These Five New Features Are Coming to Android Devices

Another month, another “Drop.” Google announced its latest crop of features for Android devices this week, all coming as part of its September Android Drop. While the list is relatively small, these five new features all actually seem pretty useful. In fact, with this update, Google is kind of making the case to avoid buying one of its newest products.

Keeps tabs on your stuff without using a tracker

Google is funny. The company finally rolls out its own competitor to the AirTag, the Pixel Tag, then immediately undercuts it with a new Find Hub feature. “Soon,” Google says, you’ll have the ability to ask Gemini to remember where you put your stuff, making it possible to keep tabs on those items without needing a dedicated tracker.

Google says the feature is for “things you don’t put a tracker tag on,” like, perhaps, your passport or a spare key, but there aren’t any rules here. You can simply ask Gemini to remember that you put your keys in your bedside drawer, and it’ll store that location for you. You can even choose to add a photo if you want the extra assistance. When you can’t find something, you can ask Gemini where it is, or check the new “remembered items” tab in Find Hub. Google doesn’t have a specific timeline for when this feature will roll out, but it does say that it’ll work with Android 16 and newer in countries that support both Gemini and Find Hub.

Android is getting its own anti-motion sickness feature

With iOS 18, Apple introduced “Vehicle Motion Cues,” a feature that aims to reduce motion sickness by placing a series of dots on your screen. As the vehicle moves, so do the dots. That way, your brain doesn’t get “confused” by looking at a stationary screen in a moving vehicle; it thinks the screen is moving as well, hopefully keeping your senses in equilibrium.

While developers brought this concept to Android devices through third-party apps, Google now has a version of the feature of its own. Google’s take is called “Motion Assist,” and it works just about the same way as Apple’s. Like Vehicle Motion Cues, you can customize how these dots actually look; in this case, you can control their shape, color, and opacity. You can choose to have the feature kick on automatically, or pin it as a Quick Setting tile to access it whenever you want. Google says this feature is coming to all phones running Android 17.

“Guided vision” is coming to Gemini Live

Just about every tech company with an AI platform offers a “Live” feature, which lets the AI “see” through your device’s camera to help answer questions about your surroundings. For Google, that’s Gemini Live.