The Latest on Pixel

Reviewed by Julianne Ngirngir

Reviewed by Julianne Ngirngir

Reviewed by Julianne Ngirngir

Reviewed by Julianne Ngirngir

Reviewed by Julianne Ngirngir

Reviewed by Julianne Ngirngir

Reviewed by Julianne Ngirngir

Reviewed by Julianne Ngirngir

Reviewed by Corey Noles

You've probably only scratched the surface of what your Pixel can do. Sure, you know about the camera wizardry and seamless Google integration, but buried in the settings are productivity gems that can genuinely change how you work.

Ever notice how software updates feel like a lottery these days? You cross your fingers, hit download, and hope you're among the chosen few who get the good stuff without the headaches. Well, Google's latest Pixel Watch July update perfectly captures this modern tech reality—promising to fix a critical emergency bug, but only rolling out to select devices.

Picture this: You're about to download factory images for your Pixel 6a, maybe to flash some custom firmware or restore from a bootloop, and suddenly… they're gone. Google has quietly pulled all Pixel 6a factory images from its developer portal, and the timing couldn't be more telling. This move comes just as the company prepares to roll out a mandatory battery update that will fundamentally change how affected devices work.

While Google's generative AI wallpapers for Android won't be out until the fall, you can take advantage of emoji backgrounds and cinematic wallpapers on your Pixel smartphone right now.

With all the high-tech wizardry available on modern smartphones, the low-key most practical tool is arguably the flashlight. If you own a Google Pixel model, it's finally easier to turn the flashlight on and off from anywhere.

Your Pixel's Now Playing song discovery tool received a few updates in Android 12, and the feature is finally comparable to other music recognition services.

In Android 12, you can launch the Snapchat app just by tapping the back of your Pixel phone twice. The latest Pixel update from Google improved upon the feature by giving us access to the shortcut from the lock screen. That means you're mere seconds away from snapping photos, videos, and stories. But first, you have to set up and configure where you want to land when Snapchat opens.

Pixels don't have a "Download Mode" like Samsung Galaxy phones, so there's not an easy, point-and-click way to send firmware files and low-level commands from your computer. What they do have is an even more powerful tool: Fastboot Mode.

The Pixel 5's beautifully slim and symmetric bezels don't leave much room for extra hardware like a notification LED. But with the Ambient Display feature and an inventive app, you can turn the display cutout for the front-facing camera into an animated notification indicator.