⌚️ The 1st and 2nd gen Pixel Watches are getting the Wear OS 5 update along with a September security patch.

Wear OS 5 is based on Android 14 and brings numerous bug fixes, performance improvements and new features such as:

• A new Privacy dashboard under Settings > Apps & Notifications, which offers users a centralized view of how each app accesses data like location and microphone.
• New Watch Face Format, which adds preset configurations called Flavors, weather conditions, a heart rate system data source, and two new types of complications: Goal progress and Weighted Elements (Useful for displaying discrete subsets of data).
• Option to enable grid app menu.
• Ability to select a media output device directly from the watch.
• Apps will be able to detect when a user takes a screenshot (part of Android 14).

You also get more detailed running metrics with the Health Services update:

• Ground contact time: The amount of time, during a single step, that a runner's foot is in contact with the ground.
• Stride length: The distance covered by a single step.
• Vertical oscillation: The distance that a user's center of mass moves up and down with each step.
• Vertical ratio: Vertical oscillation divided by stride length.
• Debounced goals: improves the user experience for people who want to maintain a specific threshold or range—such as heart rate—throughout their workout.

You'll also get improved camera controls (Google Camera app update) and the ability to install the new Pixel Recorder app for Wear OS, which is only available for v.5.0.

To speed up getting the update, put the watch on charge, open the Settings/System/System Update page, and tap the watch icon at the top several times in a row.

Build number: AW2A.240903.005

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🤖 Android 15 is finally out for Pixel devices.

A month and a half after its release in AOSP, Google has finally released the Android 15 update for supported Pixel devices (6 and newer). This version of the OS includes the following new features:

• Private space
• App archiving
• Predictive back gesture animation for supported apps (now enabled by default)
• Saving app pairs
• Ability to pin the taskbar on tablets
• Updated Volume panel
• Dynamic color contrast settings
• Automatically turn Bluetooth on the next day
• New smart home control screensaver
• Updated wallpaper setup menu
• Improvements to the preview of widgets in the list

And many other under-the-hood changes. By the way, don't forget to check out the modernized Android easter egg along with a special Landroid screensaver.

Along with Android 15, Google also released a new Pixel Feature Drop which we will talk about in the next posts.

Build Number: AP3A.241005.015
Security Patch: October 2024

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🖼️ Google Photos' Audio Magic Eraser has gotten an update

This tool now allows you to increase or decrease the volume of certain sounds, as well as separate the voices of speakers to independently change their volume, making the audio in your videos crystal clear.

The feature is part of the October Pixel Feature Drop, and is being rolled out server-side for Pixel 8 and 9 series devices.

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Pixel Camera got an underwater capture mode.

With a waterproof case, the underwater photo and video mode will make colors richer and more accurate so you can capture your favorite underwater moments, like snorkeling or swimming.

You can activate this feature in Pixel Camera app Settings \ Advanced \ Underwater photography and video.

Available on Pixel 9, 9 Pro and 9 Pro XL devices with the Pixel Camera app update to version 9.6.080.

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📹 Instagram on Pixel devices now supports Night Sight mode.

The Instagram app can now use the Pixel camera's Night Sight algorithm to take better photos in low-light conditions. Available for all Google Tensor-powered smartphones.

The update is part of the October Pixel Feature Drop.

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Google is adding notification synchronization between Pixel phones and Pixel Tablet.

When synchronization is activated, dismissing a notification on one device will also delete it on the other. For this feature to work, you need to enable it in settings on both devices and connect to Wi-Fi.

Available on Pixel 6 and newer. This feature is rolling out via an update to the Device Connectivity Service app, and it may take some time to appear in the settings.

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