Big new features and important fixes arrive in the latest Google Pixel update

Google is ending the year with a major software update for Pixel phones, bringing fresh features through what they call Android 16 QPR2—which simply means the second big release of features this quarter—alongside the December 2025 security updates.

This release covers a wide range of devices, from the Pixel 6 series all the way up to the newest models. This change is part of Google’s plan to deliver exciting new tools to your phone much faster than before.

Making Your Phone Look Exactly How You Want

This update is packed with new ways to personalize your phone’s appearance:

• Smarter Themed Icons: If you like your home screen icons to match your wallpaper colors, you know some apps don’t support it, leaving you with a mix of colors. The phone can now automatically create matching, themed icons for almost every app, making your screen look perfectly uniform and clean.
• More Icon Shapes: You’re no longer stuck with just a circle. You can now pick from several new shapes for your app icons, like a square or different curved shapes, to give your home screen a unique feel.
• Super-Powered Dark Mode: When you use dark mode, some apps still flash a bright white screen because they don’t have their own dark setting. A new Expanded Dark Theme setting is here to fix this. It tries to force those stubborn apps to also go dark, making it much easier on your eyes, especially at night.
• Better Viewing Control: If bright videos or photos on your screen are too intense, you can now use the new Enhanced HDR Brightness tool. It lets you lower the intense screen brightening effect that comes with High Dynamic Range content, so you can scroll comfortably in low light.
• Turn Off the Blur: Some people don’t like the new design that adds blur to backgrounds in menus. Now, you can find a setting under Accessibility to reduce blur effects system-wide, making backgrounds clear and solid instead.

Smarter Ways to Work and Stay Organized

Google has added tools that help you focus and multitask better:

• Lock Screen Widgets (on phones): Just like the Pixel Tablet, your Pixel phone can now show useful information on the lock screen. By swiping left on the lock screen, you can access a dedicated page for widgets, letting you see things like the weather or reminders without having to unlock your phone.
• AI Notification Organizer: Your phone can now use its built-in smarts to group your less important notifications (like news updates, promotions, or social alerts) into neat bundles at the bottom of the notification menu. This keeps your main list cleaner for the messages and alerts that truly matter.
• 90:10 Split Screen: Multitasking just got easier. A new feature allows you to divide your screen so that one app takes up 90% of the space, leaving a small, 10% sliver for a second app. You can tap the small app to quickly swap their positions, making it perfect for having a main window open while keeping a chat or note pad nearby.

Keeping Things Safe and Running Smoothly

A major part of this update focuses on security and fixing frustrating problems:

• Important Bug Fixes: This update fixes over 30 bugs, including a highly requested fix for the 80% battery charge limit setting that was sometimes ignored by the phone. It also resolves issues where the battery icon showed a question mark and fixes frustrating display problems like the screen freezing, going black, or flashing.
• Built-in Parental Controls: Managing a child’s device is now simpler. A new, dedicated Parental Controls menu is available in Settings, allowing parents to easily set daily screen time limits, schedule downtime, and block or restrict specific applications.
• Stronger Theft Protection: The advanced Identity Check feature, which prevents thieves from changing critical security settings outside of your home, now works with third-party apps as well. If your phone is stolen and you are outside a safe location, a thief who knows your PIN can no longer use it to bypass the biometric lock on sensitive apps like banking or messaging.
• Security Patches: The December 2025 update also brings significant security improvements, resolving numerous vulnerabilities rated from high to critical to ensure your device remains safe from online threats.