Google's March Pixel Drop Brings Gemini Live Upgrades, Scam Detection in Messages and More

Google on Tuesday rolled out the March Pixel Drop for compatible Pixel devices. As per the company, it is the first Pixel Drop of the year which introduces several new features. Gemini Live, the conversational artificial intelligence (AI) tool can now be spoken to in a combination of 45 languages. Further, there’s a new Suggestions feature in the Pixel Screenshots app, which as the name suggests, provides users with recommendations about the screenshots which they can add to their collection.

The quarterly update also includes additions to Pixel Studio, Pixel AI weather reports, Pixel Recorder, and Satellite SOS.

Pixel Drop for March: New Features

In a blog post, Google highlighted the new features arriving exclusively on Pixel devices as part of the March Pixel Drop. The company says Gemini Live gets enhanced conversation capabilities with expanded language support, enabling users to converse in a combination of over 45 languages without fidgeting with the settings. The conversational AI tool’s multimodal capabilities, which was introduced with the Pixel 9 series, is expanding to Pixel 6 and newer and Pixel Fold devices with the update. Users will be able to add images, files and YouTube videos to enhance search.

And in the coming weeks, Google will also roll out the ability to have conversations with Gemini Live via live video or screen sharing, leveraging Gemini Advanced.

In addition to suggestions, the Pixel Screenshots app is said to get support for work profiles. Meanwhile, users will be able to create unique images of people to share with their friends and family using simple text-based descriptions in Pixel Studio. Another new feature is Connected Cameras. As per Google, it lets Pixel users connect their phones to another camera, be it a GoPro or another Pixel device. All of their cameras can then be used to stream on social media platforms from different angles.

With the March Pixel Drop, Google will expand the availability of Pixel Screenshots, Pixel Studio, Pixel AI weather reports and Pollen tracker in the Weather app to Japan and Germany. Japanese speakers can now also access AI-powered summaries in the Recorder app.

Another key addition with the quarterly update is Scam Detection in Messages on Pixel. The feature leverages on-device AI to analyse conversational text patterns, identify and flag those associated with scams, and provide users with a warning in real-time. Further, the company is also expanding Satellite SOS to Hawaii, Alaska, Europe and Canada, enabling users to contact emergency services in dire situations where cellular or Wi-Fi networks are unavailable.

Google says Pixel users can now use Find My Device network to share their live location with their family and friends for keeping a track of them when on the move. Meanwhile, the Dual Screen Preview feature on the Pixel Fold supports video recording too. As per the company, Pixel 9 Pro Fold users can now take advantage of Add Me with Dual Screen Preview features.

Pixel Watch Updates

Google’s Loss of Pulse Detection feature, introduced with the Pixel Watch 3, is said to have received Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clearance in the US and thus, will be rolling out to users beginning at the end of this month. The company says this feature can detect the lack of a pulse due to various factors such as pulmonary cardiac arrest, respiratory or circulatory failure, overdose or poisoning, and automatically contact emergency services on the wearer’s behalf.

Meanwhile, the update also adds on-device menstrual tracking to Pixel Watch 3. The smartwatch is also said to benefit from more precise step tracking which can detect when a user deviates from their typical walking pattern. Further, the Auto-bedtime Mode, launched with Pixel Watch 3, is now expanding to Pixel Watch 2.