What you need to know
- Google has been spotted working on a new feature to streamline chats across multiple apps, called “Pixel Besties.”
- It could roll out with the next Pixel QPR update, with WhatsApp possibly being the first third-party app to integrate.
- The feature might live in its own app called “Pixel Relationship” and could include a home screen widget.
Juggling chats across a bunch of different apps is a pain, and Google seems to be trying to fix that with a new feature that pulls all your important conversations into one place.
Originally called “Besties” and later “VIPs,” this feature has now been rebranded as “Pixel Besties,” according to Android Authority. At its heart, it’s designed to allow users to create a handpicked list of their go-to contacts—basically, the people they chat with the most.
As per the outlet, the feature could roll out with the next Pixel QPR update, and WhatsApp might be the first third-party app to jump on board with the integration.
Once a contact is added to your “Pixel Besties” list, all your chats, calls, location shares, and even the option to “create new memories” with them will be pulled together into one neat, unified space.
The latest WhatsApp beta (version 2.25.3.22) hints at a central hub for Pixel Besties, powered by something called com.whatsapp.pixel.besties.provider.PixelBestiesApiContentProvider. This hub will serve as the go-between for apps like WhatsApp, making it easy to share and update stuff like messages and call logs.
Digging into the code, it looks like the Pixel Besties feature might live in its own app, possibly called “Pixel Relationship” (com.google.android.apps.pixel.relationships). It might even include a home screen widget.
At first, it’ll presumably pull in data from Google Messages and WhatsApp, but other platforms—especially Google’s and Meta’s Messenger—are likely to join the party later.
This new find follows the recent buzz about Google possibly adding a WhatsApp video call button directly into Google Messages. Right now, Google Meet is the go-to for video calls, kicking in whenever you hit the video call button in one-on-one or group chats.
That move would make chatting across platforms way smoother. But now, it seems like the integration could go even further than we first thought.
