You might say that I drank the Kool-Aid, but I really can get into Google’s plan to make the Pixel proactive rather than reactive using Gemini as the assistant. Unfortunately, my Pixel 6 Pro doesn’t offer Magic Cue and even with Google’s backporting wizardry, it’s too much to ask Google to add this feature to a phone released five years ago. The OG Tensor application processor (AP) probably doesn’t have what it takes to run Magic Cue.
Magic Cue debuted on the Pixel 10 series
For those unfamiliar with Magic Cue, it is a feature that debuted on the Pixel 10 series that works in the background. Magic Cue is aware of what you are doing and predicts which information you need and shows that data on the screen before you can even think about how to obtain it.
For example, let’s say you are calling the customer service number of an airline that you will be flying on. Magic Cue knows who you are calling and will browse your Gmail for flight information. The feature will show you on your phone’s display information it knows you will need for your call with the airline. This would include your confirmation number, flight number, gate info, and flight times so you don’t have to scramble to find it.
Magic Cue will also work with text conversations
Magic Cue will also work inside a text conversation. Suppose you have a friend accompanying you on your flight who texts you asking, “What time does our plane leave next Wednesday?” Magic Cue reads the question, checks your calendar or email inbox to get that data, and puts a tap-to-send bubble with the flight time above your keyboard.
All you have to do is tap the bubble to have the data texted to your friend in response to his question. Magic Cue is a huge time saver and it is only going to get better. Google revealed some of the improvements during last week’s episode of “The Android Show,” including the move of the Magic Cue chip to the bottom of the phone’s display, which will help it work with third-party keyboards.
Some third-party apps like Snapchat will soon support Magic Cue
More apps will soon feature Magic Cue such as Snapchat. That is a bit of news that Google leaked in “The Android Show” last week. Magic Cue is also expected to surface information from other Google apps including Tasks and Wallet.
We don’t know when Google plans on pushing out the Magic Cue improvements. You might recall that Google has been focusing heavily on what it calls Personal Intelligence, the technology that turns Gemini and Google Search into an assistant that is context-aware across apps like Gmail, Photos, YouTube, and more. It is the same context-aware foundation that helps Magic Cue deliver proactive recommendations.
Apple hopes to counter Magic Cue with the iOS 27 changes to Siri, which will give the old gal on-screen awareness and the ability to browse Apple apps to answer personal queries. These apps include Mail, Messages, Calendar, Phone, Notes and Reminders, Photos, Contacts, and Safari.
Not all Pixel users love the Magic Cue feature
So far, Pixel 10 series users seem to be pretty much split when it comes to Magic Cue with some calling it magical whenever it appears. We’ve already given you a couple of examples showing how Magic Cue works.
In another example, let’s say that in Google Messages, you’re texting about a certain video game. As soon as you open YouTube, Magic Cue has search suggestions for you recommending videos about the video game you were texting about. As cool as that sounds, others say that the feature never shows up when they need it.
Hopefully, Google’s improvements will result in a higher level of engagement with Magic Cue for Pixel users.
