Skip to main content

There’s a problem with these 10 Google Pixel 8 features

Google Pixel 8 in blue and white.
Andrew Martonik / Digital Trends

Google talked about a lot of products and new software features during its Pixel 8 launch event, and it was easy to get overwhelmed by all the excitement. It was also easy to miss that quite a few of the features aren’t going to be available when the Google Pixel 8, Google Pixel 8 Pro, and Google Pixel Watch 2 go on sale.

It’s a bit of a trend in 2023 — Apple just did the same with Double Tap on the Apple Watch Series 9 — and a frustrating one, especially if a particular feature really caught your attention. In the case of the Pixel 8 lineup, there are 10 new features that look promising, but are all tarnished by delayed availability.

Recommended Videos

To make sure you are fully informed about what’s coming soon rather than available now, here’s our breakdown of what’s not going to be on your new Pixel device when you buy it.

Magic Editor

Google’s image-editing tool is so powerful that it can change the entire look of your photo, from the framing to the weather conditions. It was originally revealed during Google I/O earlier this year. During the Pixel event, it appeared as if Magic Editor would be immediately available on the Pixel 8 series, but the small print at the end of the presentation states that Magic Editor is “coming soon.” This is also printed as a disclaimer in the advertisement for the feature. We’ll know the status of Magic Editor when we use the Pixel 8 devices more.

Zoom Enhance

Demonstration of Google's new Zoom Enhance feature.
Google

Google will use a custom generative AI image model to increase the quality of zoomed-in photos after they have been taken. When you pinch to zoom in on an image, Zoom Enhance will intelligently sharpen the scene, increasing quality even if you didn’t zoom in when you took the photo. It’s a Pixel 8 Pro-only feature, but you’ll have to wait until a software update in December to try it out.

Skin temperature reading

Close-up view of the camera on the Google Pixel 8 Pro.
Joe Maring / Digital Trends

The Pixel 8 Pro has a temperature sensor on the back, and while it will be able to measure the temperature of objects, it will not accurately read skin temperature at launch. Google says it has applied to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for approval to measure skin temperature with a special Thermometer app and send it data to the Fitbit app, but approval has not been given yet.

FDA approval takes time, and in some previous cases, it has taken longer than a year for a wearable device to pass through the FDA’s tough tests. For now, even if the sensor does take skin temperature, the results may not be accurate — and certainly won’t meet the standards the FDA puts in place for medical-grade devices doing the same job.

Smart Reply in Gboard

Gboard on the Samsung Galaxy S21.
Digital Trends

Smart Reply builds on Gboard’s improved proofreading tools, and by using Google’s generative AI, it will create higher-quality, more natural responses to messages on the Pixel 8 Pro. This will arrive in a software update in December, but it’s not clear when — or if — it will be available on other Pixel devices.

Video Boost and Night Sight Video

Google showing the Video Boost feature during its October 2023 Pixel event.
Digital Trends

Video Boost and Night Sight Video are two features that use the Tensor G3 processor and Google’s data centers to enhance your videos. After shooting a video, it’s uploaded to the cloud, where adjustments are made to the color, lighting, quality, and stabilization to create a new version of the video. This is how both Video Boost and Night Sight Video will operate. Google states these features are coming in a software update due in December.

Contextual Replies for Call Screen

Contextual replies for Google's Call Screen feature.
Google

Google showed off how you’ll be able to use Google Assistant to reply to incoming calls without actually speaking to the caller. It used the example of confirming a doctor’s appointment over the phone, where a few button taps prompt Google’s contextual responses, all without personally speaking to the caller. The feature will come to the Pixel Watch and Pixel Watch 2 later this year, and it requires the device to be connected to a Tensor-equipped Pixel phone to operate.

Assistant with Bard

Google announcing the Assistant with Bard feature.
Joe Maring / Digital Trends

Described as an experiment, Google is bringing together its popular Assistant and its Bard generative AI to speed up tasks. For example, it can create a grocery list after being given a short overview of what you need, and the list can then be exported to a document and emailed to others, all in less than a minute. Assistant with Bard will also gather information from photos and can even be used to generate social media posts based on the image it sees. Assistant with Bard is only available to select testers at the moment, but will be available on Pixel 8 phones in the future.

Updated Magic Eraser

Erasing items in Magic Eraser.
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

The Magic Eraser tool is getting better at removing larger objects from photos without smudging the background by instead creatingall new pixels to intelligently fill in the gaps left behind. This updated version of Magic Eraser will be a Pixel 8 Pro-only feature in Google Photos at first and will be available at launch, but it won’t be on the Pixel 8 or other Pixel devices. This may change in the future.

Fitbit Labs

Google showing how the Fitbit app will use AI in the future.
Digital Trends

The Pixel Watch 2 uses Fitbit’s app for health and fitness tracking. As part of the presentation, it was revealed that Google’s generative AI will be put to use in it to help better understand your performance and lifestyle. For example, it will analyze performance and how it compares to your previous efforts, then put forward information on why trends may change. It will also produce charts to show this information in a quick, visual form. This feature will be part of Fitbit Labs, and it’s coming next year to select testers. Those who own a Pixel phone will get priority access to the testing program too.

Recorder Summarize

The Voice Recorder app running on the Google Pixel 7 Pro.
Voice Recorder Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Google’s Recorder app will use generative AI on-device to generate short summaries recapping the highlights of what was recorded, but only when it’s used on a Pixel 8 Pro. This feature will arrive in the December software update, and it’s not known if it will ever arrive on other Pixel devices.

U.S. English only

Made by Google logo at an event venue.
Andrew Martonik / Digital Trends

Although not a feature, it’s worth noting that various voice-controlled features announced during the Pixel event will be available in U.S. English only, including Summarize, where Assistant gathers key points from webpages together, and the updated version of Call Screen. This isn’t unusual, and Google will be working on support for other languages. But even when some of the above features do arrive, they may not operate properly in languages or regions other than English in the U.S..

Andy Boxall
Andy is a Senior Writer at Digital Trends, where he concentrates on mobile technology, a subject he has written about for…
I did an iPhone 16 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro camera test. It’s not even close
Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max in Desert Titanium (left) and a Rose Quartz Google Pixel 9 Pro.

We’re at the tail end of the year, which means that pretty much all the flagship smartphones have now been released. This includes Google’s Pixel 9 Pro and Apple’s iPhone 16 Pro.

Both of these Pro flagships have beautiful designs, powerful processors, and great triple-lens camera systems. But which one takes better photos? Let’s find out.
iPhone 16 Pro vs. Google Pixel 9 Pro: camera specs

Read more
Why the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is this year’s Pixel phone to buy
The Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold, Pixel 9 Pro, and Pixel 9's screens.

We're nearing the end of 2024, and it's apparent that this year has been phenomenal for Google's Pixel family. Google made so many right decisions this year, with the Google Pixel 9 lineup being its strongest one yet.

I’ve used all but one of the latest Google Pixel 9 phones, and I’m now in the position to tell you which one stands out to me as the one to buy and why it doesn’t matter that I haven’t used the fourth model.
Which Pixel 9 phones have I used?
Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold (top), Pixel 9 Pro, and Pixel 9 Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Read more
The Google Pixel 9a just leaked. Here’s a look at its new design
Pixel 9a 5K render.

Google just released the Pixel 9 line in August, but that doesn’t mean it’s done with the Pixel 9 series. A report from Android Headlines and OnLeaks shows us some high-resolution renders of what the Pixel 9a will look like. It is expected to launch in 2025, around the time of Google I/O. in the spring

However, unlike previous A-series Pixel devices, the Pixel 9a doesn’t follow the design of the main Pixel 9 series. This year, Google significantly redesigned the Pixel 9 line in terms of the camera bar, changing it to a pill-shaped camera island instead of extending into the phone’s frame.

Read more