If you have an older pixel phone and you've been wondering when the newest Pixel features will finally arrive, I have… news! It might be this week, but probably not. There is no rhyme or reason to Google Pixel Feature Drop, and confusion over features like the search circle portends deeper problems. Google pledged to support its latest Pixel 8 phones for a long time, and this debacle makes me doubt Google will deliver.
It's not actually Pixel Feature Drop, not yet. I have issues with Google's erratic 'Feature Drop' model, but the biggest thing Google did for phones this year was its promise to support the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro for seven years since its launch. This is unprecedented in the world of telephony. Apple backs its iPhone models for five years and offered the longest support until Google stepped up.
Of course, Apple has been supporting five-year-old phones for more than a decade, while this promise of longevity is new for Android makers like Google and Samsung. Apple has a proven track record. Until the Pixel 8 receives its final OS update in 2031 and the Galaxy S24 in 2032, we won't know if Google and Samsung can actually deliver on the seven-year promise, or what that delivery will look like.
If Google wants to beat the best, it has to be the best
In the meantime, I'm watching for Google to follow Apple's lead. Apple has reliably updated its phones every year, so if Google wants to match or surpass Apple's promise, it will need to match its practices.
He iPhone XR 2018 recently received the latest IOS 17.4 update. It also got iOS 17, iOS 16, and iOS 15 on the day those operating systems were offered. There are no delays for older iPhone models. It's obvious that Apple's diligence in keeping its phones updated provides a clear path to that final update in the future. I am sure that my iPhone 11 will get iOS 18 this year because it received all the iOS updates and all the new iOS features, just in time.
Google is asking me to have the same confidence in Pixel phones and it's not an easy question. So far, things have been going well with the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro. Google's biggest software addition last year, the new circle to search functionality, was added to those phones from day one. Of course, the new search feature was inexplicably launched on the Samsung Galaxy S24, but it appeared on the latest Pixel phones at the same time. No harm, no foul, Pixel 8 fans.
Google said it would bring circle search to older Pixel devices, and the rollout has been strange. This week in the Pixel Feature Drop, the new feature was added to the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro. The Pixel 7a and Pixel Fold, both phones newer than the Pixel 7, have not been updated with the new feature. Because?! All of these phones use the same Google Tensor G2 chipset. The Pixel 7a is a budget phone, but it still has 8GB of RAM, just like the Pixel 7.
Why not bring the feature to all of these phones at the same time? The only reason I can imagine is that Google didn't think it was worth devoting developer resources. Google has a limited number of developers and a limited number of people working on older phones. They focused on the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro first. Other phones will arrive later.
This makes sense for a small company, but Google has more than 180,000 employees. This smacks of laziness or a limited view of Google's Pixel team. Google seems to be abandoning its customers without rhyme or reason. Thank you for spending $1500 on the Pixel Fold! Maybe it will eventually get the same features as this Pixel 7 you could have bought for $400.
It's hard to recommend a phone that Google doesn't update
This doesn't happen with Apple, a company that stands behind its phones for the long term. Apple isn't leaving its older phones behind or leaving its biggest buyers wondering when cool new features will arrive. If you have a iPhone 12or a iPhone 13 minior a iPhone 15 Pro Maxyou got the new NameDrop feature the same day as everyone else.
In this way, Apple simply treats its owners better. It is easier to recommend the best iPhone today because I know from Apple's history how it will treat iPhone owners. I'm not so sure about Google.
The Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro are great phones and I would have no problem recommending them, but that doesn't mean I WON'T have problems. Will you be mad at me when Google offers a cool new AI feature for Pixel 9 owners but doesn't offer older phones any features or explanations? I asked Google why the Pixel 7a was left out of the search circle and they said they had nothing to share.
I've been recommending the Pixel 7a as a great budget phone option, but now I'm wondering if Google cares about that phone as much as I do. I can't recommend it if Google is going to leave it in feature limbo for the rest of its lifespan, for no apparent reason.
For me, the line in the sand is Google's seven-year promise, and that started with the Pixel 8, so that's the phone I hold to a higher standard. Starting with this phone, including a possible Pixel 8a that could arrive soon, I hope Google treats its phones equally and their owners with respect and clarity. If Google is going to change the game, making promises that surpass Apple, it needs to show us that it's ready to play.
