Other Android upgrades include better-looking document scans in Google Drive thanks to improved contrast and white balance in the document processing steps, and easier sharing with Quick Share, which is the Google equivalent of Apple’s AirDrop. You can quickly share images and videos with a QR code rather than requiring the person to be a contact or fiddling with your app’s sharing settings.
One of the most notable Gemini enhancements is “Saved info with Gemini,” which lets you tell Gemini to remember certain things about yourself so that it can generate better results tailored for you. As an example, if you’re vegan and you ask it to find recipes, Gemini can remember that you’re vegan and will only provide vegan recipes without you ever having to specify that detail in your query.
“Saved info with Gemini” is rolling out to Gemini on all Android phones and the web.
Pixel Phone Updates
Many other new features being announced today will specifically roll out to Google’s Pixel phones, though some of these may make their way to the broader Android ecosystem down the road.
Some core Pixel phone features are getting quality-of-life updates. Call screen, which is Google’s system that screens phone calls to obliterate robocalls and telemarketers from your life, now offers suggested replies you can tap through when a call is being screened. So if a delivery driver is calling and you’re in a meeting, you can respond through a series of taps on the screen instead of picking up. You can also look at the real-time conversation between Google’s screening agent and the caller, and take over at any time. This latter feature is available on Pixel 6 and newer, but the suggested replies are exclusive to the Pixel 9 series.
Courtesy of Julian Chokkattu/Google
Google’s Recorder app, which transcribes recordings in real time, now has a “Clear Voice” feature you can toggle on to cut out distracting noises from the audio, like the typing of a keyboard or blaring horns on the street if you were in a noisy environment when you recorded the conversation. Cleaning up audio has been a bit of a theme for Google as it uses similar technology called “Clear Calling” in its Pixel Buds Pro 2 wireless earbuds and Pixel phones to reduce background sounds, not to mention the Audio Magic Eraser, which lets you erase unwanted sounds in recorded videos.
Now Playing, one of the original features that debuted on the second Pixel phone, lets you see right on the lock screen what music is playing in your surroundings so you don’t have to look anything up. This feature now can recognize even more songs and artists, and when you go to your Now Playing history in the settings menu, it’ll show album art.
