{"id":237026,"date":"2026-01-16T22:20:14","date_gmt":"2026-01-16T22:20:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/237026\/"},"modified":"2026-01-16T22:20:14","modified_gmt":"2026-01-16T22:20:14","slug":"googles-next-pixel-update-safely-leaves-android-phones-behind","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/237026\/","title":{"rendered":"Google\u2019s Next Pixel Update Safely Leaves Android Phones Behind"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Google<\/p>\n

Coming to your Pixel soon.<\/p>\n

Getty Images<\/p>\n

Google versus Samsung<\/a> is becoming becoming more of a thing, The Android-maker\u2019s Pixel phones are first to everything, as Samsung seems to struggle to keep up with new versions of the Android OS, Play System updates<\/a> and even monthly security fixes. And now Pixel is about to take on Samsung in another area, per the latest Android leak.<\/p>\n

Android Authoritty<\/a> reports that \u201cGoogle is working on a feature for the Pixel Watch that alerts you when your phone is left behind.\u201d Not only that, but critically \u201cthe feature will also automatically lock the connected Android device when it\u2019s left behind.\u201d<\/p>\n

ForbesGrok Has Taken Over Elon Musk\u2019s X\u2014One Click Stops ItBy Zak Doffman<\/a><\/p>\n

This is really a game of catch-up, given that Apple Watch already warns you if you leave your other Apple devices behind<\/a> and Galaxy Watch<\/a> does the same for Samsung phones. But the add-on to lock devices separated from their owner\u2019s watch is a major plus point, especially as the smartphone theft pandemic plagues users worldwide.<\/p>\n

This leak follows earlier reports<\/a> that automatic phone locking was coming to Pixel. But now it seems imminent. \u201cBased on newer strings discovered, you should be able to disable the alerts on your Pixel Watch, especially when you\u2019re in a trusted location, such as your home. Additionally, the alerts will go off and automatically lock the phone when you turn on Airplane Mode on the phone, thereby turning off Bluetooth.\u201d<\/p>\n

ForbesDisconnect From All These Mobile Networks, Google WarnsBy Zak Doffman<\/a><\/p>\n

As ever with pre-release code discovered in an APK teardown, there are no guarantees. But it\u2019s logical to assume this really is coming to Pixel given today\u2019s Apple and Samsung functionality. And it can\u2019t come soon enough.<\/p>\n

But for now, this is one area where Samsung has still the edge over its Android rival. With Pixel on a growth tear \u2014 albeit from a low base, the hidden tension between the two brands looks set to intensify in 2026. The oddity of Samsung relying on an OS from one of its main rivals, a rival first to latest upgrades, will get ever more awkward.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Coming to your Pixel soon. Getty Images Google versus Samsung is becoming becoming more of a thing, The…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":237027,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[99509,111,139,69,54485,54487,2499,23722,54486,2496,145],"class_list":["post-237026","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-technology","tag-iphone-vs-android","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-pixel-10-upgrade","tag-pixel-security","tag-pixel-update","tag-pixel-vs-iphone","tag-pixel-vs-samsung","tag-pixel-warning","tag-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/237026","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=237026"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/237026\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/237027"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=237026"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=237026"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=237026"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}