devices. As usual, this quarterly update applies to several devices ranging from the Pixel 6 to latest Pixel 9 Pro Fold along with Google’s ecosystem products like the Pixel Watch and Buds series TWS earphones as well. It’s wise to keep in mind that while Google has added several features for older devices across the Pixel range, features like Gemini Live are only available on select devices, languages and countries.

Google’s October Pixel Drop) begins rollout today in a phased manner. If you don’t see it yet, don’t panic, it should show up soon.

Gemini Updates

For starters, Gemini Live is now more accessible if you own a pair of Pixel Buds. Google Pixel Buds Pro or A-series owners can now simply say “Hey Google, let’s talk” to start a conversation with the AI assistant via their earphones, which was recently made available for all Pixel users, free of charge. The regular Gemini assistant now also works with the Pixel Screenshots app letting you find things in your screenshots at the press of a button.

Updates for Pixel Phones

The Audio Magic Eraser tool that debuted with the Pixel 8 Pro last year and arrived in an “improved” form with the Pixel 9 series is now rolling out to Pixel 8 series smartphones. Pixel 9 series owners (except for the 9 Pro Fold of course) will now see improved photography and video recording with richer and more accurate colours.

Google claims to have added some major improvements to Astrophotography in Night Sight mode and it’s available for users from the Pixel 6 onwards. Night Sight also makes its way to Instagram letting Pixel owners snap Night Sight captures directly from the Instagram app.

The Temperature app available on the Pixel 8 Pro, 9 Pro, and 9 Pro XL models will now let you use the viewfinder as a guide to see what exactly you are pointing it at. Google also added themed recommendations for widgets in the form of widget categories (Social, Entertainment and more).

Updates for Pixel Watch and Tablets

All Pixel Watch owners can now set a new individual contact tile with quick actions to call, message or open a contact. Users can also send or react with emojis (for the Gmail app) directly from their Pixel Watch. Google’s Loss of Pulse Detection feature, which is available only on the Pixel Watch 3, is now available for users in Belgium, Italy and Spain.

It’s now easier to seamlessly transfer media (instead of using the cast icon) from Pixel Tablet or a Pixel 9 Pro Fold to a Pixel phone. A new feature will be arriving in the coming weeks, but it basically lets users cast media from one device to another by simply bringing a Pixel phone closer to a Pixel tablet. Pixel tablet users will also be happy to know that notifications will sync across their Pixel phone and tablet meaning that they simply need to dismiss a notification on one device and not two devices separately.

Google I/O 2022 is kicking off today, and just like the past years, you can watch its livestream. The Google I/O 2022 keynote featuring Alphabet and Google CEO Sundar Pichai, and his core team, is expected to bring the key announcements, such as the launch of new hardware including an affordable Pixel phone as well as advancements and improvements coming to Android and Wear OS. Shortly after the main keynote, Google will hold a developer-focussed keynote where we are expected to see some detailed information about the company’s prime software updates.

How to watch Google I/O 2022 livestream in India and around the world

Google I/O 2022 will take place as a two-day event, starting with the keynote that will begin at 1pm ET (10:30pm IST) today. The developer-centric event will be held at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, California. However, Google will livestream the conference for its worldwide audience. The event — including the main keynote — will be livestreamed through Google’s social media channels. While the keynote will be livestreamed for all, developers who want to virtually attend specific sessions and the developer-focussed keynote following the main keynote need to register on the Google I/O site.

You can watch the Google I/O 2022 keynote live from the video embedded below.

What all to expect at Google I/O 2022

Just like past years, this year’s Google I/O conference will detail the company’s latest developments towards its operating systems including Android and Wear OS. The rumour mill has also suggested that we could see some hardware-focussed announcements at the event.

Android 13
At Google I/O 2022, we can expect Google to explain its new advancements and improvements in Android 13. The operating system, which is the successor to last year’s Android 12, received its first developer preview in February. It is likely to get an Apple-like spatial audio feature for Pixel 6 models as well as two carrier connections on a single eSIM, per previous reports.

Wear OS
In addition to Android 13, Wear OS is likely to get an update with a list of enhancements and improvements that we can expect at this year’s Google I/O. Google last year announced its partnership with Samsung for integrating Tizen within Wear OS. We could see some new moves at that end.

Pixel 6a
At this year’s I/O keynote, Google is expected to repeat its 2019 take and unveil the Pixel 6a as its new affordable smartphone. The phone is speculated to have Google’s Tensor chip — similar to the existing Pixel 6 models. It is also expected to have the Pixel 6-like back design, a retail box surfaced online has suggested. The new Pixel phone may, however, lack some of the features that were exclusive to the Pixel 6 series. Normally, Google uses its I/O conferences to detail software and Web technologies, though it did make a change in 2019 when it announced the Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL as its two affordable smartphones.

Pixel Watch
Alongside the Pixel 6a, the Pixel Watch is expected to debut at Google I/O 2022 keynote later today. The rumour mill has suggested that Google is working on its own smartwatch hardware for some time. It is speculated to have a circular design and run the latest Wear OS version. It could also come with a Fitbit integration for enhanced fitness tracking support.

Pixel Buds Pro
Google is tipped to launch the Pixel Buds Pro alongside the Pixel 6a and Pixel Watch at this year’s I/O keynote. The new truly wireless stereo (TWS) earbuds by the Android maker are said to be available in Carbon, Fog, Limoncello, and Real Red colours.

Google Assistant improvements
This year’s Google I/O is also expected to bring some new improvements to Google Assistant — to make it a better option against Amazon’s Alexa and Apple’s Siri. There could also be some enhancements specifically to uplift your smart home experience.

Google Search advancements
At the I/O 2022 keynote, Google is expected to announce some of its tweaks to improve search results. These changes are expected to leverage the company’s artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning advancements.

Other updates
If we go by the historical records, Google is likely to announce updates to Google Maps, Photos, and Gmail at this year’s I/O conference. We may also see the company bringing back its Wallet app to complement Google Pay. Furthermore, there could be some special announcements around Google’s plans to work on Web 3 and develop next-generation apps and experiences for metaverse.

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