The Google Pixel 8 arrived with a bunch of incredible new features, ranging from generative AI image editing tools to the usual array of Google Assistant enhancements. But it seems Google has just confirmed at least one of these features won’t be exclusive to Pixel 8 after all.
Google has now confirmed that Google Assistant’s multilingual typing capabilities will be coming to Pixel 7 in the near future. It’s not clear when it’ll happen exactly, but it means anyone rocking the 2022 Pixel flagship will be able to take advantage of this new feature without spending at least $699 on a brand new phone.
The Pixel 7 already added some advancements to voice typing, offering support for French, Spanish and Italian. Essentially meaning anyone using Gboard could use Google Assistant to transcribe what they say — instead of having to type it out by hand. The Pixel 8 takes it a step further, and doesn’t limit the user to a single language at a time.
That means you can speak in whatever supported languages you like, and the phone’s language processing will figure it out from there. So while Google gives you the option to switch the spoken language detection manually, you don’t actually have to do this. Which is going to be a major time-saver for anyone that prefers to voice-type and converses in two or more languages on a regular basis.
Considering how useful this tool could be to people, it’s good to know that it’s not limited to Pixel 8 hardware right now. Often Pixel-exclusive features are tied to the latest Tensor chipset, which means there’s no little chance of it coming to other devices — Pixel or otherwise.
Though stranger things have happened, like the time it brought Magic Eraser to non-Pixel devices, and even iPhones, earlier this year.
We don’t have a timeline on when this feature will hit the Pixel 7, but I’m hoping it’ll arrive as part of the next feature drop. Whatever ends up happening, though, it means you have one less reason to swap your Pixel 7 for a Pixel 8.
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