Skip to main content

Google’s At a Glance widget for Pixel 6 series is on the cusp of a big update

It has almost become a custom for Google to debut several exclusive features every time it announces new Pixel smartphones. This year, for example, we saw the company revamp the popular At a Glance option with a host of new feature additions, some of which are already live on the Pixel 6 series. Now, it seems there are more features on the way.

The usually trustworthy folks at 9to5Google recently performed an APK teardown of the beta version of the Android System Intelligence app for the Pixel 6 series. After closely examining the various lines of code within the APK, they were able to deduce that Google intends to soon enhance the At a Glance feature with several new capabilities.

Pixel 6 quick access options.
Andy Boxall/Digital Trends

The likely additions to At a Glance include a new At a Store option that displays your shopping lists and Google Play reward cards. Interestingly, this only happens when the phone detects that you’re inside a supported store. There is also the Doorbell option, which will let you quickly check who’s at the door after your doorbell rings. Google is also likely to include a Connected Devices feature that will let you continuously monitor connection status and battery information of all connected Bluetooth devices in one place.

For fitness enthusiasts who can’t be bothered to open their fitness app every time they want to take a quick look at their stats, the upcoming Fitness at a Glance feature will display all the info you need on the At a Glance widget when required. A feature that we particularly like is simply called Flashlight, and its sole purpose is to remind you that your flashlight is left on.

While Google may have originally intended to launch all features of At a Glance alongside the Pixel 6 series back in October, we now know things didn’t exactly go as planned. This could mainly be because the app itself wasn’t completely ready and was riddled with bugs. It is also unclear if the updated At a Glance features will officially make it to older Pixel devices from the Pixel 5 and Pixel 4 series.

Editors' Recommendations

Rahul Srinivas
Rahul is a smartphone buff turned tech journalist who has been tinkering with all things mobile since the early 2000s. He has…
Google Pixel Watch 3: news, rumored price, release date, and more
Someone wearing the Google Pixel Watch 2 with a yellow/green fabric band.

Though the first Google Pixel Watch suffered from some technical issues, the second generation Pixel was a big improvement. For the most part, it fixed the issues of the first model and was a much better smartwatch because of it.

This year, we should see the Google Pixel Watch 3. Though we’re still some months away from any official announcement, there are already a few things we can talk about. Here’s what we know so far!
Google Pixel Watch 3: release date

Read more
Check your Google Pixel Watch right now for two new features
A person wearing the Google Pixel Watch 2.

If you own a Google Pixel Watch, you may want to check your smartwatch for a new software update. Google has begun rolling out its April 2024 security update for both Pixel Watch models, and it packs a couple of new features you'll want to try out.

In its blog post announcing the new update, Google says it includes "new features, numerous bug fixes, and performance updates for Pixel Watch users." In addition to those ever-important bug fixes, there are two specific upgrades we think you'll really like.

Read more
The Google Pixel 8 is better than it should be in 2024
The Google Pixel 8 lying face-down.

The Google Pixel 8 was one of 2023's best smartphone releases. The compact size, excellent camera, and top-notch software made it an extremely tempting purchase — especially with a retail price of just $699.

But we're now five months removed from the Pixel 8's release, and a lot has changed. Samsung released its Galaxy S24 series, OnePlus has been on a tear, and we're quickly getting a good idea of what the Google Pixel 9 will look like. Given all that, I decided to pop my SIM card back into the Pixel 8 to see how the phone holds up in 2024.
What I still love about the Google Pixel 8

Read more