Google's bringing a bunch more upgrades to Android and Pixel devices — including the ability to tell airlines where your luggage is

Google is back with a bunch of major new updates for Android. Not only has it just revealed a bunch of new features for all Android phones, anyone with a Pixel device will also enjoy some extra cool stuff thanks to the upcoming March Pixel Drop.

There's a lot of big news happening right now, what with MWC 2026 and the ongoing reveals of Apple Week. But it's always worth highlighting when Google makes improvements to the Android ecosystem, even if they may not roll out to every phone right away. Here's everything you need to know about the March Pixel Drop and upcoming Android ecosystem updates.

Android ecosystem updates

As rumored last week, Google Messages users will be able to share real-time locations with other people. Previously, all you could do was send a single static location, whereas this should allow recipients to follow you as you move. Best of all, you can control how long the sharing lasts before sending it, with options for an hour, the rest of the day or indefinitely.

This is all powered by the Find Hub, which has offered this feature for a while. But now that location sharing is built into Messages, it should make the whole process a lot easier and intuitive.

Speaking of Find Hub, Google's also copying Apple by offering users the ability to share locations with participating airlines. So if you have a tracker in your luggage (as you should), and the airline manages to lose your bag, you can point them directly to it.

Another Apple-like feature on the way is Calling Card, which will be added to the official Google Phone app. You set up your custom card featuring a photo, font and color, and this will be applied to your unique caller ID. So whenever you call someone, it will share your Calling Card at the same time.

Who'd have thought short-form video content would come to Google Play? Certainly not me, but that's what's happening in the near future. In a bid to aid app discoverability, the Google Play Store will offer a feed of videos that can show you how different apps work without ever having to leave the app.

Google will also be adding "Teacher-approved" games to Android Auto, offering a range of different ways to keep your kids occupied when you're in your car. Games are designed to be fun and educational, with options for kids aged between three and 12 years old.

The final update coming to Android is a selection of new Emoji Kitchen stickers, offering a bunch of different emojis to remix and share with friends.

March Pixel Drop

Those updates will make their way to all Android phones eventually, but these next upgrades are going to be exclusive to Pixel devices — including phones and smartwatches. First up is an upgrade for Circle to Search, which can identify individual pieces of clothing from an image and using your own videos and images allows you to see what it might look like on you.

Pixel 10's Magic Cue will also be getting an update to help you find the perfect restaurant, proactively using clues from your ongoing conversation. The At a Glance feature willbe getting extra features too, adding in real-time updates for your commute, sports scores and information from your Google Finance watch list. All available on your home and lock screens.

The final update for Pixel phones is the ability to offload tasks to Gemini, letting the AI take care of all the boring repetitive tasks you'd rather not have to deal with. Ordering groceries, booking a cab, recording and so on. All done in the background, where you don't need to worry about it.

Pixel Watches will be getting some serious security updates, the least of which is the new "Left Behind" reminders that warn you if you appear to have been separated from your phone. Disconnecting from the watch will also trigger the phone to lock, while having both devices in range makes it that bit easier to verify your identity when needed. Which should be especially useful if you have your phone's Advanced Protection switched on.

Express Pay makes contactless wrist payments even easier, letting you tap your watch to the terminal without having to open the Wallet first. Google's also adding real-time earthquake alerts, before shaking even starts, and one-handed gestures will be expanding from Pixel Watch 4 to include Pixel Watch 3.

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