Today, Google is releasing details on the next “Feature Drop” for Pixel devices. This third Pixel Feature Drop is bringing a considerable number of new features, some of which will be very welcomed by Pixel users. Adaptive Battery is getting smarter, the Google Recorder app is getting new integrations, and the Personal Safety app is getting more powerful.
Adaptive Battery Enhancements
We’ll start with Adaptive Battery, which is Google’s machine learning-powered technology that learns how you use the apps on your phone and adjusts the power usage accordingly. Now, on the Pixel 2/2 XL, Pixel 3/3XL, Pixel 3a/3a XL, and Pixel 4/4XL, Adaptive Battery can predict when the battery will run out and further reduce background activity. It could already tell you approximately when the battery would run out, but now it can help stretch that time even further.
To enable Adaptive Battery, go to Settings > Battery > Adaptive Battery. For more information on Adaptive Battery, head over to Google’s support page.
Bedtime feature in Google Clock
The Google Clock app now has a new “bedtime” tab that helps you fall asleep to calm sounds. It also helps limit interruptions while you sleep and gives you a snapshot of how much time you’re spending awake and what apps you’re using at night.
You can set your own daily sleep and wake times to maintain a consistent sleep schedule, but you can also see a preview of tomorrow’s calendar and a tally of how many hours of sleep you’ll get so you can adjust your bedtime. Before your scheduled bedtime, you’ll receive a reminder with an option to play calming sounds from Calm, Spotify, YouTube Music, and other services. The new bedtime feature in the Google Clock app can be paired with Digital Wellbeing to limit interruptions, as previously mentioned. Finally, in the morning, you can wake up to your favorite song or wake up gradually with the Sunrise Alarm, a screen that gets gradually brighter over time and that starts 15 minutes prior to your audio alarm.
For more information, head over to Google’s support page for this feature.
Google Recorder and Google Docs integration with the new Google Assistant
Google launched the Recorder app on the Pixel 4 series and it eventually arrived on older Pixel devices as well. The third Feature Drop brings a couple of useful integrations with other Google services. For starters, you can use Google Assistant to start, stop, and search voice recordings. Simply say “Hey Google, start recording my meeting,” etc. Transcripts can now be saved directly to Google Docs as well by choosing a recording, tapping “Transcript” to show the transcript, tapping the three-dot menu in the top-right hand corner, and then selecting “save text to Google Docs”. The ability to start recordings via Google Assistant will only be available for the Pixel 4 but the ability to save transcripts to Google Docs will be available for the Pixel 2, 3, 3a, and 4.
For more information on the Google Recorder app, head over to Google’s support page.
Recorder (Free, Google Play) →
New Personal Safety Features
Lastly, the Personal Safety app is getting some additional features and wider availability. Originally launched on the Pixel 4 series, the app is available on the Pixel 2 and newer. Car crash detection will be coming to the Pixel 3 series, but Google didn’t say exactly when that will happen.
The new feature being added to Personal Safety is called “Safety Check” and it will allow people to be notified if you don’t check-in by a certain time. The example Google gives is going on a run or hike by yourself. You can set up scheduled “check-ins” and if you don’t respond to them, then the app will notify your emergency contacts. The notification alerts all your emergency contacts and shares your real-time location through Google Maps.
 |
 |
|---|
The Personal Safety app’s new “Crisis Alerts” feature can alert you of natural disasters and other public emergencies in your area, though it’s unclear if this is region-limited.
Personal Safety (Free, Google Play) →
Here is a handy chart to see which Pixel devices will be getting the features:
Source 1: Google | Source 2: Google
The post Google Pixel Feature Drop #3 brings Adaptive Battery enhancements, Recorder and Docs integration with Assistant, and new Personal Safety features appeared first on xda-developers.
from xda-developers https://ift.tt/2AqgsFQ
via IFTTT
