Robert Triggs / Android Authority
TL;DR
- New evidence suggests Google may be bringing some Pixel-exclusive features to non-Pixel phones.
- The three new features possibly headed to other Android phones come from Google’s Personal Safety app for Pixels.
From time to time, Google makes features exclusive to its Pixel phones available on other Android phones. Some recent examples that come to mind include the Locked Folders feature in Google Photos and Heads-up in Digital Wellbeing. Now, it looks like Google is getting ready to port over some more Pixel features to other Android devices.
9to5Google did some digging around in the latest version of Google’s Personal Safety app that’s only available on Pixel phones. It found that some features from the app, particularly car crash detection, crisis alerts, and safety check, may be headed to non-Pixel phones.
The Personal Safety app on Pixel phones is designed to help users in emergency situations. Car crash detection is one of its most helpful features. It works to detect a crash and automatically contacts emergency services on behalf of users. Last year, the feature helped save a man who was trapped unconscious in his overturned Bobcat loader.
Meanwhile, the crisis alerts function notifies users about natural disasters and other emergencies around them. Safety check lets people set a check-in timer for their phone to confirm they’re safe. If they don’t respond, emergency sharing automatically starts.
As per 9to5Google, the strings of code in the latest version of the Personal Safety app contain text describing these features for “nonpixel” phones. The company has also tweaked the code in other places to say “your device” instead of “Pixel.” These changes indicate that the safety features could soon step out of Pixel phones and become available more widely.
It’s unclear how Google will distribute the features to other Android phones, though. The code suggests they might be made available through Google Play Services.
