Google's latest Pixel Drop shows love to your VIPs and Harry Potter fandom

Harry Potter themes on Google Pixel phones.Credit: Google Published Sep 15, 2026, 2:00 PM EDT Jon is a seasoned journalist who has written definitive coverage of consumer tech at publications like Engadget, Android Authority, and BetaKit. He's an expert on making tech accessible ranging from mobile and PCs to emerging platforms like wearables. When he's not writing, he's going on adventures with ihis family and is an avid photographer. Sign in to your How-To Geek account Google is releasing its second Pixel Drop for September, and it's big news if you need to get in touch with loved ones — or just can't get enough of Hogwarts. The new update for Pixel phones delivers VIP contact updates and a set of Harry Potter themes, among other perks. You now get notification badges that indicate when VIP contacts have sent urgent or unread messages. And if you routinely reach out to VIPs, refreshed and expanded widgets let you call or text them from your home screen. The Harry Potter themes, meanwhile, mark the release of The Full-Cast Audio Editions of the series' audiobooks on Audible. Your icons, sounds, and wallpaper all change to reflect the story of The Boy Who Lived. You also get a two-month Audible free trial as an incentive to listen. Pixel phones should also be better at spotting scams. Google is offering in-app scam detection in the U.S. to catch bogus messages in chat apps when using the Gboard keyboard. Detection in Messages, in turn, is expanding to more countries and languages. All of these updates are rolling out starting today, and require a Pixel 6 or newer. Scam detection isn't available on the Pixel Tablet. Your Pixel Watch just got more useful Especially when your hands are full September Pixel Drop 2 includes a pair of Pixel Watch updates that will help when you're busy. You can now use a one-handed pinch gesture to open and scroll through your notifications. If you've missed an important alert, you won't need a free hand to see what happened. Raise-to-talk should also work more effectively with improved gestures. You'll need at least a Pixel Watch 3 for the notification gesture, and a Pixel Watch 4 for the improved raise-to-talk control.