Android 15 is coming to Pixel devices today. The October Pixel drop brings new features alongside Android 15, including enhanced low-light photography within Instagram and underwater photography and video support.
Android 15 updates
Android 15 features a private space to hide and lock apps behind another PIN or biometric lock — a feature similar to the one found in iOS 18's hide and lock app feature.

Also, this new software update offers theft protection in the form of additional authentication upon the SIM card removal or when attempting to turn off the Find My Device. If some one fails to change sensitive settings several times by repeatedly trying to guess your password or your PIN, it will lock down the device.

Android 15 introduces the task bar, which allows for pinned apps and app pairs for split screens on foldable and tablets. Another added feature is single-tap login for saved passkeys and satellite messaging in case the user has no network or Wi-Fi.

October Pixel drop
The October Pixel drop brings low-light photography improvements directly to Instagram for all devices starting with Pixel 6 in the pipeline, except for the Pixel A series.

Google gave the Pixel 8 series an Audio Magic Eraser feature; it allows users to turn off the volume of some sounds. It also allows the users of the new Pixel drop to turn the volume of different sources up and down. Plus, users can even turn the volume of various people in the video up and down.

Additionally, through theft protection, the company is introducing measures such as automatically locking your phone if it has been snatched from you. According to Google, AI is being used in detecting motion when a snatcher is running off, cycling off, or even drives off with your phone.
The company is further stretching features such as theft-detecting locks to all devices running on Android 10 and above.

All Pixel devices from Pixel 6 and later will receive widget recommendations; the updated new Pixel weather app; pollen data tracking in France, Germany, Italy, and the U.K.; call screening in the U.K. and Japan; Gemini Live support for audio AI conversations in France, Germany, Brazil, India, Spain, and Latin America; and access to Astrophotography mode with a slide button on Night Sight mode.

With the October Pixel Drop, Pixel 9 series users can use a waterproof case to record underwater videos and snap pictures while snorkeling or swimming. The company said it was updating the camera app to represent better colors when shooting underwater. Also, the Pixel 9 gets support for Gemini Extension for Pixel screenshots: you can now call upon Gemini to find something in your library of screenshots.

Ecosystem updates
Adding support for this feature in the coming months will be the ability to converse with Gemini without pulling out your phone, should you be sporting the Pixel Buds Pro 2, Pixel Buds Pro, Pixel Buds A-Series, or even the original Pixel Buds.
Screensavers with home controls as well as the function for screensavers with clocks are being added, along with the ability on the photo frame screensaver on the Pixel tablet to share, favorite, or archive photos. In the coming weeks, it will also roll out the ability to transfer media — like a Spotify track or a YouTube video — seamlessly to a Pixel tablet from the Pixel 6 Pro, the Pixel 7 Pro, the Pixel Fold, the Pixel 8 Pro, the Pixel 9 Pro, the Pixel 9 Pro XL, and the Pixel 9 Pro Fold.

Moreover, Google is launching emoji reactions to email and a redesigned contact app with easier access to favorite contacts on all pixel watches.