The March Google Pixel Feature Drop arrived today, and like always, it is accompanied by an Android Feature Bundle that brings a solid set of upgrades to the wider ecosystem.
This follows the last update in December, which brought AI-powered notification summaries, custom icon shapes, parental controls within settings, and more!
I finally solved notification fatigue with this one Pixel feature
Google’s new AI-driven notification summaries promise to cut through the noise on Pixel phones.
Android users generally should now be able to share their location directly from the Google Messages app. This highlights the Find Hub’s map interface with real-time locations directly in the messaging app.
Your live location can be shared for an indefinite amount of time, with the flexibility to stop sharing it at any point.
Tracker tag sharing with your airline
If you’ve attached any of the top item trackers to your baggage, and the airline you’re flying with misplaces your bags, you now have an extra way of helping the airline locate your bag.
Instead of simply telling the gate agent that you’ve tracked your bag, and it’s supposedly in ‘x’ state, you can now generate a secure location link from your tracker tag and share it directly with the airline.
Shorts, but on the Play Store
Finding new apps on the Google Play Store isn’t a difficult task, thanks to suggestions, editors’ choice sections, top apps in different categories, and more,
Play Store doesn’t necessarily need more discovery tools, but Google is adding ’em anyway.
The Play Store will now feature a dedicated short-form video feed to help you explore new apps. “You’ll be able to explore new content as you scroll through a feed of short-form videos, from wellness apps to photography, shopping and webtoons. It’s a simpler way to see how an app works and if it’s what you’re looking for, all without leaving Google Play,” wrote the tech giant.
Design your own Calling Cards
Since being rolled out in August last year, Calling Cards has been a little less personal than its iOS-based counterpart. For reference, the feature has allowed people who have you as a contact to design a custom Calling Card for you. Similarly, you could create Calling Cards for those in your contact list.
Google’s latest update flips the script.
You now have the liberty to design your own custom Calling Card, which will automatically show up on your friends’ devices.
New Android Auto games
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Android Auto finally has more games, but not for you.
The platform now offers new ‘Teacher Approved’ games for kids, giving the younger ones a fun and educational play experience right on the car’s dashboard.
The new games, which are catered for kids aged 3–12, include:
- Disney Coloring World
- LetraKid: Writing ABC for Kids
- Marvel HQ: Kids Super Hero Fun
- Draw a Stickman: EPIC 3
- Kids Games: For Toddlers 3–5
