5 Cool New Features Your Google Pixel Is Getting In November 2026

The November Pixel Drop is officially here, bringing with it lots of features for Pixel owners to start taking advantage of immediately. One of the biggest additions is the expansion of Google’s Gemini Intelligence to last year’s Pixel lineup, which first arrived on the Pixel 11 earlier this year.

This is huge for anyone that’s been sitting on their Pixel 10 and avoiding upgrading to the Pixel 11, as it finally closes the distance between the two devices. While it made some notable changes to the design — such as the HiLight system — ultimately, Google played it safe with the Pixel 11, with most of the big changes coming in the form of software that older Pixel devices were left waiting for.

Well, the time to close that gap has arrived, and Gemini Intelligence is far from the only addition that Google is making with the November Pixel Drop. In fact, you can take advantage of several new functions and features, including updates to HiLight on the Pixel 11, new changes to the Pixel’s Call Screen feature, and even custom icon styles to help make your device more personalized. The update is rolling out over the next several weeks. Once you get it, here are five things you should check out.

Google is starting off November’s Pixel Drop by giving the Pixel 11 a substantial upgrade for Call Screen. The spam filtering feature has been one of the mainstays of Pixel devices for years, but soon it’ll respond to users in a much more conversational way.

This should make interactions with Call Screen for users on the other side of the call much more natural, and Google says that you’ll continue to see a live transcript of the entire conversation and even be able to change up what Gemini is saying if you decide you want to call someone back later or report the call as spam.

It looks like this feature is only coming to the Pixel 11, at least for now, with Google noting that the Pixel Watch 4 and Pixel Watch 5 will also get the upgraded conversational Call Screen. Exactly when it’ll arrive on other Pixel devices — if at all — is unknown at the moment. It’ll also still only work on a phone with a U.S. SIM card and language set to English, so Pixel users outside the U.S. will need to wait to get their hands on it, too.

If you love customizing your device, then this Pixel Drop is going to be huge, as Google is finally giving more customization to the Pixel with the introduction of new custom icon styles. The company first introduced custom icons to its Pixel launcher in March. 

The feature launched with just five styles to choose from. Then, your phone’s AI would generate an icon set based on the style that you selected instead of forcing you to rely on third-party icon packs, which can often be missing icons for different apps depending on how popular they are.

Now, the company is upgrading the number of styles available, though it hasn’t said exactly how many styles it’s adding. Back in May, Pixels received the first additional style, called Disco, and now it’s expanding with new styles, which will be available on the Pixel 6a and newer. So, once the update drops, you can customize your phone even more.

Another change that Google is making with this Pixel Drop is an upgrade to Pixel Search. The functionality will now be able to pull up results from inside your apps instead of just finding the apps themselves. This is a huge upgrade, and should hopefully make Pixel Search feel even more like Spotlight on Apple products.

Google says users will be able to search for anything from vacation photos and recent emails to messages, calendar events, and even their device settings. You can also control how much of your email inbox shows up in results, so if you want to focus specifically on other app content or just the apps themselves, that option is still there.

If you want to take full advantage of the functionality, you’ll be able to do so once the update reaches your device. Sadly, there’s no guaranteed rollout timeline for the feature, though Google says Pixel 6a and newer devices should receive it over the next several weeks.

The HiLight system is one of the biggest design changes that Google made with the Pixel 11, and it appears to be doubling down on this functionality with the November Pixel Drop. Up until now, the LED on the back of the phone would only glow when Gemini was thinking and responding to you, or when one of your favorite contacts called you through supported apps. However, Google is officially adding support for Google Messages to HiLight, which means you can now keep track of incoming messages even when you have your phone on silent and turned facedown.

We first saw evidence of the addition of Messages on HiLight back in October, when users spotted it in the Android 17 QPR2 beta. However, before now we weren’t sure exactly when the feature would arrive on Pixel devices.

Now, it looks like the feature is rolling out to Pixel 11 devices with the HiLight notification system, and you can even customize the colors that show up for each of your favorite contacts in the Contacts app.

Of course, the biggest part of this month’s Pixel Drop is the arrival of Gemini Intelligence on last year’s devices. The Pixel 10, Pixel 10 Pro, Pixel 10 Pro XL, and Pixel 10 Pro Fold will all finally receive the features that helped make the Pixel 11 worth upgrading to if you love Google’s AI capabilities. One of the first features that Pixel 10 owners will probably notice and want to take advantage of is Rambler. This updated voice-to-text system can help filter out filler words like “um” when dictating text, which is great if you prefer to chat with others through your voice instead of by typing.

Gemini will also be able to handle more multi-step tasks across your applications, including things such as finding a ride, booking a reservation at a restaurant, or even ordering your dinner. Android Auto will also be getting an upgrade with more “proactive” suggestions, which are meant to help you get to the locations you need to reach based on the conversations you’ve had with others. Theoretically, it should be noticeably easier to look up that dinner spot you’re supposed to meet the boys at next Wednesday.

Another big addition is Google’s Create My Widget functionality, which will let you use AI to create personalized widgets directly on your device. You can use it to make specific widgets you might struggle to find otherwise, or just to add a little more customized flair to your home screen. The Pixel Watch is also set to receive many of these updates, though, of course, some will take longer to roll out than others.