Google is testing a feature to bring the Pixel 11's color-matched My Pixel app icon to older Pixel 9 phones, though support is incomplete and doesn't yet extend to Pixel 10 models. The company is also planning a design update to the app icon, shifting to a lighter blue shade with a white Google logo.
Google's Pixel 11 Pro XL is a large flagship smartphone with a 6.8-inch OLED screen, Tensor G6 processor, and excellent camera system featuring improved Night Sight and new Magic Capture modes. Priced at £1,279, it competes with Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra and Apple iPhone 18 Pro Max, offering two-day battery life and advanced AI features including Gemini Omni access.
Google is rolling out Pixel VIPs 2.0, which replaces the bottom sheet interface with a fullscreen layout when tapping contacts, adds a pill-shaped VIP switcher for quick access, and redesigns the widget with outline-style icons and reorganized card placement. The update removes media and place recommendations while introducing a pencil icon for quick editing in Google Contacts.
Google Pixel phones have been compromised in zero-click attacks, a security vulnerability allowing attackers to gain access without user interaction. The attack method exploits previously unknown flaws in the device's systems.
A security analysis captured 72 hours of network traffic from three factory-default Google Pixel 8 phones using an external pfSense firewall and found that idle Android devices transmitted approximately 8,300 telemetry packets daily to Google servers, revealing location data, device fingerprints, notification heartbeats, photo sync tokens, and search queries without user interaction.
Google updated the Pixel Weather app with a refresh button on home screen widgets to manually fetch the latest forecast, and removed arrow buttons for scrolling hourly and daily predictions, now requiring users to swipe instead.
GrapheneOS accuses Google of withholding Android 17 QPR1 APIs and security fixes from other Android manufacturers and AOSP-based projects, claiming Google is gatekeeping features that were previously made available across the ecosystem. The project says it cannot release its own Android 17 QPR1 build without permission and that security patches affecting standard Android components won't reach other OEMs until December's QPR2 release.
Google's September 2026 Pixel Feature Drop introduces a redesigned Pixel VIP widget with single-tap quick actions for calling or texting contacts, full-width layout enforcement, and automatic reversion to the old layout when more than four VIPs are selected. Adding a single-contact widget now automatically adds the contact to the VIP list and opens a dedicated VIP sheet instead of the contact details page. The new widget will be available on Pixel 6 and newer devices after Google enables it server-side.
Google released Android 17 QPR2 Beta 5 for Pixel devices from the Pixel 6a onwards, featuring bug fixes for Bluetooth, camera, HDR, and UI issues, along with new features like an Auracast Quick Settings tile and battery settings reorganization. The build follows Android Canary 2609 and precedes the stable QPR2 release expected later in 2026.
Google confirmed that a critical modem vulnerability in Pixel phones was exploited in limited, targeted cyberattacks before being patched in the September 2026 Android 17 QPR1 update. The zero-click flaw could allow attackers to bypass Android security protections and access sensitive data without user interaction. Google has not disclosed which Pixel models were affected or the number of users targeted.
Google's September Pixel Drop update brings improvements to the VIP contacts widget with quick actions and missed call badges, expands Scam Detection to Gboard and notifications across nine new countries, rolls out the Pause Point digital detox feature to Pixel 6 and later devices, and adds Harry Potter audiobook themes. Eligible Pixel users receive a two-month free Audible trial to access the new Harry Potter full-cast audio editions.
Google Pixel phones have been compromised in zero-click attacks, according to security reports. The vulnerability allows attackers to gain access without requiring user interaction. This represents a significant security concern for the Android device line.