June 2021 Pixel feature drop: Everything launched here

If you own a Pixel smartphone, today is a big day! Google is now rolling out the latest feature drop for its Pixel smartphones.

Are you new to Pixels? Essentially, a feature drop is a quarterly update for all currently supported Pixel smartphones. Instead of giving out some cool updates every month like it used to, Google now saves all of its new stuff and releases it every three months. Today is the second drop of 2021.

Connected: All previously released Google Pixel phones

As usual, in addition to the usual monthly security patch, many new updates are included in this drop. We’ll break them all down below. If you want to install it on your Pixel 3/3 XL, Pixel 3a / 3a XL, Pixel 4/4 XL, Pixel 4a / 4a 5G or Pixel 5, just go to 5 Settings> System> Advanced> System Update> Check for Update. Or, conversely, simply wait for the OTA notification that should come sometime today.

Google’s night vision and astrophotography modes make taking night photos a breeze. However, with the latest pixel feature drop, there is a new setting known as the “Astrolapse”. Essentially, this feature records a short film that shows the stars moving across the night sky.

For this to work best, your phone needs to be completely still and in a location with little light pollution. The longer you set the time lapse, the more movement you will see in the sky.

Unfortunately, this feature is limited to Pixel 4 / 4XL, Pixel 4a / 4a 5G, and Pixel 5. Pixel 3 and Pixel 3a users are unlucky.

Locked folder

At Google I / O 2021, the company shared information about an upcoming Pixel feature called Locked Folder in the Google Photos app. Well it is being rolled out today! As you may have guessed, this feature allows you to keep photos behind a passcode to keep them private and secure.

You can move photos you have already taken to a locked folder. Or you can save a photo that you want to take in your locked folder. The GIF above shows how easy it is to choose where to go for your photo before taking it.

Obviously, photos in the locked folder won’t show up on smart displays or in your reminders.

Other Google Pixel feature drop updates

Here are the rest of the dropping elements of the Pixel feature introduced today:

• Pride Month Wallpapers: The drop includes three new Pride Month 2021-themed wallpapers created by Ashton Attz. You can see them above.
• Car accident detection: Additional countries now support Pixel’s car crash detection feature, including Spain, Ireland and Singapore. This feature will get in touch with you when it detects that you may have gotten into a crash. If you don’t acknowledge the warning, your phone can automatically ask for help.
• Walking warnings: Now, if you walk while using your phone, you will get a warning that you should look up for safety reasons. This is called Heads Up and is part of the Digital Wellbeing Suite.
• Assistant calls: If your phone rings but is unreachable, you can now say “Hey Google, answer the call” or “OK Google, decline the call”.
• Better Gboard Clipboard: If you copy text information, such as phone numbers, email addresses, URLs, etc., Google’s Gboard will automatically analyze it and display it as paste options. This should make it even easier to share information within messaging apps.
• Call screen: Pixel users in Japan can now take advantage of the Call Screen – the feature Assistant takes your calls so you can sort out spam.
• Recorder languages: You will soon be able to use the recorder app in more English-speaking dialects, including Singaporean, Australian, Irish, and British English. This will be rolled out by the end of July.

That’s it for the new pixel feature drops! You have to wait for the next one until September 2021.