Google’s Pixel Drops have become an interesting way for the company to keep its phones feeling fresh throughout the year. Instead of waiting for a major Android update to introduce everything at once, Pixel users get smaller features and improvements every few months.
The September Pixel Drop is no different. Google is adding new features to Pixel phones, including a redesigned Pixel VIPs widget, expanded Scam Detection, the rollout of Pause Point to older Pixel devices, and a set of Harry Potter-themed customisation options.
But since I live in Nigeria, it means some of the features Google is highlighting aren’t available here. So while I could test Pixel VIPs and Pause Point myself, I had to rely on Google’s documentation to understand how some of the other additions are supposed to work.
And after using Pixel VIPs and Pause Point for a while, I came away thinking something slightly different about this Pixel Drop. The changes aren’t particularly dramatic, but some of them are more useful than they initially sound.
Ogbonda Chivumnovu
Pixel VIPs is useful, but not quite as direct as I expected
The first feature I could actually test was Pixel VIPs.
Google introduced Pixel VIPs in 2025 as a way to keep your most important contacts within easy reach. The September update makes that more useful, with quicker ways to call or message your VIPs, notification badges for unread messages and missed calls, and a new floating menu for switching between contacts.
I added a couple of my regular contacts to the Pixel VIPs widget and put it on my home screen.
The widget itself is straightforward. Your selected contacts sit on the home screen, giving you a quick way to get to them without opening the Contacts app.
But on my device, tapping one of those contacts doesn’t immediately call or message them, despite Google describing the new widget as supporting one-tap calling and texting.
Subscribe for free to continue reading this article
Subscribe SubscribeAlready have an account? Log in
