In 2024, Made by Google rolled out big updates with new features to Pixel phones on six occasions. The year saw everything from routine operating system updates to entirely new apps and even a rebrand.
The year in Pixel updates started with a January Feature Drop -- delivered through app updates -- that coincided with the launch of a "Mint" Pixel 8 and 8 Pro.
The main addition allowed the Pixel Thermometer app to record body temperature. Readings are taken from your forehead and can be saved to the Fitbit app. Circle to Search launched on the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro, while Photomoji and Magic Compose (powered by the on-device Gemini Nano) in Google Messages exited beta. Google also highlighted the Quick Share rebrand (from Nearby Share).
This release was ultimately better than waiting for the next quarterly cycle. We have yet to see another unscheduled Drop, but it's a nice precedent to have, especially as a surprise.
We returned to the usual cadence in March with a Pixel Feature Drop that coincided with Android 14 QPR2. This sizable OS release introduced an expandable Bluetooth Quick Settings Tile and Material You volume slider. When Casting or screen sharing, we got the option to just capture a single app.
Call Screen gained a "Hello?" button to prompt the caller, while "I'll be right there" results in "One sec, checking with the person you called." On the Pixel Tablet, Google made official the Gboard Voice Toolbar to let you use speech-to-text without having the full keyboard open. (This would be nice to have on phones.)
The Pixel 8a launched a month earlier but the only addition was Audio Emoji in the Pixel Phone app.
The Pixel 8 series received a bigger update in June with Display Port Support for connecting to an external screen via USB-C, while the 8 and 8a got Gemini Nano after Google previously said it wasn't coming for Recorder Summarize and better Gboard Smart Replies.
On the Camera (version 9.4) front, Google introduced improved HDR+ frame selection on the Pixel 6+, while the Pixel 6/7 Pro and Fold received Manual Lens Selection.
Android 14 QPR3 wasn't a big update as this version neared the end of its cycle with only various tweaks in the Settings app. One particular regression was how Gboard lost granular keyboard vibration controls for an on/off toggle. The Android Webcam also gained a High Quality Mode.
The Pixel 9 series launched with Android 14 in a departure from precedent. Some features, like the tweaked screenshot preview UI, introduced during the Android 15 Beta were backported. Ultimately, Google gets a pass since the phones launched months early, but this should not happen again. We have since learned that the next version of Android (16) is launching in Q2 2025 instead of Q3/4.
With the Pixel 9, Google released three new apps:
Gemini Live is heavily advertised as an aspect of the Pixel 9 series, but the conversational mode was never really an exclusive since Gemini Advanced subscribers on all Android devices got it at the same time. There was also the launch of Gemini Nano with Multimodality.
The big Pixel Phone app addition is on-device Call Notes to get a summary of conversations, though people are happy to finally have transcripts. Clear Calling quality got an improvement, while there's also Satellite SOS.
On the camera front (version 9.5), we have:
Android 15 introduced Private space, while Predictive back was enabled by default. All devices picked up the redesigned screenshot and copied text preview in the bottom-left corner, as well as a Home Controls screen saver. By default, Bluetooth will "Automatically turn on tomorrow" when you disable it. On tablets and foldable, you can have a persistent Taskbar and the ability to Save app pairs (also on phones)
Meanwhile, "Pixel Feature Drops" were renamed to just "Pixel Drops." (This was far from necessary.) Underwater photography and video recording with any waterproof case came to the Pixel 9 series, while all devices got a dedicated slider to access Night Sight.
Adaptive Vibration takes into account sound levels in your current context to reduce how loud ringtones, notifications, and alerts are.
Meanwhile, the Pixel Weather became available for the Pixel 6+, while the new Pixel Thermometer UI with live camera preview came to the Pixel 8 Pro. The Pixel 8 series also received the Audio Magic Eraser upgrade that lets you adjust specific sounds and voices.
Finally, Google closed out the year in Pixel updates with the December 2024 Drop and Android 15 QPR1:
Finally, Google officially announced an additional two years of Android OS updates for the Pixel 6 and 7 series for a full five years.