Google rsquo s latest Android update for Pixel could give iOS 16 a run for its money TechRadar
Google s latest Android update for Pixel could give iOS 16 a run for its money TechRadar Skip to main content TechRadar is supported by its audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here's why you can trust us. Google s latest Android update for Pixel could give iOS 16 a run for its money By James Rogerson published 7 June 2022 Improvements to the lock screen, Live Translate, and more A Google Pixel 6 Pro (Image credit: TechRadar) Audio player loading… All eyes are on Apple right now, as the company has just unveiled its next big iPhone software update, iOS 16. But Apple isn't the only company with new software to show off, as Google has quietly rolled out its June Feature Drop for Pixel phones – and it comes with some eye-catching improvements of its own. The headline upgrade is perhaps the improvements to Google's At a Glance widget, which makes important information glanceable from both your home and lock screen. The update adds new options for info that can be shown on the lock screen, including a video feed from your Nest Doorbell, air-quality alerts, and a reminder that your flashlight is on. But that's not all this update brings. It also allows you to add a shortcut to a screen-shotted vaccine card on your home screen, so that you can bring up proof of your vaccination status with a single tap. Elsewhere, Google's Live Translate feature now supports Traditional Chinese, Korean, Dutch, Turkish, and Thai; there are new wallpapers available; and the update lands alongside a Pocket Operator app (opens in new tab), which allows you to edit and add sounds to your recorded videos. There's also the usual plethora of bug fixes and security updates, so even if the new features don't interest you, the update is worth downloading. It's already started rolling out, but it won't be available to everyone immediately, so keep an eye out for an alert on your phone. Analysis lock screens are getting upgrades on both iOS and Android One of the big new features coming in iOS 16 is the ability to fully customize the lock screen and add widgets to it. It's a big change, but with this Feature Drop, Pixel users are getting a number of new widget-like features right now via the At a Glance update. These new features follow other recent At a Glance updates which added the likes of earthquake alerts and details of connected Bluetooth devices to the lock screen, so there's a lot you can see without ever unlocking your phone. That said, these features are only available to Pixel owners – not the wider Android world, and it sounds like iOS 16 will allow users to add an even wider variety of things to the lock screen. So this isn't quite a match for what Apple's doing, but on the other hand it's available now, whereas iOS 16 probably won't be released in its final form until around September.Get more out of Android with the best free Android apps James RogersonJames is a freelance phones, tablets and wearables writer and sub-editor at TechRadar. He has a love for everything 'smart', from watches to lights, and can often be found arguing with AI assistants or drowning in the latest apps. James also contributes to 3G.co.uk, 4G.co.uk and 5G.co.uk and has written for T3, Digital Camera World, Clarity Media and others, with work on the web, in print and on TV. See more Mobile phones news TechRadar Newsletter Sign up to get breaking news, reviews, opinion, analysis and more, plus the hottest tech deals! Thank you for signing up to TechRadar. You will receive a verification email shortly. There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again. MOST POPULARMOST SHARED1The iPhone 14 Pro is made of the wrong stuff; the Pixel 7 proves that to me2Stop saying Mario doesn't have an accent in The Super Mario Bros. Movie3Google Pixel Tablet is what Apple should've done ages ago4RTX 4090 too expensive? Nvidia resurrects another old favorite5More than one million credit card details leaked online1The iPhone 14 Pro is made of the wrong stuff; the Pixel 7 proves that to me2iPhone 15 tipped to come with an upgraded 5G chip3If this feature succeeds for Modern Warfare 2, Microsoft can't ignore it4Apple October launches: the new devices we might see this month5The Rings of Power episode 8 trailer feels like one big Sauron misdirect Technology Magazines (opens in new tab)● (opens in new tab)The best tech tutorials and in-depth reviewsFrom$12.99 (opens in new tab)View (opens in new tab)