Summary
- Google was rumored to launch a new ‘Pixie’ assistant alongside the Pixel 9, but it never shipped.
- ‘Pixie’ may have been split into Pixel Screenshots and other Gemini features through extensions.
- The Pixel 10’s rumored Pixel Sense is likely a continuation of this strategy, aligning with Google’s focus on Gemini
While the Pixel 9a continues to survive in a delayed state of limbo, we’ve got our attention turned towards what Google has planned for Pixel 10. A TSMC-manufactured upgrade to Tensor G5 seems like a given, as is Android 16 and plenty of AI tools. We’ve heard about “Pixel Sense,” which, on paper, seemed pretty similar to “Pixie,” a rumored Pixel-exclusive AI assistant initially planned to launch with the Pixel 9. Now, with some fresh context, it feels like we’re finally getting a broader picture on what happened with Google’s missing Pixie, and what it could mean for the Pixel 10.
The folks at 9to5Google have drawn some previously unknown details surrounding Pixie out of a report from The Information first published last month. Pixie originally leaked back in December of 2023, eight months before the Pixel 9’s eventual launch. Pixie would’ve outshined Assistant — remember, this is a pre-Gemini landscape — while relying on its Gemini Nano LLC to power a more personalized AI experience. But after months of leaks and rumors, the Pixel 9 series arrived without any sight or sign of what Pixie had become.
That report from The Information fills in a few of the blanks. Pixie, unsurprisingly, was seen as an internal competitor for Gemini, and Google CEO Sundar Pichai personally ordered a change in direction to avoid that conflict. Pixie didn’t die, as some might have assumed last summer. Rather, Google split the app into two user-facing tools: Pixel Screenshots and a collection of “features” for Gemini. Abner Li at 9to5Google points to Gemini’s Utilities extension as what might have come from that latter change.
Google didn’t keep its ‘Pixie’ around, but that might be good in the long run
Fewer, more powerful features
If you’re scratching your head and wondering how a tool as impressive on paper as Pixie became something of a Pixel afterthought, well, you aren’t alone. The Information’s reporting specifically says that neither product — Screenshots or Gemini’s amped-up toolset — were particularly close to what was initially envisioned for Pixie. I think that’s fairly obvious for anyone who picks up a Pixel 9, but it’s still telling that last year’s Google flagship could’ve been an even larger jump into the AI era than it ended up being.
So, what should we make of Pixel Sense? While some might see this as the obvious evolution of whatever Pixie was meant to become, I think the company’s continued all-in push for Gemini means there’s no way a Pixel-exclusive dedicated assistant could ever exist. Frankly, I think that’s probably the right move — how many times has Google been made fun of for its penchant for duplicating apps?
All of the examples we’ve seen leak for Pixel Sense sound like advancements on what Google already started on Gemini with Utilities. That could pretty naturally lead to whatever this tool is building on that structure when the Pixel 10 launches later this year.
