Second Pixel feature drop here - Dark theme scheduling, fast Google Pay, more - Android - Canadian apps and news

Second Pixel feature drop here - Dark theme scheduling, fast Google Pay, more - Android

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Most of the features are geared towards Pixel 4 users, but there are some general Pixel updates, too.

Last year, Google launched the very first Pixel feature drop. These quarterly updates for Pixel phones bring new features and go much more in-depth than the usual monthly security updates. Today, the second feature drop landed.

You can watch the YouTube clip above to see which of the new Pixel feature drop additions Google is highlighting this time around. But we’ll break it all down for you below.

It should be noted that each Pixel feature drop goes out to all active Pixel devices, which as of today includes the Pixel 4 series, Pixel 3a series, Pixel 3 series, and Pixel 2 series. The original Google Pixel series has been sunsetted and will no longer receive updates of any kind.

With that in mind, a bunch of these updates are for the Google Pixel 4 series exclusively, as they are the only devices with Motion Sense capabilities. Check out all the Pixel feature drop updates below!

Pixel 4 only: Pause and resume music with a tapping gesture above the phone.
Pixel 4 only: Australia and UK users now have car crash detection enabled, previously only available in the US.
Pixel 4 only: Improved camera depth perception for better selfies and the ability to create 3D photos on Facebook.
Pixel 4 only: Power button now has “firm press” which will be different from long-press, giving you more power over launching apps.
Pixel 4 only: Advancements with adaptive brightness.
Pixel 4 and Pixel 3 only: Duomoji which are like Animoji but for Google Duo calls.
Pixel 4, Pixel 3, and Pixel 3a only: You can now take a screenshot of a boarding pass and it will get auto-added to Google Pay.
Pixel 2 only: Live Caption is rolling out.
The rollout of Rules, which allow you to create automated routines. Similar to the popular Tasker app.
Scheduled Dark Theme will turn on or off dark mode automatically depending on the sun’s status.
Emoji 12.1 update brings more Emoji to Pixels, including a large selection of inclusive Emoji.
Hold down the power button on your Pixel to quickly launch Google Pay. Access your different credit cards, passes, tickets, and more.

In addition to the above features, the traditional monthly Android security patch is also available for Pixel devices. Along with the security patch, there are also a whole bevy of fixes and improvements for various features across the entire Pixel line. For a full list of those updates, click here.

Both the Pixel feature drop and the Android security patch update are rolling out now, but some features won’t land until later. For a full description of all the new features and when to expect them, click here.