Pixel June feature drop update adds a music maker and much more (Updated)

Update: June 20, 2022 (5:10 AM ET): It turns out that the June 2022 Pixel feature drop had another surprise in tow. The new update brings VoLTE roaming support to devices from the Pixel 3a series to the Pixel 6 range, according to a Google support page spotted by 9to5Google.

The addition comes a while after US carriers announced that they were phasing out their 3G networks, meaning that devices without VoLTE or VoLTE roaming won’t be able to make or receive calls (including making 911 calls).

“In June 2022, Google released a software update that enabled VoLTE roaming for many US and global carriers. This allows many Pixel devices to roam in the US with VoLTE, if your carrier supports VoLTE roaming,” Google explained on its support page.

Original article: June 6, 2022 (3:18 PM ET): Google just dropped a huge new update for its in-house Pixel smartphones. It’s the June 2022 Pixel feature drop update. Pixel phones will get some new apps and features as the update begins rolling out today.

Here’s an overview of what’s included in the Pixel June feature drop.

Make music with your videos with Pocket Operator

A new app called Pocket Operator was announced for owners of Pixel 5 smartphones and above. After you shoot or upload a video on your Pixel phone, you can open Pocket Operator to turn the sounds of that video into music. You can also add new filters and layers to the video to make it look cool and different. The app is now available to download on the Play Store.

Put your digital vaccination card on your Pixel home screen

If you live in Australia, Canada, or the United States, and you have a digital COVID-19 vaccination card, Pixel owners can now take a screenshot of the card and place it on their home screen. This will enable them to easily bring it up at any time without having to worry about losing a card in a bulky wallet.

Pixel adds Nest Doorbell lock screen support and more

The June 2022 Pixel feature drop also throws in some new At A Glance features. One allows owners of Nest Doorbell devices to watch live video streams from the doorbell on the lock screen. If you left your phone’s flashlight on, you will also get a reminder on the screen with this update. Finally, a future update will throw in notifications for any air quality alerts that might be in your area if you live in the US, Australia, or India.

More June 2022 Pixel feature drop info

• The Sound Amplifier app for Pixel 3 and above smartphones has added support for Conversation Mode. This is for people with hearing loss. Using the phone’s camera, they can use the app to amplify sounds that they want to hear — such as a person’s voice — and put sounds they don’t want to hear in the background.
• Real Tone Filters are now available to access in Google Photos for better skin tone images on people.
• Car Crash Detection is now available in Canada for Pixel 3 and above (except Pixel 3a).
• Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro chat translation in messages is now supported for Traditional Chinese, Dutch, Korean, Thai, and Turkish languages.
• Finally, you can download three new Pride Month wallpapers in the Pixel Curated Culture collection.