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Tom's Guide
a day ago
- Tom's Guide
I can't believe Google is making such a big deal out of Pixel VIPs — it's the most disappointing new feature in years
Pixel VIPs is a new feature that's part of Android 16, and if you paid attention to Google's marketing and release notes,you'll know that it's being treated like a flagship addition — something that's to be desired, and that'll make owning a Pixel phone worthwhile. Now that Android 16 is here, I can tell you that this absolutely isn't the case. In fact, Pixel VIPs seems pretty darn pointless in the grand scheme of things. Of all the new features that have landed in Android 16, I don't know why Google is making such a big deal out of something that doesn't really offer anything of value. Pixel VIPs is a new feature in the Contacts app on Android 16. As the name suggests, it's exclusive to Pixel phones. You can preselect up to 8 VIPs, each of whom have their own special pages. Those pages have icons for the phone app, Google Messages, Google Meet, the Contacts app and (if you give Pixel VIPs permission) other third party apps like VIP pages also features a location option for "local updates," details on when you last spoke to each VIP, and notes and suggestions on "things to do together." It'll also remind you about their birthday, assuming you've told the app when it is. The Pixel VIPs can be accessed through Contacts, or with a special new Pixel VIPs widget — which is also technically part of the Contacts app. Really, it's kind of like the MySpace top friends list from back in the pre-Facebook era. Any readers born after 1995 should go and ask their parents or older siblings what I'm talking about. I can see what Google is trying to do here. It's a way of resurrecting that idea of having your favorite or most important people in a list and adding some practical value to it. But every time I look at, or tinker with the Pixel VIPs feature, all I can think of is "Why?" Do I need Google to suggest things I can watch with my girlfriend? Even after disclosing the kind of things she likes, those recommendations aren't particularly good. I also don't need another app to remind me when her birthday is — that's already in Google Calendar with all the other birthdays that don't belong to VIPs. She also has an iPhone, so conversing on Google Meet is never going to happen I also don't need to know what the weather is like wherever my VIPs are. I'm English. Discussing the weather is half of what we all talk about, and without it, there would be little reason to speak to anyone. I could maybe see some use in adding specific group chats to a list like this, but the fact Pixel VIPs is tied to the Contacts app means that isn't possible. The only real benefit is that these contacts are supposed to be able to bypass the Do Not Disturb setting on your phone — though as far as I can tell, there's no way to toggle this particular feature on or off for individual contacts. So if you actually want to get the benefits of Pixel VIPs for certain people, you apparently need to be willing to give them unfiltered access to your phone as well. Having a feature that lets key people contact you regardless of whether Do Not Disturb is on or not could be useful. But it feels like something that should be its own feature. Frankly, it would have been better if Google had quietly added this feature in the background, and let more important apps and updates take the center stage. Because Pixel VIPs just doesn't have headliner potential. Unfortunately, as it stands, Android 16 doesn't actually have a whole lot going for it. Maybe it's the fact the software was released so early, but it seems like all the actual upgrades are few and far between. Take the Material Expressive 3 redesign, as one example. Google announced this at I/O 2025, but confirmed that it wouldn't be arriving until much later in the year. When that might be is anyone's guess. The same is true for the Desktop windowing feature, which is set to hit "large screen devices" toward the end of the year. Similarly Live Updates, which seem to be Google's closest thing to Apple's Live Activities in the Dynamic Island doesn't seem to have a home on my Pixel 9 Pro. There's no settings menu for the feature, and I can't seem to find evidence that it's actually been added to my phone. But, assuming it has, Google said that it would be restricted to ride share and food delivery notifications at first. And that's not a particularly large number of use-cases, so it feels rather disappointing even if I know these features can't include all apps right away. So when you think about it, Google didn't have much chance not to try and hype up Pixel VIPs. Because it's not like anything more exciting was available.
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Yahoo
Google killed the classic 'Find your phone' tools, but don't worry, they're still alive
Google's Find My Device has evolved into the more capable Find Hub, but remnants of ancient phone-finding tools still exist. The still-live "Find your phone" Google Account settings page now recommends you "try calling your phone," which probably won't help anyone. All phone-finding tools have moved to the Find Hub, making the Find your phone page's continued existence redundant. Change can be great, especially when it's something like Google's Find My Device evolving into the increasingly capable Find Hub. But even when a service makes positive progress, you'll occasionally find head-scratching oversights or half-measures, and those can be confusing or downright misleading. That's the case with Google's latest step in migrating its former phone-finding controls to the new, comprehensive Find Hub. Google axed the long-standing method of finding a lost smartphone and ported the functionality over to the new app and web page, but the remnants of the old way remain. Somewhat amusingly, while the "Find your phone" settings page still exists, it now offers a single piece of advice: "try calling" it (Source: 9to5Google). You won't find the Find My Device app anymore, either — but it's only been rebranded to Find Hub. Starting in August 2021, a simple Google Search for "I lost my phone" led to a popup result directly from Google. As long as you performed the search while logged into your account, a single click would start your phone's ringer, helping you or whoever was nearby to find it easily. That convenient popup vanished, but the first result from the aforementioned search query was — and is — still a link to the Google Account settings page entitled "Find your phone," and containing a locator map and button to activate the ringer. Clicking that link, or selecting "Find a lost device" within account settings, lands you on the Find your Phone page. You'll be looking at a list of devices linked to your account. Previously, clicking on a device immediately gave you the option to ring or locate it. Lower on the page, you could lock it, call it, sign out of Google on it, erase it, or contact your carrier about it. In other words, you had real, actionable options. The left is from six years ago, and the right from today. Screenshots courtesy of Abner Li / 9to5Google Not anymore. The page and links to it still exist, but the only prominent action recommended is a real doozy. The options to lock, locate, or erase a phone have disappeared, replaced by a simplistic solution: "Try calling your phone." If that isn't funny enough, the page advises users who can't remember their number to "ask a friend" or "use Contacts to look it up." It then helpfully points out that the device "will need to have Hangouts or a similar service" installed — and Google Hangouts has been dead for going on three years. Of course, lost Android device tracking is far from extinct. To find a lost phone, tablet, or other device with Android's gadget-finding technology built in, visit the ever-improving Google Find Hub. Other than directing you to your carrier's contact information, it does everything the original Find your phone page could do. Thankfully, this is not a classic case of Google pulling the plug on a promising service. But it is slightly ironic. You ask one of the world's leaders in data harvesting, digital mapping, Bluetooth tracking, and software implementing where you last set down your high-tech mobile device. It replies, "I don't know, have somebody try calling it. Maybe your friend." When that doesn't work, the confusingly still-alive page does let you sign out of the device with one click. But a one-sentence explainer and a link to the Find Hub would have saved at least a few Android users some confusion.
Android Authority
11-06-2025
- Android Authority
Missing Android 16's Pixel VIPs widget? You're not alone
Aamir Siddiqui / Android Authority TL;DR Google's new Pixel VIPs widget launched with the release of Android 16. However, some Pixel owners report that the widget is missing. An update to the Contacts app is likely needed before the widget becomes available. We've known for a while that Google has been working on a Pixel VIPs widget. This widget is one of the many features included in June's Pixel Drop, which was released yesterday. Although the update is out, the Pixel VIPs widget is nowhere to be seen for some Pixel owners. As a refresher, the Pixel VIPs widget is a Contacts app feature that allows you to put a 4×1 widget on your homescreen. You can insert up to eight of your contacts into this widget to stay connected to the most important people in your life. What makes this feature special is that it serves as a central store of various information about those people, populating details like birthday reminders, local weather, time information, and even their location if shared. VIPs can also bypass Do Not Disturb settings. Once you update to Android 16, you should get a note from Pixel Tips explaining how the feature works. Although the explainer is there, the actual feature appears to be missing for some users. One poster on Reddit states that they updated their Pixel 9 Pro to Android 16, but can't find the widget anywhere. Another Redditor claims the same thing happened to their phone after updating to Android 16. I can also confirm that the widget is missing for my Pixel 6 Pro after the update. It's important to keep in mind that this isn't the first time something like this has happened with Google's feature drops. Occasionally, some features that are supposed to be part of the main update show up later. For example, Video Boost was a promised feature for December's Pixel Drop, but it wasn't immediately available after the update was released. It's very likely that the Contacts app needs an update before the widget becomes available. You'll also need to have the Pixel VIPs app. So we're really just waiting for Google to flip the switch. Got a tip? Talk to us! Email our staff at Email our staff at news@ . You can stay anonymous or get credit for the info, it's your choice.
Phone Arena
02-06-2025
- Business
- Phone Arena
Check out how Google plans on improving the native Google Phone app for Android
The first thing you might notice is that the name of the person who is calling you or you're calling appears larger on the top of the display (that person and his/her phone number need to be in your Contacts app) and the caller photos will also be larger. The keypad, mute, speaker, and more buttons are no longer round but are oval. When tapped, these buttons change shapes. The answer call button remains a circle. The new look for the Phone by Google Android app. | Image credit-Android Authority Google has removed the "Call from" text that appears on the top of the screen when there is an incoming phone call. After you answer a call, the phone number of the other party will remain on the display, unlike the current design that shows the number replaced by the length of the call. With the redesign, the time of the call is moved to the top of the screen. Also added is a new animation showing the profile picture for the incoming caller. The current look for the Phone by Google Android app. | Image credit-Android Authority This new look shouldn't be surprising since Google loves making changes to its native Android apps every now and then. The changes made aren't earth-shattering but users might find it easier to read the name of the person calling them with the larger-sized text being used. The larger pill-shaped end button should be easier to press when your fingers are fumbling for the red end button and you're having trouble tapping it cleanly. This is what Google is all about. Redesigns to apps that seem minor might actually improve an Android user's experience with the platform.
Android Authority
30-05-2025
- Business
- Android Authority
Pixel VIPs could be the Contacts app upgrade you didn't know you needed (APK teardown)
Aamir Siddiqui / Android Authority TL;DR Google is testing a new 'Pixel VIPs' home screen widget within the Contacts app that centralizes info from key contacts. The widget shows recent calls, messages (including WhatsApp), location data, birthdays, and allows notes for up to eight key people. The widget is still in its testing phase and may be released in a future update to Pixel devices. Google has been working on a new Pixel VIPs widget for the Google Contacts app. This widget could seemingly make it easier to view all your communication history with the people who matter the most to you. We also spotted that the feature could integrate third-party communication apps too, with WhatsApp being one of the first integrations. We now bring to you a comprehensive look at the Pixel VIPs widget and how it could work on your Pixel. Authority Insights story on Android Authority. Discover You're reading anstory on Android Authority. Discover Authority Insights for more exclusive reports, app teardowns, leaks, and in-depth tech coverage you won't find anywhere else. An APK teardown helps predict features that may arrive on a service in the future based on work-in-progress code. However, it is possible that such predicted features may not make it to a public release. Thanks to a source, we got access to the introduction video for the Pixel Besties feature from within the Pixel Tips app. Take a look at the video below: The presence of paw print icons indicates that this is a 'dogfood' build, i.e., a build used for internal testing. So it's likely that the feature will roll out to Pixel devices in an upcoming update, perhaps with Android 16 QPR1. As the introduction video showcases, Google Contacts' Pixel VIPs widget lets you see the last call and messages (including from WhatsApp), real-time location, birthday reminders, and more of up to eight contacts that you set as your VIPs. Once the feature is rolled out, you can set it up by opening the Contacts app, navigating to the Organize tab, and tapping Pixel VIPs. Here, you will be able to choose up to eight VIPs. You'll have to give permissions for the first-time setup. Once done, you can add the Pixel VIPs widget to your home screen. The Pixel VIPs widget is 4×1 in size on your home screen and will display the contacts you have selected as your VIPs. Clicking on a contact here will open a Google Contacts profile listing important details, such as their Birthday, last call and WhatsApp message, and location update. The location update also seems to include local weather and time information, which is a nice touch. There's also a section called 'Notes' that would let you add notes about the person. Further, there's also a 'Things to do together' section, although details on how it is populated are not available at the moment. Finally, there's a 'See all' button at the end. Also, don't miss the quick call, SMS, and WhatsApp shortcuts right at the header, alongside the three-dot menu button presumably for the Contacts app. The Pixel Besties widget is undoubtedly a neat touch, one that would put your most important relationships right on your phone's home screen. This first iteration already looks interesting, though I would love to see Google expand on the idea with a 'Feed' widget too, that could highlight upcoming birthdays and any timed notes, for instance. Right now, it looks like you have to manually pull up the contact card through the widget to learn this information. Surfacing this info right on the home screen would be pretty helpful and would save all of us a few clicks and the embarrassment of missing birthdays. Got a tip? Talk to us! Email our staff at Email our staff at news@ . You can stay anonymous or get credit for the info, it's your choice.
