From urgent calls to scam detection, here is what Google is bringing to all Androids

Google is rolling out Android 16’s second major update for the year, giving Pixel users a reason to cheer early. While the rest of the Android phone ecosystem has to wait for their OEM to announce and roll out updates, Google also has some new features in store for everyone. Here are the new features Google is bringing to all Android phones!

One of the biggest new features coming to the broader Android ecosystem is the new Call Reason feature in Google’s Phone app. We previously spotted the Call Reason feature last month, and much like we anticipated, Google’s Phone app will let you mark your calls as “urgent,” notifying your contacts that they should pick up the call. Saved contacts will see this “urgent” notification on their incoming call screen and know that the call is time-sensitive.

If the user misses the call, the “urgent” note will remain in their call history, allowing them to respond quickly when they check their phone. Google says this beta feature is coming soon.

Here are the other features that are coming to all Android phones:

• Check for scams with Circle to Search: Users can now use Circle to Search on content that they suspect is a scam. This will bring up a helpful AI Overview that will help you figure out if the content is likely a scam. The AI Overview will provide relevant guidance and suggested next steps, making it easier to screen suspicious messages without needing to switch apps.

• Emoji Kitchen stickers: Emoji Kitchen got sticker combos in September, and now, Google is expanding the combinations you can make with more festive options.
• Pinned tabs in Chrome: Chrome Canary introduced the pinned tabs feature last month, and it is now being rolled out to the stable release channel. Pinned pages stay saved at the front of your browser, now even on Android.

• Leave and report group chats in Google Messages: If an unknown number now invites you to a group, you will receive an alert that displays key information about the group and provides tips to stay safe. Users get one-tap options to leave the chat, block the number, and report it as spam.

• Expressive Captions with emotion tags: Google is now adding [joyful] and [sad] tags to Android Live Captions’ Expressive Captions, letting people get the full context of what’s being said in a video message, livestream, or story on social media, even when the sound is off.

In addition to this, there are plenty of accessibility upgrades coming along:

• Expressive Captions are coming to YouTube: Some capabilities of Expressive Captions are coming to YouTube across all devices. Videos in English uploaded after mid-October will showcase a more immersive caption experience.
• Fast Pair for hearing aids: As we spotted earlier in the year, Fast Pair is now available on Demant hearing aids, and Google plans to expand compatibility to Starkey hearing technology in early 2026. With just a tap, you can easily connect your Bluetooth LE Audio-enabled hearing aids directly to your compatible Android device.

• Guided Frame with Gemini: Guided Frame now offers a more descriptive view of what’s in the camera’s field of view in the Pixel camera app, thanks to now being powered by Gemini models.
• Using voice dictation more easily with TalkBack: When using TalkBack with Gboard, you will soon be able to start voice dictation with a two-finger double-tap. On Pixel phones, Smart Dictation with Gemini will let you type and edit your text using natural commands, such as “make it shorter.”
• Easier clicking: If you’re using a connected mouse with your Android device, you can set a custom amount of time for the cursor to pause on something before it automatically performs a click for you with AutoClick, reducing physical strain.
• Voice Access updates: Once enabled, users can launch Voice Access directly with Gemini by saying, “Hey Google, start Voice Access.” From there, they can control their phone entirely hands-free, and even turn Wi-Fi or Bluetooth on and off. Voice Access is now also better at understanding voice typing commands, including punctuation, as well as automatically recognizing different accents and speech patterns. Voice Access is now also available in Japanese.

As you can figure out by now, these are smaller yet meaningful updates sprinkled across Google apps that help elevate the cohesive Android experience. Which is your favorite new feature? Let us know in the comments below!