Google's first Feature Drop of 2024 is officially here. The company started rolling out new features for its Pixel smartphones yesterday, Jan. 24, and will continue to roll out features in the coming weeks. There are some interesting new options included in this new drop:
You can now take your temperature with your Pixel 8 Pro
With this latest Pixel Feature Drop, Google is activating a Pixel 8 Pro feature that can scan your forehead to give you an "accurate" body temperature measurement. (It's unclear how accurate this tool is at this time: It's still a smartphone, after all.) Google says you can save the reading to your Fitbit profile if you're someone who likes to keep your health data all in one place.
Circle to Search is nearly here
Google took the feature drop to give Circle to Search an official release date: Jan. 31. This interesting new feature lets you search anything on-screen by circling, tapping, or scribbling on it. To activate Circle to Search, you hold down your Pixel home button or navigation bar and gesture away. The search field pops up over what you're doing, so you don't actually need to leave your app to search.
Magic Compose in Google Messages
If you have a Pixel 6 or newer, you can now try out Magic Compose in Google Messages, which uses AI to rewrite a message you drafted in the app. You can use the tool to rewrite the text in a different tone (more formal for a message to your boss, or more chill for a text to your friend, for example).
While Pixel 6 and newer can all use this feature, the feature is fully processed on-device on Pixel 8 Pro through Gemini Nano. That means you don't need to send your data to Google's servers for AI processing.
Photomoji let you react to messages with your favorite photos
I don't know how well Photomoji as a name is going to catch on, but it is a fun feature. With it, you can turn the subject of any photo into a reaction, in place of an emoji. It's similar to Apple's sticker reactions: You choose a photo, allow Google's AI to cut out the subject, then turn into a reaction that sits on top of the message in question. All Photomoji are saved to a drawer so you can access them again later.
Quick Share is here
Quick Share is Google's revamped version of Nearby Share. Quick Share allows you to share files from your Pixel to other Android, ChromeOS, and Windows devices when in close proximity. Following the Feature Drop, you'll see a new Quick Share icon in the share sheet. When you tap it, you'll see all the devices near you that you can share content to through Quick Share, even offline.
You can control in Settings whether everyone can see your device in Quick Share, or just your contacts.
Audio Switch is now available on Pixel Watch
Audio Switch is what makes it easy to connect Pixel Buds Pro from one paired device to another, without needing to dive into Bluetooth settings to make the switch. Google added that functionality to Pixel Watch, so you can switch from your wearable to your Pixel 5a or newer, or Pixel Tablet.
There's a new Pixel 8 color
Okay, this one's not really a feature, but Google does seem pretty excited about it. The Pixel 8 and 8 Pro are now available in mint green. If you've been thinking about picking up a Pixel, and you happen to love this particular shade of green, well, there ya go.
You can buy a mint green Pixel 8 or Pixel 8 Pro from Google's official store:
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Pixel 8: starting at $699
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Pixel 8 Pro: starting at $999
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