Having a Google Pixel phone in your pocket not only means getting monthly Android security updates before any other Android phone brands do, but they are the only phones that get Google’s semi-regular Pixel Drop software upgrades, which bring Pixel-exclusive features you won’t find on Samsung – or any other phone, for that matter.

Google has just released the latest of these, its March 2026 Pixel Drop, and it includes several fun and useful new tools for Pixel owners to get stuck into.

This includes a new way to customise the look and feel of your homescreen, a tool to try on clothes before you buy them and even an exclusive appearance from Spongebob Squarepants.

But not all Pixel phones get all the Pixel Drop features. Although phones sating right back to the Pixel 6 from 2021 get some of the new goodies, only the latest Pixel 10, Pixel 10 Pro and Pixel 10 Pro XL get absolutely all of them. The Pixel 10 Pro Fold gets all but one, while previous generations collect a selection.

To see which clever new features your Pixel is getting, click here to view Google’s breakdown. You may not be getting the one you like the look of if you phone is a little long in the tooth.

The headline new feature is finding an outfit using Google’s Circle to Search. This service already exists on Android to circle things on your screen to search them on Google, but now when you circle an outfit, Google “will help you find every piece, from tops to footwear and everything in between”, searching the web to help you shop.

You can even now tap “Try It On’ and upload a photo of yourself, and the tech will show you what you look like with the new outfit on. Cool or terrifying? You decide.

A Pixel favourite feature has also got an upgrade. Now Playing has existed for years for Google phones, able to show you what music is playing around you and display it on the lock screen. A song history was always collected for you to reference, but now it’s all in its own app. You can then play those songs “in your preferred music app” – but of course right now the only options are (Google-owned) YouTube or YouTube Music.

Excitingly, you can now make custom icons from five icon styles to give your phone a unique look, plus you can now use, but only until May 1, a Pixel exclusive SpongBob Squarepants theme pack. For some reason.

The Pixel’s handy At a Glance widget, which also appears on the home screen, can now display real-time travel updates, live sports scores and even your stocks, if that’s your thing.

There are also updates to Magic Cue, the in-built Gemini AI tool that can find contextual information from other apps such as your calendar and suggest it when you’re texting someone about that plan, for example.

Other cool new features include a desktop mode for Pixels, Comfort Display filters, support for connecting a camera for livestreaming, the Journal app coming to Pixel 9, and handy scam detection tools coming to more countries.

All in all, this is a huge free update and a reminder of the sorts of great features you’ll only get if you opt for a Pixel over a Samsung Galaxy or other Android device.