Pixel Feature Drop for November starts rolling out with Google bringing in-call Scam Detection and more to Australia

A little later than usual, but Google has today begun rolling out the November Pixel Drop alongside their monthly security update, bringing a heap of new features including in-call AI-based scam detection. 

The latest update is rolling out to a number of Pixel phones from the Pixel 6 series upwards, though some features are restricted to select models. 

The big feature for Australia is the expanded scam detection on phone calls coming to Pixel 9+ phones (not the PIxel 9a though) in Australia – as well as Canada, India, Ireland, and the UK.

This latest feature will add to the already robust spam detection for incoming calls. This additional feature, which will begin rolling out in Australia over the coming week, is able to warn you of scammers by detecting speech patterns while on a call. 

The AI-powered Scam Detection will detect key phrases used in calls, for example a caller claiming to be from your bank and asking you to urgently transfer funds due to an account breach. Scam Detection will warn you with an audio and haptic (vibrating) alert, and a pop-up warning telling you it’s a scam and to end the call. 

It’s a great new feature that should hopefully offer some people a bit of clarity when they’re feeling pressured by a scam call, and hopefully the confidence to end the call.

The in-call scam detection feature isn’t the only new feature to help protect you, Google is also rolling out Scam Detection in chats. The Scam Detection works in an array of popular  chat apps, not just Google’s Messages app, with a pop-up appearing if the phone detects suspicious activity. 

Google is also rolling out another new feature for Pixel 9 and above users (Sorry Pixel 9a users), with Call Notes now available.

Call Notes will record and transcribe the call for you, also adding in a summary of your call – all using Google’s Gemini Nano on-device AI model.

As well as Call Notes, Google will also offer more detailed AI-powered notification summaries, giving you a brief overview of what has happened in long chat threads, or even giving you the option to silence or organise lower priority notifications.

It’s not all serious though, with some extremely useful and even fun updates making their way into the November Pixel Drop. 

Google is adding the ability to remix any photo within Google Messages, meaning you can have fun and edit your photos with Nano Banana, or Gemini image generation right in the app. 

You can, if you’re following the Wicked promo train as the second movie launches into theatres around the world, you can theme your Pixel with a custom Wicked theme including Wallpaper, App icons, Sounds and more.

The important contacts in your phone can also get a boost with VIP treatment, letting you prioritize notifications from your important contacts, Google says ‘VIPs will also now have a crisis badge in the Contacts widget to keep you posted on critical alerts’.

Battery life for trips will see a boost as well, with new power saving mode in Google Maps. You’ll be able to use your Google Maps for navigation up to four hours longer on a long trip, ensuring you reach your destination before the phone goes flat.

And Magic Cue will also get more helpful, with a boost from Private AI Compute – a way to keep your personal data private, while leveraging the more powerful Google Cloud to perform tasks – with the task offloaded into the cloud, Magic Cue will offer more timely suggestions.

We didn’t see much on Magic Cue during our reviews of the Pixel 10 series, but it’s started to go live now for us – so there’s a heap of helpful new ways Magic Cue can now help.

Google says the update is rolling out over the coming week to Pixel 6 devices and above. Keep checking your System Update in Settings to make sure you’re up to date.