Material 3 Expressive came to Pixels earlier this year but not as part of the first Android 16 upgrade—Google’s relationship with Android versions is complicated these days. Regardless, Material 3 will be a bit more consistent across pixels after this update. Google will now automatically apply the Material theme to all icons on your device, replacing the old colored icons with theme-friendly versions. Similarly, dark mode will be supported in more apps, even if developers haven’t added support. Google is also adding some more icon size options if you want to spruce up your home screen.
Through functional changes, Google has added a more intuitive way to manage parental controls – you can use Manage Devices directly. Parents will be able to set a PIN code to access features like screen time, app usage, etc. without having to own a separate device. If you want more options or control, new on-device settings will also help you configure Google Family Link.
android for all
No pixels? No problem. Google has also rolled out a collection of app and system updates that will roll out to all supported Android devices starting today.
Chrome for Android is getting an update with tab pinning, mirroring a feature that’s been in the desktop version for ages. The Google Messages app is also taking care of some potential issues. When you’re invited to a group chat from a new number, the app will display group information and a one-tap option to leave and report the chat as spam.
Google’s official dialer app comes on Pixels, but it’s also in the Play Store for anyone to download. If you and your contacts use Google Dialer, you’ll soon be able to make calls with a “reason.” You can mark a call as “Urgent” to indicate to the recipient that they should not send you a voicemail. The urgent label will also remain in the call history in case they miss the call.
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