INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Although the Pixel 4 and 4 XL only launched a little over a month ago, Google has today announced a number of new features are coming to the
Android flagships, with “the first Pixel feature drop” of many set to roll out this month.The new update will arrive on Pixel 4 handsets
in the coming weeks and includes three main features: the ability to add background blur to photos after you’ve taken them, robocall
screening and improved Duo video calling.Fix it in postAs mentioned, the update allows you to select any picture stored in the Google Photos
app and dial in a variable amount of portrait-style background bokeh to your shot, essentially highlighting your subject by enhancing the
photo’s depth of field.For some photos, the ability to add this blur will show up as a suggested action when opening the picture, but you
can manually access it on any photo by heading to ‘edit’ then bumping up the ‘blur’ slider in the ‘levels’ tab.The robocall
screening feature is only available in the US to begin with, and it works by screening any unknown number before it even has a chance to
If a robocaller is detected, the call will be automatically declined, but if it’s a real person, your phone will “ring a few moments
later with helpful context about who is calling and why”.Video calls made with Google Duo will have a few new nifty features as well
Auto-framing will automatically detect your face and keep it centered when on a call, and if it detects someone else joining the shot, it
will widen the frame to fit them in.Improvements to audio and video quality during Duo calls have also been made, with machine learning used
to predict audio in the event of a dropout, as well as compatibility for the Pixel 4’s 90Hz Smooth Display.The list keeps goingSome other
updates mentioned include improved Maps accuracy for the Pixel 4, background blurring in Duo calls for Pixel 2, 3, and 4 devices,
improvements and additions to the Digital Wellbeing service, and better memory management for all Pixel phones.Slipped in towards the end of
the blog post is news that the Pixel 4 range will also be receiving the recently updated Google Assistant, although it’s currently only
available in English and in the UK, Australia, Canada, Singapore, and Ireland. In the blog post, it’s mentioned that the Pixel phones
have always received monthly updates for performance and security, but now “feature drops will bring more helpful and fun features to
users on a regular basis”, so it sound like Pixel owners can expect more to come in future.
