CONNECT WITH US
AI & Deeptech

AI & Deeptech

How September’s Pixel Drop changes the way you call and message important contacts

ZDNET AI logo

Published on

Add as a preferred source on Google
How September’s Pixel Drop changes the way you call and message important contacts

Tech > Services & Software > Operating Systems > Mobile OS > Android

The update lets you contact VIPs with a tap and adds scam protection.

The September 2026 Pixel Drop is officially rolling out, and while it’s not a huge update, it does bring a potentially very useful tool to your home screen. This is separate from the September Android Drop, which introduced a new way to keep track of important items and a new motion sickness feature.

Also: The best Google phones: How does the Pixel 10 Pro Fold stack up?

The most useful update, and the one I’m most excited about, makes it a lot easier to call or message your most used contacts. 

In June 2025, Google debuted Pixel VIPs, a widget that stored important contacts for easy access. The process still involved multiple taps, though, as you had to tap a contact inside the VIP widget to access that profile card, then tap a second time to call or message that person. I had VIP contacts saved, but I rarely used them because the process wasn’t much shorter than using the regular method.

Also: iPhone Duo vs. Pixel 11 Pro Fold: I’ve used both, and it’s not open and shut

The widget is staying, but the September update adds 1-tap direct call and text buttons right on the home screen card. 

Google says the widget itself supports up to 16 contacts, but early reports indicate that if you add more than 4, it reverts to the old layout to save space.


Source link

Disclaimer

We strive to uphold the highest ethical standards in all of our reporting and coverage. We TheMorningPulse.fyi want to be transparent with our readers about any potential conflicts of interest that may arise in our work. It's possible that some of the investors we feature may have connections to other businesses, including competitors or companies we write about. However, we want to assure our readers that this will not have any impact on the integrity or impartiality of our reporting. We are committed to delivering accurate, unbiased news and information to our audience, and we will continue to uphold our ethics and principles in all of our work. Thank you for your trust and support.