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Google talked about a lot of products and new software features during its Pixel 8 launch event, and it was easy to get overwhelmed by all the excitement. It was also easy to forget that many of the features won’t be available when the Pixel 8, Pixel 8 Pro, and Pixel Watch 2 go on sale.
This feels like a trend in 2023 — Apple even did the same with Double Tap on the Apple Watch Series 9 — and it’s disappointing, especially if a particular feature really caught your attention. In the case of the Pixel 8 lineup, there are 10 new features that seem promising, but have all been tarnished due to delayed availability.
To make sure you’re in the know about what’s coming soon rather than what’s available now, here’s our rundown of what’s in store No It will be on your new Pixel device when you buy it.
magic editor
Google’s image-editing tools are so powerful that it can change the entire look of your photo, from the framing to the weather conditions. It was originally revealed during Google I/O earlier this year. During the Pixel event, it appeared as if the Magic Editor would be available immediately on the Pixel 8 series, but the small print at the end of the presentation said that the Magic Editor is “coming soon.” This is also printed as a disclaimer in advertising for the feature. We’ll know the state of the Magic Editor once we use the Pixel 8 device more.
zoom out
Google will use a custom generative AI image model to enhance the quality of zoomed-in photos after they are taken. When you pinch to zoom in on an image, Zoom Enhance will intelligently sharpen the scene, increasing the quality even if you weren’t zoomed in when you took the photo. This is a Pixel 8 Pro-only feature, but you’ll have to wait until the software update in December to try it out.
reading skin temperature
The Pixel 8 Pro has a temperature sensor on the back, and although it will be able to measure the temperature of objects, it will not accurately read skin temperature at launch. Google says it has applied to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for approval to measure skin temperature with a special thermometer app and send the data to the Fitbit app, but approval has not yet been granted.
FDA approval takes time, and in some past cases, it has taken more than a year for a wearable device to pass the FDA’s rigorous tests. For now, even if the sensor does take skin temperature, the results may not be accurate — and certainly won’t meet the standards set by the FDA for medical-grade devices performing a similar function.
Smart Reply in Gboard
Smart Reply is based on Gboard’s improved proofreading tools, and using Google’s generative AI, it will create higher-quality, more natural responses to messages on the Pixel 8 Pro. It will arrive in a software update in December, but it’s unclear when — or if — it will be available on other Pixel devices.
video boost and night vision video
Video Boost and Night Sight Video are two features that use the Tensor G3 processor and Google’s data centers to improve your videos. After the video is shot, it is uploaded to the cloud, where adjustments are made to colors, lighting, quality, and stabilization to create a new version of the video. This way both Video Boost and Night Sight Videos will work. Google says these features are coming in a software update coming in December.
Relevant answers for call screen
Google showed how you’ll be able to use the Google Assistant to answer incoming calls without talking to the caller. It used the example of confirming a doctor’s appointment over the phone, where a few button taps prompt relevant responses from Google, all without speaking to the caller in person. The feature will be coming to the Pixel Watch and Pixel Watch 2 later this year and will require the device to be connected to a Tensor-equipped Pixel phone to operate.
assistant with bard
Described as an experiment, Google is bringing together its popular Assistant and its Bard Generator AI to speed up tasks. For example, it can create a grocery list after giving you a brief overview of what you need, and the list can then be exported to a document and emailed to others, all in less than a minute. Can be done in less time. The Assistant with Bard will also gather information from photos and can even be used to generate social media posts based on the image viewed. Assistant with Bard is currently only available to select testers, but will also be available on Pixel 8 phones in the future.
Updated Magic Eraser
The Magic Eraser tool is getting better at removing large objects from photos without ruining the background, instead creating all-new pixels to intelligently fill the gaps left behind. This updated version of Magic Eraser will at first be a Pixel 8 Pro-only feature in Google Photos and will be available at launch, but it won’t be on the Pixel 8 or other Pixel devices. This may change in the future.
fitbit labs
The Pixel Watch 2 uses Fitbit’s apps for health and fitness tracking. As part of the presentation, it was revealed that Google’s Generative AI will be used in it to help better understand your performance and lifestyle. For example, it will analyze performance and how it compares to your previous efforts, then put forward information about why trends may have changed. It will also create charts to show this information in a quick, visual form. This feature will be part of Fitbit Labs, and it’s coming to select testers next year. Those who own a Pixel phone will also get priority access to the testing program.
recorder summary
Google’s Recorder app will create brief summaries repeating recorded highlights using generic AI on the device, but only when used on the Pixel 8 Pro. The feature will come in the December software update, and it’s not known if it will ever come to other Pixel devices.
US English only
Although this isn’t a feature, it’s worth noting that various voice-controlled features announced during the Pixel event will only be available in US English, including Summary, where the Assistant gathers together key points from webpages, And updated version of Call Screen. This is not unusual, and Google will work on support for other languages. But even when some of the features mentioned above arrive, they may not work properly in languages or regions other than English in the US.
