September Pixel Drop: VIP Contacts Widget, Fraud Detection and Harry Potter Designs
The September Pixel Drop is here – it brings important improvements to the VIP Contacts widget, offers even more protection against fraud, extends the availability of Pause Point to older models, and even celebrates the release of the new Harry Potter audiobooks.
All Pixel devices from the Pixel 6 series onward are eligible for this update, with the exception of the Pixel tablet. Please note that while the rollout begins today, it will be gradual, and some models (especially mobile devices) may not receive the update for several weeks. Important: Some of these features are region and language dependent.
September Pixel Drop VIP Contacts Widget / Fraud Detection in Notifications
The VIP Contacts widget now offers quick actions that let you call or message your most important contacts with a single tap. Missed calls and messages are also indicated by notification icons. Thanks to the update, you can also easily switch between your VIP contacts using the floating menu at the bottom of the screen.
Gboard now has a fraud detection feature. This might sound unusual at first, but it makes perfect sense: As soon as you start replying to a suspicious message, a warning symbol appears above the keys with the word “Probably a scam.” And that only happens if you get that far – the fraud detection also applies to notifications, which mark suspicious messages with the same symbol.
Fraud detection works directly on your device to keep your conversations private. Please note that it currently supports only six languages: Arabic, French, German, Portuguese, Japanese, and Spanish. Originally available only in the US, fraud detection is now offered in nine other countries: Australia, Canada, France, Germany, India, Japan, Mexico, Singapore, and the UK.
September Pixel Drop Pause Point
The Pause Point feature was introduced with the Pixel 11 series, but is now available for all Pixel models from the 6 series onward. It’s a simple digital detox feature: it adds an extra step to launching certain distracting apps. Do you really want to open Facebook? The smartphone gives you a moment to think about it.
Audible has finally released the Harry Potter audiobooks with the original cast. To get you in the right mood, Google has created Harry Potter audiobook packs – themes that change your icons and wallpapers and even use sounds from the books.
Don’t worry, eligible Pixel users get a free two-month Audible trial and can start listening to audiobooks right away. “Eligible” means the Audible trial is available until January 14th for users in the US, Canada, UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, India, Japan, and Australia. The audiobooks are available until December 31st.
September Pixel Drop Availability
This table shows which features are available for which Pixel devices. It includes all Pixel smartphones from the 6 series onwards; the Pixel tablet is not included.
PS: The Pixel Watch also received an update in the September Pixel Drop, now offering improved voice gestures (with a new gesture model), more app integrations for one-handed gestures, and various bug fixes. Further details can be found here.
