Android 15’s final Feature Drop brings upgrades for Gemini, Gboard, and more to your Pixel

Android 16 is slated to hit its Platform Stability milestone this month, so a stable version shouldn’t be too far away. But the accelerated timeline for Google’s next major update means we’re getting one fewer Android 15-based Pixel Feature Drop — the one due out in June will likely be Android 16 itself, something Google all but confirmed to Android Police this week.

So today, with Google announcing the March 2025 Pixel Feature Drop, we’re receiving what is likely the last major update to Android 15, at least for Pixel devices. This one brings improvements to several stock apps, like Pixel Screenshots, Gboard, Gemini, and Google’s Recorder app — and it comes alongside a new Android bundle that marks the rollout of numerous features previously spotted in development.

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New ‘Modes’ for Do Not Disturb go official

Easy manual control for DND settings

After being spotted in development as Priority Modes, a new menu simply titled Modes is going live with today’s update. Google already had a fairly robust system for automatically adjusting your Pixel’s notification settings to match your environment, with “Schedules” that could kick off when you were sleeping, gaming, or had a calendar event, among others. And while that was great for setting and forgetting, it wasn’t easy to manually adjust when needed.

The new Modes feature uses many of the same principles seen in DND Schedules, but incorporates them into a Quick Settings tile for easy manual control. Options for these Modes can be accessed in the Notifications menu of your Settings app after the update.

Source: Google

Satellite messaging is now available for most people in the US

And Satellite SOS expands internationally

The entire Pixel 9 series comes with an emergency SOS feature that uses satellite connectivity to ensure you’re almost never out of range of help when you need it. As networks like Starlink continue to expand, that same space-based connectivity is being used to enable texting with friends and family when you’re outside of regular coverage areas.

T-Mobile flipped the switch on satellite texting for Pixel 9 users in beta just over a month ago. Meanwhile, Verizon enabled a similar feature for Galaxy S25 users. Now, Google says the Pixel 9 series can use satellite connectivity to text with both emergency services and friends and family alike, as long as you’re using T-Mobile or Verizon. AT&T is now the only holdout among the big three US carriers.

Satellite texting is currently only available in English and Spanish, and Pixel 9 series users on Verizon should be aware that service might not work in some areas of Alaska.

Elsewhere, emergency SOS functionality has now been enabled in Hawaii and Alaska, and outside the US in Canada, Europe, and the UK. Google notes that emergency satellite service for Pixel 9 users in these areas will be provided at no charge for two years after the device was first activated.

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Connected cameras let you stream like a pro

Turning your Pixels and GoPros into a portable television studio

With today’s update, Pixel 9 series users can connect their phones to external cameras and seamlessly switch between them while live streaming. The external cameras can either be another Pixel 9 phone or any GoPro starting with the Hero10 Black and newer.

The feature uses Bluetooth and Wi-Fi to connect the cameras and integrate them together in certain apps. At launch, the list of supported apps is fairly robust, with Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube already on board.

With a Gemini-inspired UI

After it was spotted in development in January and then activated with hidden feature flags a few weeks ago, Google is making Gboard’s new voice typing UI official with today’s update. As you can see in the screenshots below, the new UI bears a strong resemblance to the updated Gemini overlay that rolled out alongside the Galaxy S25 series.

This is one update that isn’t Pixel-specific. All Android phones and foldables should soon start seeing the new UI in the coming days and weeks.

Source: Android Authority

Multimodal Gemini comes to all supported Pixels

Plus live video and screen sharing for Advanced subscribers

It wouldn’t be a Pixel Feature Drop without AI improvements. Google is giving Gemini lots of love in this update, calling attention to the fact that its new 2.0 Flash model is now available to all — no longer as an experiment — and the fact that it enables you to speak with Gemini Live in “any combination of over 45 languages” without having to adjust any settings.

Gemini’s multimodal capabilities are also expanding beyond Google’s latest devices, rolling out to all currently-supported Pixel phones and foldables, which include the Pixel 6 and newer. Today’s update also brings Gemini Live’s new video and screen-sharing integrations after their announcement at MWC, albeit only for people who pay for Gemini Advanced.

Source: Google

Pixel Recorder can now transcribe recordings from other phones

And your Pixel Watch

The Pixel Recorder app is super simple, but it’s amazing at what it does — particularly its transcription features. With today’s update, Google’s machine learning prowess can now be tapped for recordings you made on other devices — just import an audio file from your old phone or Pixel Watch, then the app will generate a transcription as if you recorded it directly from your Pixel handset.

Pixel Screenshots suggestions want to help you build Collections

And the app finally comes to your work profile

Even if left to its own devices, the Pixel Screenshots app is useful for searching through your past screengrabs — but it gets even more handy as an organizational tool if you utilize the Collections feature to categorize screenshots by theme. To help with this, Google has added a Suggestions carousel to the top of the app’s main menu and within relevant Collections.

Today’s update has also flipped the switch on Pixel Screenshots for your work profile, but this feature is currently only available in English, German, and Japanese to start. Another odd limitation is device availability: only the Pixel 9, 9 Pro, and 9 Pro XL get this functionality for work profiles, while the Pixel 9 Pro Fold and older devices will apparently have to wait.

Pixel Studio now works with humans

Generate images and stickers with people in them

The Pixel Studio app is still only available on the Pixel 9 series, but users with Google’s latest devices will be happy to know that the tool can now generate images and stickers that feature humans. Google had been taking a cautious approach with AI-generated imagery involving people, but with this move and another spotted recently, it appears the company is ready to take the training wheels off after the fiasco it found itself in last year.

First-gen Pixel Fold adds Dual Screen camera mode

And the 9 Pro Fold gets Add Me for Dual Screen

One of the side benefits of the book-style foldable form-factor is that both sides of the device have their own screens when the phone is unfolded. This can be used in clever ways, like the Pixel 9 Pro Fold’s Dual Screen camera mode, which lets the subject of your photos and videos see what’s being recorded on the outer screen. With today’s update, this feature is now coming to Google’s first-gen Pixel Fold as well.

Even as the Pixel Fold catches up with one Dual Screen function, the newer Pixel 9 Pro Fold pushes ahead again with this Feature Drop. The 2024 foldable now supports Add Me on the outer screen, making it easier to align the shots with and without the cameraperson.

AI features expand internationally

Germany and Japan are in for a few treats

Google has a frustrating habit of approaching feature rollouts as if there were only two regions, the US and everywhere else. This split has been even more pronounced when it comes to AI features, whether that’s for legal reasons, infrastructure limitations, or an inherent US-centric bias.

Thankfully, today’s update addresses some of this disparity. Pixel Screenshots, Pixel Studio, and the Pixel Weather app’s AI reports are coming to Pixel phones in Japan and Germany. As an added bonus, the Pixel Weather app’s Pollen widget is now available in France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the UK — for once, before the feature even makes its way to the US.

Google’s other updates bring even more features, starting today

Scam Detection, location sharing in Find My Device, and more goodies for your Pixel Watch

Today’s Pixel update launches alongside an Android feature bundle — something Google has been doing alongside the last few Feature Drops to shine a spotlight on new functionality coming to the ecosystem at large. One feature that spans both the Pixel and Android sides is the official rollout of Google’s new scam protection safeguards.

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For messages and calls

One of these safeguards, coming to Pixels only, monitors phone calls for typical conversation patterns used by scammers and alerts the user accordingly. The other, which applies to all Android phones with the Google Messages app, does the same, but in text form for SMS, MMS, and RCS messages.

There’s a lot more to the Android bundle that’s worth checking out, but back on the Pixel side of things, Google is giving its smartwatches a heaping helping of updates with today’s Feature Drop. The lifesaving Loss of Pulse detection feature has gained FDA clearance ahead of a rollout at the end of this month, and new features like menstrual tracking, improved step counting, and better controls for audio playback have been added.

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Update availability

It’s rolling out now

As of this afternoon, March 4th, we’re already seeing the new Feature Drop update on multiple Pixels. This includes a model on T-Mobile, suggesting the firmware is already rolling out to users on some US carriers. Google has also uploaded the OTAs and factory images to its firmware site for Pixels.

The version clocked in at over 600MB on the devices tested, so it took a while to install. The build number for this update is BP1A.250305.020, and it includes the March 2025 Android security updates as well as the Pixel-specific patches.