Early mentions of the Pixel 9 show up in the Google app

Summary

• The latest beta version of Google app reveals new details specific to Pixel 9
• The update had two files of interest, one of them being a setup animation
• The Pixel 9 may introduce Pixie AI assistant that runs on Gemini

Like clockwork, the latest in the Pixel series will arrive later this year and with it, we’ll get Android 15 and also some new and exciting software features. While we have high anticipation for what’s to come, it looks like we’re getting a new leak that makes mention of the upcoming Pixel 9, showing up in the latest version of the Google app.

This new piece of information was uncovered in the latest beta, version 15.14.34.29, and has some code that looks to be specific to the Pixel 9. And while it’s not the most exciting leak, it looks like there are some details relevant to the phone that could appear during the Google Assistant setup process.

Some new details but no reference to Pixie

The news comes from The SP Android, sharing two files, one of which actually has an animation file that could appear on the upcoming Pixel 9. You can see the animation in the image above, and while it’s cute, there really isn’t too much to see here. One thing to note is that there wasn’t any reference in the app about the Pixie assistant, which was uncovered just a few months ago.

Google has been tight-lipped about Pixie, but it could end up being a new AI assistant that is exclusive to Pixel devices. According to our earlier report, this new assistant won’t be a replacement for Google Assistant, but it will instead pick up the slack when it can’t handle requests, especially when Assistant is less powerful since it is offline.

While we don’t know a lot about the new assistant, it will reportedly be powered by Gemini, but will be less powerful. Pixie will also supposedly be able to pull data from connected apps to provide a more robust experience. Although it’s expected to arrive on the Pixel 9, there’s also the chance that it will be made available on Google’s other products as well.

When it comes to the upcoming Pixel 9 series, we actually know quite a bit, and could arrive as a trio of devices set to make their debut later this year as the Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, and Pixel 9 Pro XL. As far as the processor goes, we should expect Google’s next generation Tensor processor, along improvements to the cameras as well.

In addition, the phones will run Android 15 out of the box, and we should also expect some fantastic software tricks that will really differentiate it from other handsets on the market. But, as usual, we’ll just have to wait and see, and if the past is any indication, we won’t see any of these new phones until sometime in October.