Portrait Light: You can change up the lighting in your portrait selfies after you take them by opening them in Google Photos, tapping Edit, and heading to Actions > Portrait Light. This adds an artificial light you can place anywhere in the photo to brighten up your face and erase that five-o’clock shadow. Use the slider at the bottom to tweak the strength of the light. It also works on older Portrait mode photos you may have captured. It works only on faces.
Health and Accessibility Features
Cough & Snore Detection (Tensor G2 and newer): On the Pixel 7 and newer, your Pixel can detect when you cough and snore while sleeping, as long as you place it near your bed before you nod off. This will work only if you use Google’s Bedtime mode, which you can turn on by going to Settings > Digital Wellbeing & Parental Controls > Bedtime Mode.
Guided Frame (Tensor G2 and newer): For blind or low-vision people, the camera app can now help take a selfie with audio cues (it works with the front and rear cameras). You’ll need to enable TalkBack for this to work (Settings > Accessibility > TalkBack). Then open the camera app. It will automatically help you frame the shot.
Simple View: This mode makes the font size bigger, along with other elements on the screen, like widgets and quick-settings tiles. It also increases touch sensitivity, which should make the screen easier to see and use. You can enable it by heading to Settings > Accessibility > Simple View.
Safety and Security Features
Theft Protection: This feature launched in Android 15, but essentially, Google’s algorithms can figure out if someone snatches your Pixel out of your hands. If they’re trying to get away, the device automatically locks. Additionally, with another device, you can use Remote Lock to lock your stolen Pixel with your phone number and a security answer. To toggle these features on, go to Settings > Security & privacy > Device unlock > Theft protection.
Identity Check: If your Pixel detects you’re in a new location, Identity Check will require fingerprint or face authentication before you can make changes to sensitive settings, offering extra peace of mind if you lose your phone or it’s stolen. You can enable this in Settings > Security & privacy > Device unlock > Theft protection > Identity Check.
Courtesy of Google
Private Space: Pixel phones finally have a feature that lets you hide and lock select apps (Android 15 and up). You can use a separate Google account, set a lock, and install any app to hide away. To set it all up, head to Settings > Security & privacy > Private space.
Satellite eSOS (Pixel 9 and Pixel 10 series, excluding Pixel 9a): Like Apple’s SOS feature on iPhones, you can now reach emergency contacts or emergency services even when you don’t have cell service or Wi-Fi connectivity. It’s available not only in the continental US, but also in Hawaii, Alaska, Canada, and even Europe.
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