Google's September Pixel Drop: Material 3 Expressive UI and AI-Powered Features Enhance Android Experience

Google brings Material 3 Expressive to Pixel 6 and newer devices, along with other features | TechCrunch

Google announced on Wednesday that it's bringing a slew of new features to the Android ecosystem and Pixel devices. The tech giant is introducing Material 3 Expressive to Pixel phones, Adaptive Audio for the Pixel Buds Pro 2, on-wrist navigation for the Pixel Watch, new AI writing tools in Gboard, enhanced audio sharing capabilities, the ability to create custom Android bots, and more. Starting Wednesday, Material 3 Expressive is coming to Pixel 6 and newer devices, as well as Pixel Tablet. Google says Material 3 Expressive will make your Pixel feel even more personal, as you can use Live effects to add animations to your lock screen's wallpaper and create customized calling cards for contacts. Later this month, Google is bringing Adaptive Audio to the Pixel Buds Pro 2, allowing the buds to adjust to your surroundings so you can remain alert while listening to your music. Plus, you'll be able to use your buds to have clear talks with Gemini when you're in a loud environment. You can also accept or dismiss an incoming call by nodding or shaking your head. Additionally, Pixel Watch users can now start walking or biking navigation on their phone in Google Maps and then have it automatically displayed on their smartwatch. As for the new AI writing tools in Gboard, you can now revise your tone to be more formal, expressive, or concise. You can also quickly fix your spelling and grammar. Google says all proofreading and rewriting happens on your device, which means your data remains private. Google also announced that you can now pair two LE Audio Bluetooth headphones to your Android phone so you and another person can listen at the same time. With audio sharing, you can listen to a song at the same time or watch a movie together using your own headphones. The tech giant says this feature could be helpful in several different instances, like when you're in a busy cafe or commuting on a train. Plus, you can create a QR code to share audio with a group by starting a private broadcast that other people can join. The feature lets multiple people listen to the same playlist on their own headphones, which Google says could be used to do things like host a silent disco. Google highlighted that the redesigned Quick Share feature on Android makes it easier to share and receive content, allowing you to instantly switch between sending and receiving, preview photos before sharing, and open received files immediately. Plus, there's a new progress indicator that shows you live updates about what percentage of the file has been transferred. Last, Google announced that it's introducing Androidify, which is a way to build your own Android bot by uploading a selfie or writing a prompt. Androidify uses Gemini 2.5 Flash to caption the photo and Imagen to generate your custom Android bot. In some cases, it uses Veo 3, Google's latest video generation model, to animate your bot.

More Pixel phones are getting Google's new look for Android

This month's Google Pixel drop includes a broader rollout of the company's splashy UI revamp. Starting today, Google will bring its Material 3 Expressive design language to Pixel 6 devices and newer, in addition to the Pixel Tablet. Google first revealed the youthful new design language in May before launching it with its Android 16-equipped Pixel 10 phones last month. Along with a more colorful, bubbly look, Material 3 Expressive introduces more personalization options, like iPhone-like calling cards that allow you to create custom call screens for your contacts. In addition to this rollout, Google is bringing a bunch of new features to the Pixel Buds Pro 2, which it previewed during its Made by Google event last month. That includes Adaptive Audio, a feature that automatically adjusts volume based on the sounds in your environment, as well as a new capability that automatically dampens sudden loud noises to protect your hearing. The update adds background noise reduction when interacting with Gemini as well, and the ability to accept or ignore calls by nodding or shaking your head. Google will also start automatically displaying Maps on your Pixel Watch or WearOS device when you start walking or biking navigation on your phone, allowing you to easily see where you're going without taking out your phone. These Pixel-specific updates are rolling out now, and "will continue over the next few weeks." Some other tweaks are coming to a wider range of Android devices, too, including the ability to share Bluetooth audio with friends, access AI-powered writing suggestions in Gboard, and favorite your creations in Emoji Kitchen. There's a redesigned Quick Share menu that lets you toggle between sending and receiving files, and a new Androidify app that uses AI to create your own Android bot using a selfie and a prompt.

Google's latest Pixel drop brings the Material 3 Expressive UI to older devices

Now that the series has been out for a week, Google has begun rolling many of the software features it debuted with those phones to its older devices as part of the September Pixel drop. Starting today, if you own any Pixel device Google has released since 2021, including the and , you can start to customize your device with the company's new Material 3 Expressive user interface. Among other tweaks, Google made it possible to add "Live Effects," including a few that cover the weather, to your phone's lock screen wallpaper. Material 3 Expressive also gives you more control over how the contact cards your phone displays when your friends and family call you look. Even if you're not one to endlessly tweak Android's appearance, as part of the redesign Google has once again reworked the Quick Settings pane in hopes of making it easier to use. As Google mentioned during last month's , the will receive a handful of new software features, beginning later this month. To start, there's Adaptive Audio, which Google says will allow the Pixel Buds Pro 2 to intelligently adjust the output of your earbuds to your surroundings. At the same time, Loud Noise Protection will limit the volume of the Pixel Buds Pro 2 to preserve your hearing. Two new gestures allow you to accept or dismiss a call by nodding or shaking your head. You can do the same when a text message arrives. Bluetooth audio on the whole is getting a , courtesy of . With the new tech, you can now simultaneously pair two different sets of Bluetooth headphones with a single Android handset. In practice, this will allow you and a friend to listen to the same song or podcast from a single device. If you want to involve more people, you can use your phone to create a QR code, which both friends and strangers can then use to join a private broadcast. Google suggests this could be a fun way to host a silent disco. To make it as easy as possible to start an audio broadcast, Google has redesigned Android's menu. A simple toggle allows you to switch between sending and receiving files, and there's a new indicator where you can follow the progress of your transfers. As mentioned, the new audio features are made possible by Auracast, which enables public broadcasts of Bluetooth audio. Google began supporting Auracast with the , and now we're starting to see that support mature, with devices now from Google, Samsung and Xiaomi all ready to join in on the fun. Of course, it wouldn't be a recent Google release if the company didn't include . On that front, the company is offering additional writing tools in Gboard. Like its , the tool allows you to use an on-device model to edit your writing. The algorithm can tweak your messages to make them more formal, expressive or concise. It will also correct any spelling or grammatical errors. Last but not least, Google is introducing an experience called , which allows you to use AI to create your own Android bot -- you know, the cutesy mascot in most of the company's smartphone marketing. The experience is available and through an app Google has released on the . To get started, you can upload a selfie, write a prompt and add some accessories to your bot. Afterward, Google's latest AI models will do the rest.