In the past few days, I came across a very interesting opinion on the major feature updates for Google Pixel, which I really wanted to check for facts. Namely, one user complained that a pixel feature drop is a nice touch, but only as an American user. According to the comment on Reddit, too many of the functions and innovations are tied to the USA.
There was a lot of approval for this. But is that true, is Google still focusing too much on the American market? The fact is that new functions, especially if they are smart, initially only work in English. Google still doesn’t seem to be really trying to offer a new feature directly for several languages. Support for German, Spanish, etc. always comes later.
But these are rare exceptions.
Analysis shows: Pixel Feature Drop is interesting for many international users
For the last Pixel Feature Drop, Google dug deep into the box and announced some innovations. Of these, only a few are probably really limited to the US market. All of the following innovations should also be offered in Germany or have been expanded beyond the USA.
- Night vision mode for Snapchat.
- Live subtitles for calls including read-aloud function.
- Text stickers in Gboard.
- Live translator on Pixel 6 with more languages.
- Battery widget in Pixel Launcher.
- Rekorder can now speak Italian and Spanish.
- Direct commands in Assistant now work in Spanish, Italian, and French.
- New wallpapers.
- Battery indicator for connected devices in live view.
However, it is correct that, for example, Direct my Call and Wait Times are still purely US functions and are therefore not available from us or in other languages. However, these are just two of more than ten new or improved features from the March Pixel Feature Drop. A good rate I think.
It looked the same three months ago. Google brought car crash detection to more countries, as well as the recorder app. The better Now Playing was immediately available worldwide, as was the Digital Car Key, the new Snapchat features and the innovations for the Pixel Buds A Series.
New smart features: Waiting times are sometimes very long
There are always some features that launch in the US first or are long gone internationally. But Google has improved a lot and mostly serves all international Pixel customers equally well. Nevertheless, the impression is correct that some really cool features are a long time coming if you don’t live in the USA. Call screening, for example, or support for additional languages in Google Recorder.